by Nina Lindsey
Grant sees it as both you and Edward trying to force him into a life he doesn’t want.
Rory bit her tongue on the remark. Sleeping with Grant didn’t give her the right to interfere in his relationship with his parents. It didn’t give her any rights at all, in fact. It didn’t give him any, either. She’d overstayed her time in Bliss Cove, and now that she had a job waiting for her, she wasn’t going to give it up. Not even for him.
“Look at this place.” Joanna stopped in front of Naked. “Handmade organic skincare. Heavens, you can smell the florals all the way out here. Let’s go in.”
“I really don’t…” Rory groaned inwardly as Joanna pulled open the door and swept into the fragrant interior. She followed reluctantly, hoping Madeline wasn’t working.
“Good morning!” Madeline, stunning in a white sweater dress and perfect makeup—how did she do that smoky thing with eyeshadow?—came out from the backroom. “May I help you?”
“Good morning. I’m visiting from San Francisco, and I was passing by.” Joanna peered at the colorful array of bar soaps. “Everything here is organic?”
“Absolutely. Pesticide-free, handmade, ethically sourced, and vegetarian. Oh, hello, Rory. I didn’t see you lurking about back there.” A smile curved her bow-shaped red mouth.
“Morning, Madeline.” Rory picked up a bottle of facial mister and pretended to scrutinize the label.
“How are the Natural Beauty products working out for you?”
“Just fine, thanks.”
“Oh!” Joanna lifted her forefinger as if she’d just had an epiphany. She turned to a shelf of Natural Beauty products. “I thought the labels looked familiar. Rory, is this the lotion you have in the bathroom?”
Madeline blinked. Dread began to pool in Rory’s stomach.
“Uh, I think so.”
“I’m sorry.” Madeline shook her head, as if she couldn’t imagine what association the elegant woman with the Hermès scarf and Prada bag would have with torn-jeans-and-sweatshirt Rory Prescott. “Are you together?”
“I’m Grant Taylor’s mother.” Joanna beamed and set her bag on the front counter. “We’re staying at his house, and I sampled some of the lotion and body wash Rory has in the bathroom. I’d been meaning to ask her where she got them.”
Madeline’s smile turned tight. “Why, Rory. I had no idea you kept your lotions in Grant’s bathroom.”
Rory scratched her head. For the life of her, she couldn’t come up with a single logical explanation for why she would have girly products in the bathroom of one of the most sought-after bachelors in town. The real reason was entirely illogical. And she certainly couldn’t refute the obvious reason in front of Joanna.
She and Grant were no longer pretending with each other, but they hadn’t discussed actually going public. It wasn’t as if they were in a relationship, and Rory didn’t want her mother or sisters to question what the heck she was doing hooking up with Grant for a couple of months. She didn’t want to question herself either.
“There was a cream that contained almond oil and a hint of orange, I believe.” Joanna plucked the cap off a bottle of essential oil and sniffed. “It was nice and light. Do you recall the name?”
“That was our Fresh Skin hydration cream.” Madeline walked to a shelf, her heels clicking, and extended a small pot to Joanna. “We also have it in a shower gel, bath bar, and body conditioner. Would you like some free samples?”
“No need, dear. I’ve already tried them.” Joanna examined the bottles. “I’ll take them all. Can you hold them for pick-up later? Rory and I have more shopping to do.”
“Of course.” Madeline carried the products to the front counter. “I’m so glad Rory has introduced you to our little establishment here.”
As Joanna searched for her credit card, Madeline swept her gaze to Rory. “Grant might be interested in our line of men’s skin care products. You should bring him in sometime.”
“Good to know.” Rory forced a responding smile, deciding that the less she said, the better.
Joanna seemed to take forever paying for her purchases and asking questions about how, exactly, to apply the facial cream. When they finally left Naked, Rory took a deep breath of fresh air and sent up a silent prayer that Madeline would keep this little visit to herself.
Her hope lasted until lunchtime. After an uneventful and rather pleasant few hours shopping, she and Joanna ate at a soup-and-salad restaurant.
When Joanna went to use the restroom, Rory checked her phone. A text from Aria appeared that was the virtual equivalent of a screech. YOU AND GRANT?! I KNEW something was going on. Why wouldn’t you tell me?
Rory closed her eyes briefly. She wanted to avoid having to tell her family anything about what was going on with Grant, but now should she lie or tell them the truth? What was the truth, anyway? They were pretending, but last night had been so not pretend.
Telling Aria the whole story could come back to bite Rory on the ass—her sister could keep a secret, but if Rory started saying one thing, and Grant another…and with the way gossip spread in this town, any number of variations could get back to Edward and Joanna.
Then what?
She finally responded with: What are you talking about?
PESKY LITTLE SISTER: Oh, please. Brooke saw Madeline when she was helping with the Harvest Festival prep, and Madeline dropped the bomb about your stuff in Grant’s bathroom or something and you guys living together?!
RORY: In case you forgot, I’m moving away right after Thanksgiving.
PLS: Way to avoid the issue. What is going on?
RORY: I’m staying in Grant’s cottage until I move. That’s all you need to know.
PLS: Srsly? You won’t even throw me a bone?
Rory shoved her phone back into her pocket as Joanna approached. Owing to his lack of connectivity, Grant was likely oblivious to the fact that they were now the hottest topic of gossip in town. He wouldn’t like it, either. As much a part of Bliss Cove as he’d become, everyone knew he fiercely guarded his privacy. Pretend or real.
“Edward says they’re back at the tavern.” Joanna slipped her purse over her shoulder. “Let’s go there, and then I’m sure you and Grant have work to do. We’ll meet you later for the festival.”
“Sounds good. Be sure to check the schedule of events so you won’t miss anything you want to see.”
They returned to the Mousehole, which was in the midst of the post-lunch lull. A few patrons still sat at the tables finishing their meals, and Grant and his father were at the bar. From the look of things, they weren’t being all buddy-buddy, but they weren’t at each other’s throats either.
“Hello, you two,” Joanna trilled, leaning in to kiss her husband’s cheek. “How was fishing?”
“Excellent.” Edward sipped his beer. He looked sunburned and tired, both of which gave him somewhat relaxed air that Rory hadn’t seen before now. Good fishing probably had something to do with that. Maybe so had making a strawberry rose and cooking breakfast for his wife again.
She glanced at Grant, who was working behind the bar. He met her gaze, his eyes crinkling with warmth. A pleasurable shiver rained down her spine.
She returned his smile with a quick, private one of her own. She wanted desperately to kiss him, to smell his windy, outdoors scent, but she didn’t know what the rules were about that kind of public display.
“Rory, Grant mentioned you’re researching software about urban planning and restoration.” Edward swiveled on the barstool to face her. “Tell me more.”
Though Rory hadn’t wanted to seem as if she were taking advantage of her relationship with Grant by seeking his father’s input, she figured it was okay if he offered. She explained about the redevelopment of Mariposa Street and showed Edward the list of functions Hunter and Studio Twenty-Five were looking for.
“Planning grids, 3D visualization, project history, document linking, and all this other stuff. They use several different programs, but want to find somethin
g more comprehensive.”
Edward studied the email. “Forward this to me, and I’ll look into it. Orion has a team working on a real estate app, so they might have a lead.”
“I’d appreciate that, thanks.”
As Edward turned back to Joanna, Rory slipped behind the bar to give Grant a squeeze around the waist.
“You hungry?” He patted her hip.
Considering she’d eaten a cup of broccoli soup and a garden salad for lunch, she was starving, but she shook her head. “Your mother and I just ate. But…er, actually, if you have a second, I wanted to go over the weekend plans with you.”
“Sure.” He glanced at his parents, who were sitting and talking together. Edward had his hand over Joanna’s. “Let’s go in the back.”
Rory followed him through the kitchen to the back door. As soon as they stepped outside, he hauled her close and kissed her. Sunlight burst through her veins at the hard press of his mouth, the possessive grip of his hands on her hips.
After kissing her so thoroughly that her whole body went soft, he lifted his head. Heat turned his green eyes molten.
“You want the bad news first or the good?” he asked.
“Ugh.” She toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck. “I don’t want any bad news, but you might as well give it to me fast. And hard. And—”
“Careful.” He pinched her ass. “I’m only giving you the good stuff fast and hard. The bad news is that my father wants to go deep-sea fishing, which means I have to spend a whole day on a boat with him.”
“Okay, that sucks, but the silver lining is that he obviously enjoyed fishing with you today. That’s why he wants an upgrade.”
“But that means you’ll have to entertain my mother while we’re off hooking salmon.”
She shrugged. “Still not devastating news. We had a good time shopping this morning. Did you know she owned a consignment store after she and your father graduated from college? She’d been a nanny for this wealthy San Francisco family, and when she said she was going to open a shop, the wife gave her a bunch of expensive stuff she was going to throw away. So your mother’s shop gained a reputation for high-end goods, and that was where she started learning about things like antique china and collectibles.”
“Wow.” Grant lifted his eyebrows. “You two get along better than I’d hoped.”
“Underneath her manipulative streak, I think she does mean well.” Rory patted his chest. “I’m sure that what she really wants is for all of you to mend this rift. She just had to find a way to do it that involved a lot of subterfuge.”
“Yeah.” Guilt flashed across his features. “I know something about that.”
“You’re doing everything right.” Rory’s heart twisted, and she stood on tiptoe to kiss him again. “What’s the good news?”
“That to make up for a day of fishing, my father wants to spend the weekend alone with my mother.” He pulled her lower body against his. “And you know what that means for us…”
Rory lifted her hand to stop him from kissing her. “Grant.”
His forehead creased. “What’s wrong?”
“Kind of a long story, but it’s getting around that you and I are an…um, item. Madeline figured it out, and she told Brooke, who told Aria, which means…well, everyone else in town will find out sooner rather than later.”
“So?”
She blinked. “You’re okay with that?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” He slipped his hands down to cup her ass. “It’s no one’s business, but we’re not trying to hide anything.” He paused, consternation darkening his expression. “Are we?”
“No, but I know you guard your privacy.” She bit her lip. “I’m not really sure how to explain this to my mother and sisters. Obviously, I’m an adult and can do whatever I want, but I don’t want to give them reason to think…”
Her voice trailed off.
“That you intend to stay,” Grant finished.
“God.” She shook her head with a hollow laugh. “I’m sorry. One night together…okay, one night and one morning…and I’m worried my mother will think you and I are serious about each other.”
“Aren’t we?” He curled a lock of her hair around his finger.
Rory’s heart thumped. “Um…I don’t know?”
“Rory.” He cupped her neck, lifting her face to look at him. His eyes were serious but tender. “What I said about you being the only woman who could change my mind about relationships…I meant it. But not for a second do I expect or want you to give up your new job and stay in Bliss Cove because of me. I’d guess that your family wouldn’t expect that either. You’re headstrong, loyal, stubborn as hell, and you do what you say you’re going to do.”
He pressed his lips against her forehead. “Those are just some of the reasons I’ve always liked you. And you don’t need to tie your brilliant mind into knots over this. We’re going to get through the rest of my parents’ visit, and we’re not going to worry about gossip or what anyone else thinks. Because this is about you and me…and sort of Bob, but we’ll deal with him later.”
Rory smiled, the tension easing from her shoulders. “That sounds easy enough.”
“It is easy.” The late-afternoon sunlight glinted gold in his eyes. Rory wanted to lose herself in them. Maybe she already had.
As they returned to the tavern, she remembered something her mother had once said in response to a question from Aria.
“Before you married Dad, how did you know he was The One?” Aria had asked.
“It was easy,” Eleanor had replied matter-of-factly. “If it’s right, it’s easy.”
So if it was easy…then it must also be right.
Chapter 15
Rory zipped up her jacket against the cold evening air and walked along Starfish Avenue. She was meeting Joanna at six for the Harvest Festival, and it was now five-thirty. That gave her enough time for a quick meeting with Hunter about the restoration software.
Downtown Bliss Cove had gone all out for the festival—orange, gold, and white lights twinkled around the town gazebo and the trees lining the street. Hay bales surrounded the square, and food and arts-and-crafts booths were set up on the stretch of lawn around the gazebo. People wandered among the booths, danced to the folk music of the six-piece band, or stood around eating popcorn and drinking hot apple cider.
In one corner of the square, a few local police officers were corralling a line of both adults and kids who were waiting for their chance to interact with the strikingly handsome action-movie star Jake Ryan.
Last spring, Jake had left a glittering life in Hollywood to come and live with Callie in Bliss Cove. Since he’d been out of the spotlight and living a small-town “normal” life, the paparazzi no longer bothered him—though Bliss Cove residents were exceedingly protective of him and his privacy.
The only times both Jake and the town officially acknowledged his movie-star status were for fundraisers and local charities. Now, a banner proclaiming Meet Blaze Ripley! All donations go to the Bliss Cove Children’s Hospital! stretched between two trees.
Jake, as his iconic Fatal Glory character, was taking pictures, signing autographs, talking with fans, and teaching kids some choreographed fight moves. Callie staffed a booth nearby, collecting donations and giving out information on the new wing of the children’s hospital.
Catching her sister’s eye, Rory gave her a quick wave but didn’t approach the booth. No doubt Callie would have questions about Grant, too.
She rounded the corner of Dandelion Street, where lights blazed from Sugar Joy and spilled into the courtyard in front of the bakery. Inside, Eleanor and Linda were busy helping a few customers, though since everyone was at the square, Hunter was the only person seated at a table.
“Hey, Rory.” He pulled out a chair for her. “Thanks for your help with this. I hadn’t expected to have such a hard time finding the right program.”
“I’m guessing that’s because your project is quite unique.” Rory
waved at her mother and sat beside Hunter. “There’s not much software development for historic preservation, but when you combine that with new construction and planning, you’ll likely have to use several different programs. There’s that program where you can get 3D geographic information systems, but if you can combine that with architectural modeling and property management software, you’d have a much more comprehensive program. What would be really cool is if you could write a code to include the dimension of time to show how historic sites have changed and will potentially evolve in the future.”
“That would have a big impact on the site planning.” With a frown, Hunter leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “I was thinking about how interesting it would be to have 3D models of all the historic buildings on Mariposa. That would be a huge help with the restoration, but it could also be a cool interactive tool for visitors. Like a merging of history and technology.”
“Which we could even use now before the restoration work begins.” Aria set a plate of cookies on the table and sat down on Hunter’s other side. “If we can give people an interesting experience when they visit Mariposa now, they’ll be all the more likely to donate to the preservation fund.”
They talked for a few more minutes about all the possible innovations before Eleanor came to the table.
“Would you like some coffee or cocoa, Rory?” she asked.
“No, thanks, Mom.” Rory glanced at her watch. “I need to get going.”
“Meeting someone?” Aria arched an eyebrow. Hunter shot Rory a look of amusement that told her Aria had filled him in on the gossip.
Rory sighed. She grabbed one of the cookies. Best to tell it like it was rather than leave the door open for more speculation.
“Okay, look.” She picked a chocolate chip out of the cookie and ate it. “Grant Taylor and I are casually dating, but that’s it. His parents are in town, and I’m staying with him because my apartment lease expired. I’m not turning down the Digicore job offer, and I’m not staying in Bliss Cove. We’re just, um…seeing each other.”