by Annie Seaton
At least I won’t have to wait for Georgie to report in now.
Ana lifted her hands to give her hair a quick finger-comb and remembered just in time that she had dirt all over them. Pausing with her hands in midair, she wondered what it was about Blake that always put her in such turmoil. She was falling for him all over again. Spending those days with him in his house with the children, and the fun they’d had with Maddy over the weekend, had shown what a great guy he was. Just being around him now excited her.
She pushed aside the disappointment she’d felt when she’d come down from the bathroom and he’d gone. She was reading too much into the situation. Even though his note had said he’d call, he’d obviously forgotten.
Blake stepped out of the car and tucked the keys into his suit pocket. Her nerves were jangling by the time he reached her.
“Hello, Ana.”
“Hi.” She stood and drank in the sight of him in his suit, trying to keep her expression solemn. “This is a surprise. I thought you’d be busy at the store?”
“I wanted to check on you when I heard the news.” He frowned as he looked down at her. “Why did you resign so suddenly?”
Ignoring his question, she turned her back to him and headed inside. “Come in.” He followed her and as she washed her hands, she watched as he lifted her cat from the sofa in the living room and sat down. Instead of putting the cat on the rug, he lifted Sooky into his lap and patted her.
The traitor lifted her head back between his hands and purred.
“You’ll get cat hair on your suit.”
He shrugged. “I’ve been thinking about getting a cat. I’m quite taken with your Sooky.” He shot her a grin. “And who knows, now that I’ve got a house at the beach, I could probably get a dog, too.”
“That will be good for you.”
“Yes, it probably will. Look, come over here and talk to me.” Blake held her gaze until she shrugged her shoulders and sat at the far end of the sofa. “I have something to tell you. But first tell me why you and Sienna resigned. Has something happened?”
“Because we got two contracts and decided we didn’t need Home and Hardware behind us.” Ana lifted her chin and waited for his reply. “They weren’t going to keep us on anyway, were they?”
“No, they weren’t.”
“Then we made the right decision. No point staying where we’re not wanted. I knew that we were wasting our time.” She held her hands up and let them fall. “It is so sad for the town but I guess that’s progress.”
Blake cleared his throat and she smiled.
“You have to understand, Ana. I did try, but I have—”
“Don’t try to make excuses. I know money comes first with you. So we went our own way.” She lashed out to cover her hurt.
“I really do admire your work and I want to—”
“What? The moneymaking side of it? Or the quality of our restorations?” She held his gaze and firmed her resolve as he ran his fingers through his hair. She was starting to recognize his gestures and what they meant. “You obviously value our work, because you’ve put the offer in on the Bennett place. Don’t you worry about us. We’ve taken our future in our own hands. Sienna and I are opening our own little business and we are going to be just fine.”
“What do you mean?”
“Watching how you operate and listening to your talk of profit made me realize I wouldn’t work for you even if you wanted us to stay. Your company has no care or respect for the community—for our people—and that’s an unspoken part of our work.”
Blake slid across the sofa in one swift movement and grabbed her hands. “You’re wrong about me. You have to understand how large corporations work, and as such I had to remain loyal to the business direction, even if I didn’t agree with it. But Ana—”
“As such”—Ana mimicked his phrase—“you sold your soul for something you don’t believe in.” Blake stared at her, and she had a feeling she’d gone too far. “Why do you stay there? If you don’t agree with what’s happening?”
His eyes held hers and he frowned. “Up until the Nebbiton store, I’ve always worked in front of a computer. I’ve never had anything to do with the community, or the people in the store. It’s never been real to me.”
Ana pulled her hands away from his clasp, ignoring the need to stay holding onto him. She stood and moved across to the window. “Sounds like you’ve got some thinking to do then. Everything is real, we are real.” She placed her hands on her heart. “The people you’ve met. Joe, Mitzi, Thelma, and there are many more in this wonderful town—they’re all real people with needs and feelings.”
“Tell me about what you’re going to do.” He stood and put Sooky down carefully on the chair, but she shook her head.
“No way. You’re the competition now.” She smiled sweetly at him. “I’d hate to put you in a difficult position.”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake. I’m here as your friend. Hear me out.”
“Blake, we were never friends. You barely tolerated me in college. We slept together once, you used me when you needed help last weekend, and you were about to take my job away from me today. If that’s what you call being friends, I’d hate to be your enemy.”
“If that’s what you think of me, there’s no point in my hanging around. I was going to see if you wanted to come back to town with me and have dinner after I told you my news, but you’ve obviously made up your own mind about what you think of me and my business practices.”
She laughed bitterly. “What? You were going to fire me and then take me out to dinner? Now that does remind me of a sexist pig I used to know.”
“That was uncalled for. When you calm down and you’re ready to listen, call me.”
Blake turned on his heel and walked out to the car. He didn’t look back once as he climbed in and drove down the driveway and out of her life.
Ana waited until his car had disappeared down the road before she curled up on the sofa and let the tears fall. She cried as she hadn’t cried since her mom passed away. He said he had to be loyal to the corporation. Well, that really showed her how unimportant she was to him. She stared through a haze of tears out to the stormy ocean. The gray clouds and the ruffled sea matched her mood. Maybe she should have listened to what he wanted to say, but she just wasn’t brave enough. Everyone else seemed to think they were going to be a couple, but she knew better.
They were too different and Blake would always put business first. She gave a little hiccup.
At least he’d mellowed some. A cat and a dog.
I wonder what sort of dog he’s going to get?
Ana buried her face in the soft cushions and sobbed.
By the time Sienna and Georgie arrived to recap the day, Ana had wiped away her tears and washed her face. She tried to block out all of the feelings that had resurfaced since last weekend. If she was honest they’d always been there, and she’d buried them when she’d left Blake’s house ten years ago. But this last week had proven that they were still opposites in every way that mattered, and a relationship just wouldn’t work even if he did reciprocate her feelings.
She spent half an hour roaming around the house, packing up and putting away things that had been lying around for months.
Amazing what you could achieve in one day.
Garden weeded, living room and kitchen tidy, and Blake banished with a couple of unkind words.
By the time the girls came through the front door, a bottle of champagne in Sienna’s hand, Ana was calm and composed. Sienna went straight to the cupboard and peered inside.
“Champagne glasses? I’m not drinking French champagne out of a tumbler, Ana.”
“In the living room.” She waved one hand in the direction of the old Welsh dresser.
A loud pop followed by the gushing of froth from the top of the bottle had Georgie running over with a glass. “Ugh, don’t waste it. It’s Moët.”
Ana frowned at Sienna. “A tad extravagant, considering we’ve only
got a couple of jobs lined up so far.”
“But we have news.” Sienna grinned at her and Georgie clapped her hands. “Lots of news.”
“Okay, spill. The news, not the wine.” Ana grinned and tried to ignore the regret that was still tugging at her. She’d been perfectly happy before she’d met up with Blake again, and she was determined she would be happy again.
Sienna poured the wine slowly, and Ana tapped her hands on the back of the chair impatiently. “Come on, girls, don’t keep me in suspense.”
Sienna handed her a glass and lifted hers for a toast. “Here’s to the new Half Moon Bay Renovation Service”—she paused and put out one hand in a dramatic flourish—“and to the feature of the Bennetts’ house in Ocean Home magazine.”
Ana gasped. “Are you kidding me?”
Sienna nodded smugly.
“Oh my God.” Ana waved her hand in front of her face as a feeling of light-headedness stole over her. “Either this champagne is potent or I’m overwhelmed.”
Sienna put her glass down and hugged her. “See, Ana. I told you it would all work out. Change is not all bad. The Bennetts want us to sign the contract for the restoration of another house next week. And Georgie has news from the store, too.”
“It was a good day. It’s a shame you didn’t stay for it.” Georgie tipped her head to one side. “Blake’s a honey. If he wasn’t taken, I’d be going for him myself.”
Ana’s head flew up and she stared at Georgie. “Taken?”
Georgie laughed and nodded with a knowing glance at her sister. “Anyone can see you are head over heels, and you didn’t see the way he looked at you in the bar the other day.”
The heat started in the pit of Ana’s stomach and traveled up her neck to her cheeks. She waved her hand in front of her face again as both of the girls laughed.
“It’s the champagne.” She glared at them but didn’t mention that Blake had already come by. “Why was it such a good day?”
“Generous payouts for the staff who chose to leave. Pay raises and great benefits for those who stay. Joe and Magda didn’t stop smiling all day.”
“That’s good. I’m so happy for the staff—and you too, Georgie.” Ana reached over and hugged her friend. “But our department was still destined to go. I asked Blake up front when he was here before. I’m just pleased the Bennetts made the offer and we could quit before we got fired.” She picked up the bottle and topped up her champagne. “Sounds like Blake was a hit.”
“Joe said Blake believes the store should keep its local identity and he said he’d work hard to keep that.” Georgie’s face was almost glowing as she praised him. “He’s meeting with the staff tomorrow and Joe told me Blake has a big announcement to make.”
“He’s probably going to pull down the store and build one of those big, generic boxlike stores like you see in the city.”
“You’re too hard on him, Ana. What did he ever do to you?” Georgie frowned at her. A ripple of guilt flickered through Ana. Blake had been trying to tell her something. But Georgie always saw the good in every situation. Or maybe Blake was coming around? Maybe he’d begun to understand what their community was like? And what it meant to her? She had been really awful to him. He usually apologized when they argued, but she probably should make the first move this time.
Ana wandered over to the window and spread her fingers on the cool glass. The rain had cleared and the sun was hovering above the horizon as the day came to an end. Soft pink and gold hues filled the western sky and reflected on the mirror-like ocean. She sipped at her champagne and the bubbles tickled her nose.
“You’re right, you know. He’s just doing his job.” She turned back to the twins. “After we see the Bennetts tomorrow, I’ll go into the store to see him.” She turned around casually. “Did you hear he’s bought the Bennett place?”
“Now that’s an excuse for another glass of champagne.” Sienna smiled. “I wonder if that means his friend Jack will come to visit?”
Chapter Fourteen
The next morning was spent at Thelma and Mitzi’s house, where Ana finally finished painting their kitchen. Sienna painted a trompe l’oeil of a cow in a field on the bottom half of their kitchen door and they all stood back to admire it.
“Our first real job as our own bosses.” Sienna smothered a grin.
Ana giggled, and whispered behind her hand to Sienna as the elderly ladies stepped closer and pored over it. “It’s awful.”
“Ssh,” Sienna hissed. “It’s what they wanted.”
“It’s the eyelashes.” Ana kept a straight face as Sienna elbowed her and they were both smiling a few minutes later as they walked to the work truck.
“Give me a lift home? I walked down,” Sienna said.
Thelma and Mitzi stood at the door and waved to them as Ana backed the truck down their driveway.
“Say hello to your young man, Ana.” Mitzi called out.
“Bring him over to see us soon,” Thelma added.
Ana put on a dramatic eye roll for Sienna’s benefit and tooted the horn at the old dears. “I love this town, but it has a crazy rumor mill. There is nothing between Blake and me.”
“Oh, come on, Ana. You are so transparent. You’ve been mooning around all morning like a lovesick cow, and as soon as someone mentions Blake’s name you are at instant attention. That’s what gave me the idea for the cow’s eyelashes.” Sienna laughed. “I love it. Life’s been a bit boring lately.”
“Boring? What about the excitement of being a business owner?” Ana laughed and turned the old truck down Main Street toward Sienna’s house. She was desperate to get to the store so she could see Blake and apologize to him.
“Do you think Blake would see me if I just turned up at the store?” She glanced over at Sienna, who rolled her eyes at her.
“I am sure he would put out the red carpet for you, my dear. God, look at you, you’re just like a love-struck teenager.”
“I’ll admit it. I am attracted to him. I always have been, but it’s not going anywhere because we are too different.”
“Opposites attract, you know.” Sienna crossed her arms and sighed. “Don’t let him go because of a foolish belief.”
“It’s not foolish. Blake has always put business first. I never have. So I have to get over him and move on.”
“Just because your views lean toward the charitable side, don’t judge him too harshly. Remember what you’re learning about being in business.”
“Well, I’ll go apologize anyway. I was really mean to him yesterday.”
Ana thought over Sienna’s words after she dropped her off at her house. She parked the truck in the back of the hardware store and hoped Blake’s gray Mercedes might be there, too, but there was no sign of it. After she saw Joe and Magda, she was going home for a long walk on the beach with Mutt. Sienna’s words had stuck in her mind and she knew she had a lot of thinking to do.
Maybe Blake had taken off in such a hurry the other day because he’d regretted kissing her.
Maybe he’d given their relationship a lot of thought, too, and recognized how different they were.
Maybe he’d looked around her cottage when she was upstairs and realized they were poles apart. Maybe Blake should come and visit her now. Since she’d left the store, she’d cleaned up the entire cottage and had made a great start on renovating the spare room.
Slamming the truck door shut, she pulled herself up short.
Forget the maybes. From now on, she would take things as they came once she’d apologized to Blake.
But he had kissed her, and her insides went to jelly as she remembered that kiss. She grinned to herself. Sienna was right. It was just like being back in high school.
Ana slipped in the back door of the shop and greeted Herb, the security man, who was dozing in a chair by the back counter. If she was honest, there were a few places where the store could be improved.
Maybe it was time for change.
Georgie was manning the cash register
and raised her eyebrows at Ana.
“Blake just left.”
“How many times do I have to tell everyone, there is nothing between Blake and me? Where did he go?”
“He didn’t say, but he looked really upset. Maybe Joe knows what’s wrong.”
Ana pointed up the stairs to Joe’s office. “Are Joe and Magda up there?”
“Yes, they’re just back from lunch at Renzo’s.”
Ana was three steps up when Georgie called out to her.
“Ana?”
She paused and looked back to a broad grin on Georgie’s face. “Yeah?”
“Don’t pick pink for my bridesmaid’s dress. It clashes with my red hair.”
Ana stomped up the stairs and ignored the laughter coming from the counter below. Magda was sitting at the small front desk and she bustled around and embraced Ana in a close hug.
“Ana, my dear.” She stepped back and looked at Ana. “Didn’t Blake call you?”
Before she could answer, her cell phone rang with Blake’s number on her screen.
“Hello, Blake?”
“Oh, Ana. Thank God you answered.” Ana’s legs trembled as Blake’s voice broke. “I need you. Can you meet me in San Francisco?”
She gripped the phone to her ear and her hand shook
“What is it?” Her voice cracked as a dozen scenarios flicked through her mind. “What’s wrong?”
“Billy’s missing.”
Chapter Fifteen
Before they disconnected, Blake gave Ana Jeannie’s address. He’d finally gotten hold of Ana just as he’d turned onto Interstate 280 but he didn’t want to turn around and add any more time to his trip. She agreed to meet him there and he knew she wouldn’t be far behind him.
As he headed for Jeannie’s house, all Blake could think of was the fear that had gripped him when Billy had run to the edge of the road at Huntington Park. He knew Billy had a fascination with water. He gripped the steering wheel and clenched his jaw, trying not to think of all the lagoons near Jeannie and Rod’s house. “I like to swim, Unca Blake.” His throat clogged with emotion as he remembered Billy’s determination.