Picture Perfect (Butler Island)

by Nikki Rittenberry

  “Why not?” he asked.

  “Because… you’re a stranger. How do I know you’re not an ax murderer luring me to your house so you can chop me up into a bunch of little pieces?”

  That did it. He couldn’t contain his laughter any longer and when he met her gaze again, he realized she wasn’t laughing.

  “You’re serious…? Honey, this is Butler Island. People leave their doors unlocked, the fruit stand on First Street is on the honor system, and the biggest crime in the town’s history was committed by a teenage girl that took a stolen jet ski on a joy ride years ago.”

  The beautiful woman smiled and relaxed a bit in his arms, no longer as tense as she was moments before. He removed one of his hands from her waist and offered it to her. “My name’s Grant Womack and I’m a firefighter—not an ax murderer. I’ve got a first aid kit at the house. We can sit outside on the deck if that would make you feel more comfortable.”

  She looked down at his outstretched hand and bit her bottom lip before shaking it. “You can call me Olivia—not honey—and sitting on the deck would be greatly appreciated.”

  Grant guided her around the hundreds of jellyfish scattered along the beach and when they reached the deck, she sat with her legs stretched out in front of her on an oversized lounge chair. He disappeared for a moment inside and then re-emerged seconds later with a bottle of distilled vinegar and a mound of gauze. He knelt down in front of her and then poured the pungent liquid over her foot.

  “Ouch! Are you sure you know what you’re doin’?”

  “Count to ten and I promise it’ll get better. The vinegar only hurts for a few seconds and then it’ll begin neutralizing all the toxins the stinger released… Better?”

  Olivia took a deep breath and exhaled slowly though her mouth. “Yeah, a little.” She studied him for a moment, which given his good looks wasn’t a hardship what-so-ever. “So, the peeing thing is—”

  “A myth. You’re better off rinsing the sting in the ocean than you are peeing on it.” He watched as she nodded her head, retaining the information just in case she needed it for future use. “I haven’t seen you around here before. Are you new in town?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “Not exactly… Do you mind elaborating a little bit on that one?”

  “Yes, actually, I do mind”, she answered playfully.

  Grant let out a soft chuckle and shook his head. She was a witty little thing and he liked it—he liked her. The women he’d dated on the island—if you could even call it dating—were quick to throw themselves at his feet. They were eager for a few beers and a roll in the hay, but truthfully he’d grown tired of it. It’d been a long time since he’d been intrigued by a member of the female species and the woman sitting in front of him certainly sparked his curiosity. “So, do you have any plans tonight? There’s a poker tournament at my buddy’s house. Some of the guys bring their wives and girlfriends…”

  “Are you asking me on a date?”

  “That depends, are you interested?”

  “Actually, I already have plans tonight with the man in my life ”, she explained.

  Ouch! Grant lowered his head for a moment before meeting her green-eyed gaze again. “Well, he’s a lucky man.”

  “Yes, he is”, she said smiling. “I’ll make sure to pass your message along to him.” Olivia swung her legs over the side of the lounge chair and stood up.

  “Do you need a ride?” he offered.

  “No thanks, my car’s right over there in the parkin’ lot”, she assured him as she gestured toward her car. “And by the way… thank you.”

  She started down the wood steps that led to the beach from his expansive deck. “Maybe I’ll see you around”, he called out as he watched her move toward the sandy shore.

  “It’s a small island—I’m sure you will.”

  CHAPTER 2

  Poker night was a once a month tradition, hosted by Grant’s lieutenant, and best friend, Ty. It was an opportunity to bond with his fellow “brothers” at the fire department and it was an excuse to drink a boat-load of beer, too. He arrived at Ty’s house a few minutes late, the boys steadily hassling him over the game delay. The guys were already seated at the large dining room table as he walked to the fridge to snag an ice cold beer. He glanced through the window pane and saw the women huddled around the patio table—exchanging gossip no doubt. Not wanting to disturb their whispering campaign and cause further delay from the tournament, he gave a quick wave and then joined the guys at the dining room table.

  “Glad you could make it”, Ty announced dryly.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t miss taking your money for the world, bro.”

  Ty began shuffling the cards and then swiftly distributed five cards a piece to his self, as well as the seven guys sitting at the table. After everyone had an opportunity to take a look at their dealt hands, Eddie Yates placed the first bet, tossing his poker chips into the middle of the table. “I have to tell you, Ty: that was one hell of a surprise”, he said.

  “Yeah, did you know she was coming?” Jimmy Phillips asked.

  “Nope—I was just as surprised as the rest of you.”

  “What the hell are you guys talking about?” Grant interjected.

  “My sister’s in town.” Ty placed his cards face down on the table and then stood from his chair. He walked to the French doors and asked his sister to come inside whenever she had a moment and then sat back down at the table.

  Grant was busy studying his cards, oblivious to the silhouette walking toward him—that is until the silhouette opened her mouth to speak.

  “Alright boys, this had better be good—I’m not playin’ waitress tonight!”

  Grant immediately looked up from his cards. That adorable southern accent had been distracting him all fucking day.

  “Grant, I’d like you to meet my baby sister, Olivia.”

  Olivia reached her hand toward Grant. “It’s a pleasure to meet you… Grant, right?” she asked smiling.

  Grant chuckled softly under his breath. Earlier in the day he’d had his hands on her waist when he’d rescued her on the beach. And on those incredibly sexy legs when he’d knelt in front of her while applying first aid to her foot. “Yeah… Same goes.”

  She removed her hand from his and took a step back. “Alright, now that I’ve managed to meet all the new faces at this table—you can proceed with your silly lil’ Go Fish game!” She gave Grant a wink and then turned and walked away.

  “It’s not Go Fish—it’s poker!” Ty shouted over his shoulder.

  “Same difference”, she countered before joining the women back on the patio.

  Olivia closed the French doors behind her and walked toward her seat.

  “So, it looks as though you just met Butler Island’s most eligible bachelor”, Lana Phillips announced.

  Olivia took her seat and glanced around the table at six pairs of eyes staring back at her. “Did I miss something? Why is everyone staring at me like that?”

  “Oh c’mon, Olivia—did you see the way Grant just looked at you?—like you were the prime rib at an all-you-can-eat buffet?” Jenny Carson asked.

  Olivia tucked her honey-blonde hair behind one of her ears. “Alright, look—please don’t take this the wrong way, but you ladies need to get out more. And by ‘out more’, I mean something far more excitin’ than poker night and preferably off of Butler Island.”

  The group of women got a good laugh out of that. Most of the locals had never even left the state of Florida, let alone the county. They had no idea about what life was like beyond the Mainland Bridge. Olivia did, though. She’d traveled all over the continental United States for her career. She’d witnessed real life firsthand; experienced it with open arms and had the scars, both physical and emotional, to prove it.

  “I’d give anything for that man to look at me like that”, Tonya Woods mumbled.

  “Oh, please—you’re married!” announced Jenny. “Does Mark know about your secret crush?”


  “Are you kidding me?—like I would just come right out and say it: ‘Here’s your dinner, honey. How’s your meatloaf? And by the way, did you know that my mouth drops open like an idiot whenever Grant walks into the room?’”

  Laughter erupted from around the patio table and when they finally settled down, Olivia’s curiosity finally got the best of her. “So, tell me about him. What’s his story?”

  “Well, he’s been at the fire department for about five years—”

  “And let’s not leave out the most important part”, Jenny interjected. “He’s great at friendship, but he’s a lousy boyfriend.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Olivia

  “She means he’s a die-hard womanizer—a serial dater. A player. I heard from Jimmy that Grant’s never had a serious relationship before and judging by his previous dating record, he probably never will”, Lana shared.

  “Hmm, that’s very interesting…” Very interesting indeed. Olivia had never had a serious relationship either. Oh, she’d certainly come close a time or two, but every time her previous boyfriends’ began dropping subtle hints that they were interested in something more serious, she’d panicked. She was completely aware that her fear of love and commitment set her apart from the other ninety-nine percent of the female population, but she did have her reasons.

  Losing her parents at such a young age had deeply affected her. She’d never felt so grief-stricken and vulnerable in her entire life, before or since that dreadful night. Aside from her brother, Ty, she kept all relationships with the male species at arm’s length. Her biggest phobia—other than heights—was to revisit the kind of pain she’d endured then. To allow her heart to become accessible, leaving her weak and defenseless. She liked to have complete and utter control of her life; just thinking about losing it made her panic.

  But she had to admit, she was incredibly intrigued by Grant. Looking at him was certainly no hardship. His light brown hair dared her to run her fingers through it; his eyes were ice-blue, but there was nothing cold about them. His long lashes were borderline envious. And those lips…

  Okay, she was admittedly curious—even more so by his playboy reputation. He wasn’t looking for anything serious and neither was she. She only planned on being in town for a few months and spending time with a drop-dead-gorgeous fireman would give her a sense of adventure in this slow-paced island town.

  Grant glanced at the shrinking stack of poker chips in front of him and then at his cards. Damn it! There was no doubt about it: he’d been dealt a very shitty hand this round.

  “So, what brings your sister to town?” he asked, hoping the conversation was enough to distract Ty from winning yet another round.

  “Hell if I know—Olivia is… spontaneous and adventurous by nature.”

  “Spontaneous and adventurous…?”

  “Yep, I raised her from the age of nine and two days after she graduated, she up and left and hasn’t been back until now. Her being gone is partly my fault, though.”

  “Why’s that?” Grant asked curiously.

  “Well, let’s just say Olivia didn’t hide the fact that she wasn’t a big fan of Cameron and Cameron felt the same way about her. I traveled to New Orleans a couple times to visit, but she’d always declined to come back home.”

  “Ah.” He was beginning to like her more by the minute. He wasn’t a big fan of Cameron either. In fact, he was probably the only one on the entire island that saw through her innocent guise.

  Grant placed twenty dollars worth of chips in the center of the table; the only chance he had to win this game was to rely heavily on distracting and bluffing his opponents. “Any idea how long she’s staying?”

  Ty met his twenty dollar bet and raised him fifteen. “I have no idea. She didn’t give me a departure date. But knowing her, she won’t be able to stay idle for long…”

  After Grant reluctantly removed himself from the tournament, he grabbed another beer and headed outside for a breath of fresh air. He ambled toward the pool where Olivia was sitting with her pants’ legs rolled up to her knees; her legs swishing softly in the chilly water. He settled down beside her, removing his flip flops and rolling his jeans, submerging his feet into the cool water as well. “So, the man in your life you spoke about earlier was…?”

  “My brother, Ty”, she said smiling.

  “And you didn’t feel the need to tell me that the ‘man in your life’ was also a fireman because…?”

  “Because you didn’t ask”, she responded playfully.

  Grant chuckled under his breath and then gestured toward her injury. “How’s the foot doing?”

  Olivia straightened her leg, lifting her foot out of the water. “Well, it’s a lil’ tender, but I’m a tough girl.”

  “I don’t doubt that for a minute”, he said as he flashed a heated smile.

  Oh, yeah. Spending time with the island’s most eligible bachelor was going to be fun. “I take it since you’re out here flirtin’ with me and the rest of the guys are still inside, playing cards, means you didn’t do so well tonight.”

  She’s good—real good. “Flirting? Is that what I was doing?” he asked, grinning.

  “Uh-huh. That’s precisely what you were doin’.”

  Grant put his hands up in surrender. “Ok… guilty! And to answer your first question, the game didn’t go very well for me tonight. I was sort of distracted.”

  “Oh yeah? Why’s that?” she asked curiously as she took a sip of red wine.

  “Because… I was too busy staring at you.”

  Spoken like a true player, she thought. This was going to be fun. He was probably used to women falling at his feet, melting into a willing puddle of lust at the sight of his sinfully suggestive smile, but he hadn’t had the pleasure of crossing paths with her yet. Make no mistake, her extremities felt like a heaping mound of overcooked noodles every time he looked at her with those eager, ice-blue eyes—the same blue eyes sweeping across her mouth right now—but he certainly didn’t need to know that. Guys like Grant enjoyed “the chase” and judging by the reactions from some of the women earlier, he hadn’t engaged in a challenging pursuit of the opposite sex in quite some time.

  “Aw, I’m flattered—you’re worried about me. That’s really sweet.”

  Sweet? He’d been called a lot of things in his thirty-three years, but “sweet” wasn’t one of them. Grant laughed in spite of himself. For some strange reason, she had that effect on him. “So, are you going to be around for Ty’s annual Halloween party next weekend?”

  “Are you kiddin’ me?—of course! I love Halloween.”

  “Yeah? What’s your costume?” he asked.

  Olivia leaned her weight back on her hands. “Hmm, I don’t know yet. Any suggestions?”

  “Oh, I don’t know… nudist colony member?” he suggested as he winked at her.

  She felt her bones beginning to melt into that willing puddle of lust she thought about moments earlier. It was a good thing her feet were submerged in the chilly water; if the conversation continued much longer she might be forced to submerge her entire body. He was slick, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of showing him what he was doing to her insides right now.

  “Hmm, I’ll have to keep that one in mind…”

  CHAPTER 3

  Butler Island contained all of the essentials the small town needed: a modest-sized police and fire department, a post office, a humble grocery store and neighborhood pharmacy. The majority of the businesses on the island were located along the boardwalk. There was an antique shop, a delicious bakery and café, restaurants, a saloon, and several little stores that sold everything from clothes to seashells to fishing poles.

  Olivia awoke the next morning with a clear goal in mind: find a Halloween costume. She figured she would travel to the boardwalk and check out the Seasonal Bazaar, a small boutique that specialized in inventory to suit every season and holiday of the year. She loosely braided her long blonde hair and slipped into an old
pair of comfortable jeans and a white tank top when the doorbell rang.

  “Coming!” she called out as she approached the door.

  “Oh my goodness, it really is true… You’re here!” Kendall Porter cried.

  “In the flesh! How are you?” Olivia asked as she stepped forward to give Kendall a hug. Kendall was Olivia’s childhood best friend. They’d stayed in touch throughout the years, although not as often as she would have liked. Kendall had left Butler Island for college as well, but had returned after graduation to manage the small neighborhood pharmacy on the island.

  “Every thing’s been great.”

  She still looked the same: Tall, black shoulder-length hair, large amber eyes and an envious olive complexion. She was a beauty, both inside and out.

  “How did you know I was here?” Olivia asked.

  Kendall gave her a look of disbelief. “You have been gone a long time… This is Butler Island, remember? Word travels fast here!”

  “Yeah, guess I’d better get used to that again…”

  Kendall accompanied Olivia to the Seasonal Bazaar, in search of a costume for herself as well. They’d been sifting through the racks for several minutes before Olivia’s curiosity got the best of her. “I have a question for you.”

  “Ok—shoot.”

  “What do you know about Grant Womack?” Kendall held up a pink princess costume, asking for her opinion. When Olivia wrinkled her nose and shook her head in disapproval, Kendall returned the satin garment back to the rack.

  “Well, besides being the most eligible bachelor in the county?—not much… He’s a fairly private guy. He is Mr. Gibson’s grandson, though.”

  “Really? I didn’t know that… I guess that explains the beach house then.”

  Kendall froze and looked up at Olivia in anticipation. “You were at his beach house?—When?—and I want all the raunchy details, too!”

  “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but it wasn’t like that”, she assured her. She went on to tell her about her jellyfish encounter and how Grant had been there to administer first aid. Olivia finally stumbled across a costume she liked and held it up to get Kendall’s approval.