“Shelby,” her mother said disapprovingly. “What is wrong with you? You’re married.”
“I’m separated, and it’s just coffee.”
“It’s never just coffee when it’s a man, and you don’t even like coffee.”
“It’s just a figure of speech, Mom.” Shelby hunched her shoulders, readying herself for the onslaught her next words would bring. “I’m not doing anything wrong.”
“I just don’t understand you. You’ve got a good husband; a man any woman would be proud to call hers. But it’s not good enough for you, is it? You’re barely keeping a roof over your kids’ heads, but you’re too stubborn to admit you’re wrong. And now you’re running around with some man. It’s shameful.”
“Ex-husband. Blake is my ex-husband,” Shelby countered, her voice rising. “You know the man you left in my house, so you could go to bingo?” Her mother only saw Blake’s money and sophistication.
“Watch your tone with me, Shelby. I didn’t raise you to be rude. You need to think hard about your behaviour. Do you want to be poor forever? How much can a survival instructor possibly make? You going to live in a tent with him?”
Shelby clenched her fist, barely holding back a scream. There was no reasoning with her mother. Caroline would only hear what she wanted to hear, and all she was hearing was that Shelby was ruining her marriage by fraternizing with men that weren’t Blake.
Suddenly, Shelby was bone-tired. Her mother would never understand. It wouldn’t matter if she reminded Caroline of all the ways her marriage was unbearable. Caroline would simply tell her she was spoiled or something equally demeaning. Caroline had been on Team Blake ever since the first time Shelby had brought him home back in high school.
“I’ve gotta go, Mom.”
Caroline didn’t even attempt to muffle her sigh. “Of course, you do. Always something more important than talking to your family or fixing your marriage.”
Shelby looked sharply up at the ceiling, as tears welled up in her eyes. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry, she chanted in her head. A stream of angry words rose up inside her, but she bit back the hurt and simply said, “Bye, Mom. I love you.” She would do anything to get off the phone and avoid the argument that was brewing.
Struggling not to cry, she tossed her cell phone on the coffee table and swore she wasn’t answering the phone again, no matter what the call display said. Then she dropped her head back on the futon and pulled the quilt tighter around her.
Any residual good feelings from talking to Ian had been crushed by her mother’s words.
Shelby smiled tremulously, as she arrived at the café—her mother’s words still dampening her mood. If she had been brave enough to call Ian back, she would have cancelled, begging him to just leave her purse at the office.
Luckily, she hadn’t been, because now she was here, and Ian couldn’t have picked a better spot. The café, located in downtown Victoria on the Inner Harbour, was housed in a character home, just like the one she had always dreamed of living in. Blake hadn’t understood her fascination; he had laughed and spouted about all sorts of impracticalities, totally missing the romance of it.
Who cared about dangerous electrical wiring, when you had all that character?
Before stepping inside, Shelby paused to check her reflection in the café window. Sighing, she licked her fingers and smoothed down the flyaway hairs framing her face and tugged at her sheer, sea-foam-green hooded top, adjusting it over her dark jeans. Why hadn’t she chosen something fancier to wear and taken the time to do something with her hair? Just because it wasn’t a date didn’t mean she couldn’t put some effort in.
It’s just coffee, she counselled herself, as she drew in a deep, cleansing breath to calm the butterflies flitting around in her stomach. It’s not a date. Resolutely, she pulled open the door and stepped inside.
She loved the café’s atmosphere immediately. Large wooden beams stretched across the ceiling, a staircase with an intricately carved banister curved up one side of the entrance, and a large stone fireplace divided the entranceway from the seating area. It was—in a word—romantic.
“Good Morning.” A young woman, dressed in the standard restaurant hostess uniform of white top and black bottoms, greeted her with a welcoming smile.
Pulling her eyes away from the elegant staircase, Shelby smiled nervously at the hostess. “I’m meeting someone. It took too long to get ready, and the bus was slow, so I’m late. He’s probably already here...” Wincing, she let her voice trail off. Her nerves were getting the better of her.
“Feel free to take a look,” the hostess said, waving her hand towards the seating area.
Hoping the blush heating up her face wasn’t too noticeable, Shelby thanked the hostess and then hurriedly stepped around the fireplace into the café proper. She stopped dead; the awkward exchange with the hostess forgotten. He was seated at a table-for-two near a window overlooking the Inner Harbour.
Rising, Ian waved her over, his signature half smile on his lips. She was immediately knocked off kilter by his rugged good looks.
Ian really was every bit as delicious in person as he was in her fantasies.
Oh God, I don’t think I can do this. Maybe I should just grab my purse and run.
And, then he spoke.
CHAPTER 5
“Shelby,” Ian said, rising from his seat.
It was just her name, but when Ian said it in his deep, sexy voice it rooted her feet to the ground and twisted her up inside. Shelby couldn’t move forward, and she couldn’t run away. She was stuck two paces from the table.
“I’m sorry I’m late. I missed the bus,” she blurted.
Ian’s eyes glinted with amusement, as he gestured to the chair across from him. “No worries, you’re here now.”
“I would’ve called, but I only just realized I do have your number because you called me, and it would be in my call log.” Not completely true, but she couldn’t exactly tell him that she had been too terrified to actually use his number. “I love this place. I’ve always wanted to live in a house like this, but Blake always said they're just a money sink...” Her words faded away, as her face blushed deeper red.
“Sorry, I babble when I’m nervous.”
The corners of Ian’s lips curved into his almost smile. “So, I make you nervous, huh?”
“No... I mean...” Shelby sucked in her breath. Then she saw the teasing glint in his eyes. A grin spread across her face. “Just that you might think this meeting is more than it is.”
“Is that right,” he chuckled. He gestured towards the menu. “Is it grab-and-go or something more?”
Shelby squirmed as her inner depths began to tingle deliciously at the way he emphasized more.
“Like maybe some non-coffee?” He quirked his mouth; his eyes glinting.
Shelby looked away, focusing on the café. She was still beyond nervous and wasn’t sure how long she could maintain the flirting. Could she manage a meal without running off at the mouth?
Maybe she should just grab her purse and run.
“I’m not really hungry, but I could stay for some tea...” her words trailed off, as her stomach growled in protest. She had been in too big of a rush to eat breakfast, and she was starving. The heat in her cheeks flared. She was starting to feel like all she ever did was blush and say stupid things when she was near Ian.
Her stomach growled again, and she glanced at him, catching the friendly glint in his eyes. She chuckled. She couldn’t help herself; it was too ridiculous.
“Maybe, I should have something to eat after all.”
“Good plan,” he said and handed her a menu with a wink.
Ian couldn’t tear his eyes off Shelby, as she buried herself in the menu. She was so comfortable with her natural self, and he liked that. She was real, and it was a huge turn on. When she had come around the side of the fireplace, her cheeks rosy and looking sexy as hell, he had instantly known that meeting her at the café instead of just leaving h
er purse at the office had been the right thing to do.
He didn’t need to avoid her just because being near her gave him ideas he would be better ignoring.
He could have a casual coffee with her, enjoy her company, and then go on about his day. It didn’t have to mean anything more than that.
“I really am sorry I’m late. Despite the evidence of yesterday and today, I’m not usually late,” she said emphatically, cheeks blushing rosy again.
He couldn’t quell his grin. The way she blushed at everything was just too damned cute. “It’s no big deal,” he reassured her. “Besides, I made you late yesterday, so it’s kind of like you owed me some payback.”
She smiled brightly and something shifted inside him. There was no pretence with Shelby. She was the real deal. It was refreshing. In his past, he had been with his fair share of women. And lately, his friends had been setting him up on dates in well-meant attempts to get him back out there. None of them had felt right because they always turned out to be fake on some level—whether it was the caked-on make-up even in the backwoods, the fake laughter and coquettish behaviour, or the pretending to be in love with nature when in fact they didn’t want to go anywhere without a fancy bathroom.
He was pretty much done with that bullshit. He would rather spend the rest of his life alone, than hang out with someone who was inauthentic. He clamped down quickly on that train of thought. This was just a friendly meeting to return a purse and maybe encourage her to keep at her training.
There was no need to get all serious.
“Exactly. I knew it was your fault somehow,” Shelby said.
Had she just winked at him to underscore her dry wit? He had better watch himself. This girl was after his very heart, and his heart wasn’t for sale. It hadn’t been for a long time; not since Natalie. He pushed her name back down as quickly as it had popped up. Nothing good could come from going there. Natalie had moved on. It was for the best, no matter how much it hurt to think about it.
“Isn’t it always the man’s fault?” He tossed back at her, turning to humour to banish the dark shadows threatening.
She cocked her head to the side and stared at him appraisingly for a brief second, as if maybe she had caught something in his eyes. But then she continued like she had decided it was nothing. “It’s refreshing to meet a man who understands that.”
Ian chuckled, as he watched her fight to keep her face straight. He hardly noticed as the dark memories were pushed from the room by their light-hearted banter.
They both fell silent as they read the menu, and it was all Shelby could do to focus with Ian sitting across from her, radiating scorching hot energy. She was helpless to stop herself from periodically glancing up to take him in, while little butterflies fluttered in places she shouldn’t be thinking about in public. She would give just about anything to know what was going on behind those intense, dark eyes.
Her stomach growled, reminding her that she needed to pick something to eat, instead of trying to discern Ian’s thoughts. The menu was filled with a variety of delicious sounding meals made from locally sourced ingredients—the whole café was very west coast. Things like eggs Benedict on a potato latke with fresh salsa. It made her mouth water and her stomach growl just thinking about it.
As the server left with their orders, Shelby turned to look out the window, taking in the tranquil waters of the Inner Harbour. The atmosphere between them had quieted after their bit of playful flirting, and she felt a serenity inside; like her inner being was reflecting the outer world.
It felt good—really good.
If she had been asked yesterday, she never would have predicted she would be calmly having brunch with Ian McLean, and yet here she was. Maybe her life was on the verge of changing for the better.
“This place is so enchanting. How did I not know it was here?” she enthused, turning her gaze from the window.
“It’s one of my favourites,” Ian said, taking a sip of his water. He placed his glass back on the table. “Any plans to do more survival training?”
“I did enjoy it.” She fiddled with her water glass, uncertain if she was ready to share the reasons for taking the course. They were pretty personal. “Not sure I’ll be able to do more. I got in a little trouble.”
“Trouble?”
“Yeah, being late didn’t go over so well with my mother. Probably blew my chances for extra childcare for a while.”
“That’s too bad. You had a knack for it.”
Shocked, Shelby’s eyes snapped up; he had to be teasing, but his gaze was serious. “You really think so?”
“Yes, really.” He shrugged.
“You are talking about me, right? The course I just took yesterday? You do remember the actual course? You haven’t had any tragic head injuries recently?”
Ian tipped his head to the side, as if he was considering her words carefully. Regret flooded Shelby. She shouldn’t have been so flippant. They had been having a good time, and she had gone too far. Blake was always getting after her for trying to be a smart mouth. To hide her unease, she picked up her water and took a nervous sip.
“Nope. No head injuries,” he said finally. “Not any memory damaging ones anyway.”
Shelby hiccup-laughed, almost spitting out her water.
Ian’s face grew serious. “It’s okay to need time, Shelby. To not get things perfect on the first try.”
“But by the third time...” she quipped.
He chuckled. “You wouldn’t be the first to be taken down by a knot.”
The tingly feelings that had been dancing around in her core grew warmer—leave it to Ian to know exactly what she was thinking.
“But you might be the cutest.” Ian reached for his water, winking at her over the top of the glass.
Shelby’s face flushed. How was it possible that Ian McLean was flirting with her? She almost expected someone to jump out with a movie camera and tell her this was some kind of reality show, and yet, in that moment with her cheeks still flushed warm, she knew she needed to take a chance. She instinctively knew she could share her dream with Ian.
It was as good a time as any to be brave.
“I want to become a wilderness guide. That’s why I took the course,” she blurted out. “I know it’s stupid—”
Ian cut her off. “I think you should go for it.”
“I... I... I... Really?”
“Sure,” he said, like it was the most natural and obvious thing instead of her wildest dream.
“It’s just a thought,” she said lamely. “I don’t even know how I’d pay for it.”
“There are scholarships.”
“Really? There are scholarships?” Excitement surged through her. Maybe she could be one of those women who chased their dreams despite being a single mom.
Woah, Shelby. Do NOT get ahead of yourself.
As quickly as she embraced the possibility, the doubt swept in. She was not one of those amazing women. She was a hot mess—just look at where she lived, and she was barely making ends meet.
Besides, she had never won a scholarship for anything.
“Sure, most of the outdoor schools have them. You’ll owe some volunteer time, but that’s a great way to gain experience.”
“And you think I could get one?” She tried to keep the eagerness out of her voice. She would be crazy to get excited about something that was so unlikely.
“Sure. You learn quick.”
“Bah,” she laughed. “I’m not so sure about that.”
The server arrived with the food, and they both dug in, leaving the debate about Shelby’s learning ability hanging in the air. The food was every bit as delicious as Shelby had thought it would be. It was a welcome distraction, because Shelby’s mind was vibrating with equal measures of excitement and anxiety.
Ian had basically handed her the means to reach her dream.
But could she risk it? Was she brave enough?
Taking a two-day course was one thing, trying to mak
e her dream a reality was something else entirely. Especially now that she had to do it on her own—not that Blake would have ever supported her in it.
She grinned up at Ian. He wasn’t just sinfully hot; he was also sweet—with just a twist of sarcasm. He was the whole package.
He was like a cliché: too good to be true.
Shelby popped a forkful of egg into her mouth and forced her eyes back down on her plate. She needed to watch her step. She was walking very close to the edge, and she was in danger of falling.
Something she needed to avoid.
The angel on her shoulder was warning her to be careful; men weren’t always what they seemed. Ian’s fatal flaw would appear eventually. Hadn’t Blake seemed perfect too? Besides, she was man-free by choice—she shouldn’t let the first pair of sexy eyes pull her back in.
Problem was that the devil on her other shoulder was telling her things that were making her warm in hidden, sensual places.
“So, you really think I have a shot at it?” she asked, placing her fork down. She needed to get her mind off the naughty places it was drifting to and back on the conversation. “For a scholarship, I mean?”
“I do. What have you got to lose?”
“My pride for one.” She laughed awkwardly.
Ian shook his head. “If you love it, you should go for it.”
Is he messing with me? Panic rose up in Shelby. He’s got to be messing with me.
But there was no hint of sarcasm in the dark depths of his eyes. Not one person had supported her dream Not her mother. Not her sister. No one. She could just imagine what Blake would have said, if she had ever confided her dream in him.
But Ian seemed sincere.
And he wasn’t just anybody—he was an expert in the field.
Shelby’s cell phone chimed, and she scrambled for it; thankful for the distraction. She wouldn’t normally check her phone when she was sharing a meal with someone, but Ian’s support had her mind spinning, and she needed a second to refocus.
“Just a sec. Sorry,” she said. Her attention focused on her phone, so when the screen lit up, she couldn’t help but catch the time.
Saving Shelby Page 4