Chasing The Sun: A Small Town Romance (Angel Sands Book 7)

by Carrie Elks

  “It’s hard to gauge the strength of the storm when you’re in the eye of it,” Griff told them. “And since we’re still talking hypothetically about this guy who doesn’t exist, he’s tried everything. He’s been a player, he’s sworn off relationships, and then this woman comes along who knocks his socks off. In another world, she’d be perfect for him. But she’s leaving and he knows it, and the only way he can deal with it is to brazen it out.”

  Autumn wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “This is so sad. They’re like star crossed lovers.”

  Griff caught Lydia’s gaze. “Go easy on him,” he urged gently. “I know I was against you two being together, but that’s when I thought he wasn’t invested. When I spoke to him the other day, I could see how he felt. He looked exactly like I did when I fell for Autumn. Shell shocked and so damn happy.”

  “Are we still talking hypothetically?” Lydia asked.

  Griff shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat.”

  She wasn’t sure what floated it. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. Did he really care? And did it matter? One thing was for sure – very soon, she’d be stepping on a plane and leaving them all behind.

  And maybe she’d be leaving her heart behind, too.

  Skyler let out a loud wail from the nursery, and Griff immediately stood. “Saved by the scream.” He glanced at Autumn. “I’ll settle her down and head back to the garage. Let you two finish your wine.”

  “You sure you don’t want some?” Lydia asked. “I can grab another glass.”

  “Nah. You two look like you need some sister time.” He kissed Autumn’s cheek as Skyler wailed again. “I’ll see you both in a while.”

  Jackson reached down to stroke Eddie, who growled softly and wagged his tail. “You okay, boy?”

  Eddie lifted open an eyelid. “It’s okay,” Jackson told him. “You can go back to sleep.” Brooke had been right, Eddie’s recovery was fast. He wasn’t himself yet, but he’d eaten more boiled rice for dinner, and had walked for ten minutes on his leash that evening. He was like a different dog to the one who’d woken them up this morning deep in the throes of food poisoning.

  Taking off his glasses, Jackson ran his hand through his hair and sighed. Eddie might be feeling better, but he was still feeling bad. He had been ever since Brooke told him that Eddie’s owners might have been found.

  This afternoon she’d called again to tell him that they’d be home in two days, and asked permission to give them his address. Of course he’d permitted it. He wasn’t an asshole.

  Okay, so he was an asshole, but he wasn’t that bad.

  You were an asshole to Lydia, the little voice in his head reminded him.

  Was he? He’d just needed some space to think. And he knew that she’d want to spend time with her sister. He’d monopolized her time for the past few days, after all.

  Liar.

  He shook his head, trying to ignore the voice. But the words echoed in his mind.

  Liar.

  Damn it. He stood and poured himself a glass of water, swallowing it down as though it would wash the dark thoughts away. But it didn’t. Because they were the truth. He was lying – to himself. He didn’t tell Lydia to go home because he thought she should spend time with Autumn.

  He sent her home because he wanted to wallow. And maybe protect himself from getting hurt.

  In his mind, he’d somehow consoled himself that though Lydia was leaving, at least he’d have Eddie. A reminder of her. A connection, even. And when she came home to visit Autumn, she’d want to visit Eddie as well.

  The same way your mom visited you and saw your dad. Yeah, great one.

  Damn it, this wasn’t the same. Lydia wasn’t his mom and he wasn’t his dad. She was different. Stronger, kinder.

  Yeah, so why are you pushing her away?

  Leaning on the kitchen counter, he blew out a mouthful of air. Pushing her away was definitely an asshole move. Right out of the player playbook. And he wasn’t a player, goddammit.

  So show her.

  He blinked, tipping his head to the side. He had two choices. He could wallow and be angry and push her away even more. Or he could throw caution to the wind and enjoy the time they had left.

  One way led to regrets and misery. The other? He’d probably still be miserable, but at least he’d have better memories.

  And no regrets.

  He picked up his phone and glanced at the screen. It was later than he’d thought. Nearly midnight. For a moment he considered putting his phone down, but then he unlocked it, bringing up Lydia’s contact detail, and pressing the call button.

  She was leaving, he had no control over that. But she was here for a few more days.

  And he was determined to make the most of them.

  Lydia climbed into bed, a nice buzz rushing thought her veins thanks to the bottle of Cabernet she and Autumn had shared. Pulling the covers over her, she wriggled and turned, trying to find a comfortable position, annoyed because she prided herself on sleeping like a baby in the worst of conditions.

  Her sister’s guest bed in the beautiful town of Angel Sands definitely wasn’t the worst of conditions.

  Sighing, she threw one of her pillows on the floor. A minute later, she picked it back up again, pummeling it to make a cozy dip for her head. Just as she was about to give up the fight and grab a book from the shelves in Autumn’s hallway, her phone started to buzz.

  She lifted it to her ear. “Jackson? How’s Eddie?”

  “He’s doing good. Slept most of the day curled up at my feet. But he ate some rice this evening, and we sat out in the yard and he ran around a bit. Hopefully within a few days he’ll be back to his normal self.”

  “And how about his owners? Have they been found?”

  “Not yet. Apparently, they’re away on vacation. Left the dog with a friend who lost him out on a walk. They arrive back in a couple of days and I’ve arranged to meet them.”

  “I’m so sorry,” she told him. “I know how much you love Eddie.”

  He cleared his throat. “It’s good. He deserves to be with his family. They must love him, too.”

  “Well, I’m glad he’s okay. And that you are. Did you get much work done?”

  “Yeah, I did. Managed to solve a couple of snafus my coders have been having. And I also moved some things around in my schedule. I still have to go into the office tomorrow, but after that I’m taking a few days off.” He paused before adding, “I was wondering if you’d like to spend them with me.”

  “Are you sure you can spare the time? You seemed pretty stressed this morning,” Lydia said, letting her head fall back on the pillow.

  “I’m sorry about that. I took it out on you and I shouldn’t have done that.” She could hear his soft breaths echo through the phone line. “I was worried about Eddie, and it all built up in my mind. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.” His voice lowered. “Let me make it up to you.”

  His words sent a shiver down her spine. “How are you going to do that?”

  “By making your last few days here the best they can be. I want to take you out, have fun, and show you that Southern California can be just as amazing as all those places you’ve visited.”

  It already was in her mind, because he lived here. She didn’t need to be wowed by the scenery when she had Jackson Lewis to look at. “I don’t care what we do,” she admitted. “I just want to spend some time with you.”

  “I want that, too.” His voice was firm. “So what do you say?”

  She couldn’t stop the smile from bursting out on her face. “It’s a deal.”

  22

  “You’re taking how many days off?” Lisa asked, as Jackson leaned on the corner of her desk. They’d just finished their meeting with her preferred candidate, and offered him the job. Lisa was writing the email as she spoke. “Did hell freeze over, too? Because that’s more likely than Jackson Lewis using some vacation time.”

  “I own the business,” Jackson pointed out. “I don’
t get vacation time.”

  She stopped typing and turned to look at him. “Damn right you don’t. I swear the last time you took any days off George Bush was still president.”

  His brows knitted. “Which one?”

  “Walker. You were a little kid peeing in your diapers when his dad was president.” Lisa ran her finger across her chin. “Though come to think of it, I bet you were an overachiever as a kid. Were you out of diapers before any of your friends?”

  “I don’t know.” Jackson wrinkled his nose. “And can we not talk about diapers? I had a run in with one of Skyler’s a few days ago. I’m still working on repressing the memory.”

  Putting her chin in her hands, Lisa smiled up at him. “So what are you gonna do with your time off? You should take a real vacation for once.”

  Jackson shrugged. “I’m staying here in Angel Sands.”

  Her eyes were wide. “A stay-cation? Oh my. Won’t that be a bit boring? You’ll be dog-free, won’t you? When are the owners picking Eddie up?”

  “Tomorrow.” Jackson’s stomach dropped at the thought. “And I want to stay around here. There’s so much to see and do.”

  “Does this have anything to do with a certain blonde you were spotted kissing on the pier?” Lisa asked.

  “You heard about that?”

  She laughed. “The whole damn town heard about it.” Her warm eyes met his. “She must be something special for you to be taking time away from the business.”

  Jackson glanced at his watch. “Actually, you’ll meet her in a bit. She’s bringing Eddie in to say goodbye to the office.”

  “She is?” Lisa’s face lit up. “I wasn’t sure I’d get to see him again. I’m gonna miss seeing his face around here.”

  “He’s only been with us for a week.”

  Lisa sighed. “I know, but he made a big impression. I got used to having him around. His gorgeous face kind of lit up this office.”

  “Some people have that effect.” Jackson thought of Lydia, his sunshine girl with a smile that lit everything up. “But he has a family. He belongs with them. It wouldn’t be fair to keep him.”

  “Well at least we got to have fun with him while he was here." She shot Jackson a sympathetic smile and clicked her mouse. “The contract is sent. He said he’d be available to start next week, so I’ll start talking to him about the other candidates then. Before you know it, you’ll be able to take more time off. Not like that will actually happen.”

  Jackson caught her gaze. “I’ve been listening to you. I need to stop getting so deep in the weeds that I can’t see the sunlight.” Jackson shrugged. “We need a bigger team so I can start working on strategy. And maybe work less than an eighty hour week.”

  Lisa grinned. “Just think of all that free time you’ll have. No dog, no eighteen hour work days. What will you do to fill it?”

  “Sleep,” he told her deadpan. “And the occasional surf.”

  A month ago that would have sounded perfect. Now it felt lame. And a little empty, too. It was ironic that he’d spent the last few years of his life complaining about having no free time, but now that it was a possibility it made his gut clench hard.

  Shaking his head at himself, he walked back to his desk and sat down heavily on his office chair, swinging it around until he was facing the big screens on his desk. He might be facing a future of free time, but right now he still had a load of work to do, and only a few hours to get it finished.

  Lydia wrapped Eddie’s leash around her wrist and balanced the cardboard tray filled with coffee cups and bagels in her hands, using her butt to push open the office door. She and Eddie had dropped into Déjà Brew to see Ally and Nate so the dog could say goodbye to them, before she picked up her lunchtime order and went to Jackson’s office. Eddie had sniffed the bagels with interest – his appetite was definitely returning.

  Maybe animals had the right idea. They didn’t let little things like food poisoning ruin their week. They got over it and picked themselves up so they could go back to whatever it was that interested them.

  She wondered if she’d be able to get over heartache as easily as Eddie got over his stomach pain.

  As soon as Jackson saw her walk through the door, he was out of his seat and heading toward her, his expression warm and soft. Such a difference to yesterday and the hard, blank look he’d had on his face when they’d left the vet’s office.

  “I bought lunch,” she told him. “For you and Lisa. And the third one’s mine. I’ll take it back with me and Eddie.”

  Jackson didn’t reply for a minute. He was too busy looking at her, his eyes filled with tenderness, and something darker that made her shiver.

  “You didn’t need to buy me lunch,” he told her, his gaze holding hers. “I should be buying it for you. To say thank you for looking after the dog.”

  “I wanted to,” she admitted. “Mondays are always such dull days. Everybody should get bagels on Mondays.”

  “Amen to that,” Lisa agreed, giving her a grin. “And thank you. How’s Eddie doing?”

  Jackson put the tray on the table and dropped to stroke Eddie. The dog stared at him adoringly, his tongue lolling with pleasure as Jackson tickled behind his ears.

  “He’s got a lot more energy. When we went to the coffee shop he wagged his tail so hard he almost knocked down one of their displays.”

  “They let dogs in the coffee shop?” Lisa asked.

  Lydia laughed. “Only Eddie. He’s special.”

  “Thank you,” Jackson said again, his thigh muscles flexing as he stood. “Lisa, can you keep an eye on Eddie for a moment? I want to talk to Lydia in the meeting room really quick.”

  “It’d be a pleasure.” Lisa stood and grabbed Eddie’s leash. “In fact, I think I’ll go eat my lunch outside. It’s such a beautiful day. Eddie can come with me.” She pulled at his leash, grabbing her purse and her phone. “Come on, Eddie.”

  “Don’t forget your bagel and coffee,” Lydia said, passing them to her. Lisa somehow managed to fit the bagel in her purse, and grabbed the Styrofoam cup with her free hand, making a hasty retreat, and leaving the two of them alone in the office.

  The silence danced around them, as he stared at Lydia, drinking her in. Her head was lifted, her skin tight over her throat, and she swallowed hard, as though she could feel the tension in the moment.

  “Hey,” he said softly, closing the gap between them. “I’m so sorry for being an ass yesterday.”

  “I didn’t know what to do,” she admitted. “You just closed off from me. It… hurt.”

  Her words felt like a knife to his chest. Hurting Lydia was the last thing he wanted to do. She was too good for him to so casually bat away. “I know,” he told her. “And I’m sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you. I just got spooked knowing Eddie’s leaving tomorrow. And you’ll be going soon after that. I’ve had the best few days with you two, and I don’t want it to end.”

  “Jackson, I…”

  He cupped her face with his warm hands, his breath soft against her skin as he brushed the corner of her mouth with his lips. “You brought me lunch,” he murmured again. “That’s the nicest thing anybody’s done for me.”

  “It’s just a bagel,” she murmured, before he pressed his lips against hers and swallowed her words. Her arms wrapped around him, her body pressing against his as he deepened the kiss. For a moment all words and coherent thought disappeared.

  “Sorry,” he said, when they parted, breathless. “I needed to kiss you.”

  Her eyes twinkled with amusement. “No need to apologize for that. And I’m glad you’re okay. I missed you.” It was her turn to initiate the kiss this time, rolling onto the balls of her feet as she inclined her face toward his. Her lips were sweet, soft, and sent a thrill of pleasure right through him. He ran the tip of his tongue along the seam of her mouth, his body aching as she opened up for him, letting him in the way she always did. Sliding his hand down to the small of her back, he hitched her against him, leaving h
er in no doubt how damn needy she made him with one simple kiss.

  “Stay with me tonight,” he murmured, tracing circles against her spine.

  “Yes,” she gasped into his lips.

  “And tomorrow night.”

  Her mouth curled against his. “You want me for two nights in a row?”

  “I want you every night until you leave,” he said, his voice certain. “I know you want to spend time with Autumn and Skyler, and we’ll make that happen. But I need you in my bed. It felt empty without you last night.”

  “I didn’t sleep well without you,” she admitted. “I kept reaching out and hitting my hand against the wall instead of your warm ass.”

  He slid his lips along the delicate skin of her throat. “I promise to make up for lost time tonight.”

  “Just don’t shut me out again,” she requested, her voice soft. “Not when we don’t have much time left.”

  “I won’t.” He kissed her jaw, her cheek, the thin skin on her eyelids. “I’ll be an open book. You can ask me anything and I’ll answer.” And he meant it. Wanted it, even. Wanted to share everything with this woman. Yesterday, alone with a sick dog, he’d felt like he was at rock bottom. He didn’t want to feel that way again.

  At least not until she left. He pushed that thought away, because it was a grey cloud that threatened to settle over them both.

  Sliding his hand beneath the hem of her t-shirt, he curled his fingers around her waist, pressing into her warm flesh.

  “God I’ve missed you.” He kissed her again. It wasn’t soft this time. Instead, it was full of hunger for her, so deep he wasn’t sure he could ever satisfy it. “You smell so good,” he murmured, pulling her closer. She arched her body against his, the pressure making him harder than ever. He slid his other hand beneath her top and softly stroked her skin. Her breath shortened against his mouth, her cheeks flushing as he moved his hands upward. When he brushed his thumb over her nipple, she let out a gasp.