Worth Fighting For (Hope Harbor Book 4)

by Ann B. Harrison

  “I don’t think we should get involved in this. At least not me. If you’re hatching some plan to switch her life around, I don’t want to know about it.” It felt like cheating to even be talking about this behind her back.

  “Fair enough. Just thought I’d mention it to you and get your input. Here’s Arlo and Hilary. Let me go get them a drink.” He walked away, leaving Matt stunned.

  If Matt could get Mia on the island permanently, he’d be over the moon. It’d give them a chance to see if there was something between them. Not that she’d said anything about it, but the signs were there—like the times when they came close to touching the same spot while they were cleaning and their eyes met. Or the times when they passed on the stairs and had to turn sideways to avoid knocking building supplies out of each other’s hands. Or the fish and chips down at the wharf. Or their kiss that night.

  Oh, that kiss! That was the moment when he realized that she was the one for him. Sure it was early on and they didn’t know each other that well, but he could feel it—the connection between them and the promise of what could be. But she woke up the next day and acted as if it hadn’t happened. It was like he’d dreamed it. Had he overstepped the mark and pushed her to put words to something that only he felt?

  If they were going to have any type of relationship, it had to be because Mia wanted to. Not because she was pushed out of her job and felt she had nowhere to go.

  “What’s that frown for?” Arlo came out with a beer in each hand and handed him a bottle. “You look like someone just messed up your polished floors. Tracked mud all over the place after you finished playing Martha Stewart.”

  “Shut up.”

  Arlo held up his free hand. “Wow. Sorry, dude. What’s up your butt? The other day you were so much nicer to be around.”

  “Don’t want to talk about it. Where’s Hilary?”

  Arlo nodded toward the inside of the house. “Gone upstairs to check out the nursery. Seems your girlfriend is making friends and impressing everyone with her skills.”

  “She’s not my girlfriend.” The words tasted bitter.

  His brother looked down his nose at him. “Well, do something about it. If I can do it, so can you.” Arlo pulled up a chair and sat down.

  He’d done well for himself.

  “I’ve only just met her.”

  Arlo spat out a laugh of disbelief. “Oh crap. Just listen to you, man. How long did I know Hil before she stayed the weekend?”

  “Please. She had no choice after that big mutt of yours knocked her over.”

  “Not exactly my point but feel free to keep denying what’s going on in that thick head of yours. Fact is, we hardly knew each other but we were clever enough to figure out something was there. Bear knocking her over just hurried that process along.”

  Matt plonked himself down on the chair opposite and stared at Arlo. “She has a different life from me. Her business won’t work here like Hilary’s does. It’s a huge deal walking away from a company like hers and trying to run it from the island. It wouldn’t work and I can’t see her giving it all away for me. I don’t want to ask that of her.”

  “Won’t or can’t?”

  “Both. Can you imagine if she made the move and found she hated it here? How could I live with that? Nope. Not going to happen.”

  Arlo shrugged and drank more beer.

  “What are you two bitching about?” Drew walked out and handed them a tray of party snacks. “April said you have to eat while you drink. Her rules, not mine.” He sighed and shaded his face with his hand.

  Another voice came from the front door. “Hello!”

  “That’s Aggie and Liam. At last, someone sensible to talk to.” Drew hurried to the front door to greet his sister and his business partner, Liam Davidson.

  “Are they going to tie the knot or keep living in sin?” Matt scowled as he watched his sister walk in, radiating happiness that seemed to grate on his nerves since his father had discussed the way Mia’s business worked.

  “Like me, you mean? No idea. Don’t care and neither should you. Not our business.” Arlo stared him down.

  “Never said I cared. I was just asking.”

  Hilary came bounding down the steps with Mia in tow. Both women had smiles on their faces, which went a long way toward making Matt feel better. Guilt still niggled him for the secret his father had shared, but there wasn’t anything he could do about that now. Hilary pulled Mia outside to the deck.

  “Arlo, Mia’s agreed to help me with the house.”

  Arlo looked at her, frowned, and then looked at Matt.

  Matt shrugged. “No idea.”

  Mia grinned and Hilary groaned. “Arlo! Behave. You said I could redecorate. Mia’s going to help me. We were just upstairs in the nursery and you should see what she did with hardly anything at all. Moved a couple of pieces, swapped some stuff out of another room and wham! What a great space it is. So damn pretty it could be in a magazine shoot.”

  The men shared another glance.

  “Honestly, if it was your oyster beds, it would be a different story.” Hilary folded her arms and glared at Arlo.

  He pointed a finger at her. “Don’t you go touching my shell fish. I draw the line at that, Hilary French. But have at it with the house all you want.”

  She leaned into him and kissed him soundly. “You are such a funny man.”

  Matt shuffled over on the seat and patted the space beside him, and Mia sat down. He slung a casual arm over her shoulders. “So, I’m not the only one getting your expertise, from the sound of it? Looks like my family is going to have you working for the rest of your holiday.”

  A hint of color touched her cheeks. “Sorry. I can’t help myself. It’s been ages since I got to decorate or refurbish old things. Most of my time is spent buying or shipping goods from warehouse to store. If I’m not doing that, I’m chasing paperwork.” She screwed up her nose as if that thought upset her. “I miss the designing side of the business. That’s what started the whole empire. I’d lost sight of that.”

  Matt pulled her into his side with a gentle squeeze. When she’d arrived on the island, he’d done his best to get her to relax, and now he could see how happy she was letting her creative side loose. First his attic and the nursery, now Hilary and Arlo’s place. It made her happy and if Mia was happy, so was he. This kind of hands-on work obviously agreed with her better than the type of work she did in the city, which tended to be more numbers orientated. Here, she was blossoming, and it was wonderful to see.

  “Do whatever you want, Mia. It’s your life. You have to live it the best way you know how and be damned what everyone else wants.” He tipped up the bottle and drained it. “Can I get you a drink?”

  “So long as I can sit out here with you guys, sure. Why not?”

  Chapter 10

  “You remember the way to Arlo and Hilary’s place? I can take you if you want.” Matt handed Mia a container with fresh muffins to share with his brother and girlfriend.

  Mia took it and shook her head. “You’ve done more than enough for me, Matt. I can do this on my own. Besides you have your own business to run. Didn’t you say you have another guest coming in today?”

  “Yeah but not until the lunchtime ferry.” He was torn between going with her and focusing on his business.

  “I’ll be fine. If I get stuck, I’ll call you.” She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks for being so good to me. You’ve gone way above what I’d expect from a bed and breakfast establishment.”

  His skin tingled and he couldn’t keep the stupid grin off his face. “You’re welcome. Now drive careful and take care. I’ll see you later today.” He followed her out the back door. “And if you need me, text me.”

  Mia waved and headed to her car. Matt had already helped her load a box of family castoffs earlier because her theory was that everything old was new again and therefore shouldn’t be discarded. It’d been such a hit with April that Mia wanted to use more recycled H
ope family items in Hilary and Arlo’s place. He doubted Arlo would disagree. His older brother was so laidback, he’d let the women do whatever they wanted with his house so long as he didn’t have to give them any input and it didn’t encroach on his oyster beds.

  Matt stood at the back door watching as she drove away, a feeling of guilt creeping over him. What his father had told him about Mia’s company was starting to dig at him. He wished he didn’t know, but he couldn’t ignore it now. His biggest problem was whether or not to tell her, but that would mean breaking his father’s confidence and Matt didn’t want to do that. Nor did he want to keep a secret from Mia. He was enjoying her company and didn’t want to do anything to make it end.

  Being on his own had never worried him before. With the influx of visitors changing on a daily basis, he’d always felt satisfied with his business. But this last week and a bit had been different. Matt knew it was Mia who’d changed things.

  But would he be able to take it any further? That was the question rattling around in his brain. He’d never before wanted a single person like he wanted her. He always needed to be in a crowd, to have as many people as possible to want him so he felt useful. Wanted.

  Of course he had issues. Losing his mom at an early age had been hard for him. His family didn’t call him Martha Stewart for nothing and secretly he was proud of the tag. If he was going to explore a proper relationship—god, that was a scary thought—he first had to change the way he thought. He had to meet his perfect woman as an equal partner, not a mothering bed and breakfast owner trying to soothe his own fears.

  He grabbed the outside broom from beside the door and started to sweep the crushed white shells from the path of pavers that led from the back door to the garden and parking lot. It was just as well Mia was happy to go on her own to the fish farm because he needed to get into the vegetable garden before it got away from him. So easy to let that happen this time of year when everything was full of new growth with the hint of summer upon them.

  The beans were flowering madly, their purple blooms swaying in the wind as they tried to attach to the pergola he grew them against. Tiny cherry tomatoes shone with red sweetness against the bright green basil helping keep the bugs at bay.

  It was time to plant salad greens, which he usually brought from the farmers market. He also needed to make pesto out of the basil that was almost as tall as he was before it started to go to seed and turn bitter. So many things needed doing. He thought about his list while he swept and prepared for his new guest to arrive. Even while he harvested the basil and put it in the sink to wash before he made pesto and pulled the weeds from around the spinach, he couldn’t bring himself to feel happy. Something was missing.

  Mia wasn’t there.

  * * *

  Mia drove up the island and around the headland, taking her time to soak up the peace and quiet. She was surprised to realize how much she had begun to enjoy being away from the bustle of Seattle. Her life over the last ten years had been one long hectic rush from the minute she opened her eyes until she closed them late at night.

  The first days on the island she’d wanted to turn around and head back home, take whatever punishment the board thought to give her or beg her way out of it. But now she was beginning to see the logic in her uncle’s method. When she finally went back to work after her enforced break, she’d be fresh and brimming with new ideas. At least she hoped she would. So far, all she could think of was decorating other people’s spaces. And she was enjoying it so much more than she thought she would.

  It was hard to miss that her happiness was partly due to being with Matt. He was everything and more that she could ask for in a friend. But the timing was off. She wasn’t ready to commit the way she knew he would want her to. He was a homebody, not a frantic business person with a will to dominate the market the way she was. The kiss had been fantastic, amazing. But it’d also been the thing that made her stop and think. She couldn’t string him along when she had nothing to offer, even though it would hurt to say goodbye.

  Oh, she’d given it lots of thought. She’d even tossed around the idea of revisiting those shops she’d found and had made a mental spreadsheet of what she’d have to do to start over, as she lay in bed that night. What if she made more of those antique-looking frames? She could upcycle anything given a chance and she had a warehouse full of old pieces she’d been dying to work with. She just never had the time.

  She could add some of the items she sourced for her shops, as well as offer a design service. Mia tried to think of a way to have it all, but so far she was coming up empty. It was all too much or too hard. She couldn’t run the business in Seattle as well as have a business here. Mia wanted to stamp her foot in frustration. It wasn’t fair. She wanted more than she had before and here it was, being offered to her, and she couldn’t take it.

  She came to the entrance of the fish farm and drove in, taking her time to savor the way the light filtered between the old forest trees that led down to the house by the water. Maybe she could incorporate those vibes into Arlo and Hilary’s house with variations of shade and light.

  Hilary was outside sitting with their big dog, Bear, and stood up as Mia pulled in. Bear ran to her car and barked excitedly. When she got out, Hilary was there holding the dog’s collar. “So glad you made it. I was scared you’d change your mind.” She touched Bear on the nose to get his attention. “Stay down, boy. Good dog.”

  Mia climbed out and was pulled into a friendly one-armed hug. “Why would I do that?”

  Hilary rolled her eyes. “Because the famous Mia Morgan might wake up and wonder why on earth she’d let herself get talked into designing the inside of a rustic home for someone she barely knows.”

  Hilary was the friendliest, easiest person to get on with she’d met. Why would she think Mia would back out of her promise? “You’re too funny. I’m really looking forward to it.”

  “Really?” Hilary let go of Bear’s collar, and he sniffed around Mia’s feet before wandering over to a bush and cocked his leg. Hilary clapped her hands and squealed with glee. “Great. Let’s go.”

  “Let me get my bits and pieces. I went through some of the family boxes and pulled some things I thought you might like. None of it’s stuff you have to keep. Merely my suggestions. Don’t want you to feel you have to go along with everything I say, okay?”

  Hilary helped her by grabbing a box from the trunk. “Are you kidding? After what you did with April’s nursery, how could you think I wouldn’t like it? Geesh, why do you think I asked for help? I love your style.”

  Once in the house, Mia stood and took stock. “Tell me what you want. Things you want to keep and point out what you don’t mind losing.”

  Hilary stood beside her. “I like casual and comfortable. Not into fussy or frilly stuff, but that’s what I told you the other day so I don’t imagine for a minute that you’ve got that in mind. Just wow me with your amazing style.”

  Mia laughed. “No pressure.”

  For the next couple of hours, they moved, discarded, added and shaped the downstairs room. By the time Arlo came in for morning coffee, Mia was almost satisfied with what they’d achieved.

  “Wow. You ladies have been busy. Looks awesome.” He stood at the door with a seriously big grin on his face.

  Hilary skipped over to him and threw her arms around his neck. “Do you like it? Really like it?”

  Mia stood waiting to hear what he had to say. Not that she thought he’d be too harsh after what they’d said on the weekend.

  “Babe, I love it. So clean and simple.”

  Hilary squealed and hugged him. “Thank you for letting us go wild in here.”

  Arlo grinned. “It was never going to turn out terrible, was it? Dad would hardly invest in a company that didn’t perform.”

  Mia hadn’t been expecting that. “Your father invested in my company?” Had Matt mentioned that? She wasn’t sure he’d said more than her uncle and his father were friends. Mia hadn’t made th
e connection that Atticus was an investor.

  “It’s what he does. Plays the stock market and invests in companies and properties he believes in. So I knew you’d have good taste even before I saw what you did at April and Drew’s.”

  “Okay.” Not that it made any difference but she was glad she knew.

  Arlo untangled himself from Hilary and went and poured himself a cup of coffee. “I like how you used most of our own stuff to decorate. Putting things in groups makes a heck of a lot of difference. So does decluttering the space.”

  “It does, doesn’t it. It’s all about perspective for me.” That was how her mom had described it when Mia first started rearranging furnishings at a young age. “I like to see things that complement each other grouped together but at the same time, don’t look too staged.”

  “You should stay on the island and start a shop. Sell some of the lovely things I know you can make. I mean, more of those picture frames would go over really well and you could include some ready-made stuff too. You’d do well here. Wouldn’t she, Hilary? Plenty of homes being renovated to keep you busy. And tourists galore.”

  “The thought had crossed my mind but I have commitments I can’t walk away from. This break has been wonderful but I don’t know how I’d manage if I was away from the city full time.”

  Hilary grinned. “I told you so, Arlo. Now we just have to convince her that this is the place to be.” She turned to Mia. “I was worried too, at first, but I spent weekends here for a few months before I gave up my apartment, just to make sure I could do it and I love it. Best move I’ve made.”