"Thanks, Anna, this is great. I just opened some wine. Can I get you a glass?"
She nodded, and said fervently, "God, yes. I can't tell you how nice it is to be out of the house for a while. That kid of mine drove me a little nuts today. Sam took one look at me when he got back and told me to take off."
Jason handed her a glass of white wine, and then took one of the rolls out of the basket. It was still warm, with flaky dough and a wonderful melted goodness inside. "Wow, Anna." He took another bite. "These are fantastic. Thanks!"
She waved a hand and took another sip of wine. "I'm going to sit down in that chair and put my feet up. You go ahead and eat as much as you want."
He finished off the roll, grabbed another one with a napkin and then proceeded to the couch. Anna was sitting in the big leather chair with her eyes closed. He ate his roll, and said nothing. Finally, she looked up at him.
"Thank you for that silence. I really needed it. I love my child, but there are days when I just need a break. With Sam gone today, I had my hands full."
"No problem. But where was Sam? Doesn't he usually do his writing out at your house?"
"Sam went with Cody today to check out some old fixtures, something they thought you could use for the project--but I'm sure he'll tell you about that later. And, yes, he has his office and I have my studio--on separate ends of the house," she said, with a little laugh. "We have very different working styles. I like to blast my music really loud, sometimes, when I am painting. Even though we soundproofed my area, he insisted he could feel the beat of the music coming through the floor, so that's why I'm at one end and he's at the other."
"Hmm. That's an interesting point, the different styles of working that artists have, and what they need to accommodate that. I was working on some preparatory drawings today for artist housing, but I never considered that aspect of things."
Anna's face lit up. "You have drawings already? Can I see?"
He started to shake his head, and then stopped. "Actually, it might help me to get your input since you're an artist. But let's not bring everyone else into looking at these just yet. They'll be more finished by the meeting on Saturday."
"Okay, I can do that. I'd love to see them."
"Over here." Jason got up and walked over to the drafting table. He spread out the drawings, one at a time for her to see.
"Oh, Jason! The style, the look of these--they're perfect!"
"Well, not quite perfect, not yet. But they are getting there," he said, with some satisfaction. "You see here, the spacing for some of these smaller ones is pretty close together. How do you feel about that?"
"I think it's good to have some closer and some further away. Everyone is different. Some people need more solitude than others to work. When I was painting, here at this loft, I didn't want anyone around at all. It was my refuge, my haven. I still have that to some degree at my studio at the house, but I do get interruptions, especially with a growing child. I like the way you have these places grouped, though. And there is a center. They arc around a center where they can gather together for social times, if they want. That's very useful."
"And you don't think they're too...different? For Sully Point, I mean."
"No. Goodness no, Jason. First you didn't make them all copycats. Each one has its own flair. Then I think what you may be overlooking is that Sully Point has its own level of...hmm, what to call it. Not weirdness, not exactly. Somewhat bohemian, yes. But, also, old fashioned. It's a mix, and that's what you've got here in these drawings. You're definitely on the right track. I'd only suggest two things, actually."
Jason felt relieved at her assessment. "What do you recommend?"
"Leave a spot for some kind of coffeehouse or bakery, or some kind of eatery. I know we planned for there to be a nice restaurant on the grounds. However, I'm thinking of not just tourists, but artists. They need a place to dash in for a cup of coffee, or to grab a sandwich. The place will make a fortune."
"Good idea. And the other thing?"
"Take that walkway, between buildings, all the way out to the cliffs that look down on the beach. It would make it easier for anyone who lives there to take that walk to the beach, and the views will be an inspiration for artists of any type."
"I like that. I'd planned on using a natural stone for that walkway. This is a good idea."
Anna beamed. "It's going to be great."
"More wine?" Jason asked.
"Just a bit more, then I'll need to head back. Much as I complain about my short little terror, I miss him."
They sat back down in the living area. Anna looked at Jason for a moment, then asked, "So, what's with you and Holly?"
Jason choked on the sip of wine he'd just taken.
After some coughing, he said, "I'm not quite sure what you mean by that, Anna."
She stared at him for a minute. "You and my sister have got something going on," she said decisively. "I just haven't figured out what it is. And I don't need to. Whatever is between you is up to both of you to deal with, but--"
"But?"
"But you be careful, Jason, be careful. Holly can seem like she can handle anything. She's always been so confident, so sure of herself. But her feelings--I don't want to see her hurt. And you, I think, have the ability to hurt her."
Jason raised his eyebrows. "Me?"
"Yes, you. I watched you both, last time we were all together. You're connected. It's like an invisible something, but I saw how she watched you, looked for you, when you weren't at her side. And I saw you doing the same. I saw how you both appeared to be more at ease when you were next to each other."
He didn't know what to say, wanting to deny she was right, even as he knew it was true. It was the elephant in the room in his and Holly's...relationship. Something they weren't supposed to have.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this," he said quietly.
"Love doesn't give us much choice sometimes."
"Love?" He stood up and stared at her. She sat calmly in her chair, looking back at him. "You can't be serious. It isn't love. That's impossible. It's...it's..."
"What else could it be, but love?"
"But that's not what we agreed upon!" he burst out saying without thinking.
Anna's eyes narrowed, and he froze. "Just what do you mean, 'agreed upon?'"
"Ah, well, I misspoke."
"I don't think so," she replied, shaking her head. "Spill it."
"It's just that neither of us had time for a relationship. So we decided to take advantage of what little time we had to satisfy certain needs, but with the understanding that there were no strings, no relationship, no love involved. We both agreed that it would be so much better and easier to not be dating people who always wanted to get involved."
Anna's mouth had fallen open as she listened to him. She snapped it shut and glared at him. "Let me get this straight. You guys thought you could just play around, but never have any consequences? Didn't either of you think that being involved sexually meant that you were in a relationship already? And that the closeness of good sex would only bring you together? My God, please don't tell me that you two were this stupid."
"We weren't stupid," he said, with a bit of fire in his voice. "We didn't know! And now--now there's more between us than we ever expected or wanted. I know she doesn't have time for a serious involvement. Love was never on the menu for her."
Anna leaned back and tilted her head to one side, watching him pace. It was a good room for pacing. Finally, she said, "You mention her, over and over, what she does or doesn't have time for, what she wanted. What about you? I know it wasn't what you wanted in the beginning of your arrangement with her, but what about now?"
He stopped and stood still. "Lately, I dream about a house. A house I want to design, not for anyone else, but for myself. It's the perfect house. And she's always there, in the dream, always waiting for me in that perfect house."
He looked down at Anna and saw that she'd gotten tears in her eyes. "What's wro
ng?"
"Nothing. That's just so sweet."
"Sweet? Good grief, woman, don't you realize what this means?"
"Yes, I do, but I'm not sure you do."
"It means I have to stop seeing her! I've let myself get too close to her. I've--"
"Hold it right there, Jason," Anna said firmly. She got up from the chair and stood facing him. "It doesn't mean anything of the sort. Don't tell me that you're the kind of man who walks away from happiness. When I think of the buildings you've designed in the city, so filled with joy and exuberance in life, I can't believe you'd run from love."
"But I never--it wasn't supposed to--what the hell am I going to do?"
Anna reached out and patted him on the arm. "You're going to live. Let yourself experience your life. See what you and Holly can figure out between you. But don't turn away from something that has so much potential, just because you're afraid. Love isn't about fear, Jason. Love heals fear."
And he knew, in that moment, that she was right. He was running because of fear. Afraid to let himself become so close to someone. Afraid of losing them as he'd lost his parents. But Anna was right in another way as well. He'd always promised his parents he'd live his life as fully as possible, living for them and not just for himself. To start denying his feelings wasn't a way to truly live.
He reached out and hugged Anna, who gave a surprised, "Oof!"
"Thank you, thank you so much."
He let go of her and she smiled at him. "You'll be okay now, right? You and Holly?"
"I don't know yet what I'll say to her or when, but I won't run from it anymore."
"Good, good. Although, I have to tell you that she can be really stubborn. I know she seems really nice--and she is! Don't get me wrong. But, as her sister, I can say that she knows how to dig her heels in. She may take some convincing, in other words."
He laughed. It was a joyful laugh, one that made him feel as if he'd walked out of a dark room and into the light. "I believe you. But I won't give up."
"That's all I needed to hear. And on that note, I think I'd better get home to my own two loves. It will be good to have some time with Sam. I'm betting Maggie will stay away until after the little one goes to bed. But I'd like to have a snack made for her for when she comes in, so I'd best be off. And you--keep drawing! Those are really good."
"Will do. Thanks for everything, Anna."
He walked her to the door, and watched her go down the stairs. Even as he headed for the kitchen for another stuffed roll, he wondered what Holly was doing that night, whether she'd remembered to eat. Maybe it was time for a phone call.
* * * *
Lana walked into Holly's office when she heard her boss slamming things around. "Holly? Everything okay in here?"
"What? Yes, of course. Everything is perfectly fine. If he wants to spend time--never mind. I mean it's not like I have any claim--that isn't the issue anyway. But if you bother to call me and then harp on about special meetings with your new best friend, Maggie--not that I even care!" She slammed a phone directory down in the middle of her desk.
Lana hesitated, and then came to stand in front of the desk. "Who exactly called you? Jason?"
"Yes. And all he could do was talk about Maggie!" Holly stared at Lana for an instant, and then burst into tears. Sinking into her chair, she covered her face with her hands.
Lana shook her head. She'd wondered what Marla had meant this morning when she had called and mentioned Maggie as a player in all that was going on. This made it very clear. What on earth was Marla thinking--unless it was to make Holly jealous, which it looked like she'd done.
"Has Jason been meeting with Maggie about the project?" she asked tentatively.
"Yes. A whole lot of meetings," Holly managed to say. Then she took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. "First he calls, he says, to see if I've eaten dinner. Which seemed kind of sweet to me. But then he starts telling me about his day and how he and Maggie did this, and then they did that--on and on! I got off the phone--told him I had to get back to work."
"I see." And she did see. What sounded like nervous chatter from Jason, had turned into something entirely different in Holly's mind. She looked at the younger woman with sympathy, then firmed her lips and said, "So. Are you finally ready to acknowledge you have feelings for him?"
"Feelings? Sure, he's a good friend."
"Holly...you know that's not what I mean."
"I don't. I don't know what you mean." She began arranging things on top of desk, fingers fluttering from one item to the next.
"Holly Grainger. Are you telling me you're afraid to admit you're in love with the man?"
"I'm not afraid! Not really. But, surely, I'm not in love with him. I like him, of course, I do. Love, however--love is a whole other ball game. I can't love him. I'm too busy. My life is too full. I don't have room for a relationship, damn it!"
"Whether or not you have room, it looks like it's happening anyway."
Holly gulped, and then said, "Love? Is this what love feels like? It's awful!"
Lana gave a soft laugh. "Holly, dear, you only feel awful because everything is up in the air at the moment. You're afraid he doesn't love you, am I right?"
"See, we had this agreement where we could get together and...well...anyway, we both agreed we didn't want to get involved or have a relationship--any of that. So I don't see how he could be in love with me. He's so focused on his work."
"Like you?"
"Yeah, like--wait a minute. Are you saying he might have had love sneak up on him, too?"
"It is possible."
Holly's face had brightened, but it fell again. "I doubt it. And anyway, now there's this whole thing with Maggie."
Lana sighed. "I honestly don't think there is anything going on with Maggie. You set it up for her to work with him. So, she's working with him. It doesn't mean anything bad."
"Then why does he bring her up all the time? Explain that, if you wouldn't mind."
"It sounds to me like nerves. That he's using his meetings with Maggie as something to say when he's uncertain. Of course, I could be wrong."
"Hmm. That idea does kind of fit. Or you could be wrong, and he's falling for her. I don't even want to go to Sully Point this weekend feeling like this."
Lana frowned. This wouldn't do. "You have to go this weekend. Everyone involved with the project will be there, and you know some major things will end up being discussed. You don't want to be left out of that, do you?"
"No, not really. Besides, I guess if there is something going on with him and Maggie, I could find out for sure. And that could end all these stupid feelings I'm having...okay. I'll go home this weekend."
"That's good." Lana smiled at her and then walked back to her own desk. She'd have to call Marla later with an update. Getting Holly and Jason together was the toughest matchmaking job she and Marla had ever done. How could two people so well-suited actually believe they were too busy for love? Actually, the fact they both believed it just proved how much they belonged together.
* * * *
Things were going on. Right in his house, even. Frank Grainger sighed. Today, he'd walked in on three separate conversations where people didn't seem very forthcoming. He didn't mind a little conspiracy as long as he was in on it.
First, he'd seen Marla and Maggie clam up at breakfast. But he'd heard the name 'Jason' before they stopped talking. Then he'd come across Anna and Julia having lunch in the park with his grandkids. He knew the look on someone's face when they'd been gossiping, and Anna had definitely had that look. As he'd approached them he'd overheard 'Holly' mentioned.
The third conversation had actually been about him. He'd walked up behind Maelynne as she was going into the bakery. She was gossiping with her friend all about how Frank had finally found someone, a woman he had living in his house! Of course she meant Marla, not realizing Marla was Jason's assistant. Frank let her have it--explaining who Marla was and that he was just doing a favor for a friend letting her
stay there. He hoped he'd gotten through to Maelynne, because Betsy Gilchrest, his actual 'woman friend,' would not be happy hearing about Marla. He and Betsy continued keeping their relationship a secret, which in the town of Sully Point, was a major achievement.
All he really knew was a gut feeling that something was going on that involved Holly and Jason. He'd wondered about the two of them, from little things he'd noticed when they were together. He liked Jason, and thought he was a good man. But over the years, he'd come to believe Holly might just stay on her own forever. He knew a part of that came out of losing her mother, and watching him losing a dearly loved wife. Holly had been old enough to see how much her father had loved her mother, and how devastated he'd been when she died. That first year had been traumatic, and Holly had been there as the oldest, always helping out. She'd seen him suffer through that loss.
He thought it wouldn't be surprising if she was hesitant to fall in love. Even after seeing how happy Anna and Cody were in their marriages, she still knew that if you loved deeply, you could be terribly hurt if you lost that person. Maybe it was time he sat her down to talk about it all. Maybe he should let her know that she couldn't give up on love out of fear. And perhaps it was time to tell, at least to tell her, about his feelings for Betsy. Holly needed to know it had become possible for him to love again.
Chapter 8
The weekend arrived swiftly, and by Friday, Holly was more than ready to get to Sully Point. She drove down and called Jason from the car as she approached town.
"Hey, I'm almost there," she said into the headset microphone plugged into her phone.
"Hi there. You made good time. When did--"
He stopped talking and then she heard him laugh--and heard a woman's laugh in the background.
"Sorry about that," he said and gave a chuckle.
"You're busy? I didn't realize you had company."
"What? No, I'm not busy. Maggie stopped by and we were looking over some things for the meeting tomorrow. Then we got to talking about movies. Did you realize she has the same love of old science fiction movies that I do?"
Love Captures the Heart (Sully Point, Book 3) Page 11
