Reunion on Rocky Shores Read online

  What, exactly, had changed since she came back? she wondered. She still couldn’t seem to stop thinking about him.

  “My mom likes baseball, too,” Simon said. “She said maybe next month sometime we can go to a Mariners game, if they’re in the playoffs. It’s not very far to Seattle.”

  His eyes lit up with sudden excitement. “Hey, Mr. Garrett, you could come with us! That would be cool.”

  Will’s gaze met hers and for an instant she imagined sharing hot dogs and listening to the cheers and sitting beside him for three hours, his heat and strength just inches away from her.

  “I do enjoy watching the Mariners,” Will said, an unreadable look in his eyes. “I’m pretty busy next month but if you let me know when you’re going, I can see how it fits my schedule.”

  “We haven’t made any definite plans,” Julia said, hoping none of the longing showed in her expression.

  She hadn’t realized until this moment that Simon wasn’t the only one in their family who hungered for a man in their lives.

  And not just any man, either. Only a strong, quiet carpenter with callused hands and a rare, beautiful smile.

  She decided to quickly change the subject. “The stairs look wonderful. Are you nearly finished?”

  Before he could answer, they heard sudden excited barking from the front of the house.

  Julia laughed. “I guess Conan needed to go out. It’s a good thing he has his own doggy door.”

  “Hang on a minute,” Will said. “That’s his somebody’s home bark.”

  A moment later they heard a vehicle pull into the driveway.

  “Conan!” a high, excited voice shrieked and the dog woofed a greeting.

  “That would be Chloe,” Will said.

  By tacit agreement, the three of them walked together toward the front of the house. When they rounded the corner, Julia saw a dark-haired girl around the twins’ age with her arms around the dog’s neck.

  Beside her, Sage—glowing with joy—stood beside a man with commanding features and brilliant green eyes.

  “Hey, guys!” Sage beamed at them. “Julia, this is Chloe Spencer and her dad Eben.”

  Julia smiled, though she would have known their identities just from the glow on Sage’s features—the same one that flickered there whenever she talked about her fiancé and his daughter.

  “Eben, this is Julia Blair.”

  The man offered a smile and his hand to shake. “The new tenant with the twins. Hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you finally. Sage has told me a great deal about you and your children the last few weeks.”

  Sage had told her plenty about Eben and Chloe as well. Meeting them in person, she could well understand how Sage could find the man compelling.

  It seemed an odd mix to her—the buttoned-down hotel executive who wore an elegant silk power tie and the free-thinking naturalist who believed her dog communicated with her dead friend. But Julia could tell in an instant they were both crazy about each other.

  Eben Spencer turned to Will next and the two of them exchanged greetings. As they spoke, she couldn’t help contrasting the two men. Though Eben was probably more classically handsome in a GQ kind of way, with his loosened tie and his rolled up shirt sleeves, she had to admit that Will’s toolbelt and worn jeans affected her more.

  Being near Eben Spencer didn’t make her insides flutter and her bones turn liquid.

  “And who’s this?” Eben was asking, she realized when she jerked her attention back to the conversation.

  Color soaked her cheeks and she hoped no one else noticed. “This is one of my kiddos. Simon, this is Mr. Spencer and his daughter Chloe.”

  “I’m eight,” Chloe announced. “How old are you?”

  Simon immediately went into defensive mode. “Well,” he said slowly, “I won’t be eight until March. But I’m taller than you are.”

  Chloe made a face. “Everyone is taller than me. I’m a shrimp. Sage says you have a twin sister. How cool! Where is she?”

  He looked to Julia for an answer.

  “Upstairs,” she answered. “I’ll go wake her, though. She’s been anxious to meet you.”

  As if on cue, her timer beeped. “Got to run. That would be my pies ready to come out of the oven.”

  “You’re making pie?” Chloe exclaimed. “That’s super cool. I just love pie.”

  She smiled, charmed by Sage’s stepdaughter-to-be. “I do, too. But not burnt pie so I’d better hurry.”

  She tried to be quiet as she slid the pies from the oven and carefully set them on a rack to dry, but she must have clattered something because Maddie began to stir in the other room.

  She stood in the doorway and watched her daughter rise to a sitting position on the couch. “Hey, baby. How are you feeling?”

  Maddie gave an ear-popping yawn and stretched her arms above her head. “Pretty good. I’m sorry, Mama. I said I would help you make pies and then I fell asleep.”

  “You helped me with the hard part, which was picking the apples and washing them all.”

  “I guess.”

  She still looked dejected at her own limitations and Julia walked to her and pulled her into a hug. “You helped me a ton. I never would have been able to finish without you. And while you were sleeping soundly, guess who arrived?”

  Her features immediately brightened. “Chloe?”

  “Yep. She’s outside with Simon right now.”

  “Can I go meet her?”

  She smiled at her enthusiasm. One thing about Maddie, even in the midst of her worst fatigue, she could go from full sleep to complete alertness in a matter of seconds.

  “Of course. Go ahead. I’ll be down in a minute—I just have to put in these other pies.”

  A few moments later, she closed her apartment door and headed down the stairs. The elusive scent of freesia seemed to linger in the air and she wondered if that was Abigail’s way of greeting the newcomers. The whimsical thought had barely registered when Anna’s door—Abigail’s old apartment—slowly opened.

  She instinctively gasped, then flushed crimson when Will walked out, a measuring tape in hand.

  What had she expected? The ghostly specter of Abigail, complete with flashy costume jewelry and a wicked smile?

  “Hi,” she managed.

  He gave her an odd look. “Everything okay?”

  “Yes. Just my imagination running away with me.”

  “I was double-checking the measurements for the new moldings in Anna’s apartment. I’m hoping to get to them in a week or so.”

  “All done with the stairs, then?”

  “Not quite. I’m still going to have to stain them but the bulk of the hard work is done.”

  “You do good work, Will. I’m very impressed.”

  “My dad taught me well.”

  The scent of freesia seemed stronger now and finally she had to say something. “Okay, tell me something. Can you smell that?”

  Confusion flickered across his rugged features. “I smell sawdust and your apple pie baking. That’s it.”

  “You don’t smell freesia?”

  “I’m not sure I know what that is.”

  “It’s a flower. Kind of light, delicate. Abigail used to wear freesia perfume, apparently. I don’t remember that about her but Anna and Sage say she did and I believe them.”

  He still looked confused. “And you’re smelling it now?”

  She sighed, knowing she must sound ridiculous. “Sage thinks Abigail is sticking around Brambleberry House. “

  To her surprise, he laughed out loud and she stared, arrested by the sound. “I wouldn’t put it past her,” he said. “She loved this old place.”

  “I can’t say I blame her for that. I’m coming to love it, too. There’s a kind of peace here—I can’t explain it. Maddie says the house is friendly and I have to tell you, I’m beginning to believe her.”

  He shook his head, but he was smiling. “Watch out or you’ll turn as wacky as Sage. Next thing I know, you’ll be balancin
g your chakras every five minutes and eating only tofu and bean sprouts.”

  She gazed at his smile for a long moment, arrested by his light-hearted expression. He looked young and much more relaxed than she had seen him in a long time, almost happy, and her heart rejoiced that she had been able to make him smile and, yes, even laugh.

  His smile slid away after a moment and she realized she was staring at his mouth. She couldn’t seem to look away, suddenly wildly curious to know what it would be like to kiss him again.

  Something hot kindled in the blue of his eyes and she caught her breath, wanting his touch, his kiss, more than she had wanted anything in a long time.

  He wasn’t ready, she reminded herself, and eased back, sliding her gaze from his. No sooner had she made up her mind to step away and let the intense moment pass when she could swear she felt a determined hand between her shoulderblades, pushing her forward.

  She whirled around in astonishment, then thought she must be going crazy. Only the empty stairs were behind her.

  “What’s wrong?” Will asked. Though his words were concerned, that stony, unapproachable look had returned to his expression and she sighed, already missing that brief instant of laughter.

  “Um, nothing. Absolutely nothing. My imagination seems to be in overdrive, that’s all.”

  “That’s what you get for talking about ghosts.”

  She forced a smile and headed for the for door. Just before she walked through it, she turned and aimed a glare at the empty room.

  Stay out of my love life, Abigail, she thought. Or any lack thereof.

  She could almost swear wicked laughter followed behind her.

  * * *

  Damn it. He wasn’t at all ready for this.

  Will followed Julia out the door, still aware of the heat and hunger simmering through him.

  He had almost kissed her. The urge had been so strong, he had been only seconds away from reaching for her.

  She wouldn’t have stopped him. He sensed that much—he had seen the warm welcome in her eyes and had known she would have returned the kiss with enthusiasm.

  He still didn’t know why he had stopped or why she had leaned away then looked behind her as if fearing her children were skulking on the second-floor landing watching them.

  He didn’t know why they hadn’t kissed but he was enormously grateful they had both come to their senses.

  He didn’t want to be attracted to another woman. Sure, he was a man and he had normal needs just like any other male. But he had been crazy about his wife. Kissing another woman—even wanting to kiss another woman—still seemed like some kind of betrayal, though intellectually he knew that was absurd.

  Robin had been gone for more than two years. As much as he had loved her, he sometimes had to work hard to summon the particular arrangement of her features and the sound of her voice.

  He was forgetting her and he hated it. Sometimes his grief seemed like a vast lake that had been frozen solid forever. Suddenly, as if overnight, the ice was beginning to crack around the edges. He wouldn’t have expected it to hurt like hell but everything suddenly seemed more raw than it had since the accident.

  He pressed his fist to the ache in chest for just a moment then headed for the backyard, where he had set up his power tools. His gaze seemed to immediately drift to Julia and he found her on the brick patio, laughing at something Sage had said, the afternoon sunlight finding gold strands in her hair. He could swear he felt more chunks of ice break free.

  She must have sensed the weight of his stare—she turned her head slightly and their gazes collided for a brief moment before he broke the connection and picked up his power saw and headed for his truck.

  On his next trip to get the sawhorses, he deliberately forced himself not to look at her. He was so busy not looking at her that he nearly mowed down Eben.

  “Sorry,” he muttered, feeling like an ass.

  Eben laughed. “No problem. You look like your mind’s a million miles away.”

  He judged her to be only about twenty-five feet, but he wasn’t going to quibble. “Something like that,” he murmured.

  He hadn’t expected to like Eben Spencer. When Sage had first fallen for the man, Will had been quite certain he would break her heart. As he had come to know him these last few months, he had changed his mind. Eben was deeply in love with Sage.

  The two of them belonged together in a way Will couldn’t have explained to save his life.

  “You look like you could use a hand clearing this up.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “No offense, but you’re not really dressed for moving my grimy tools.”

  “I don’t mind getting a little dirty once in a while.” The other man hefted two sawhorses over one shoulder, leaving Will only his toolbox to carry.

  “Thanks,” he said when everything had been slid into the bed of his pickup truck.

  “No problem,” Eben said again. “You’re staying for dinner, aren’t you? Sage has decided to throw an impromptu party since Chloe and I are back in town for a few days. I really don’t want to be the only thing around here with a Y chromosome. Beautiful as all these Brambleberry women are, they’re a little overwhelming for one solitary man.”

  “Don’t forget you’ve got Simon Blair around now.”

  Eben laughed. “Well, that does help even the scales a little, but I have a feeling Sage and the others will be lost in wedding plans. I wouldn’t mind company while I’m manning the grill.”

  He was tempted. He knew he shouldn’t be but his empty house had become so oppressive sometimes he hated walking inside it.

  “Got anything besides veggie burgers?”

  “Sage talked to Jade and Stanley and they’re sending over some choice prime-cut steaks from The Sea Urchin—the kind you can’t buy at your average neighborhood grocery store.”

  “Sage must be in love if she’s chasing down steaks for you,” Will said, earning a chuckle from Eben.

  “She might be a vegetarian but she’s very forgiving of those of us who aren’t quite as enlightened yet.”

  “Maybe she’s just biding her time until you’re married, then she’ll start substituting your bacon for veggie strips and your hamburgers for mushroom, bean-curd concoctions.”

  Eben smiled, his expression rueful. “I’m so crazy about her, I probably wouldn’t mind.” He paused. “Stay, why don’t you? Anna and Sage would love to have you.”

  What about Julia? He wondered. His attention shifted to her and that longing came out of nowhere again, knocking him out at the knees.

  “Sure,” he said, before he could give himself a chance to reconsider. “I just need to run home and wash off some of this sweat and sawdust.”

  “Great. We’ll see you in a few minutes then.”

  He drove away, already regretting the momentary impulse to accept the invitation.

  CHAPTER NINE

  An hour later, after taking a quick shower and changing his clothes, Will stood beside Eben at the grill, beer in hand, asking himself again why he had possibly thought this might be a good idea.

  It was a lovely evening, he had to admit that. A breeze blew off the ocean, cool enough to be refreshing but not cold enough to have anybody reaching for a sweater.

  The sweet sound of children’s laughter rang through the Brambleberry House yard as Chloe and the twins threw a ball for Conan. Sage, Julia and Anna were sitting at a table on the weathered brick patio looking over wedding magazines.

  Abigail would have adored seeing those she loved most enjoying themselves together. This casual, informal kind of gathering was exactly the kind of thing she loved best.

  He only wished he could enjoy himself as he used to do, that he didn’t view the whole scene with his chest aching and this deep sense of loss in his gut.

  “My people at The Sea Urchin tell me the work you’ve done on the new cabinetry in the lobby is spectacular,” Eben said as he turned the steaks one last time.

  Will forced a smile. “I had gr
eat bones to work with. That helps on any project.”

  “She’s a beautiful old place, isn’t she?” Eben’s smile was much more genuine. “I’m sorry I haven’t had the opportunity yet to see what you’ve accomplished there. I’m looking forward to tomorrow when I have a chance to check out the progress of the last three weeks while Chloe and I have been overseas. I’ve been getting daily reports but it’s not the same as seeing it firsthand.”

  “I think you’ll be happy with it. You’ve got some real craftsmen working on The Sea Urchin.”

  “Including you.” He took a sip of his beer, then gave Will an intent look. “In fact, I’ve got a proposition for you.”

  Will raised an eyebrow, curiosity replacing the ache, if only temporarily. Another job? he wondered. As far as he knew, The Sea Urchin was the only Spencer Hotels property along the coast.

  “Spencer Hotels could always use a master carpenter. We’ve got rehab projects going in eight different properties right now alone. There’s always something popping. What would you say to signing on with us, traveling a little? You could take your pick of the jobs, anywhere from Tokyo to Tuscany. We’ve got more than enough work to keep you busy, with much more in the pipeline.”

  He blinked, stunned at the offer. He was just a journeyman carpenter in piddly little Cannon Beach. What the hell did he know about either Tokyo or Tuscany?

  “Whoa,” he finally managed through his shock. “That’s certainly…unexpected.”

  “I’ve been thinking about it for awhile. When I received the glowing report from my people here, it just seemed a confirmation of what had already been running around my head. I think you’d be perfect for the job. I usually try to hire workers from the various communities where my hotels are located—good business practice, you know—but I also like to have my own man overseeing the work.”

  “I don’t know what good I would be in that capacity. I don’t speak any language except good old English and a little bit of Spanish.”

  “The Spanish might help. But we always have translators on site, so that’s not really a concern. I’m looking for a craftsman. An artisan. From what I’ve seen of your work, you definitely qualify. I also want someone I can trust to do the job right. And again, you qualify.”