by Oram, Jean
She made her way to the pet store, greeting people along the way.
Once she entered the Happy Paws Pet Shop, Sterling waved from his place painting the window. “Cassidy’s back in the office.”
“Thanks!” Maggie’s pulse raced, but she ignored it as she headed into the area for employees only.
A tall, pretty woman with long black hair and bangs sat at Violet’s desk, typing away on a laptop.
Maggie cleared her throat. “Hello. Are you Cassidy?”
The lady glanced up, nodded, and smiled. “I am. You must be Maggie?”
“Yes. Nice to meet you.” Maggie shook her hand, then sat on the other side of the desk.
Cassidy pushed the laptop to the side and held Maggie’s gaze. “Violet says you were wonderful to work with when you worked here.”
“I’m a hard worker, and I put everything into whatever I do.”
“You understand the pet business?”
Maggie nodded. “I learned a lot working here.”
“Why did you leave?”
“Business slowed after tourist season.” Maggie had also decided that wasn’t the job she wanted as a career, but she didn’t need to mention that to Cassidy, did she? Especially not for a job that was only going to last a week.
They discussed the details of the upcoming pet convention and what exactly she needed from Maggie. Cassidy then glanced back at the computer screen. “Tell me about your work history.”
Great. Ever since Maggie had been back at Indigo Bay, she’d had a trail of unrelated short-term jobs. Maggie shifted in her seat. “I have a business degree and—”
“You do?” Cassidy’s eyes widened, hopefully with excitement.
“Yes. I just haven’t found the right job to apply it toward yet.”
“This is perfect.” Cassidy smiled, putting Maggie at ease. “I’m struggling with my books. Believe me, business is not my strong suit. You’d probably take one look at my records and laugh at me. I started my doggie daycare and hotel because of my love for pets. Crunching numbers and dealing with red tape had nothing to do with it, yet that seems to be about half of what I deal with. I thought hiring a receptionist would help, but that’s not what she does. None of them has been a help in that department.”
Maggie leaned back in her chair. “I’d be happy to take a look, if you’d like.”
“You’re a lifesaver.” She reached down and grabbed a large bag, then rifled through it, finally pulling out a manila envelope. “If you could just fill out this paperwork first, then I can show you my mess and see if you can make any sense of it.”
“I’m sure it isn’t that bad.” She took the papers from Cassidy and began filling them out while Cassidy turned back to her laptop.
A few minutes later, Maggie’s phone rang.
“Sorry. I forgot to put that on silent.”
“No problem.” Cassidy smiled, then turned back to her computer.
Maggie dug her phone out of her handbag to silence it but froze when she saw the screen. It was Dan again. She turned the ringer off and made a mental note to block his number—something she should’ve done long ago and couldn’t do while she was at the end of a job interview.
Once she had the paperwork filled out, Maggie handed it back to Cassidy, who looked it over, nodding. “I’m so glad to have you on board. Do you promise not to laugh when you see my books?”
“Of course I won’t laugh.”
“Well, I won’t blame you if you do. Come on over here and let me explain my methods. I have a feeling it’s probably nothing you ever saw in business school.”
Maggie got up and went around to the other side of the desk. At least her new boss was as friendly as her cousin. It would make the next week a lot more pleasant.
Chapter 22
Canyon’s stomach rumbled as he walked away from the house after a long day’s work. The highlight of the day had been seeing Maggie, and that hadn’t lasted nearly long enough.
He wanted to eat but had one more thing on his mind that was more urgent than food—talking to Isabella.
It was one thing that Maggie’s aunt was against them being together—there wasn’t much he could do against someone so influential in town—but he could have a face-to-face with Maggie’s friend.
The girl had always been a beach bunny, so that was the first place Canyon headed. And sure enough, she was sprawled out on a towel with some other locals.
He marched over and cleared his throat. All three glanced over at him.
“What do you want?” Courtney asked. She looked like she could go into labor at any moment.
“I want to have a word with Isabella.”
“Can’t you see I’m busy?” Isabella pulled her sunglasses down over her eyes and rolled to her stomach.
“She’s busy. Go.” Courtney waved him off.
“I’ll just wait here, then.”
“Have fun.” Isabella’s voice was muffled from her face being pressed against the towel.
“Okay.” Canyon plopped down on the sand.
“Seriously?” Courtney threw him a sideways glance.
“Yeah. I have nothing better to do.” He leaned back and rested his head against his palms. The hot sand burned against the back of his hands, but he didn’t move them.
“Come on, Bella.” Courtney’s tone was whiny. “Just talk to him.”
“Nope,” came Isabella’s muffled reply.
“It’s fine.” Canyon kicked one ankle over the other. “I’ve got all the time in the world.”
Both of Isabella’s friends urged her to talk to him. She finally relented, shooting him a death glare. “You have two minutes.”
“Sure thing.” He jumped to his feet and dusted sand from his clothes.
“Talk.” Isabella stared at him expectantly.
“Not here.”
She threw her hands in the air. “Fine.”
Canyon strode over to an area shaded by trees and waited for her to catch up.
“What do you want?”
He stuck his hands in his pants’ pockets and held her gaze. “For you to stop meddling. Stop discouraging Maggie from spending time with me.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I’ll do no such thing.”
“Why not?”
“Because she’s my friend, and I don’t want to see her getting hurt.”
“And why do you assume I’ll hurt her?”
“You really have to ask?”
Canyon leaned forward. “Yeah, actually I do.”
“Because you’re a womanizer, that’s why. You go from one woman to the next without stopping to take a breath between. Maggie deserves better. She’s not the flavor of the hour.”
“What makes you think you know me so well?”
Isabella’s nostrils flared. “I’ve seen you in action, stupid!”
He gave her a double-take. “Excuse me?”
“You don’t remember when I was vacationing on your cruise line?”
Canyon wracked his thoughts but couldn’t recall having seen her at work at any point.
“You are so dense.” She huffed. “I saw you making out with five different people—on a three-day cruise! Others have seen the same thing.”
His stomach tightened. There was no way he could deny her accusations. She was probably right.
“See? You can’t even defend yourself. I’m going back to my friends now.”
Canyon stepped closer to her. “Not yet, you’re not. I can’t deny what you saw, but what I can assure you is that I’m different now. All of that is in the past.”
She snorted. “Once a pig, always a pig.”
Anger surged through him, but he took a deep breath and counted to twenty in his mind. “The only person I have eyes for is Maggie. I’ve already turned down opportunities to have stupid flings since I got here. I’ve given up my old lifestyle. Don’t you think I’d still be working on the cruise boats if that’s what I wanted?”
Isabella pursed her lips. “With all the tou
rists coming and going, you have plenty of new people to pick from.”
“What about the rest of the year?”
She shrugged. “I’m sure you’re creative.”
He clenched his jaw. “Look, I care about Maggie. I’m in love with her. I’d do anything for her, and that includes treating her like the treasure she is. I would appreciate if you’d stop getting in the way of that.”
Isabella stared at him but didn’t say anything. Was he finally getting through to her?
“Tell me this.” He stepped even closer. “Have you seen me with any other woman since I’ve been back?”
She didn’t respond.
“Have you seen me with anyone other than Maggie? We’ve crossed paths countless times. Was I with anyone else even once?”
“No. Okay?”
“Isn’t that proof that I’ve changed? According to your math, I should’ve been with, what, fifteen people by now? Yet the only person I can think about is Maggie. Not one other woman has even caught my attention.”
Isabella took a deep breath. “You really want me to stop discouraging her from seeing you?”
“Yes!”
She stared him down. “On one condition.”
“What is it?”
“And if you break it, all bets are off.”
“What’s your condition?” Canyon demanded.
“If you so much as hurt her in the slightest, you walk away. For good.”
“I wouldn’t ever do anything to hurt her!”
“Then we won’t have any problems. If I see you even looking at another woman, all bets are off. If I hear rumors of you with another woman, all bets are off. You treat her like a princess, and I won’t say a thing about you to her.”
“It’s a deal.” He held out a hand to shake on it.
“Seriously?”
“Shake on it. I’m a man of my word.”
“You’d better be.” Isabella shook his hand, eyeing him like he was a viper. At least she’d agreed to stop getting in between him and Maggie. She spun around and marched back to her towel, stopping only to glance back for a moment. “One wrong move, and you walk away!”
“That’s the deal!”
Chapter 23
Maggie glanced at Canyon’s text again to make sure she had the right meeting spot. They were going to meet in a dark alley between two buildings.
The whole thing was rather ridiculous, but she wasn’t going to let her aunt stop her from seeing Canyon. Once Maggie had enough money to find a place to rent, she could date him openly.
The alley was only a couple blocks away. She glanced up and down the street to make sure nobody was paying her any attention. They weren’t.
Her phone rang. Excited to talk to Canyon, she went to answer it. But it was Dan again.
That was the reminder she needed to block his number. Maggie stopped and waited for the ringing to stop. Then she blocked him. She felt triumphant.
Now she wouldn’t have to think about him again. He was officially out of her life for good.
She practically skipped toward the alleyway. Before she arrived, Canyon’s car pulled up.
He rolled down the passenger window. “Get in the backseat and hide under the blanket I put there.”
“For real?”
“Yeah. Hurry up!”
She laughed at the absurdity of it but climbed into the back.
“Under the blanket so nobody sees you. I can think of more than a dozen people who would gladly tell Lucille about seeing us together.”
Maggie reclined over the length of the seat, then pulled the queen-size quilt over her. “How long do I have to stay this way?”
“At least until we’re out of Indigo Bay. You okay back there? Can you buckle up?”
“I can try.” She fought with the middle seat belt, managing to maneuver it diagonally across her.
It clicked into place.
She waited as the car bumped along. “How much longer?”
“Not much. So, how was your day?”
Maggie pulled the blanket out an inch for air. “I got a job working for Violet Montgomery’s cousin.”
“Nice. Think that’ll be enough to move out?”
“It’ll be a start. I’m not sure it’ll last more than a week, but at least it’s something. I can look for another job on my breaks.”
“I can chip in,” Canyon offered.
“No, you have your own rent to pay for.”
“Still, you have to move out because of me. I feel like I should do something to help.”
“Don’t worry about it. I should’ve gotten my own place long ago. Bumming off my aunt at my age is ludicrous.”
He laughed. “I’m living at my mom’s, and I’m a year older than you.”
“You’re at least paying rent, and besides, you just got to town. I’ve been here for a year. I have no excuse.”
“Oh, you’re fine.”
She slid a little as the car took a sharp turn.
“You can sit up now. We’re safely outside town.”
Maggie sat up and gasped in the fresh air. “Next time, you’re in the backseat.”
“As you wish.”
“Princess Bride?”
“Huh?” He glanced at her through the rear-view mirror.
“You just quoted the movie. We used to watch that, remember?”
Canyon grinned. “I forgot all about that. Those were good times.”
She smiled, too. “They sure were.”
They reminisced for a while until Canyon finally pulled into the parking lot in front of a tiny building.
“What’s this?”
“You’ll see.” He winked at her through the mirror. After parking, he held open the back door for her, then ran his fingers through her hair. “Just trying to fix it after the blanket. I like the messy look, though.”
Her cheeks warmed as she glanced at her reflection in the window. “Really?”
“Really.” Canyon kissed her cheek, then threaded his fingers through hers.
Maggie squeezed his hand and studied the building. It was made of stone, had vines growing up the side, and there were several cracks in the blocks. “You won’t tell me what this place is?”
“I said you’ll see.” He tucked some of her hair behind her ear, then led her to the door. A mixture of greasy hamburgers, fries, and fresh ice cream cones filled the air.
Inside, all the employees behind the counter wore black and white outfits reminiscent of the nineteen-fifties. “Jailhouse Rock” played from a juke box off to the side.
Canyon turned to her. “You’ll never have a better burger than at this place. Trust me. I’ve had burgers all over the world.”
They placed their orders and then sat in a booth near the back, surrounded by posters of Happy Days and I Love Lucy.
“Do you come here often?”
Canyon placed his arm around her. “This was my brother’s and my favorite restaurant. We’d beg our parents to bring us here all the time.”
“I can see why. This place is great.”
“Wait until you try the food.”
The cashier called out Canyon’s name.
He kissed Maggie’s temple. “Be right back.” A minute later, he came back, balancing a full tray of burgers, fries, and shakes. “Dig in.”
She unwrapped the foil and bit into the messy burger with lettuce falling out. It practically melted into her mouth.
Canyon wiped his mouth. “Good, huh?”
Maggie swallowed. “How have I never been here before?”
He snickered. “I have a hard time picturing Lucille coming here.”
She laughed. “That’s true.”
They finished eating, then Canyon put his arm around her. “There’s a waterfall just a short hike from here.”
“Really? That sounds romantic.” She snuggled closer to him.
“I haven’t been there since I was a kid, so that was the furthest thing from my mind back then. But going with you would be extremely roma
ntic.”
They gathered the wrappers and tossed them in the garbage before heading outside. Canyon slid his fingers through hers, and they headed toward the trees on the other side of the building. They followed a well-worn path until they came to a rock wall with water gushing down into a bubbling pool.
Maggie gasped. “It’s so beautiful.”
“It pales in comparison to you.” Canyon cupped her chin in both his palms, then brushed his lips across hers.
Her heart raced and breath caught. There was nothing that she loved more than this. Being so close to Canyon that she could smell his rugged scent. It made the sneaking around worth risking her aunt’s wrath until she found a place to live.
She’d continue sneaking around for the rest of her life for moments like this if she had to.
Chapter 24
The following week went by in a blur of working on the house and sneaking dates with Maggie in the evenings and all day on the weekend.
Canyon loved every moment with her, and Isabella kept her word, feigning friendship with him on the rare occasion he ran into the two of them together at Sweet Caroline’s or the beach.
He could hardly believe how well everything was going. Every day their relationship grew better. His breath hitched each time Maggie looked at him. It was clear she felt the same way about him that he felt about her—and that still shocked him.
Never once had he imagined it was possible. Now that it was actually happening, he half-expected to wake up on the boat and find it all to be a dream. But it kept up, day after day, and was now closing in on two weeks.
His phone buzzed with a text, pulling him from his thoughts. It was Maggie, asking about their secret date of the day. They texted back and forth for a few minutes, securing the details.
After dinners at home separately to save money, they would meet at a secluded part of the beach, hidden nicely by trees and some other plant life. It had started to become their place, though they’d been careful not to go there two days in a row, but it was where they went more often than not.
The day dragged on until he was finally heading over to the beach. He gave some friendly hellos to people he passed along the way and finally made it to their spot.