by Nicole Ellis
Before she knew it, they were in Haven Shores. Charlotte parked in front of the Haven Shores Market.
“They’re busy today,” Gretchen remarked.
“Everyone waiting until the last minute to get their party supplies.” Charlotte grinned. “Kind of like us.”
They arrived back at the car in thirty minutes, their arms laden with veggie and fruit platters and a few family-sized bags of chips.
“I think we’ve got enough for a small army,” Gretchen said.
Charlotte shoved everything into the back of her BMW sedan. “That’s probably an accurate assessment of how many people will be there.”
A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of a mansion-like house on a large lot. A wide expanse of canal stretched out behind the house. At least thirty cars were already parked in the gravel driveway and on the side lawn.
Gretchen’s eyes widened. “Whose house is this?” She’d grown up in an upper middle class family, but this was money, more than she’d ever imagined.
Charlotte shrugged. “Just someone I know.”
They carried the food into the house and set it down on an expansive marble countertop spanning half the length of the air-conditioned kitchen. Gretchen raised her eyebrows. Platters of food filled every available space. Near the back door was a white insulated cooler filled with drinks.
Charlotte walked over to the cooler and opened it up. “Beer, soda, wine cooler or water?”
“A wine cooler sounds great.” She took it from Charlotte’s hand and unscrewed the cap. Charlotte pulled out a Diet Pepsi and opened the door to the back deck.
A blast of warm air hit them. She half wished she could stay inside the cool kitchen, but the sound of laughter drew her out.
“Charlotte,” a well-dressed man in his fifties called out as soon as they set foot on the deck. He looked like an older version of Parker.
“Is this your parents’ house?” Gretchen hissed to Charlotte.
“Yes.” Charlotte blushed. “It’s their annual fourth of July party.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” The man had separated from his conversation partner and was walking toward them. Did he know who she was? What would happen if they found out she was Eliza and Daniel Roberts’ daughter?
“I knew you wouldn’t come if you knew,” Charlotte said.
“You’re right.” Her mind whirled trying to figure out how she’d get home. Haven Shores had a few taxis, but they’d probably be booked with holiday traffic.
“Does he know who I am? Who my parents are?”
“No, he doesn’t know.”
Charlotte’s father was upon them. He wrapped his arm around Charlotte and then assessed Gretchen.
“And who is your friend?”
“This is Gretchen. She owns the house I’m renting in Candle Beach.” Charlotte smiled at Gretchen. “Gretchen, this is my dad, Barry. Dad, this is Gretchen.”
“Nice to meet you,” Barry said. Then a man tapped him on the arm and muttered a few words to him. He nodded.
“Sorry girls, I’ve got to take care of something. Gretchen, it was so nice to meet you. I’ll have to get up to Candle Beach sometime soon. Charlotte raves about the marvelous view of the ocean from your house.”
“And you need to see Whimsical Delights too,” Charlotte added.
“Yes, of course.” He waved goodbye before striding off across the lawn.
“He hasn’t seen your boutique?”
“No, he’s been really busy this summer.” Her smile slipped, but she quickly recovered. “It’s okay, I’m still working out the kinks at the shop.”
“And he doesn’t know who you’re renting from?”
“It’s never come up.” Charlotte grinned innocently.
A thought occurred to Gretchen. If this was Charlotte’s parents’ house, would Parker be there? After weighing the pros and cons of the job in Seattle, she’d realized she didn’t want to give up on a future with him. Her date with Adam had taught her she wasn’t as over Parker as she had thought, and with so many things left unsaid between them, this wasn’t the right time to leave Candle Beach. If things didn’t work out with him, she could still move later. She scanned the crowd. No sign of him.
“Who are you looking for?” Charlotte asked. “Parker?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t worry, he’s not planning on coming tonight. He’s been working so much, he wanted to have some time off to himself to relax.”
“I know the feeling.” Gretchen sipped from her wine cooler to hide her disappointment. She’d hoped he’d be there so they could talk, but she didn’t want to alert Charlotte.
“Let me introduce you to some people.” Charlotte tugged on her arm and pulled her over to a group of people chatting next to a fire pit.
Several hours later, she had to admit she was glad she’d accepted the party invitation. She’d met a lot of people and even pitched Oceanview Estates to a few people who had asked about it when she’d told them where she worked.
She plopped herself down in a woven plastic lounge chair facing the canal and downed half a bottle of water. The sun hung low in the sky, but still provided warmth. She lay back and closed her eyes behind her sunglasses, tuning out the rest of the world.
Things were going better than she’d expected at work. Martin seemed pleased with their sales progress. Even her mother had directed a few new clients to her from Candle Beach Real Estate. With her commission checks and Charlotte’s rent payments, she should be able to move to Seattle before winter if she chose to do so.
Recently, the thought of moving had exhilarated her, but also caused twinges of anxiety and sadness. Candle Beach had been her home for so long. Was she ready to leave all of her family and friends behind?
As if on cue, someone tapped her on the shoulder. Her eyes flew open and adrenaline shot through her system.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. You looked so peaceful that I wasn’t even sure if I should bother you, but I wanted to say hi.” Parker smiled at her. He’d changed out of his normal work uniform of khaki pants and a polo shirt and was dressed in informal cargo shorts and a t-shirt. He carried a plastic plate with brownies on it.
“Hi.” She sat up and removed her sunglasses to see him better in the dimming light. He’d come to the party after all. She’d met so many new people that her nerves were on edge and seeing a familiar face soothed them. But now it was do or die time. Did she have the guts to tell him how she felt about him?
To break the ice, she motioned to the brownies and said, “I see you’re getting your chocolate fix in.”
“I am.” He grinned. “Want some?”
She shook her head. “No thanks, I already had a few. I’m surprised to see you here. Charlotte said you weren’t going to be able to make it.”
“I changed my mind.” He grinned the easy smile that made her melt. “I was hoping you’d be here.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “I was hoping you would be here too.” She glanced up at him and took a deep breath. “I wanted to have a chance to talk with you.”
“About what?” He sat on the edge of the lounger and put down his plate.
“I had a job offer in Seattle.”
“Oh. Are you going to take it?” he asked. “Wait, had? As in past tense?”
“Yes, had. I turned it down.”
“Why would you do that? That’s all you’ve talked about since I met you. Getting to Seattle and starting a new life.” He stared at her, incredulous.
“I didn’t want to leave Candle Beach so soon.” She took another deep breath and mumbled, “Or leave you.”
He scooted closer. “You didn’t want to leave me?”
“Yes.”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” His voice rose. “You’ll give me another chance?”
“I think so.” She swung her legs around so that she was facing him and searched his eyes. “Is that okay with you?”
“Of course.” He pulled her c
lose and kissed her temple. “What made you change your mind? Not that I’m questioning your decision.” He laid feathery kisses along her hairline and his fingers traced the contours of her face. She tilted her head and sighed.
“You. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking of you.” She smiled at him and laced her fingers through his thick hair. “I may have ended things too hastily.”
She kissed him firmly on the mouth. He tasted like chocolate, reminding her of the day they met at the Candle Beach Chocolate Festival. She’d never have imagined then that they’d be here, together, so many months later.
He hungrily returned her kiss, his hands roving up and down her back. His touch sent chills along her spine and furthered her desire. This was even better than she’d remembered. They’d wasted so much time apart that they could have spent together. True, he’d been a distraction at work, but she needed to get past that and figure out how to blend her personal and professional lives. Being single forever wasn’t a viable option.
The sky darkened around them. His hands wrapped around her waist and he lifted her onto his lap. She circled his neck with her arms and pressed herself against him as closely as she could. She never wanted this magical feeling to end.
Too soon, the sound of people passing them on the way down to the canal jolted her out of the moment. She broke their embrace, hopping off his lap and blushing furiously. “I hope no one saw us.”
“So what if they did.” He waggled his eyebrows and she laughed. He was right. Who cared if people saw them? Kissing him had felt too good.
He stood and reached for her hand, entwining his fingers through hers. She rubbed the pad of her thumb across his rough skin, sending more pings of desire through her already alert system.
“To be continued later,” he said as he reached for her other hand and kissed her again, this time sweetly. “The fireworks should be starting soon. My parents usually put on a show and we can see the fireworks in town from here too.”
He looked behind her and blanched. “In fact, we should get going before all the good seats are taken.” He released one hand and tugged at the other to get her to follow.
His abrupt action caused her to pause. He’d gone from loving to panicked in less than thirty seconds. Why was he acting so strangely?
A woman’s voice cut through the darkness. “There you are. You’ve been hiding from me.” She came close enough for Gretchen to see her face.
17
Parker pulled Gretchen close. “Hi, Mom.” He sighed. This was not going to end well.
“Parker.” His mother narrowed her eyes at him.
Gretchen gave him a questioning look.
“I believe you’ve met,” he said dryly. “Gretchen, this is my mother, Denise.”
Gretchen’s eyes ping-ponged between them. “This is your mom?”
The color drained from her face and then she flushed. He could see her drawing her own conclusions. She turned to Denise.
“You’re the woman from Starbucks. Why didn’t you say anything to me then? Did you know who I was all along?”
Denise had the good grace to look guilty. “I didn’t know to start. But you told me your name and I put two and two together.”
“And you!” She whipped around to face Parker. “Did she tell you about the job at Oceanview Estates? Is that why you interviewed for it?”
Denise took a few steps back. “I’ll leave you two to figure things out alone.” She scurried away.
Parker turned his gaze back to Gretchen. “Yes, she told me about meeting you. But she didn’t know we were dating.”
Gretchen looked as crushed as she’d been the day of her first interview. In a soft voice, she said, “So she told you about the job and you went after it, even though you knew I was in the running for it?”
“No, that’s not what happened. I care about you, I’d never do that to you.”
Her voice was hard. “But you did.” Tears sprouted from her eyes and she started to walk away.
“Gretchen, wait.” He held out his arms to her.
She turned back to him. “Leave me alone. I don’t want to have anything to do with you.”
In the distance, fireworks burst into colorful formations in the air and the crowd cheered. None of that mattered. All he could do was watch helplessly as Gretchen walked away from him. Things had been going so well, but as he’d feared, the secret he’d kept from her had torn them apart.
“I need to go home,” Gretchen said to Charlotte. She’d been looking for her in the dark for ten minutes and had finally found her watching the fireworks.
“Now?” Charlotte motioned to the display. “But it’s not over yet.”
“I need to go now.” She choked on her words and Charlotte looked at her closer, seeming to finally notice the tears that streamed down her face.
“Okay,” Charlotte said. She grabbed Gretchen’s arm. “What happened? Did Parker say something that upset you? I heard he was here.”
“No. It wasn’t something he said today. It was something he didn’t tell me when we were dating.” She sobbed and leaned against her friend.
“What did he do? He’s my brother, but if he did something awful to you, I’m going to kick his butt.”
Gretchen didn’t answer and Charlotte led her wordlessly to the car. She waited until they were on the road back to Candle Beach before she resumed her inquisition.
“So what did he do?”
Gretchen sighed and leaned against the window. Talking about Parker to his sister wasn’t high on her list of fun things to do. “Your mother told him about the job at Oceanview Estates. She found out about it from me. That’s the only reason he interviewed for the position. He probably lied to me about everything from the start.”
Charlotte looked at her sideways. “Are you sure? That doesn’t sound like my brother.”
“He admitted that she told him about the job.”
“Hmm.” Charlotte stared straight ahead. “I still can’t believe it. Parker is one of the most honest people I know.”
“Yeah, well, obviously you don’t know him as well as you think.” Gretchen sighed and slumped in her seat. “I don’t want to talk about it. Can we talk about it later?”
“Sure.” Charlotte drove them home in silence.
Gretchen drove to work the next day dreading the idea of seeing Parker. How could she possibly work with him after what he’d done to her? For about the millionth time in the last twelve hours, she wished she hadn’t given up the job in Seattle that Dahlia’s mom had offered her.
What had she been thinking? She’d put her heart out there and it had been stomped on, just as it had been every time before. The best thing to do would have been to accept the job in Seattle, graciously tell Martin that she wanted to quit her sales position and move on with life outside of Candle Beach. Now, none of that was an option.
She pushed open the door of the model home. Parker was at his desk, engrossed in something on his computer. He looked up and started to rise.
“Gretchen.”
“Don’t.” Her lips formed a thin line as she seated herself behind her desk without looking at him.
He didn’t respect her wishes. “Can I explain to you what really happened?”
“I know what happened.” She finally looked at him. “You betrayed my trust.”
“I know,” he said. “But I want to explain.”
“I don’t want to hear it.” She shuffled some papers around on her desk, but couldn’t focus on the words through her blurred vision.
“Please let me explain it to you.”
“No, we’re done. We’re not dating, we’re not friends, we’re nothing.”
He sighed. “Fine. But we need to figure out our work relationship.”
“We come to work. You sell houses to your customers and I sell to mine.”
He paused for a moment and then narrowed his eyes. “Look, if you won’t listen to what I have to say and you want us to be nothing more than co-w
orkers, things are going to change around here.”
“Like what?” What was he talking about?
“Like I take any clients that approach me first—no more of this taking turns business.”
It was Gretchen’s turn to stare. “But your desk is closest to the entrance.”
“Yeah, well, you chose your desk.”
She jutted out her chin. “I’m not worried.”
“Oh, but you should be. I’m not pulling any punches anymore.” He stalked out the room.
Later that day, while Parker was out checking on a building lot with another customer, Natalie showed up with a man, presumably her husband. He was in his early fifties and dressed in the same informal yet dressy style as his wife.
Natalie scanned the room and her eyes lit on Gretchen. Gretchen smiled and walked toward the couple with her right hand outstretched.
“Natalie, it’s nice to see you again.”
“Hi, Gretchen, this is my husband Steve. He finally was able to get off work and look at some of the properties with me.”
“Nice to meet you.” She firmly shook Steve’s hand. “Well, let’s get out there.” She led them out the door. She crossed her fingers that Parker wouldn’t be in view of the Cliffside properties. Natalie had come in a few times since Gretchen had met her just after Memorial Day. She’d worked with both of them, and they had agreed that whoever was with the customer on the day she put an offer in would get the commission.
It looked like today might be that day, since Natalie had brought her husband with her. If she could keep Parker away, she may nab the biggest commission in the whole development. The three of them approached the Cliffside properties. Behind one of the houses under construction, Parker stood with his client. He appeared to be pointing out the view and different aspects of the construction.
“Steve, this is the lot I’ve been looking at.” Natalie motioned to one of the larger Cliffside lots. From here, the view was astounding. With the sun shining down, the gentle ocean breeze and the seagulls chattering in the distance, Gretchen couldn’t have asked for a better day to make a sale.