And when she combined that with the feelings that had suddenly cropped up for Gavin? And added the fact that Gavin was coming back to Valentine Bay? Well, that was a recipe for disaster if Gen had ever heard one.
Chapter 3
Gavin put his feet on the deck railing and took a sip of cold beer as the crisp night air nipped at his face. The nostalgia filling his belly was almost as satisfying as the brew.
He couldn’t count the evenings that he and his brothers had spent out here on their back deck, staring out into the vast expanse of the Pacific. It was awesome at night—the dark water stretching out to the horizon, moonlight glinting on the waves… It reminded Gavin of himself—calm and impenetrable on the surface, an unknowable world underneath.
Hell, maybe even unknowable to himself. He never would’ve predicted having any feelings about Genevieve, for one thing. Except maybe horny. It’s not that he hadn’t gone there in the past, but she’d always made it clear it wasn’t in the cards, and he’d accepted it.
But now that he knew he was going to be around for a while, thoughts about her kept popping into his head. All the time, in fact. He needed to get that shit under control.
“Been a long time since all three of us were together here,” Troy pointed out.
Donovan took a swig. “True. If Jet were here, we’d be a complete set.”
“Not likely,” Gavin chuckled. “I hear he gets home even less than I do.”
“True.”
The fourth Valentine brother, Jet, was the lead singer of a rock band, and pretty much constantly doing two things: touring, and causing trouble. Not necessarily in that order.
“So, how long do we have you for this time, brother? When are you heading out?”
Troy’s voice interrupted his reverie, and the words echoed Genevieve’s from earlier in the day, reminding him of the way her eyes had widened when he’d answered the question, the way her sexy lips had pursed.
God damn, if even something as common as his brother’s voice asking a question could send him down a rabbit trail that ended up reminding him of Genevieve, then that was a real problem.
Gavin took a slug of his beer to cover up the pause, then said, “I’m not.”
The three brothers were silent as they sipped their beer. Finally Donovan said, “Troy, I think he drops mysterious bombs like that to get us to ask questions. Well, I’m not giving him the satisfaction.”
“Same here.” Troy reached his beer can across Gavin to connect with Donovan’s, as if they were toasting their mutual agreement to ignore him.
He couldn’t help but grin. “I see I’m related to a couple of wise-asses.”
Donovan laughed. “You’re just figuring that out now?”
“Nah. I’ve known it all along. This is just solidifying it.”
Troy said, “All right, now, Mysterioso. Tell the whole story, and don’t make us drag it out of you. I would’ve been a dentist if I liked pulling teeth.”
“I’m leaving the military. Moving home. Effective immediately.”
Donovan let out a low whistle. “Hell. Eight words, and two of those were ‘effective immediately.’ Spoken like someone who’s been reading and writing government memos for over a decade, that’s for damn sure. Now why don’t you tell us the real reason why you’re moving home?”
His stomach twisted, but he was saved from diving deeper into it by the shrill scream of his sister as she barreled through the screen door that led out to the deck and threw her arms around his neck. “You’re coming home? For real? To stay?”
He smiled and ruffled her hair. “Yes to all three.”
“You have to stay with us, then. Like, until you find your own place. Hotels are for visiting. Houses are for living in.”
Gavin glanced at Troy. “I don’t know if—”
“Yeah, of course,” Troy cut him off. “This is your house, too. It’s the family’s house. Besides, a wise woman once said that hotels are for visiting and houses are for living in, and I agree.”
Gavin shrugged. “I’ll bring my stuff over tomorrow.”
Mila clapped her hands together in front of her. “Yes! This is going to be awesome!”
“It is going to be awesome,” Donovan teased quietly. “And it will give us that much more opportunity to interrogate you.”
Suddenly, Gavin wasn’t so sure he’d made the right decision. He lived on his own. Having people, even family, up in his business and pressuring him… Hell, he just wasn’t used to it, and he wasn’t particularly inclined to get used to it, either.
Especially since he did have a bomb to drop on them, namely, the reason why he was out of the military. He knew they were going to freak out. He was having trouble processing it himself.
He had a brain tumor. Fuck, it was so strange to even think those words.
As brain tumors went, he’d been assured that it was about as harmless as it could be. It was tiny, and benign, and had probably been there for most of his life. But it had shifted, or maybe expanded, a little, and now it was affecting his vision.
He couldn’t fly. And to him, flying was everything. Being grounded was just as scary, if not more so, than the thought of something foreign existing in his head.
But he knew his family wouldn’t see it that way. There would be shock. And yelling. And questions. And maybe even the worst thing he could imagine – the dreaded tears.
He couldn’t handle that. Not right now. To be honest, probably not ever. So he was playing it close to the vest.
In those circumstances, was moving back to his childhood home really a smart thing to do? Or was it one more in a chain of impulsive and sentimental decisions, which frankly included coming back to Valentine Bay in the first place?
But when he looked at his little sister’s shining face, he knew that moving back home to Valentine Bay was the right decision, and so was staying at the house. He was just going to have to get used to people again.
Chapter 4
Gen straightened the papers in front of her and tilted her chin up, thrusting her shoulders back and surveying the crowd. She felt comfortable and confident sitting at the head of the committee table, organizing things, taking charge. That was her wheelhouse.
Of course, this was just a planning meeting for Valentine Bay’s Labor Day picnic, which would kick off the (first annual, fingers crossed) Fall Festival.
A small event for a small town, sure, but Gen was determined to make it special.
Planning was what she did for a living. In her job as the special events coordinator at the Hearts Afire Resort and Spa, she arranged magnificent parties, from bridal showers to bar mitzvahs and everything in between.
She’d taken on the role of civic event coordinator as a volunteer. She saw an opportunity for Valentine Bay to become known as an event destination. People already came here for weekend getaways and day trips from Portland. The spectacular Oregon coastline, crisp mountain air, and quaint downtown shopping drew them in.
So, why wouldn’t they come for things like art fairs or music festivals? In Gen’s opinion, they certainly would, and she’d be the one to convince them. A tingle raced up her arms at the very thought of it.
But, that was all in the future. To build up to that, she was going to have to put on a few Labor Day picnics to prove her capability, and she was more than up to the task.
Plus, she added wryly to herself, it will help you take your mind off of Gavin.
Yeah. That would definitely be a plus—one stinking night where she was distracted enough to think about something other than Gavin Valentine.
Of course, it wasn’t like there wouldn’t be reminders. Gavin’s grandmother was the matriarch of the founding family, and she made it her business to involve herself in most civic affairs. Gen was sure she’d be there.
Not to mention, there would certainly be other members of Gavin’s family, mutual friends of hers and Gavin’s…hell, they’d grown up together in this small town. The entire municipality from border to bor
der was pretty much a reminder of him.
But, yes… one night where she didn’t have to face the current situation, and more to the point how she felt about it, was going to be a welcome relief.
“So, how are you feeling? Ready?” Gen looked up at the question. It was Jim, her boss at the resort. She should’ve known. He’d been excited about the prospect of her serving as a community events coordinator for the town, thinking it would bring cachet to the resort – not to mention some prime recommendations to tourists. And, she suspected, what he was really after in the end was a steep break on the ad rates when advertising the resort in her festival programs.
He’d been asking her how she was coming on her proposals for weeks now, with a little nervous edge to his voice. In fact, he’d brought it up pretty much every time he’d run into her in the halls at the resort’s admin offices, or getting coffee in the break room.
She thought that, if it were possible, it might mean more to him than it even did to her.
She grinned. “Jim, just relax. Seriously. Who’s better at all this stuff than I am?”
He looked down, a sheepish blush creeping up his face. “Nobody, Gen. You’re the best.”
“And how lucky is Valentine Bay to have me as a volunteer, putting together this event?”
“Extremely lucky.”
“And how lucky are you to have me as your star employee?”
He laughed. “Even luckier.”
“Good. Glad we’re clear on that. Now have a seat and relax. I got this.”
As he returned to his seat, though, Gen did feel a small twinge of nerves. At any other time, she would’ve been a thousand percent confident in her words. But right now? She was slightly off her game because of the whole Gavin thing.
Yeah. She needed this to go well, and now her boss had just made it clear (yet again) that he did, too. She had to get Gavin freaking Valentine out of her head and focus. Immediately, if not sooner.
Chapter 5
“Well, here we are, Grandmother Valentine. What time should I pick you up?”
Gavin didn’t even shut the car off as he pulled to a stop in front of the rec center. He hadn’t really wanted to give his grandmother a ride to her town council meeting or whatever this was, but she’d insisted. When his grandmother got her mind set on something, she was a hard woman to resist. In his experience, it was easier to just get his keys and go along.
“Oh, you won’t be picking me up,” she said, her voice firm and matter-of-fact.
He met her eyes in the rearview mirror. She always insisted on riding in the backseat as if she were being professionally chauffeured. Gavin didn’t mind. He liked her quirks. But it did make conversation more challenging. “All right. Is Donovan coming for you, then?”
“No, young man. I meant you won’t be picking me up because you’re staying for the meeting.”
Gavin wrinkled his brow. “What do you mean, I’m staying?”
“That didn’t strike me as a complicated sentence. Surely you can decipher it on your own.”
Gavin had to laugh, although the only outward indication was a short exhale. He shook his head as he found a parking space and climbed out of the car. He didn’t know if it was her manner or if she had some kind of secret mind-bending power over him—not to mention the rest of the town. Whatever the reason, though, one thing was for sure: there was just no saying no to the matriarch of Valentine Bay.
Gavin walked around to the other side of the car and opened the back door for his grandmother. He put out his arm to assist her, and she kept hers threaded through his as they walked up to the doors of the community center.
“So, since I’m attending this meeting, I guess I should know what it’s about.”
“It’s a community input meeting for the Labor Day picnic, which will lead into the new Fall Festival the town is instituting this September. The main focus is forming a planning committee.”
He nodded. He had no idea why Grandmother Valentine wanted him to attend this meeting, but he figured he’d find out soon enough. Or maybe he never would. The old woman’s ways were mysterious, but un-protestable. The easiest thing was just to go along with her, and that was exactly what Gavin planned to do.
They moved through the foyer and into the main community center space, and his grandmother’s motives for dragging him along immediately became much less mysterious. Standing at the front of the room, facing the growing crowd from behind a lectern as she shuffled index cards, was Genevieve.
Grandmother had always hinted to Gavin, and none too subtly, that Gen would make a good match for him. Opposites attract, she’d insisted. Gen’s outrageous enthusiasm for life would balance his stoic solidity and vice versa.
No matter how many times he’d explained that it wasn’t fair to ask Gen to enter into a long-distance relationship with him, it didn’t seem to matter. She held on to the idea like a terrier that had sunk its jaws into a particularly juicy piece of meat.
He turned to her. “Grandmother, I don’t suppose—”
“Let’s call this meeting to order!” She cut him off as if she hadn’t heard him, booming the instructions to start the meeting out to the crowd of twenty or so gathered citizens of Valentine Bay, and strode to take a seat in the front row as she did so.
Gen’s head snapped up at the matriarch’s voice, and when it did, she made eye contact with Gavin. Her hands, which Gavin hadn’t seen in any other state but perpetual motion since he’d walked in, froze in mid-air, the index cards she was holding fanned out as if she were striking a pose in some strange piece of performance art.
He gave her a small nod of his chin and the gesture seemed to snap her back to life. She shook her head as if to clear it, smacked her hands down on the table, and spoke out in a clear, commanding voice. “Yes, let’s bring this meeting to order. Everyone please take a seat.”
God, he loved it when she got authoritative.
He moved to a seat in the back row, but his grandmother motioned to him and called, “Gavin, you’re next to me.”
Stifling the urge to argue, he walked to the front and sat down. He hated to be the center of attention. He liked to be the strong force behind a mission, not the glory hound with his fists in the air after it.
When the crowd had settled down, Gen cleared her throat. “Excellent. Let’s get started. We have a lot of material to get through. The inaugural Fall Festival this September, hopefully the first of many, stands to draw a good many tourists to Valentine Bay, and with them their tourist dollars. It comes at a time of year that many local businesses could use a cash flow injection, so it could ultimately be great for the town economy, not to mention a PR booster.
“That having been said, a festival of this size and scope will take considerable work to bring to fruition. Particularly in this, the first year, there will be kinks in systems that need to be worked out. That’s why I want to begin, before diving into the nitty gritty, by simply thanking each and every one of you who plan to volunteer your time.”
There was a polite smattering of applause and Gavin joined in. He had a small but growing certainty that he was going to end up being one of those volunteers, whether he was a willing participant or not.
Grandmother Valentine piped in. “I’m sure you’re going to need some muscle to pull this off. A right-hand man, so to speak. As it happens, my grandson Gavin has some time on his hands.”
Gen looked at him and hesitated. “Gavin?”
He shrugged. “Sure. You be the brains, I’ll be the brawn.”
This drew a ripple of light laughter from the crowd. When his grandmother added, satisfaction in her tone, “Excellent. I think the two of you will make a wonderful team.”
He already knew they made a great team in the bedroom. He guessed it was about time to find out if they made one outside of it.
When the meeting was over, Gen strode up to him and his grandmother. There was no flirt in her smile; she was all business. “Gavin, Mrs. Valentine. Hello. Gavin, I was won
dering if we should put our heads together to figure out how this planning process is going to work.”
Gavin’s heart beat a little faster, but then he remembered. “Damn. I wish I could, but I’ve got to give my grandmother a ride home.”
Grandmother Valentine waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, you two go on. I have a cell phone and two other grandsons in town. I’ll be fine.”
Gavin didn’t like that idea. Even though she was most likely just as self-sufficient as the most well-trained military personnel he’d met in his career, he didn’t like the idea of just leaving her. “Are you sure, Grandmother?”
The withering look she gave him answered his question well enough, but she added, “Son, I don’t say things if I’m not sure.”
He smiled, which he didn’t do that often. Yeah, in fact, not nearly often enough. Maybe being home, being around family and friends, was going to be a good thing for him after all.
He looked over at Gen. Was that what she was? A friend? More? Less? To be honest, he had no idea.
As Grandmother Valentine strolled away, speaking into her cell phone in clipped tones, Gavin said, “Should we grab a drink, then?”
He kept his tone neutral to match hers. People not finding out about them, staying out of their business, had always been something that was very important to her. While he didn’t feel the same way, he did respect it.
She hesitated, then said in a low voice, “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. People seeing us out together, grabbing a drink…”
He nodded, then said, matching her low tone, “I’d invite you back to my hotel, but I’m bunking at Troy and Mila’s.”
“Right, okay.” She took a deep breath and said, “I guess…yeah. I guess we could go to my place?”
He waited for her to continue. When she didn’t, he said, “Is that a question?”
She chuckled. It seemed the tension was broken for the moment. Her voice still low but considerably more decisive, she said, “No. Not a question. An invitation. Let’s go to my place.”
Rescuing His Heart Page 2