by Lori Wilde
“Gimme that roll of paper towels.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
“What are fiancés for?”
“You’re not a real fiancé.”
“I believe that is my ring on your finger. I believe you did say, ‘Yes, Mike, I’ll marry you.’”
“You know what I mean.” She tossed him the paper towel roll.
Mike caught it one-handed, peeled off several sheets, and put the roll down on the counter. “Cleaning solution?”
“I’m using vinegar.” She nodded at the gallon jug of white vinegar on the floor.
He moistened the paper towels with vinegar and selected a soiled kite to clean. They worked in companionable silence. The boardwalk sounds in the background—cawing seagulls, delighted screams from the amusement rides, the bump of Rollerblades on wood slats as a group of teens skated past. Just having him around, she felt calmer, more peaceful.
That is until Mike said, “I can tell something’s bothering you. What’s bothering you besides the angry roommate?”
She sighed.
“You don’t have to tell me. Just know that I’m here if you need me.”
“I don’t mind talking about it.” Gia set aside the kite she’d just cleaned. “Grammy is about to lose the inn.” She turned to face Mike and told him everything that had happened after he’d left the inn the previous day. “I’m afraid I volunteered you for a few things. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not, I’ll help in any way I can. You know that.”
“You’re already doing so much.” She held up the ring finger of her left hand. “I hate to ask more of you.”
“It’s my pleasure. Honestly, I mean that.”
“Thank you.” Gia put down her cleaning towel, wiped her palms against the seat of her yoga pants.
His smile was so reassuring that her heart skipped a beat. “To be honest, I don’t know how I’m going to keep the kite store running during all this, even if Darynda does work for free. I’ll have no time to create more inventory and I’ve promised my current inventory”—she flapped a hand at the smoothie-splattered kites—“to the pop-up store. I don’t resent it, but I just got the business off the ground. I don’t know if the store can survive me taking six weeks off to save the inn. I signed a year’s lease on this kiosk and at this rate, I won’t be able to make the monthly rent.”
Mike moved to wrap an arm around her waist. His touch felt so nice, so reassuring. She longed to drop her head on his shoulders and let him make it all better.
“Things seem bleak now, but it’ll dovetail. Give it time,” he said.
“I’m being whiny, aren’t I? I’m sorry. I don’t mean to whine.”
“You’re not whining.” His gentle smile sent her hopes flying. “You’re going through some big rite-of-passage stuff.”
“This adulting thing sucks.”
“Sometimes, yeah it does.”
“Hang on a minute,” she said. “This is bugging me.”
“Huh?”
She reached up and brushed the sawdust from his hair. Instantly, her body burned hot as if she’d been standing too close to a stove. She dropped her hand. Backed off.
He stared at her, his mouth partially opened as if he was stunned and wondering what had just happened.
Believe me, I feel the same way. It was weird and kind of wonderful, this curious new chemistry.
“You had . . .” She rubbed two fingers together. “Sawdust.”
“Ah,” he said, his smile as hot as August. “Casualty of being a carpenter. I just came from my workshop.”
“What are you making?”
“A wedding arch for a beach wedding next month.” His gaze found hers, held it for a moment too long.
Gia gulped. “Nice.”
“About your problem. May I offer a solution?”
“Please do. I’m barely keeping my head above green goo here.”
“Sublet your kiosk to me.”
She shook her head. “I can’t let you bail me out. You’re already doing enough pretending to be my fiancé.”
“It’s not charity. I was already thinking about opening my own shop. I’m outgrowing my space at the art gallery.”
“Good effort, but you’re not fooling me.” Gia shook her head. “There’s not enough space in this kiosk, either.”
“Hear me out.” Mike held up a big palm thick with calluses, nicks, and scars. “I’d keep the big pieces at the gallery and use the kiosk to display my smaller projects.”
“Like what?”
“Shelves, scroll trim, wood boxes, stepstools, wall racks. If it hits, that’ll be my cue to rent a bigger space when the time comes. If not . . .” He shrugged. “I’ll square it up as a worthy experiment . . . and a nice tax deduction.”
She wanted to say yes. Having Mike take over her kiosk lease would save her fanny, but was it fair to him? She’d already asked so much. “I don’t know if that’s such a hot idea.”
He seemed puzzled. “Why not?”
“You don’t owe me anything, Mike. In fact, I owe you.”
“No, you don’t.”
She twirled his ring on her finger. “I do.”
“Oops,” he said.
“What?”
“More goo.” He polished the underside of the counter with a paper towel, but she saw him cut his eyes at her butt.
Grinning, she turned slightly, giving him a better view of her backside, but casually, like she wasn’t doing it on purpose. “I need to take down every kite, so we can make sure we get all the green stuff. It exploded everywhere.”
“See? You gotta take the kites down anyway, might as well move out and let me assume your lease. I’ll help you pack up and haul the kites back to the inn.”
“So we’re doing this?”
“If that’s what you want.”
Was it? She glanced around the kiosk. Gnawed her thumbnail. It had taken so much work to get the place up and running and now she was walking away. It felt like failure. You’re not doing it by choice. Grammy needed her. Her sisters needed her. Family came first.
“I’ve got my van parked in the boardwalk lot if you want to go ahead and start moving now.”
Wow, this was happening so fast. Her life was moving at a frantic clip, but yet at the same time, it also felt impossibly slow. Her time built around news from the hospital. Waiting to find out if Grammy would live or die.
“Okay,” she said.
He came closer.
Lowered his head.
The look in his eye said he wanted to kiss her. Gia wondered if the expression on her face said that same thing. She moistened her lips with her tongue. Softening, wanting, waiting . . . so much damn waiting.
“You’re awfully nice,” she said. How come he wasn’t already married?
“Not to everyone.”
“I’m special?”
“As bird’s-eye maple. Don’t you already know the answer to that by now?”
Well, she knew nothing about bird’s-eye maple, but she assumed it was something a woodcarver might cherish. Gia parted her lips, her pulse galloping. Mike thought she was special?
“You’re trembling. Are you cold?”
Slowly, she shook her head, bounced on her rubber band knees.
“Scared?”
“No,” she whispered.
“What is it?”
Sex starved. “I’m not used to Sir Galahad swooping in and rescuing me.” She ran two fingers along her lower lip. “I’m not sure I like it.”
“So you’re what?” His eyebrows dipped in confusion. “Mad at me now?”
“No. Not mad.”
“What then?” he whispered, his head dipping lower and lower.
“Well, I’m mad!”
Startled, they turned.
Mike’s sister, Anna, stood at the doorway of the kiosk, a baby stroller parked in front of her.
Anna was three years older than her brother; tall, willowy, with a lush cap of auburn curls that
Gia envied and a slender, swanlike neck that lent her a graceful air. She usually smelled like cinnamon and yeast from the bakery, and she had a smile that lit up the world, just like Mike. She’d married her high school sweetheart, Kevin, and they had two adorable kids.
Inside the stroller, Mike’s sweet baby nephew, Logan, was sound asleep. The wind whipped Anna’s calf-length floral dress around her legs, and she had her head cocked like a sharp-eyed judge ready to render a guilty verdict.
“Hi, sis.” Mike raised a hand.
“Don’t you ‘hi, sis’ me, little brother.” Anna barged into the kiosk. “How come I have to find out from the UPS guy that you two are engaged?”
Yikes. More blowback. Twice in one day.
“Really? I felt sure you’d find out from the Beach Patrol cop first,” Mike drawled.
“Don’t be smart.”
“Don’t pull the big-sister card.” Mike folded his arms over his chest.
“What card should I pull?”
“Go fish?”
Anna, a natural redhead, with intense brown eyes, didn’t look a thing like her younger sibling. She glared at Mike but turned to Gia. “I’m disappointed. My brother is a knucklehead, but I thought surely you would have told me. Why didn’t you tell me? I’m right across the street. It’s not like it’s a long walk.”
Gia offered Anna her most apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry, I’ve been preoccupied with Grammy.”
Anna’s pique deflated. “I am so sorry about Helen. I told Darynda I wanted in on the vigil schedule.”
“That means a lot, thank you.”
“Your grandmother means a lot to me. She’s the first one who ever bought anything from my bakery.” Anna’s face turned earnest. “I’m making the wedding cake, right? By the way, where and when is this wedding?”
“We haven’t worked that out,” Mike said smoothly.
“Let me know as soon as you do. I’ve got so many ideas to show you.” Anna clapped her hands softly. “I’m so happy for you two! You are perfect together. Why didn’t I see this before? Why didn’t you?”
“We’re asking ourselves the same question.” Mike sent Gia a look that asked, Am I handling this okay?
Gia raised her shoulders slightly. How would she know?
“Don’t I get a hug?” Anna held out her arms to her brother and embraced him. Then she moved on to hug Gia. “This is thrilling. Have you told Mom and Dad?”
“Not yet.”
Anna stepped back, taking her cinnamon roll smell with her. “What’s the holdup? I’d think you’d want to shout it to the world.”
“Gia’s grandmother comes first,” Mike said. “Plenty of time for celebrating after Helen gets out of the hospital.”
“Yes, yes, you do have a knack for staying on point, Mikey. We’ll discuss this later.”
From the stroller, Logan broke into a wail.
“Oh Lord,” Anna muttered. “Here we go again. He’s been teething and barely sleeps for more than thirty minutes at a time. I’d forgotten since Allie how fussy teething babies can get. I’m frayed to the end of my rope with Kevin out of town,” she said. Her insurance adjuster husband was frequently on the road. Anna leveled a look at Gia. “Word to the wise, don’t wait seven years between babies. The gap is too big.”
Babies.
With Mike.
The thought had never occurred to Gia, but now that it was out there . . .
Her gaze zapped straight to Mike’s. The man would make the most gorgeous babies. She felt a strange and wonderous heat besiege her womb. Overwhelmed, she shook her head. This was too much.
Baby Logan tuned up quick, going from finicky whimper to full-on, I’m-not-happy wail in under sixty seconds. Sighing, Anna pushed up the three-quarter sleeves of her frock and headed for her son.
Mike put up a palm. “Let me. You need a break, sis.”
Anna looked surprised but nodded. “Have at it.”
Mike lifted the crying, squirming baby from the stroller. “Hey there, that’s a pretty big noise for one little guy.”
The small child cradled in the sexy carpenter’s big, work-toned arms tugged at something deep inside Gia. A longing she’d never known was there.
Logan’s small face was screwed up tight, tears springing from his eyes as he smacked his gums together.
“Let me find his teething ring.” Anna rummaged through the stroller, pushing aside the baby blanket. When she didn’t find what she was searching for there, she turned to the diaper bag strapped to the back of the stroller. Took out diapers, a bottle of milk, another blanket, her purse . . . “Oh no! He must have dropped his teething ring somewhere on the boardwalk.”
Logan was crying so loudly that passersby paused to gawk.
Anna offered up a vague, harried smile as she continued to hunt for the missing teething ring.
“Shh, shh, boy-o.” Mike bounced the baby in his arms and blew raspberries to get his attention. “It’s okay, it’s okay.”
Instantly, Logan quieted, his eyes rounding as he stared at his uncle.
“Bet you don’t even remember me, do you?” Mike cooed, a tinge of wistfulness in his voice. “Since I was gone so long. But I missed you, boy-o. So, so much.”
Aww. Gia melted. Slick butter in the hot sun.
Logan bumped his gums together harder and shivered, his face screwing up for a fresh round of tears. He sobbed and rubbed his little fists against his mouth.
“Your toothies hurting bad, huh?” Mike sounded completely besotted with his nephew.
Anna was still fumbling through the diaper bag, hands flying every which way as she muttered, “I can’t believe I only brought one.”
Unflustered by the racket, Mike offered up the knuckle of his index finger for baby Logan to gum and immediately the child soothed, giving a happy smile. “Is that better, tough guy?”
Logan clasped his small hands around Mike’s wrist, holding on for dear life.
“He’s got a strong bite. I feel like I hooked a catfish.” Mike chuckled. “I can’t wait until he’s old enough to take fishing.”
Awed, Gia stared at him. The guy had a way with babies. Who knew? But Mike could charm the birds from the sky without ever trying. Even babies fell hard for the guy.
Is that what I’m doing? Gia wondered. Falling for him? A fizzy thrill passed through her, as crazy as it was powerful.
“Found one!” Looking beleaguered, Anna straightened, her hair falling messily back into place after she’d been almost upside down in her hunt for the teething ring. Triumphant, she held up the ring, saw it had a bit of blanket fuzz on it, and plucked that off. “I’ll swap this out with your knuckle before he gnaws it to a stub.”
Mike eased his knuckle from the baby’s mouth and his mom stuck the teething ring between Logan’s gums.
“Thanks,” Anna said, combing a hand through her lush red curls. “You are going to make the best father ever.”
For realz, Gia thought.
“Better than Kevin?” Mike teased.
“Kevin is a great dad,” Anna said. “But you’re far more patient. More patient than me even.”
“That’s only because I don’t have to parent twenty-four, seven. You’re a wonderful mother, Anna, and don’t you forget it.”
“Okay, flattery will get you everywhere. You’re officially off the hook for not telling me about your engagement right away.” Laughing, Anna reached to take her son.
Grinning, Mike handed her the baby.
“I can’t wait for you to experience fatherhood for yourself.” Anna winked at Gia.
“Fatherhood?” Mike gulped visibly.
“Not that I’m putting pressure on you or anything.” Anna chuckled. “But Logan sure could use a playmate close to his age. While Allie loves him to pieces, she gets bored with him pretty quickly.”
“Cool it, big sister,” Mike said. “We’re a long way off from having kids.”
Yes, especially since we aren’t really engaged.
“It�
��ll be the best thing that ever happens to you,” Anna said. “I promise.”
For the first time, it fully hit Gia how much her lie would affect other people. She’d told it for a noble reason, but standing here, in the face of Anna’s overwhelming joy at her brother’s engagement, her lie smacked her like a sucker punch.
There were consequences to her falsehood. Consequences she hadn’t foreseen. It wasn’t just an innocent lie. Other people were going to get hurt.
Ashamed of herself, she met Mike’s eyes and his steadfast gaze of support was the only thing that kept her from coming clean.
Chapter Eleven
Shelley
SELF-BINDING: Using backing fabric as binding, rather than attaching a separate binding strip.
TO PACE THEMSELVES for the long haul, the three sisters divided their days into thirds. Or more accurately, Madison divided their days up into thirds and Shelley and Gia just fell in line like always.
Madison even made a spreadsheet and gave them all copies, just in case spontaneity broke out and it had to be wrangled into submission.
Excel, oh ye purview of the anal retentive, Shelley thought but did not say.
After leaving eight hours for sleeping, and one hour for transitions, Madison sliced up their schedule thusly. From seven A.M. to noon, they would rotate who sat at Grammy’s bedside. The twenty-six members of the Quilting Divas would fill in on the afternoon and evening shifts. Darynda—who was only partially committed to Maddie’s rigorous schedule because of her age—would take Wednesdays. Of the remaining six days, they each took two days apiece. Shelley ended up with Thursdays and Sundays. The two sisters who weren’t sitting at Grammy’s bedside would then run errands and cook breakfast and lunch for the sister who was on hospital duty.
The tight schedule was possible because none of them currently had jobs getting in the way. Madison’s show was going on hiatus, and Gia had temporarily closed the kite shop and sublet her kiosk to Mike.
That meant the parlor—aka the TV room—was now kite central, with Gia’s inventory hanging all around the room. Until they got the renovations finished there’d be no guests anyway and no time for TV watching. Shelley had been without a TV for five years, so that was no sacrifice. As far as a job? Shelley’s employment prospects were bleaker than February in Alaska, but she couldn’t worry about that now.