Hooked on You

by Cathryn Fox

  For no apparent reason, the fire flares, and once again I sense her with me, smell her familiar scent. “I made a promise to you,” I say, as tears fall down my face. But as the warmth in the room wraps around me like one of Gram’s comforting hugs, a new sense of calm suddenly comes over me. I take a deep, fueling breath, and as my mind settles, the solution becomes an easy one, and I know exactly what I have to do.

  I turn to face the others. “I need to go to Halifax.”

  “Kira?” Izzy asks, worry in her eyes. “What are you doing?”

  “I need to go right now,” I say, a new sense of urgency overcoming me.

  “I’ll take you,” Sam says. “You don’t look like you’re in any shape to drive, and I could use a Starbucks.”

  “I’ll come, too,” Jason says.

  “Same,” Cody pipes in.

  “Well, you’re not all going without me,” Izzy says.

  “You guys don’t have to come. I’m a big girl. I can go by myself. Besides, what about work?” The season is winding down, and surely there are last minute things they need to do.

  “Yeah, let’s go,” Sam says, ignoring me.

  We dress and climb into Sam’s noisy car, and forty-five minutes later, after hitting the drive-thru to Starbucks, I give Sam the address to Pratt and Whitney law firm. “I won’t be long,” I say.

  “Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Izzy asks.

  “Yes, and this is what Gram would want me to do. She loves Lunenburg, the people, and everything about it. If selling the studio meant helping, she’d do it in a heartbeat.”

  “What about you, though?”

  “It’s not the structure. It’s the memories and the things we created together that count. I’ll take the paintings and store them, and when the time is right, I’ll have a new studio built somewhere else and fulfill Gram’s dreams. It might not be a Heritage Home, but I think she’ll be okay with that.”

  I slide from the car and make my way to the law office on the twelfth floor. I tell the receptionist who I am, and she disappears for a moment. I sit, and when she comes back, she ushers me into an office with the name Oliver Clarke on the door.

  “I’m Kira Palmer, and I’m here to sell the property you’re after.”

  The lawyer looks at me like I just grew another head. “I was told to pull all offers.”

  “All I’m looking for is a fair one.” Enough money to build a new studio in the future.

  He grabs a manila envelope, riffles through it, and slides a piece of paper across the desk. I take my time to read through it and agree to the fair price. I sign, hand it back, and stand. “Thank you for your time,” I say and leave the office, knowing in my heart I’m doing the right thing.

  I’m sure Nate will never want to speak to me again, but at least I was able to do this for him, and it will earn him the respect he deserves.

  I take the elevator back to the main floor and work double-time to fight off the tears. The crew is waiting for me in the car, and we all head back to the B&B, which feels empty and hollow, much like my insides, without Nate’s presence.

  Everyone goes off to do their own thing, each lost in our thoughts, and I spend the next few hours gathering my work and packing it up. I’ll soon have to make plans to return, and since the roads are bad and Gram’s car is not fit for a cross-country trek, I’ll have to fly. I boot up my computer and find flights leaving in two days. That will at least give me time to say goodbye to the town.

  My finger hovers over the buy button, but I can’t quite pull the trigger. Everything in my gut is telling me to stay and fight for Nate, but I’m not sure I could handle his rejection. He was so damn angry with me, and right to be after my accusations. But is he really the kind of guy not to forgive, once he realizes how it looked to me?

  I fold my hands over my upset stomach and shake my head. I can’t. I just can’t leave here before talking to him. For God’s sake, I’m in love with the man, and even more so now, knowing what he wants to do for this community. I need to talk to him. I need to make this right somehow.

  As my heart pounds hard in my chest, and exhaustion from a sleepless night pulling at me, I go to my room, flop down on my bed to consider how best to approach this, and the next thing I know, the sun is slanting in through my window. But that’s not what has me alarmed. No, it’s the sound of hooves and metal chains outside my window.

  Is Eddie on the loose again?

  I jump from the bed and pull back my curtains to see Doug climbing off the buggy. What is going on? Robe tied tight around my waist, I step into the hall, to find the others all coming from their rooms.

  “What’s all the noise?” Cody asks and scrubs his tired eyes.

  “Doug is here with his horse and buggy,” I explain.

  Izzy’s head comes back with a start, and then a small smile touches her mouth as she glances at the guys. A knock sounds on the back door.

  “We better go see what he wants,” Izzy says.

  I go down first, and a gust of wind blows over me when I open the door. Doug takes his hat off.

  “Miss Palmer,” he says. “Your chariot awaits.”

  I look past his shoulder to see a snarling Eddie. “I didn’t book a ride,” I say. “I’m not even dressed. You must be mistaken.”

  He pulls a piece of paper from his pocket, and his weathered face crinkles as he reads it. “Nope. Right here. Right address.”

  My heart beats faster as my brain kicks into gear. “Who set this up?” I ask, a surge of hope welling up inside me. Is it possible that Nate’s behind this?

  “Can’t say for sure,” he says. “Now run along and get dressed. It’s cold out there.”

  I turn to the crew, and they’re making coffee and avoiding my glance. “Are you guys behind this?” Are they giving me a farewell send-off?

  “You’d better get going,” Jason says.

  “And dress warm,” Sam adds, as he scratches his…parts, and sits at the table.

  Mumbling under my breath, I go dress. The crew sits around the table eating, and completely ignores me when I return.

  Outside, Doug helps me onto the buggy. “He’s not going to take off with me in this thing, is he?” I ask as I settle myself. Doug hands me a big wool blanket, and I wrap it around me. It smells like horse.

  “Can’t say for sure, Miss Palmer,” he says, offering zero comfort.

  “Where are we going?”

  He flicks his reins, and Eddie takes off, snorting at me before leaving the driveway. I glance around, take in the beauty of the place, the freshly fallen snow clinging to the trees. I have no idea what’s going on here, but after finding out Nate is staying in the Victorian home he purchased, I plan to go knocking on his door when we go by. I somehow need to make things right again. But I don’t even know if he’ll want to, and he could very well be gone from here now that he’s secured the land. He told me he was leaving at the end of the lobster season, so I can only assume he was here to attend to the business of buying, with no plans to hang around afterward.

  We head to downtown, and instead of giving me a tour of the city, we go a little farther out, to a wide-open space near the ocean. Doug stops the horse, and I glance around.

  “Why are we stopping?”

  He nods toward the water, and I spot Nate coming out from around a tree and walking toward us. Tears fill my eyes, and I stumble trying to get off the buggy.

  “Nate,” I say and meet him in the clearing. “I’m…I don’t know…I wasn’t sure you’d ever want to see me again.”

  “You signed the papers,” he says, the warmth in his eyes pushing back the cold in my bones. “Why did you do that?” he asks so quietly I have to strain to hear him.

  “Because it was important to the community, and it was…important to you,” I say honestly.

  Dark lashes fall slowly, an
d when they open again, he says, “I’ve never met anyone like you, Kira.”

  I cringe at the words he threw back at me in anger two days ago. “I thought you said I was no different from the other women in your life.”

  “I was wrong.”

  “Nate,” I begin, but choke on my words.

  “Kira, I never, ever meant to hurt you. I’m not the guy you think I am. I never want to be that guy. I want to be someone you can love and respect, and what you did…” He stops and takes a breath, his chest rattling a bit. “I would never ask that of you. You know that, right?”

  “I do. I wanted to talk to you. I was going to stop by your place this morning.” I turn and point to the buggy. “This was you?”

  “Yes.”

  I glance around the clearing, take in the trees around us. “Why did you bring me here?”

  “I’m not tearing Gram’s studio down.”

  “Nate, no, we have to,” I say quickly, panic erupting inside me. “It’s important, and Gram would want that. With the money from the sale, I’ll rebuild at some point.”

  “No, you won’t. I purchased this land yesterday.” He waves his hands around, and I angle my head, my brain trying hard to keep up.

  “I don’t understand. What do you want this land for?”

  “We’re going to move the studio here.”

  My heart stops beating. “Wait, what?”

  He waves his hand again. “It’s not the same, Kira. I know that. But at least it’s close enough to town that people can walk here.”

  “You’re wrong,” I say, and a line forms in his forehead as he frowns, those deep green eyes of his filled with worry.

  “I thought you’d like this,” he says

  “You’re wrong, Nate. It’s not the same.”

  “I know but—”

  “It’s better,” I say, cutting him off. “This location is perfect, and accessible to more people.”

  He reaches out and tentatively cups my elbow. When I don’t pull back, he says, “Kira, I’m sorry for the things I said.”

  “I reacted, because—”

  “Because you’ve been hurt before. But I’ll never hurt you. I promise.” He swallows hard. “I don’t want you to go.”

  “I don’t want to go. I want to stay here at the B&B, work at the local university, and keep the rooms open for Izzy and the guys, but it sold, Nate.” I choke on my words. “It sold yesterday.”

  He smiles and cups my cold cheeks with his warm hands. “It’s yours, Kira. I bought it. It’s for you.”

  I shake my head and try to wrap my brain around what he’s saying. “Nate—?”

  He puts his finger to my lips. “I’m staying. I’ll have to travel a bit, to help the company survive and to secure jobs, but I’ll always come back here to you. You once said we can’t pick our family, but we can. I pick you and this whole town.”

  “Nate, I can’t—”

  “What can’t you do?” he asks in a soft voice.

  “I can’t accept the B&B.”

  “Do you want to stay, Kira?” I nod, my voice stuck in my throat. “You know, I somehow knew you’d say you couldn’t accept it. That’s just like you. You’re the most honest, loving, genuine, caring woman I know. You’re not one to take without giving, but you have to accept this Kira. It’s a wedding gift.”

  The world closes in on me. “A…” He pulls something from his pocket and drops to his knee on the cold, damp, snow-dusted ground.

  “Will you marry me, Kira? I love you with all my heart, and if you say yes, you’ll make me the happiest man in the world.”

  “Nate—” I begin but stop when the sound of chains and hooves reach my ears. “Oh my God,” I yell as I turn to see Eddie gunning for me, Doug unsuccessfully chasing after him. Two strong arms wrap around my waist, and the next thing I know, I’m on the ground, spinning like the Tasmanian devil, with Nate cushioning my body from the cold dampness with his.

  “I’ve got you, Kira,” he says when we come to a stop, and I bask in the love reflecting in his eyes.

  I smile at the man beneath me, my heart so full of love and adoration, I’m sure it’s going to burst. “You’re right. You’ve got me, Nate,” I say, giving him my answer and pressing my lips to his for a lifetime of kisses. “And while you might not be a lobster fisherman, you’re still my lobster,” I whisper into his mouth.

  Epilogue

  Eight months later…

  With tourist season well underway, I look to the left and then to the right to make sure Eddie is nowhere in the vicinity as I cross the street and head toward the waterfront. The warm sunshine beats down on me, and I lift my face, soak it in. It warms my skin and fills my already overflowing heart. I hold my left hand up, and I’m still as giddy today as I was that cold autumn morning when Nate put the ring on my finger.

  We decided to have a winter wedding. That way, the crew will all be back in town for fishing season. I asked Izzy to be my maid of honor, and Khloe will be a bridesmaid. Sam, Jason, and Cody fought over who got to be the best man, and in the end, Nate flipped a coin. Sam won, and we haven’t heard the end of it yet. Before he left town, he went around saying he has no equal. I wouldn’t have expected anything less.

  Nate broke ground on the new plant as soon as the frost was gone, and it’s coming along nicely. The town has been bustling as workers moved in during the construction phase, and when they leave, all the new hires will be taking up residency. Once Nate’s house was renovated, I moved in there with him. As much as we love our little family at the B&B, we need our privacy. The B&B continues to run on the honor system, and my mother is happy that it’s no longer in her hands. She did assure me she and Dad would come back for the wedding.

  In the near distance, I spot Amber dashing into the studio. She asked me to meet her there today, so I take a break from working on my theorem, which I’m hoping to finish soon, and check out what she’s been painting.

  I hurry to the studio, pausing outside the door to look at the gold plate there. I run my fingers over my great grandfather’s engraved name and the year the cottage had been constructed.

  “We did it, Gram,” I whisper. “We turned this into a studio for the town.”

  “You mean, you did it.”

  My heart leaps as I spin to come face-to-face with my amazing fiancé. God, I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to saying that. But I have to say I can’t wait to start calling him husband.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask.

  “What kind of greeting is that?” Nate slides his hand around my waist, tugs me to him, and plants a warm, loving kiss on my mouth. I lean into him, wrap my hands around his shoulders, and hold him close.

  When he breaks the kiss, I ask, “While that was lovely, aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

  “You texted me, said you needed me to meet you here.” He gives me a grin that melts my knees and then nods to the closed studio door. “Are you thinking we should christen the place?”

  I frown. “I never texted you.”

  He pulls his phone from his pocket and shows it to me. “This came from your phone.”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t send it. Wait, I thought I heard noises in the house today. Thought we might have had a mouse, but maybe…”

  At the same time, we both say, “Sam.”

  “Come on,” Nate says. “Let’s go inside and see what he’s up to.”

  I open the door, and about twenty people jump up and scream surprise. I falter backward, but Nate is there to catch me—he’s always there to catch me.

  “What’s going on?” I ask.

  Plates of sandwiches and sweets and drinks line the counter, and I glance around, trying to figure out what’s happening.

  Izzy grins. “It’s your engagement party.”

  “We’ve been engaged for eight months,” Nate
says.

  “Yeah, but we’ve been away working, and you can’t celebrate without us,” Sam says, leaning in to hug me.

  Tears prick my eyes. “I didn’t even know you guys were all back yet.”

  “Just got back,” Jason says. “We’ve been sneaking around and planning this with Amber and Faith for a while now.”

  Amber gives me a big smile. “Surprised?”

  “Yes, totally, and thank you, Amber. This was so nice.” I pull her in for a hug and glance over her shoulder to see Brett. I’m pretty sure the two are an item now.

  Jason cracks a beer and hands it to Nate. The two click bottles and then take a long pull. They’d moved past the fight they had pretty quickly, no hard feelings, and for that I’m grateful. Like siblings, fights happen, and so does forgiveness. It warms me to know they all had my back, though.

  Khloe comes up to me and hands me a glass of wine. “Khloe,” I screech. “I didn’t realize you were here.”

  “Of course, I’m here. I wouldn’t miss your party.”

  We clink glasses and drink.

  “Now you have to stay over,” Sam says. “No drinking and driving allowed on my watch.”

  Khloe grins. “Fine, I’ll take Kira’s old room at the B&B.”

  “Motherfucker,” Sam mumbles, and I whack him.

  “Not in front of the kids.”

  “Shit, right.”

  “Sam!”

  “Right, right. I can’t say shit.”

  “Then stop saying it,” Jason, Cody, Izzy, Nate, and I all say at once. We burst out laughing, and my soul is so full of happiness that I’m sure my expanded chest is going to break my ribs.

  “Come sit,” Faith says and steers me into the loveseat. That’s when I see all the presents.

  “You guys! You didn’t have to do this.”

  Sam sits on the coffee table across from me, and he’s a little more mellow than usual as he smiles at us.

  “I did it, Gram,” he says, glancing upward.