Autumn Skies: 3 (A Bluebell Inn Romance)

by Denise Hunter

  “You probably just need the right bra. But if it needs an alteration the seamstress can do it.”

  “She’ll be right in,” Mia said. “She had to take a phone call.”

  “Are you getting excited?” Molly asked Mia. “A week from tomorrow you’ll be walking down the aisle!”

  “I can’t wait. But we have so much to do before the wedding. This week is a whirlwind of appointments and details. And honestly, I’m mostly just excited about starting our life together in LA.” She winced. “I know that means taking Levi away from you, though, and I promise we’ll make a point to get together as often as possible.”

  “It’s a lot of change,” Molly said, “but mostly good stuff. I’ll be headed to Italy before we know it. And Grace is ready to give Blue Ridge Outfitters a permanent home.”

  “I’m excited for you both. Have you had any more interest in the inn?”

  “We had a showing yesterday, but I don’t think anything will come of it.”

  “What?” Grace said. “You didn’t tell me that.”

  “You were hiking with Wyatt. It was an older gentleman from Hendersonville, and he didn’t really seem like the inn type. I think he was just being nosy. We still have that couple from Charlotte coming tomorrow.”

  Mia’s eyes sharpened on Grace. “Who’s this Wyatt?”

  Heat inched up Grace’s neck. She faced the mirror and fussed with the bodice. “He’s just a guest. I’ve taken him on a couple of guided treks.”

  Molly smirked. “He’s midtwenties, very hot, and Grace has a date with him tonight.”

  Mia’s eyes lit and she smiled wide. “That’s super, Grace. What will you wear?”

  “Um, I don’t know. I guess I’ll have to scrounge up a pair of dress pants or something. I don’t even know where he’s taking me. It’s a surprise.”

  Mia beamed. “Ooh, a surprise.”

  “You should ask him what to wear,” Molly said. “You can’t assume he’ll take you to a fancy restaurant or something.”

  They discussed where he might take her before the conversation flowed to Mia’s upcoming film and all the things going on in Hollywood. They were laughing their heads off by the time the seamstress entered, measuring tape draped around her neck.

  “All right, ladies, let’s get you ready for this beautiful wedding!”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Picking up a woman for a date had never been so easy. Wyatt checked the mirror one last time before he left his room. His heart was thudding as he walked down the hall. He wiped his palms down his jeans before he tapped on Grace’s door. Did she have her own set of butterflies flittering around her stomach?

  The door swept open, and all thoughts of nerves vanished at the sight of her. It wasn’t her long blonde hair, full of waves and begging to be caught up in his hands. Or the easy, off-the-shoulder white top. It was her shy smile and the hint of anticipation lighting her blue eyes.

  “You look amazing.”

  She gave a nervous laugh. “I guess anything beats T-shirts and hiking boots. Am I dressed okay for whatever you’ve got planned?”

  He raked his gaze over her. “You’re perfect.”

  She rubbed her lips together. “You look nice too.”

  He smiled as he took her hand and drew her out of the room. “Let’s go.”

  “Do I get any hints at least?”

  He loved the tension that crackled between them at mere eye contact. “You’ll just have to trust me.”

  They took the steps, and once they reached the ground floor he was relieved to see that her brother was busy at the front desk with a customer. Levi had been cordial enough since he sucker punched Wyatt, but he was clearly reserving judgment. Wyatt wasn’t sure if Levi knew about this date, but now wasn’t the optimal time for that revelation.

  When Grace headed toward the front door, he tugged her hand. “Nope. This way.”

  “Okay . . .” She followed him down the hall and out the back door. Once the dock came into view it only took her a few seconds to spot the boat tied up there, an antique wooden Chris-Craft.

  She gasped, looking at him. “Is that Adam’s boat? How’d you pull that off? He won’t even let me drive it.”

  “I gave him my extensive list of boating credentials and signed over my firstborn.”

  “This is so great. I’ve only been in it once.”

  He sensed her relaxing into the date. With another woman a fancy dinner and theater tickets might impress. Grace was different. She was comfortable outside, comfortable on the water. And, of course, he’d taken all that into account because he wanted her to relax and enjoy their evening.

  They made their way down the grassy slope, no longer holding hands. She preceded him down the wooden dock, which shimmied under their weight.

  When he pulled the keys out of his pocket and handed them over to her, her eyes widened. “What? I can drive it?”

  “She’s all yours for the evening. Got Adam’s permission and everything.”

  She gawked at the boat, then back at him. “What kind of magician are you? How did you do this?”

  “I enlisted your sister’s help, that’s all. Seems she has a lot of sway with her husband.”

  “She didn’t say a word.”

  “We’ve been texting back and forth the past couple hours.” Wyatt had planned to rent a boat for the night, but when he asked Molly what Grace’s favorite type of boat was, she went on a mission to make the date a success. God bless her.

  He helped Grace into the boat, untied the lines, and stepped aboard. As Grace sank onto the bench seat behind the wheel, her wide smile was contagious. Once he was seated she started the engine and it roared to life, making the boat vibrate beneath them.

  Wyatt pointed across the lake. “Head that way, Captain.”

  Grace beamed at him. “Aye, aye, sir.”

  He’d thought it might take a while to arrive at their destination. Grace had obviously taken time with her hair, and he knew by now women didn’t like having their hard work undone.

  But once Grace cleared the no-wake zone, she went full throttle, her hair waving behind her like a flag. And Wyatt thought it might be the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen.

  * * *

  “That was so fun.” Grace settled across from Wyatt at a patio table behind Clem’s Lake Shack where they could keep a close eye on Adam’s boat.

  “She sure rides like a dream.”

  Grace used her fingers to unsnarl her hair. She probably looked all windblown, but it had been worth it. “And I love this restaurant. Have you been here before?”

  “No, but I’ve heard great things. Some hikers were telling me I shouldn’t miss it, and Molly confirmed that you liked it.”

  “I do. It’s been a while though.” The restaurant wasn’t fancy, but it wasn’t quite the “shack” it claimed to be either. The shaded outdoor patio overlooking the lake made it popular with tourists, and the tasty dishes made it one of the Bennetts’ top restaurant recommendations.

  The temperature was pleasant tonight, around seventy, and a light breeze blew in off the lake. All in all, a perfect night for patio dining.

  “I have a confession to make,” Grace said after the server took their drink order and left. “I don’t usually like surprises.”

  “People who say that usually mean they fear the surprise will be a bad one.”

  “Hmm. That might be true. So you went out of your way to make sure this was a good surprise.”

  “It wasn’t that much trouble.” His eyes glinted with amusement. “You deserve better than putt-putt.”

  Though he said it lightly, she could tell he meant it. For someone who’d initially been so mysterious he was certainly up front with her. She’d expect a man like him, so good-looking and confident, to be a bit of a player. He was anything but.

  “You’re certainly full of surprises.”

  The server set their waters down. “I’ll be right back to take your orders.”

  After s
he left Wyatt leaned his elbows on the white tablecloth. “How so?”

  “Shall we start with the Secret Service job or go straight to our soul-baring camp conversations? Please. You’ve done nothing but surprise me since we met. It even surprised me that you asked me out.”

  “After that kiss?”

  She cleared her throat and twisted her hands in her lap. “Yeah, well, that was a surprise too.”

  His eyes pierced hers, and the cord of tension pulled tight between them. “I think we can agree on that.”

  The server stopped to take their order, but they hadn’t even opened their menus. They took a moment to peruse the options. Grace settled quickly on the pecan-crusted walleye, mainly because she wanted to get back to their conversation.

  Moments later the server returned. Wyatt ordered a pulled pork dish she’d heard good things about. She might have to sample.

  When the server left the table, Grace leaned forward. “So why did you finally ask me out?”

  His brow cocked. “Finally, huh?”

  Okay, maybe that had been telling. “You had your reasons for holding me at arm’s length, I’m sure.”

  “I did that?”

  “Admit it, you thought I was a mere child.”

  “Wouldn’t put it quite that way.”

  “Then how would you put it?”

  “Maybe I did recognize the gap between our ages and levels of life experience.”

  She took that in. Let it settle a bit and found herself unable to argue the point. “Fair enough. But I’m still twenty-one, you’re still twenty-six, and my life experience has remained fairly stable since meeting you.”

  “That’s true.”

  “So what else? We live in different cities . . .”

  “An obvious obstacle.”

  “And still unchanged. Am I missing anything?”

  “That about covers it.”

  “So before . . . when you alluded to the kiss as having been a factor in asking me out, what did it change exactly?”

  His gaze sharpened on her. “You’re very direct.”

  Jeez, Grace, lighten up. It’s a first date. She was supposed to be telling him about her favorite food, sports team, and hobbies. Not interrogating him about why he’d asked her out.

  “Sorry. I guess I’m a little nervous.” She reached for her water.

  He touched her wrist. “That wasn’t a complaint. I like that about you, Grace. To a guy who’s been around a lot of hardened, guarded people, you’re pretty darned refreshing.”

  His fingers trailed away as he withdrew his hand, and Grace was still feeling the touch a full five seconds later.

  “And that kiss,” he continued. “Obviously it didn’t negate all the obstacles. It just made me realize I cared too much to let them stand in the way.”

  Grace’s lungs emptied even as his gaze captured hers, leaving her no means of escape. “And you say I’m direct.”

  His lips twitched. “Too much?”

  “You’ve surprised me again.”

  “It’s fun keeping you on your toes.”

  “My heels haven’t touched the ground since we met.”

  He chuckled, that dimple making an appearance, and the warm, rich sound wove around her like a spell.

  “I think I’d like to keep it that way,” he said.

  She imagined him literally lifting her heels off the ground, with his arms around her waist, lifting her into him, chest to chest, his mouth pressed to hers.

  When the image cleared, there was Wyatt, studying her face, not missing a single thing. “What are you thinking about over there, Grace Bennett?”

  “Nothing,” she said, then grimaced because Molly was right. Two whole octaves.

  He gave a lazy smile that made her think of sultry summer evenings and moonlit kisses.

  “Hold that thought,” he said.

  Whew. Was it getting hot out here?

  They talked nonstop as they waited for their food. He had a hundred questions about her family and growing up in Bluebell. She had plenty of her own about his summers here as a child and about his family—which consisted mostly of his father, stepmother, cousins, aunts, and uncles. He had two sets of grandparents who lived in Florida and Pennsylvania but didn’t see them often.

  Before she knew it the food arrived, and the aroma of his barbecue pork took first prize. On the trail they’d each prayed over their own meals, so she was surprised—pleasantly so—when he took her hand and offered a quick grace.

  “Thank you,” she said as he squeezed her hand, and they both dug into their meals.

  He shared a bite of his pork with her, and she had a moment of regret until she tasted her own crispy fried fish. “Yum. Wanna try?”

  When he agreed she offered him a bite on her own fork. He tasted it, then nodded in approval. “Good. Not at all fishy.”

  “I think fish is the only food that isn’t supposed to taste like what it is. You never hear anyone complain of beef that’s too beefy.”

  “Or chicken that’s too chicken-y.”

  “Right? It’s weird.”

  “So,” he said after they’d enjoyed a bite or two in silence. “You basically opened a business straight out of high school? You didn’t want to go to college?”

  “Not really. Which is a little strange because I had good grades. Levi about had a conniption when he found out—the summer after I graduated high school. I got a lot of lectures about how many business start-ups fail.”

  “That was a bold, independent decision on your part.”

  She gave a wry chuckle. “That’s not quite how he saw it. But he came around eventually. In all fairness, we were struggling to get the inn going at the time, and he was already overwhelmed.”

  “Seems to be working out now.”

  “It is. The inn’s doing good business and will soon be sold, God willing. I’m really excited to branch out into my own building. Though I’m a little nervous about it too.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Well, right now I have help from Levi and Molly. Whoever’s working the front desk handles rentals. Once I’m on my own, I’ll have to hire help. Plus a lot of my customers find out about the business because they’re staying at the inn. I’m a little worried tourists won’t find me so easily.”

  “Sounds like a good marketing plan will be the solution.”

  “Yes, but that takes money. The sale of the inn should leave me set to make a big push though.” The problem was, tourists came and went, so the marketing had to be ongoing. She brushed her worry aside, not wanting anything negative to intrude on the night.

  “So tell me how your brother ended up becoming engaged to a celebrity.”

  Grace chuckled, remembering the craziness from two summers ago. “Funny thing, Mia actually came to the inn on her honeymoon.”

  “Come again?”

  “Well, to be fair, her wedding didn’t exactly pan out, so she came alone. You didn’t hear about this? It was all over social media and the gossip sites.”

  “I don’t really follow those things.”

  “You don’t read People?” she asked facetiously.

  He gave her a get real grin.

  “Yeah, so there was a lot going on in Mia’s life that summer, including a huge scandal and paparazzi.”

  “Here?”

  “Right here in little ol’ Bluebell. And Levi came to her rescue.” As Grace remembered her brother’s fierce protectiveness and googly eyes, she laughed. “He fell for her hard and fast. It was fun to watch, let me tell you.”

  “He seems a little . . . tightly wound.”

  “Just because he sucker punched you at first chance?” she deadpanned.

  “It factored in.”

  “Thank you for not laying him flat, by the way. But yes, he can be a little uptight. That’s what made it so fun, watching him go down. You haven’t seen him around Mia yet. It’s like she calms him or something with just her presence.”

  “You and Molly get along with her
? She’s going to be part of the family soon.”

  “Oh yeah, she’s great. Not at all full of herself or—as Miss Della says—‘too big for her britches,’ like you might expect a celebrity to be. She’s kind and thoughtful and easy to talk to. Levi’s ready to put an end to this long-distance dating though.”

  A while later the server was removing their plates just as the giant pink orb of the sun began melting into the horizon. Pink and purple clouds swathed the sky in a brilliant display of artistry, the colors reflecting off the water’s smooth-as-glass surface.

  “Look at that,” Grace said. “You timed it perfectly.” Wyatt’s actions were strategic and precise. She’d never considered how sexy those traits were, especially when he used them to please her.

  They declined dessert and watched the sun go down in quiet awe. Grace never got tired of the beautiful lake sunsets. Mostly, though, she was thinking how strategic and precise his kiss had been. But there’d been a wildness too, and with that wildness a measure of restraint. She hoped he’d get the chance to display all those traits a little later.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Once the sun was gone, darkness quickly closed in. Wyatt settled the bill and led Grace from the restaurant, taking her hand as they made their way across the lawn toward the pier. Her hand felt small and delicate in his. Her skin soft.

  He’d enjoyed their conversation over supper. Grace was easy to talk to and witty with her dry sense of humor. She wasn’t one to gush, but her love for her family was obvious. She was still younger and less experienced than he was, but instead of being repelled by her fresh outlook and naïveté, he found himself drawn to those qualities.

  He hoped to extend the evening and was glad it was dark now so Grace couldn’t jet them across the lake in ten seconds flat.

  The dock shimmied as they walked down the length of it, and when they reached the boat he released her hand. Grace slid behind the wheel while Wyatt untied the lines. Once they were both aboard she started the boat and found the nav lights.

  “Back to the house?” she asked.

  “If you’d like. Or we could do a little stargazing out on the lake.”