That Last Summer (Whispering Pines Island Book 1)

by Sara LaFontain

  He chuckled and shook his head ruefully. “And all summer I thought you were keeping me at an arm’s length, always using the word ‘friend’ as a defense.”

  “Sam.” She put her hands on each side of his face and pulled him in for another kiss. “If we had communicated better, we could have been doing this all summer long.”

  He hugged her body closer to him. “I know. I’ll regret that for the rest of my life.”

  “You know it’s September. The season is over. You’re heading back to Colorado soon.”

  He started to kiss her neck, scraping his teeth lightly over her skin. His voice was muffled. “Come with me.”

  “What? To Aspen? You don’t mean that!” She felt goosebumps. His breath was hot in her ear.

  “I do. Come with me. I know people. I’ll help you find a job. We can rent a tiny overpriced apartment and spend all winter doing this.” His hand roamed over her body, setting fire to whatever he touched.

  “Don’t you think you’re getting ahead of yourself? We haven’t even gone on a date yet, and you want me to move in with you? That’s moving a little fast, isn’t it?”

  “Cara, we’ve lived together for years. The only difference is that we’d be sharing a bed. That’s not moving too fast. That’s just practical.”

  “You know I can’t. I’m staying here.” One of his hands slipped under her jacket and up the back of her shirt, making every nerve come alive along the passages of his fingertips. It was hard to talk, hard to answer him, hard to think about anything but his hands on her flesh and the heat and desperate need building up inside her.

  “You never said what’s happening with the restaurant.” He had moved his other hand to the inside of her thighs, and it was driving her crazy, making her regret not wearing a skirt.

  “It’ll be open on weekends, same as the inn. We’ll see if it works out.”

  “You’ll need a chef.” He started kissing her neck again.

  “Yeah, Paddy’s been looking. Wayne said he might do it until we find someone else.” Her back arched involuntarily. Everything he was doing felt so right.

  “That hack? Forget it. I’ll do it.”

  That stopped everything. She shoved his hands away and pulled back. He stared at her, and she couldn’t catch her breath. “What do you mean you’ll do it?”

  His eyes burned with passion and promise. “I’ll stay here. Hire me. Can this be my job interview?”

  He brought his face back to hers and she lost herself.

  ....................

  They eventually returned to the hospital after Sam abruptly shoved Cara off his lap and informed her they needed to either stop immediately or find someplace much more private. Unfortunately, there weren’t any private places.

  Cara thought wistfully of the inn’s van, safely parked at the docks. If only Sam had borrowed the van instead of taking a cab, they would have found their private space, and she wouldn’t have had to sit there with frustrated desires, patiently waiting as Sam focused on taking slow breaths and thinking unsexy thoughts.

  When they got back to Paddy’s hospital room, they were stopped by a nurse.

  “It’s past visiting hours. We only allow one family member to stay overnight.”

  “I live on Whispering Pines Island, what am I supposed to do?” Sam protested, fingers squeezing Cara’s hand.

  The nurse was unmoved. “There’s a cafeteria downstairs and a waiting room down the hall. Sorry, it’s hospital policy.”

  Sam turned to Cara. “You’ll be okay?”

  His smile made her feel warm. “Of course, I’ll be fine. I’ll come find you in the morning.” One more kiss, quicker this time, and she watched him walk away.

  Cara entered Paddy’s room and was glad to see him awake. She quickly crossed to him and gave him a hug, mindful of the wires and tubes connecting him to machines.

  “Don’t cry,” Paddy told her, and it wasn’t until that moment she realized that she was, again. There had been too many tears shed today.

  “Paddy, you scared me so much earlier. I don’t want to lose you.” She wiped the tears away and tried to smile for him.

  “Oh, don’t worry. I’ve got a few years left in me. You’re not getting your hands on my share of the inn yet,” he promised. “The doctor says I’ll be fine. They’re keeping me in a couple of days for observation, and I may have to make some lifestyle changes, but Robert’s got to wait for me a bit longer. I might have another stroke though, or maybe a heart attack, if you don’t fill me in on what the hell is going on with you and Sam.” He smiled as he said it, so Cara knew he wasn’t upset. That came as a relief; she had worried what her uncle might think.

  “I don’t know,” she said, blushing. “We’ve both liked each other for a while, but nothing really happened between us until tonight. He came to support me when he heard about your stroke. And, here’s some good news. We can stop looking for a winter chef. Sam took the job.”

  “Wonderful, I’m glad that it’s finally happened. I hired him for you, you know.”

  Chapter Seventy-Five

  Cara found Sam the next morning. He was sleeping on a bench in a corner of the waiting room in what looked like a terribly uncomfortable position, though he had somehow managed to find a pillow and blanket. She wasn’t used to seeing him asleep. He looked much younger and more vulnerable than she’d expected. Tentatively, she reached out to wake him.

  He blinked sleepily and then smiled. “It wasn’t a dream, was it?”

  She tried to kiss him on the cheek, but he turned, caught her with his lips, and kept her there for a while.

  Finally, they went to the cafeteria where she could get a mediocre cup of coffee, and he found a tea he was willing to tolerate. He stretched his legs as soon as they sat down, and from the way he grinned at her, she knew he was resting them against her calves on purpose. He took her free hand and began stroking her fingers.

  “I’m so glad I can finally do this,” he said. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for you.”

  “Maybe I do. But let’s talk about that,” Cara said. “What do you want from me? What are you looking for?” Now that the drama of the previous night was over, she needed to know where they stood. She had to make sure that any promises he made last night weren’t just in the heat of the moment.

  “Well . . .” His grin showed all his teeth. “I want everything.” He leaned in closer and dropped his voice. “I want to see you naked. I want to taste every inch of your body. I want to be inside of you, I want . . .”

  She stopped him. “Yeah, thanks, we’re in public, and I already know all of that. There’s more to a relationship besides sex, you know.” She watched his face. This was one of the things she was concerned about. Admittedly, since their make out session the night before, she already planned to sleep with him no matter how he answered, but she did need to know if she could expect anything more from him. “Seriously, Sam. What are you looking for from me?”

  “I told you, I want everything. I want to wake up with you and make you coffee every morning. I want to be able to put my arms around you and kiss you whenever I want—”

  She interrupted again. “You can’t while we’re at work. It’s unprofessional.”

  “I can when there aren’t any guests around.”

  She stuck her tongue out at him, and he laughed.

  But then he continued more seriously. “Cara, you remember the night when we sat on the porch and watched the storm, and you fell asleep against me? I want that comforting feeling of having you with me, of being together. I want to be the one you turn to when there’s a problem. Next time some crazy person starts throwing things at you in the lobby, I want to be the one to tackle them. If someone hurts you, I want to be there not only to comfort you, but to help you plot your revenge. Oh, and I want to teach you how to cook so you never have to eat anything your cousin makes ever again. That’s probably the most important.”

  “Only some of that is in any way romantic
, Sam.” She had watched him carefully as he spoke, and she knew every word came from the heart.

  “Maybe I’m not romantic, but I am practical. I thought you’d appreciate that about me.” He brought her hand to her mouth and kissed her fingertips. “There, I just made a romantic gesture. But what about you? What are you looking for from me?”

  She looked away for a minute, considering. When she turned back to him, she gave him a wicked smile. “You mean besides finding out if you’re truly as good in bed as rumored?”

  He rubbed his leg against hers and nodded.

  “Sam, I’ve felt something between us for a long time. I’m really attracted to you, you should know that. And I feel so safe and comfortable with you. But I want to be clear that I’m someone who is looking for a long-term thing. I want a real relationship, not a fling. That means you have to be open with me. And you have to promise not to walk—or run—away when things are tough.”

  “I’m done running. You’ll see,” he said, and she told him she was ready to give him a chance. He took the opportunity to lean across the table and kiss her, almost knocking over his tea in the process.

  “Well, let’s talk about other things. Paddy’s going to be in here for another couple of days, so we need to discuss logistics.” Cara turned the conversation to a subject she had been worrying about.

  “Oh, I thought about logistics all night,” Sam assured her. “I was thinking I should buy condoms at the drugstore here, so people on the island don’t gossip too much.”

  “Sam!” Cara pretended to be scandalized, but she had already thought the same thing.

  “Kidding! Well, not really. But yes, other logistics. I’m going to need to fly out to my brother’s house in Nevada to pick up all my winter stuff, and I think I should also get some snowshoes or cross-country skis, especially since I’ll miss the real ski season. I did talk to one of the nurses last night though, and she assured me there’s some good downhill nearby, so we’ll have to get you some skis so I can teach you. We can take some mid-week trips. And I guess I need to call my boss in Aspen and let him know I’m not coming back. Also, I have to go over everything with Paddy. I have no idea what the food situation is in winter, but I imagine I need to fully stock the freezers with meat, and I need to figure out root vegetable storage in the kitchen. I want to stick to fresh ingredients as much as possible, so I’ll start working on some new winter squash recipes, since I think that’s what I’ll have the most access to, and—what? Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “It’s adorable how you’ve already turned so much of your focus onto winter food. Really. But I meant logistics for today. We need to go back to the inn, so I can grab some stuff for Paddy and come back. Amy’s got things handled, and Tyrell’s happy with the overtime, so they don’t need me, and I want to be here for my uncle. You have to get back to the kitchen. Sato and Francisco covered breakfast this morning, but you’ve got a busy dinner shift.”

  Chapter Seventy-Six

  It was a two-mile trip from the hospital to the dock, and Cara had insisted on walking. Sam didn’t mind. It gave him plenty of time to hold her hand.

  They made one stop on the way back at a drugstore to pick up a few necessary items. While Sam was paying for his purchases, Cara walked up and dropped a bottle of citrusy shampoo on the counter. “For Amy, so there are no more mistakes,” she said, giving Sam a pointed look.

  He took that to mean that while he was forgiven, he was perhaps not entirely trusted. Fair enough. He supposed he hadn’t proved himself yet. He had messed up so many times over the summer that he knew he had to earn her trust.

  The weather was perfect for a long walk—sunny, but not too warm. As Sam held Cara’s hand, he reflected on how good it felt and how right it was to actually be able to touch her, to occasionally kiss her cheek, to sometimes pull her into an alley and press her up against the wall and kiss her deeply.

  “You think we can get ourselves a room at the inn tonight?” he asked hopefully, after one such make out session.

  “Don’t you think you’re moving too fast?” she teased. “We haven’t even been on a date yet, and you want to get a hotel room together?”

  “What are you talking about? Last night I took you to a park bench for our first date, and let me remind you that you kissed me first. Then, this morning I bought you oversalted food that I didn’t cook, so obviously that was our second date. We’re currently on date three, a romantic walk. On date four, I’ll take you on a lovely boat ride to a beautiful island. So nobody’s going to judge you if you put out tonight. It will be our fifth date, after all.”

  She laughed, but then it was her turn to pull him into an alley and kiss him, and he felt a surge of excitement through his whole body. “Alright, tonight. Date number five. I’ll get us a room, if you bring drinks and dessert,” she offered.

  They made it to the docks, and he kissed her again as they waited to board. He could do this now, he could do this whenever he wanted, or at least, whenever she would let him. She planned to return to the hospital later this afternoon, but she promised she’d be on the last ferry back to the island, arriving right around the time his shift ended. This was going to be the best night of his life.

  He glanced toward the ferry and saw Everett and Duncan looking at him. Everett grinned and gave him a thumbs-up, while Duncan frowned and shook his head. “Ummm . . . I think word is going to get out about us,” he warned Cara. “Both the ferry brothers just saw us.”

  “I don’t care. Let them tell everybody. Besides, I called Amy last night, so that means half the village probably knows.”

  “Well, if they already know, I’ll give them something else to talk about.” He went in for another kiss but missed. She had turned away, distracted.

  “Hang on. Is that who I think it is?” She squinted at a man buying passage at the ticket window.

  “I don’t know. I don’t recognize him,” Sam started to say, but Cara was already walking away. He watched her approach the man and grab him by the arm, spinning him around. Based on the anger in Cara’s voice, Sam felt a moment’s sympathy for the stranger.

  “Hey! I thought it was you! What the hell are you doing here?”

  Chapter Seventy-Seven

  Email from Amy O’Connell to Amanda O’Connell and Nicole O’Connell

  Dear Mandi and Nikki,

  I’m going to kill you bitches. Both of you, you’re dead.

  Seriously.

  When a man shows up at our parents’ house and says he’s flown all the way over there from Italy to ask dad for permission to marry me, you need to tell me immediately! YOU SHOULD HAVE CALLED!!!!!

  And what you certainly shouldn’t have done was taken him out and gotten him drunk. Fabio says you told him it was tradition that he had to buy you both shots all night, and all your friends too. Yeah, that’s not a tradition. He also said you, Nikki, tried to get him to tattoo my name on his ass. You have no right to look at his ass, talk about his ass, or do what he says you did and pull down his pants to show him where on his ass you wanted the tattoo.

  And Mandi, seriously, did you see me when I Skyped him at the bar? Did you see me on his phone when you wrapped your arm around his neck and poured a shot half into his mouth and half all over his shirt? Because I saw you, but not enough of you to recognize my own baby sister (nice manicure, btw). All I saw was my boyfriend out getting drunk with some random tramp. You should have said something!

  You’re fully aware I broke up with Fabio over that incident! And I know you both know that because I emailed you the next day and told you I was single again because my dumbass boyfriend decided to go out and cheat on me. Nikki, you responded with, ‘too bad, better luck next time,’ and Mandi, I believe you told me it was expected because, ‘Italians are skeezy.’ I don’t even think that’s a real word.

  I was devastated and heartbroken, and I blame the two of you.

  Email from Amy O’Connell to Amanda O’Connell and Nicole O’Connell

&n
bsp; What is wrong with you? Of course I said yes! You saw Fabio, he’s gorgeous. And he’s funny and smart and he makes me jewelry, and he likes to travel and he gets my sense of humor and he’s the most perfect man I’ve ever met, and I’ve known from the first time he kissed me that I was going to spend the rest of my life with him.

  And no, you bitches, neither of you is going to be maid of honor. I’m going to ask Cara because she would never let me suffer for two days thinking my relationship was over due to a misunderstanding. (Yes, I’m obviously still mad at both of you.)

  But since you asked for the story, here you go:

  I think I told you Paddy had a stroke. (He’s going to be fine.) Cara went to the hospital on the mainland with him; and on her way back, who does she run into buying tickets at the ferry office but Fabio? At first, she was like, ‘That can’t be him. Not only did he and Amy break up, but that asshole is in Italy.’ But then he turned and saw her, waved with this big grin on his face, and she started yelling at him (see, one of my relatives is supportive!). Well, then he told her the truth about the situation, so she called my coworker and told him to take over the inn desk for me and make me come down to the ferry and pick her up. She didn’t call me directly to ask for a ride because she didn’t want to give anything away.

  For many reasons, I didn’t want to (you may already know our cousin is in a new relationship with a guy I don’t entirely approve of, so that was part of it). So I was pissed, but I drove down to the docks anyway. And I’m just standing there, leaning against a post, and thinking of all the awful things I’d like to do to Fabio and his new lover (Ahem, Mandi.), when I heard someone speaking with an Italian accent. At first, I thought I only imagined it because nobody sounds like that out here, but then I recognized Fabio’s voice.