Love on the Boardwalk: A Cinnamon Bay Romance - Book One
Page 17
“Mac, let me say this.” Still, a sliver of hope worked its way into his system at her smile. “I didn’t trust my own feelings because I thought you would leave me. And when you said you had to go, I thought aha, I was right. There he goes just like I thought he would. I was wrong. I didn’t trust myself, and I refused to take a chance.”
“Are you saying you want to take the chance now?”
“I’m saying I took the leap once. I meant it. I’m sorry I made you feel unwelcome, or like you’d crossed a line you hadn’t even realized I’d drawn. I should have appreciated what you brought to the table. Your sincerity. Your honesty. And God, I’ve missed you so much.”
Eva ducked her head, but there was no hair to hide her expression. Or the way those stormy eyes glistened.
“You don’t have to say any more,” he said softly. Reaching for her.
“I do!” This time she was energetic. Full of vim, vigor. “I’ve been over what I want to say to you so many times it would be a shame not to get all of it out. You were right, Mac, and it’s hard for me to think when you look at me with those eyes. I didn’t trust you. More, I didn’t trust myself. But I want another chance.”
“To move forward.”
“To move forward, absolutely.”
Eva stepped around the counter to face him. This time Mac refused to keep his hands to himself. He took her arms, keeping his touch light.
“Give me another chance. I want to see where this thing goes, and I don’t want anyone but you. I need your wit, your humor, your light heart. It’s always been you, since the first time you stepped into my coffee shop.”
“I think you’re stealing my lines, now.”
“And in case you’re wondering…” Eva trailed off, pointing over her shoulder. “The reason why the Hens haven’t accosted you until now.”
Mac shifted his gaze, following the direction of her thumb toward the handwritten menu board.
There, in large looping letters: Café Amour.
His throat closed, and he resisted the overwhelming urge to choke up. “You put it back on.”
“I did, hoping you would come back and see it. See me,” she murmured. “I did it for you. To prove to you I believe in love and am ready to take the leap.”
“I would have been here sooner if you said the word. You have to know, Eva, my feelings about you haven’t changed.”
“Starting from here, I’m going to stop being afraid. We want the same things, Mac, and I don’t want to do it alone anymore. Being with you is the right thing. I feel it, here.”
She raised her palm to her heart, tapping it lightly before reaching out to touch his chest. When her eyes filled, Mac drew her in for the kiss his lips had been begging for since getting in the car.
Her fingers stopped him a second before he claimed the prize.
“I’m taking a leap of faith on this one, Mac, for tomorrow and the next day, and whatever comes with this. I love you. I love you.”
He couldn’t help himself. Bringing her closer yet, he tightened his grip around her tiny waist, caressing her back and refusing to let go. He would never let go again because she fit there, in his arms. Like they’d been made for each other. And he didn’t need a damn drink to tell him it was true.
Although Café Amour belonged right there on her menu. He knew that too.
“I am so in love with you that I can’t even think straight,” she muttered against his shirt. “Stay here with me, Mac, and be with me.”
He tilted back just far enough to catch her gaze. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.” His heart couldn’t wait much longer, swelling the longer the moment drew until he finally dropped his lips to hers and she didn’t stop him.
Like that, one single touch, and the rest of the cracks inside him filled with her.
“I want whatever life we can make together. And if that means I have to sell Brewed with a View and move to Maine, I will,” she continued.
“Can we have a drink, first?” He gestured with his nose.
“I think you’ve had enough, thank you. And I’m sorry it took me so long.”
“What do you mean?”
“To realize that what I wanted, what I needed, was already right in front of my face.”
He kissed her again among the whoops and cheers of exaltation, Kolby the loudest of the bunch.
“Ignore them,” Eva murmured, turning to press her cheek to his heart.
Gladly, Mac thought. “One more thing.”
“What now?”
He shook his head and chuckled. “Well, I was going to ask you to marry me, but with an attitude like that…”
She leaned back to slap at him. “Marry you? You can’t just waltz in here without a ring, embarrass me in front of all these fine people, and expect me to immediately jump.”
“Yes, I can.” He took her hands, bringing their arms out wide. “I promise, with this leap, the landing is going to be smooth. You will not sell the shop and move to Maine because I’m moving to Cinnamon Bay, Eva. Let’s build a life where you can wake up with me, test out all your coffee concoctions and I’ll never have to pretend to like them, take walks with me on the beach and complain when the seagulls get too close to your donuts. Whatever happens, I’ll give you everything I am. Say yes.”
She eyed him skeptically, ignoring the pointed cough from Trixie and muttered urgings from all three women. “Are you sure about this? I’m a lot to handle, and I don’t exactly come baggage free.”
“Are you trying to get me to change my mind? Say yes, Eva Mae Halloway, and be mine.”
Smiling, she freed one hand to wipe away tears. “I think you already know my answer. But I still want to say it. Yes! Yes, I will happily marry you, Macklin Jenssen.”
With Kolby ready to do backflips and Mac’s mother already bawling her eyes out and complaining about wedding details, he bent to kiss the woman he loved. Prepared for whatever the future held for them.
Epilogue
“PASS THE BREADSTICKS! I’m starving over here. Did you pass them? My goodness, Mac, I can’t see two feet in front of my face, and you expect me to see the bread across the table?”
Lizzie had forgone the bat but not her acerbic attitude. With a smile, Mac shook his head and pushed the basket into the tiny circle of her vision. “There you go, Aunt Lizzie. We wouldn’t want you to starve.”
Eva linked her fingers with his, and he turned to face her, bringing her hand to his lips. The restaurant around them dimmed until he saw only her, the play of soft light and sunset on her features, bringing a glow to her cheeks.
Or it might have been the fact that they had eloped the week before and no one knew.
She broke eye contact, and the rest of the world returned with a clap of sound. Lizzie munching on breadsticks to his right, his mother and father across the table arguing over a wine list and Eva’s mother, Cynthia, correcting them on whether white or red was best served with sole.
They decided to make the evening an occasion and book a table at Tradewinds, the fancy place at the end of the pier where the window tables overlooked the water, turned burnt umber by the setting sun.
The table in front of them had been decked out with an assortment of candles and appetizers, all ordered by the overzealous Kolby before the rest of them had a chance to check out the menu. It didn’t matter. Everything looked amazing, and the reviews Mac had read before their reservation had his mouth watering for the she-crab soup, a specialty of the house.
His attention divided between his beautiful secret bride and potential chaos when his father stood with a fork in one hand and an empty glass in the other.
“Friends and family, can I have your attention, please?” David tapped the fork to the glass with enough tenacity to have it ring out across the crowded dining room.
Mac winced, hoping nothing shattered tonight.
“No, honey,” Kolby interrupted with a wave of his hand, Craig cracking up at his side. “There are no friends here. Only family.”
Mac squeezed Eva’s thigh under the table and made her laugh.
“But to celebrate our second month as full-time Cinnamon Bayers. Bayonites?” David glanced over to Eva for correction, finding none when she shook her head. “We’ll go with Bayonite, then. Anyhoo, this is our second month as full-timers, and we could not be prouder to make this beautiful place our home. To share it with so many amazing people and characters.”
David slid a glance to Lizzie, who missed it entirely, her attention focused on the breadsticks.
“It’s been a whirlwind adventure, all thanks to our son, Macklin. We couldn’t be prouder of you. For following your dreams, for finding a wonderful woman, and for extending our family. It’s more than we could have ever hoped for you.”
“Yeah, after Mom cried for an hour about me wanting to find my birth family,” Mac joked.
Ruth feigned outrage as David continued. “Now here we all are preparing for a wedding between two people who couldn’t deserve it more. I can honestly say I would not want to be anywhere else in the world right now. Here’s to family!”
The rest of the table raised their glasses.
ACROSS THE DINING room, three elderly ladies sat at a separate table watching, their plates empty and their hearts full.
Trixie sighed. “It works every time.”
Birdie sniffled, turning her head away. “It was my turn to get them together. You butted right ahead and did it anyway.”
“Aw, you’ll get the next one, hun.” Hattie reached out to rub her friend’s bony shoulders. She handed the other woman a hanky when she sniffled, her hand pushed away.
“At least they’re together. Which was the whole point!” Trixie pointed out. She wrapped pride around her like a warm sweater on a winter day, enjoying her victory.
All three glanced up when the server delivered their entrees.
“They’re good together,” Hattie replied, smiling at her flounder. “So good together.”
Birdie sniffed again, adjusting her beret with a pout. “Yes, a romance for the ages over there. Let’s hope they don’t spoil it.”
“Are you kidding? They only have eyes for each other over there. And no one else knows they’ve already tied the knot. They really jumped the gun on this one.”
The family continued to laugh and talk under the soft afternoon light bouncing off the waves, and the three ladies smiled, knowing the moment was exactly as it should be. Hattie, Trixie, and Birdie watched the reluctant barista and the man she loved.
And knew anything was possible.
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* * *
Please enjoy a preview of the next Cinnamon Bay Romance, September Breeze.
Excerpt - September Breeze
“You told me I'd have a place to stay!” Tess Dixon complained to Chandler Reece, the man who was supposed to set everything up for her once she arrived in Cinnamon Bay, North Carolina. She'd been driving for hours, and the last thing she wanted, or expected, was to be greeted with this rather frustrating news.
Tess was well aware most eyes were on her at the moment. She'd spoken too loud, and the customers in Brewed With a View, the coastal town's busy coffee shop, wanted to know every detail of her conversation. She needed to keep her frustration at bay, but if she already didn't have a place to stay, what else would go wrong? She'd passed up several different opportunities to take this songwriting gig on the set of an upcoming movie, Restless. She'd be here a few months at least.
Come to find out, Chandler had screwed up and never set up living arrangements. Tess pegged him for a disorganized man, but she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Wrong move. She should have made her own arrangements, but it was so much easier to let someone else handle it so that she didn't have to delve into too many details about her history when seeking temporary residence.
What the hell was she supposed to do now? Live in her blasted car?
This opportunity meant everything.
It was already frustrating enough that she had to find a job on top of this writing gig. The movie kept her in one place longer than she typically stayed around, but hello, who would be crazy enough to turn down this gig? Not her. The money would come in handy. They were being paid to be there, but once the songs, and the movie itself, were done, royalties could be big.
Some would call her crazy and impulsive, and right now, that seemed to catch up with her when everything didn't work out in her favor.
“I'll get on that right now,” he promised. “I'll call you back with details.”
“Yeah, that'd be great.” Tess hung up and rolled her eyes. “Ugh!”
An elderly woman approached her with a smile. Her obviously dyed red hair drew her attention first, but if she hadn't seen her, Tess would easily hear her. She wore so many bracelets. Collection? Obsession? Interesting.
“Hello there. Never seen you here before. Are you new in town?”
Tess nodded. “I am. I'll be in town for a little while.”
“With no place to stay, I take it?”
She frowned. So of course everyone heard. Great.
“I didn't mean to pry.” Bracelets jingled when she held out her hand, clutching something. “If you're looking for a job, you may be interested in this one. It's a nanny position. I do feel for this family. Maybe you can help.”
Tess thanked her, and before she could get anything else in, the woman disappeared. No name introduction. Nothing.
Quirky lady, for sure, but the paper now on the table in front of her definitely held her attention.
Well, that's a bit odd. Tess shrugged and picked up the paper. A few ads caught her attention. She scanned it, looking for the specific nanny ad. Her eyes narrowed when she came across an ad that didn't sound right.
* * *
WANTED: One fill-in mom and someone to take care of our dad, too.
Please help. Our daddy is Brian and he's very nice. He's a teacher, loves us a lot, and is struggling. Maybe if we help find a mom for us, and someone to keep him from being lonely, things will be better.
With love, Tatum and Alice Taylor.
* * *
A photo had been included. Their smiles were genuine. Brian was a good looking man with dark hair, but there was an unmistakable pain in his gorgeous eyes.
The nanny ad was nowhere to be found.
She kept going back to this ad placed by the girls. Why would they do that?
What got her the most was how she wanted to drive by the address and get a look at the house. Something called to her. It wouldn't leave her alone.
Did the bracelet lady lie and want her to see this particular ad, or was she mistaken about the nanny ad being in here?
Did it really matter?
“Why am I debating driving there to see what the story is?” Ha! Tess knew the answer. Curiosity. The songwriter in her wanted more. No. Forget adding the songwriter part. General curiosity wanted more. The ad intrigued her. Taunted her. Filled her head with images.
The bracelet lady said she'd felt for the family. Was she one of those town matchmakers, trying to guide people together? It was sweet, actually. Pushy, but sweet.
Perfect songwriting material.
While she worked on tunes for the movie, she could find inspiration right here in Cinnamon Bay, but it didn't mean she needed to give in and drive by the address.
Yeah right. She knew better.
Tess finished her coffee, tossed her plate which had held her sweet treats, now eaten, in the trash, and made a dash for her car.
Her instincts screamed to go check this out.
As she stepped out, Tess overheard someone say, a little too loud, “Mission accomplished.
If we have to behave about the Café Amour, then we've got the next best thing.”
Then laughter.
“Birdie! What did you do?” another voice, a younger woman's, scolded.
Tess had no doubt she'd landed in the perfect little town. Ok, maybe she wouldn't mind staying here a little longer, even if she typically didn't stick around to get attached. As much as she kind of wanted to stick around the coffee shop to find out what that was all about, she had her own mission to accomplish: satisfying a curiosity itch.
Hooray for Google Maps. Tess didn't have to ask anyone about the address. Why she continued to make her way to the house, she didn't know. Once she had an idea in her head, there was no backing down.
Just a peek. A way to satisfy her curiosity.
The image of the girls filled her head. It made Tess wonder. And why would bracelet lady hand her that specific ad and say it was for a nanny job?
The house sat on a large spread of lush green land. A two story with what looked like a guest quarters in the backyard. A few pine and cypress trees in the front, with plenty of toys and a playground scattered about the yard. The house seemed homey enough. The front porch held her attention. A giant wraparound with potted plants everywhere.
Tess climbed out of the car to get a better look.
Just a peek. A simple glimpse. Except the front door opened.
Caught!
The man in the photo in her hand glanced her way with curious eyes.
Her mouth went dry. This, she hadn't expected, and he was so damn good looking in person. The photo didn't do him any justice. Clad in a pair of blue jeans and a plaid button down shirt, he oozed sexiness.
“Can I help you?” he asked, heading down the walkway toward her.
She clutched the ad in her hand. What the hell did she say now? Tess hadn't expected to bump into him. So much for just looking. She held up the paper, her stomach all full of nerves. “I'm here about the ad.” Great. As if that would make this whole thing any better!