“Yes, sir, it is.”
“And the house is an addition?”
“Right again. I had it built shortly after I bought the gallery.”
“Well, your artistry shows. It’s beautiful.”
Erin glanced around the space with a new appreciation for her cousin’s home. It was beautiful—a mixture of nautical and urban grunge with a dash of country charm that shouldn’t work together but did. What had been the exterior rear wall of Lauren’s gallery was now an interior wall, but rather than cover the brick, she’d left it exposed. She’d had the roof of the gallery removed and a “loft” built over the store, and it now held two decent-sized bedrooms and a full bathroom. The open walkway was bordered by a wrought-iron railing. The high-ceilinged living room was decorated similarly to Erin’s own home with a lot of weathered wood, shells, thick mooring ropes, and antique nautical items including an anchor, portholes, and cleats. Where Erin preferred shades of blue-green from pale sea foam to deep teals, Lauren preferred bolder colors—rich navy blue and sassy red trimmed in gold.
“I was wondering if Erin’s and Owen’s artistic talents came from the McKinney side or the King side, but looking at your home, I’m guessing it comes mostly from the King line.”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Erin muttered. “I thought you were tired.”
“I am exhausted. So, if you ladies will excuse me….”
“I should probably get ready for bed, too,” Erin sighed.
While Gideon vanished into the bathroom beneath the stairs up to the loft to prepare for bed, she carried her bag up to the spare bedroom. She changed into her pajamas and took a moment to freshen up before she headed down to the kitchen. She perched on one of the stools at the island. Lauren asked if she’d like a glass of iced tea, and even though it meant she’d probably have to pee in the middle of the night, she nodded.
She was just stirring honey into it when Gideon reappeared. His hair was down—she hadn’t seen it like that yet—but raked back from his face. Clad in modest burgundy and white plaid pajama pants and a plain white T-shirt just tight enough to give a hint of the toned chest and shoulders beneath, he was distractingly sexy. A peculiar sensation quivered deep in her core, a primal reaction she hadn’t felt in a long, long time… if ever. At this precise moment, she couldn’t recall ever feeling it for Chaz, though she must have.
She caught Lauren’s raised-brow look from the corner of her gaze and shifted her attention to her cousin. Lauren set another glass of ice water garnished with a sprig of mint in front of Gideon and he dipped his head in thanks before he took a long drink.
Quit staring, Erin commanded herself.
It didn’t work, but thankfully, he was too tired to notice.
“Good night, ladies. Lauren, thank you again.”
“You’re welcome. We’ll try not to keep you up with our gossiping. It’s been a while since we’ve had a chance to sit down together and catch up face-to-face.”
“Phone calls just aren’t enough sometimes,” he added. His lips quirked briefly. “Don’t worry about disturbing me. I don’t think an air-raid siren could keep me awake at this point.”
“Good night, Gideon,” Erin said.
He hooked her hand with a finger, brought it to his lips, and pressed a kiss to her knuckles, holding her gaze the entire time. The gleam in his eyes wasn’t what she would call desirous. More… reverent. And definitely grateful. “Good night, bonita.”
She didn’t watch him walk away, but as soon as she heard him adjusting the blankets and getting comfortable on the couch behind her, she turned her head toward him.
Lauren turned off the kitchen lights and nodded her head to the pair of recliners sitting perpendicular to the couch. As they made their way into the living room, they turned off the rest of the lights, leaving only the dim glow from the bedrooms in the loft to illuminate the house.
“How are things in Sea Glass Cove?” Lauren asked conversationally, keeping her voice low. “That new waiter of yours pull his head out of his rear yet?”
“He was close to an hour late yesterday, but he volunteered to take my shifts today and tomorrow without question. And Mom said he showed up early today, so I hope he has.”
Erin tried and failed to keep her gaze from Gideon. He started out with his back to the room and his face to the back cushions of the couch, but that didn’t last long. He rolled onto his other side, and shortly after, slumber slackened the graceful lines of his face.
It was incredible how sleep could ease the worries from a person and leave only the beauty of him to be seen.
“How’s everything else up your way?” Lauren inquired.
“Wonderful. Hope and Daphne are back, so Owen’s been walking around with this big dopey grin plastered to his face. Mom and Red send their love… and Ethan says hi.”
Lauren rolled her eyes. “Didn’t he just get engaged? Again?”
“Yes, and I don’t think this one’s going to work out, either.”
“Not if he’s asking you say to hi to another woman.”
“I’m thinking the trouble is this other woman.”
“Well, he’d best make it work with this newest fiancée because it’s never going to happen with me. How’s everything else? Business at the Salty Dog still booming?”
“As always. You can cut the small talk,” Erin murmured, still gazing at Gideon. “He’s asleep. Has been most of the time we’ve been chatting.”
Lauren’s relief came out in a rush, and Erin braced herself. “All right, spill it. What’s going on here?”
“I’m just helping a friend and my brother.”
“Uh-huh. I don’t buy it. Not with the way he looks at you. Or the way you’re looking at him right now. And you don’t drive twelve hours with a man you’ve known less than a week to get his son. Some people might do that, but not you.”
“I don’t know what’s going on,” Erin admitted. “And I think that may be for the best. I like him, and I think he likes me, and maybe if I don’t know what’s going on, I won’t be able to overthink it and ruin it.”
“Oh, he definitely likes you.” Lauren reached over and gripped her hand. A tender smile softened her expression. “All teasing aside, this is a good thing you’re doing.”
Erin nodded. In some ways, Lauren was right. Gideon certainly seemed glad to have her along, but that might change tomorrow when he had to face Hannah. Erin was the reason he hadn’t gone all the way to San Francisco, and discounting that, who knew what Hannah would think about Gideon contemplating a relationship with another woman.
“Yeah, we’ll see,” she said.
“Hey. It’ll be fine.” Lauren released her hand and stood with a yawn. “I know you and I always joke about how we don’t do relationships, but I don’t think that truly fits you. So… I hope this works out for you. He seems like a great guy.”
“I thought Chaz was a great guy, too, remember? I even ditched my mom and the Salty Dog to move to Santa Barbara to be with him.”
“Yes, you did, but Gideon isn’t Chaz. Look at how long he stayed with his child’s mother. I assume, from what Owen told me, it was only because he thought it was what his son needed. Can you see Chaz putting anyone before himself for that long?”
Erin shook her head, but didn’t comment on what Chaz would or wouldn’t have done in Gideon’s situation. It was just as painful to imagine him being too selfish to put his child first as it was to picture him suffering through a broken relationship to do what was best for his kid. “He broke up with her because he finally realized it wasn’t what was best for Liam. Or, at least, that’s what Owen said Gideon told him.”
“You believe it?”
Her eyes again sought Gideon’s sleeping form. “Yeah, I do.”
“Well, then. I don’t think a man like that could ever do to you what Chaz did. Granted, we both know how little I know about men.”
“Once burned, twice shy.” Erin let out a sniff of laughter. “Heaven help the world if you ever f
ind a man willing, able, and worthy to heal your burns because you’ll set the whole thing on fire.”
“Never gonna happen.” Lauren yawned again. “I need to call it a night. Gotta get up early to find homes for Owen’s stuff. G’night, cuz.”
“Good night.”
Erin sat in the chair a few minutes longer, frowning in Gideon’s direction and tapping her fingertips against her chin. Abruptly, she stood and followed Lauren upstairs. She had a lot to consider, but what she’d said to Lauren about not knowing and about her tendency to overthink everything was true. So she wasn’t going to think about any of what they’d talked about or what the morrow would bring. She was going to go to bed and leave tomorrow’s worries for tomorrow.
Easier said than done.
Seven
Erin turned the bacon and glanced at the clock on Lauren’s microwave. It was half past nine, but Gideon was still snoozing away on the couch. Hungry and bored waiting for him to wake up, she’d started breakfast. That was now nearly finished. She chewed on her lip. Should she rouse him now or wait for him to wake up when he was ready? On the one hand, he’d be more rested for their drive home, but on the other, he was anxious to see his son. Would he be upset with her if she let him sleep a little longer?
Idly, she wondered if he’d be less serious and more like the lighthearted man she’d met in June once Liam was back in his care. If someone were to ask her right then which she preferred, she’d have no answer. She enjoyed his jesting, but the moments of vulnerability endeared him to her, made her feel connected to him. Would that disappear if, when he had his son back, he reverted to the wise-cracking flirt?
It didn’t matter what she wanted. That’s not why she’d offered to come. She’d come to support him because, on such short notice, who else would? His father was hours away in the Puget Sound area, and Hope was in the middle of a pretty big life change right now, and as wonderful as that was, it left her with a shortage of energy to expend on her cousin. And while he could undoubtedly handle this on his own, Erin didn’t want him to. Sometimes it was nice to have someone to lean on, like she’d leaned on her brother most of their lives.
Yeah, we’re gonna go with that story.
It was easier than admitting how eager she’d been to spend more time with him.
Hearing the crunch of gravel under tires, she glanced out the kitchen window but saw nothing, so she turned back to the stove and pulled the bacon off the heat and lined a plate with paper towels. Everything else was ready, so in a couple minutes, she’d have no excuse not to wake Gideon.
A demanding knock sounded on the door and she nearly dropped the tongs and the bacon. She quickly laid the rest of the slices on the paper towels so they didn’t continue cooking and trotted across the dining room to the door. She glanced at the couch. Gideon showed signs of stirring, but the loud knocking hadn’t brought him to full consciousness yet, and she scowled in irritation at whoever was pounding on the door. Who would be knocking at this door rather than going straight to Lauren’s shop? Anyone who knew her would know she was there, and anyone who didn’t would likely be here on business… and they’d go to the shop anyhow.
A woman gorgeous enough to be a star of runways and fashion magazine covers stood on Lauren’s porch.
“Can I help you?” Erin greeted as cheerfully as she could manage.
The woman looked her up and down with a brow lifted. “You’re Lauren King?”
“No, I’m her cousin, Erin McKinney. Lauren’s in her shop. It’s around front, if you—”
“McKinney? Owen’s sister?”
Hannah. Of course.
Somehow, Erin wasn’t surprised. And yet… she was. Dressed in a manner somewhat contradictory to her beauty in fitted black sweatpants and a lightweight red zip-up hoody over a scoop-necked tank top with her silky dark hair messily tossed by the sea breeze, this tall, amber-eyed goddess was not at all the kind of woman Erin could picture Gideon with. He struck her as the kind who preferred lower-maintenance women. God, that sounded harsh, especially considering she knew nothing about this woman but what he had told her… and his opinion wasn’t exactly objective. Still, high maintenance was Erin’s instinctive impression. Harsh or not.
“You must be Hannah,” she replied. She craned her head to look behind the woman. “Where’s Liam?”
“Waiting in the car. I wasn’t sure this was the right place. Where’s Gideon?”
“He’s still asleep.”
“Correction,” Gideon remarked from the living room. “I was asleep.”
Erin winced and turned toward him. He sat on the couch with his hair a mess and his head turned toward the door but not far enough to look at her or his ex. After a moment, he raked his hair back from his face and pushed off the couch. He still looked exhausted.
“What are you doing here, Hannah?” he asked tiredly as he joined Erin. “I said I’d call when I was up.”
“It’s almost ten o’clock.”
“So?”
“So… I was supposed to drive back to the city last night.”
“Maybe you should’ve waited to go to your sister’s until after I returned from San Diego and picked Liam up. Then neither of us would’ve had to make this trip.”
Erin cleared her throat, and Gideon and Hannah jerked their heads toward her. “Should I get Liam and help him put his bags in your car, Gideon?” She turned to Hannah. “I’ve made bacon, eggs, and pancakes, if he’s hungry.”
“We had breakfast,” the younger woman retorted.
“Don’t be rude,” Gideon snapped. He reached for Erin’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze—a clearer statement of boundaries to Hannah than his words. “Thank you, Erin. That would be great.”
When he dipped his head to kiss her cheek, her breath sucked through her teeth. If taking her hand was a statement of boundaries, that gesture was an even clearer declaration of what she was to him. And Hannah caught the meaning. Her eyes rounded, but she recovered quickly, snapping her mouth closed and replying with a haughty smirk.
Erin slipped past her outside and was surprised when Gideon followed her out and closed the door behind himself. Another line drawn. Lauren wouldn’t have minded him inviting Hannah in to talk, but Erin doubted he would even if he were at the cottage in Sea Glass Cove rather than a guest in someone else’s home.
As she strode out to Hannah’s car, she heard the woman snarl at Gideon, “Who is she to question me about my son?”
“Someone who cares enough about our son to think of his needs,” he snapped. “And she wasn’t questioning you, just asking. It’s a little thing called common courtesy, Hannah. Something I see you still have no concept of.”
Erin lengthened her stride, anxious to be out of hearing before their argument escalated further. It wasn’t any of her business, but she couldn’t stop herself from pondering her inclusion in it. Not with the ghost of a kiss on her cheek. Had that been just for Hannah’s benefit, to retaliate for her spitefully inconveniencing him? Or was there more to it? He certainly hadn’t been shy about his interest in Erin. On the one hand, she didn’t like being used as ammunition against his ex, but on the other… it was nice to hear him tout her virtues.
Hannah’s car was a newer Toyota Camry, and Erin wondered—unfairly, perhaps—if she or Gideon had bought it. Shaking her head, she glanced in the back seat, but Liam wasn’t in it. Instead, she found the little boy strapped into the front seat playing with a teddy bear that had seen better days. The tawny fur was matted and lackluster from too much love and too many washes. She hesitated, noting the boy’s frown and the way he tugged at a thread attaching the bear’s button nose. Poor guy. This had to be as hard on him as it was on his parents.
Finally, she tapped gently on the window and opened the door after he saw her. His frown disappeared and a smile blossomed in its place.
“Hey, Liam,” she greeted, leaning in the door. “Remember me?”
He nodded vigorously. “Yeah. Hi, Erin.”
She tipp
ed her head to his bear. “Who’s your friend? I don’t remember meeting him when I met you earlier this summer.”
“This is Oliver. I forgot him at Mom’s last time.”
“Well, hello, Oliver.” She shook the bear’s small paw. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Liam laughed quietly, but after a moment, his amusement faded. “Where are my mom and dad?”
“They’re discussing a few things.”
The rest of his smile disappeared completely, and an even deeper frown returned. “Fighting, you mean.”
Erin caught her lip between her teeth and sighed. There didn’t seem to be any point in lying to him. “Yes, fighting. Hey, I know your mom already fed you breakfast, but might I tempt you with some pancakes? Or bacon and eggs?”
He nodded. “I’m hungry. We ate hours ago. Mom woke me up at seven, and all we had for breakfast were the snacks left over from the trip yesterday.”
“In that case, come with me. We’ll go in through my cousin’s store so your parents can have some privacy while they talk. How much did you bring with you? Maybe we should put your stuff in your dad’s car first.”
“I have just Oliver and my backpack.”
Just a backpack? Hopefully Gideon had thought to bring a few more things with him to the cottage for his son.
To keep Liam’s mind off what his parents might be fighting about, Erin quizzed him about his trip yesterday and what he and his mom had done in their time in San Francisco as they stowed his backpack in Gideon’s car and headed around to Lauren’s gallery. It was more difficult than she expected to keep him talking; it didn’t sound like he and his mom had done anything kid-friendly in the city. Mostly, he’d just sat around playing by himself while she visited with her sister, who seemed to have little patience for him.
“She didn’t take you down to Fisherman’s Wharf or Hyde St. Pier to see the ships? What about the aquarium? Those were my favorite parts of the city when Mom took Owen and me when we were kids.”
The Driftwood Promise Page 6
