Tangled Love on Pelican Point (Island County Series Book 3)

by Karice Bolton

  My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. Sensing I was treading in dangerous waters, I could barely get a word out.

  “I—”

  “You what?” he asked, standing up.

  “I’ve got an early morning and so much—”

  “To do, like wash your hair and do laundry.” His smile widened. “Am I that awful that you can’t have dinner with me?”

  My jaw dropped open.

  “Dinner?” I barely squeaked out.

  “Yeah, dinner. What did you think I was going to ask?” A smirk filled his expression as I bolted from the chair with the blanket securely wrapped around me.

  “Nothing.” I grabbed the plate of cheese and crackers and walked them into the kitchen.

  “It doesn’t seem like nothing,” he prompted, following right behind me.

  “It was just a misunderstanding. Dinner would be fine.” I wrapped the plate in plastic and stuffed it in the fridge.

  “Well, now I’m completely intrigued. What did you think I was asking?”

  I stood with my hand on my hip and glared at him.

  “With your reputation, I’m sure you can figure it out.”

  Anthony’s laughter filled the kitchen as I marched to the bedroom to change.

  “Do you really think I want to get in trouble with my brother and his fiancée by sleeping with her best friend?” he hollered down the hall.

  I’d kind of hoped so.

  “I don’t know what you do to pass time with your reputation and all.” I pulled on a pair of jeans and tugged a sweatshirt over my head. I grabbed my bag and looked up, surprised to see him in the doorway. Whatever had gotten him down minutes before appeared to have vanished.

  “With my reputation?” he asked, leaning against my bedroom door.

  “I’ve looked you up.”

  “You’ve looked me up?” He wasn’t budging from the door.

  “Of course I’ve looked you up.”

  “And what did you find?”

  “A man full of contradictions and complications.”

  “Sounds about right.”

  I was less than a foot away from him and felt the air between us fill with the impossible.

  “Why do I get the feeling that even if I had wanted the other, I’d be out of luck?” His eyes pinned me in place, and I refused to move my gaze from his.

  “Because you’re an excellent judge of character, and I’m not that easy.”

  “I’m just going to put this out there.” I took a sip of my chocolate milkshake and stared at Anthony.

  “Shoot.”

  “I’m really not sure of your intentions.” I sat back in the booth at Norma’s and waited for his answer.

  We’d already placed our orders, and I noticed several booths of people glancing in Anthony’s direction. It wasn’t every day that Fireweed Island had someone famous roaming around.

  “Intentions?” His brows furrowed as the server, Liz, delivered our cheeseburgers. Her gaze lingered on Anthony a second too long before leaving the table, and I nodded, gesturing toward her.

  “Yes. Intentions.” I leaned forward, lowering my voice. “You can’t even get a cheeseburger without someone noticing you. You have plenty of. . . .” I paused for a beat. “Options.”

  “Which is why I don’t leave the house much.” He picked up a fry, and I glanced around Norma’s while I tried to rephrase my question.

  The place hadn’t changed for decades. The cafe was decorated like a beach shack and had been that way ever since I could remember. Wooden starfish clung to the walls, and rope-wrapped chandeliers dangled over each booth. Liz was busy texting in the corner of the restaurant, probably telling her friends who happened to stumble into Norma’s on her shift, and I brought my gaze back to his.

  Anthony took a bite of his burger and put it back in the basket. “That hits the spot. But what do you mean by intentions?”

  “I’m curious why you’re being so nice to me, why you stopped by my apartment to deliver flowers, and why you gave two thoughts about my Etsy store.” I rolled my napkin between my fingers and nervously waited for his answer.

  “Nice to you?” He shook his head. “Should I not be? Is there something about you I don’t know? And maybe I’ve been away from Fireweed too long, but I thought women liked flowers.”

  I dipped a fry in ranch dressing and took a bite.

  “That’s not what I mean. Why think twice about me?” I couldn’t believe I was asking the question.

  “I find you extremely interesting.”

  “Hardly,” I scoffed, moving on to my burger. “I’ve seen what you spend your time doing in LA, and it isn’t staying inside, painting signs, or admiring coffee tables.”

  “You can’t believe everything you see and read in the tabloids.” He looked like he was trying to hide a smile.

  “Pictures don’t lie.” I ignored his observation.

  “They may not lie, but they can mislead.” The spark in his eyes was infectious. I think he got a kick out of the fact that I looked him up.

  I rolled my eyes. “So back to your intentions. You’re leaving the island in a few days and might pop back when you get ready to put your house up for sale. So why bother with the hassle?”

  “Not many people tell me to shut the door on my own music. I’ve told you before. I like your honesty.”

  “If I had known it was your song, I wouldn’t have been honest.”

  His smile deepened, and it literally felt like the world had reversed course. I could see why women across the country fell at his feet.

  “Maybe I’d like a texting buddy. But first, you’d need to learn how to reply to messages. Or maybe when I do come back to town, I’d like to know more people than just my brother and his fiancée. It gets old really quickly. Or maybe I like that I can talk to you with ease. Or maybe I’m just a typical guy and find you extremely attractive. But I’m inclined to think that it’s because I find you refreshing.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not buying it. You want to hang around me so I can insult you more?”

  “No. That’s not it at all.” He finished his burger and took a sip of water. “It felt nice to be needed.”

  “Needed? When did I ever need you?”

  He laughed, and the sound filled my soul with harmony. “Not one to ever spare my feelings.”

  “I would’ve managed on my own on Saturday.” I shrugged, dismissing his warped view of the events.

  “I don’t doubt it.” He leaned over the table slightly, and his gaze bored into me. His eyes were full of awareness as he studied me and peeled back the layers. “But, Sophie, what is your real question? What is it you really want to know from me?”

  “You can get any girl in the world. Why are you wasting your time with me?”

  He pressed his lips together and nodded. “So that’s what you think? That I’m wasting my time with you?”

  “Pretty much. There’s nothing in it for you, but you’ve already managed to be my chauffeur, help me with my business, and buy me dinner without getting a thing from me.”

  His jaw tensed, and he began circling his fingers along the table. “So what you’re really asking me is why am I bothering to spend time with you when I know I’ll never be sleeping with you?”

  Liz’s eyes darted to our table and I blushed.

  “That’s not what I’m asking,” I said in a hushed voice.

  He cocked his head, and a rush of heat ran through my veins as his eyes stayed on me. There was something incredibly insane about how he could look at me and make my world spin upside down with nothing more than a smile.

  “Well, are you trying to sleep with me?” I whispered, leaning forward.

  His grin widened, and he let out a deep breath. “No, Sophie. I’m not trying to sleep with you.”

  Anthony’s words felt like I’d just sipped a gallon of poison, leaving nothing but bitterness on my tongue. How did this entire conversation get turned on its head? I kind of thought that was the direction
we were headed, and I’d even had my excuse planned for why we couldn’t sleep together, so how in the world did this happen?

  Oh, yeah. I asked questions I really didn’t want answers to.

  “Well, good. Because I didn’t want to sleep with you either.” I sat back against the booth and crossed my arms.

  “I didn’t say I didn’t want to sleep with you. I said I wasn’t trying to sleep with you.”

  The way my heart started pounding at ninety beats per second told me I was in deep trouble with him, and my ability to think straight was going down the tubes, but I couldn’t spend time lying to myself. I didn’t have the same luxury of time as someone who didn’t have to work every day for a living. I had a lot on my plate and needed to make snap decisions.

  Maybe I did want to sleep with him to experience a carefree way of life for a split second before I had to go back to the Loxxy and tidy up rooms for the rest of my years on this planet.

  “Good. I’m glad we got that squared away so early on.” I glanced at Liz and waved her over.

  “You getting the check already?” he asked.

  “No. I’m ordering dessert.”

  “I thought you didn’t want any.”

  “I tend to change my mind a lot.”

  “Is that so?”

  Liz hurried over and fumbled with her notepad, jotting down one slice of cherry pie and a slice of peach before she finally got the nerve to shove the piece of paper in front of Anthony.

  “I hate to ask, and I promise I never will again, but could I get your autograph?”

  “Of course,” I told her, reaching for the pen and paper while Liz stood horrified.

  “She’s kidding.” Anthony snatched the pen and paper, quickly scribbled something down, and handed it back to a beaming Liz. She looked like she’d just had an out-of-body experience, and I had to stifle a laugh.

  “Thank you so much. I love Tender Hearted. It’s my absolute favorite song in the entire world. I know all the words by heart. It has literally changed my life,” Liz spit out before spinning on her heels toward the kitchen.

  Anthony moved forward in the booth and grinned. “That’s the song you hated.”

  I slapped my napkin on the table and laughed. “I didn’t hate it. I was just under the weather, and any loud music was too much. Don’t take it personally.”

  “I think I remember something about the song being so depressing, and you didn’t know who sings it, but that they’ve got a bad case of the blues.”

  “You really do have an outstanding memory.” I sucked on my lip and glanced at the table across the café. Two teenage girls were staring at Anthony, and I hid a smile. He seemed so unfazed by all the sideways glances and whispers. Or maybe he was just a good actor. “So was I right?”

  “About what?” He sighed.

  “About the singer having a bad case of the blues.”

  “It depends on the day.”

  I wasn’t expecting that answer.

  “Really? It seems like you have it all and more.”

  He shrugged and eyed the pie slices coming our direction. “Sometimes, getting exactly what you want isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

  I wasn’t so sure. I dreamed so hard about having my own business and getting to quit all my jobs that my head hurt. I actually spent my time in bed staring into space, daydreaming about what I’d do differently if I only had a little extra cash.

  “Do you think that’s the case, or is it that you’re taking it for granted?” I thanked Liz for the cherry pie slice before digging in quickly.

  “I’m grateful, but there’s a huge downside.”

  “You mean between jetting to exotic locales, doing what you love for a living, and having more money than places to spend it, there’s a downside?”

  “Money isn’t everything.”

  A laugh erupted from my gut.

  “That’s just something people with money say to those without to make them feel better.”

  “I won’t lie. It definitely helps iron out the wrinkles of life, but it doesn’t guarantee happiness.”

  “I’m not so sure about that. I’d be so happy if I had some extra green stuff in my savings account.”

  “But you seem pretty happy even without it.”

  “What choice do I have?”

  “Well, you could be pissed off and bitter about things.”

  “Not my style.” I shook my head and took a bite of cherry pie.

  “That right there is why I want to get to know you.”

  “Because I choose not to be pissed off and bitter? That’s not setting the bar real high for friendships if those are your only qualifiers,” I teased, letting another spoonful of sweetness coat my mouth as I debated what else to say.

  “You’re incredibly sexy eating that cherry pie.”

  “I thought you weren’t trying to sleep with me.”

  “Is that all it would take?” Anthony ate the last bite of crust and folded the paper napkin on the table. “Well?”

  “From what I’ve read online, you’re not lacking in that department, and in some far-off land, it might sound somewhat appealing to a certain type.”

  His laughter caught the looks of the two teenage girls, and I shook my head. Did he honestly not know how many people were watching him at any given time?

  “I’ve told you. You can’t trust the tabloids. Besides, you told me you didn’t want to sleep with me.”

  Liz brought over the check, and Anthony slid his card onto the tray without even giving it a glance.

  Even though a relationship with him had absolutely zero chance of working, I couldn’t help but be drawn to him and wonder how off-base those tabloid stories were. He had plenty of women who loved to kiss and tell, and none of them had any complaints in that department.

  “I told you I tend to change my mind.” I felt the heat run through my body, and I dropped my gaze to the table.

  I was too chicken—all talk, no action—and I was sure he could read that about me.

  “I’m just surprised how much I find myself telling you,” I continued, looking back up at him.

  “I could say the same.”

  I cleared my throat as Liz brought back the ticket. I glanced out of the corner of my eye and saw him write in a tip that equaled the amount of our entire tab.

  “So you have absolutely no desire to stay on Fireweed Island or to live here.” I reached for my bag as he pushed his wallet into his back pocket.

  “Correct.” He nodded, wiping a crumb from the table. “And you have no desire to leave Fireweed Island.”

  “Correct.”

  “So we basically have no chance at having anything work between us.”

  “Sounds like it.”

  He helped me up from the table and slid his arm around my waist. I noticed a few of the customers smile at Anthony as we walked out of Norma’s.

  “It would be really difficult to be attached to someone like you anyway.”

  “Probably true.”

  The cold evening air made me glad to be tucked securely next to Anthony as he led us to his car. Ever since the weekend storm, the temperatures had plummeted, and fall had snuggly tucked itself into our island life.

  “I bet you’ll be glad to get back to the warm temperatures.”

  “Balmy breezes are nothing to scoff at.” He tightened his arm, and I briefly let myself enjoy the moment.

  “I think they’re overrated.”

  “Have you ever been to California?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “Then you might be surprised.”

  “Speaking of going places, have you noticed that everywhere you go, women are staring at you? And there’s always going to be someone out there who is more beautiful than whoever you wind up settling down with to distract you. I don’t envy that person.”

  Anthony opened the passenger door, and I crawled into the front seat. He didn’t say a word until he climbed into the car and turned to look at me.

  �
��I do notice, but I’m not interested. And beauty doesn’t hold relationships together. It never has and never will. At least not the kind of relationship I want someday. There will always be someone more talented than me, so the same could happen in reverse. It wouldn’t take much to have a beautiful woman be done with me the moment a record flops. And the way things are going, my next record could very well flop. If people base lasting relationships on things that are that superficial, the relationship is superficial. Beyond already living in a somewhat artificial world, a shallow relationship is nothing I want. It would be brittle and begging for obliteration.”

  “So you’re above it all?” My brow arched in disbelief.

  “I can say with certainty that in this instance, I’m above it all.” He winked and turned on the car while I was left pondering what in the world he meant. He was above it all because of me, or he was above it all in general? I didn’t believe either option anyway, but still. It made me wonder.

  “I still think it would be extremely difficult to date a musician.”

  “It probably would be extremely difficult. There’s the traveling, studio time, moodiness, you name it.” He turned onto the main road leading out of town to my apartment, and surprisingly, I didn’t want to be dropped off. I liked spending time with Anthony.

  Actually, I probably liked spending time with Anthony because I knew he would be leaving town soon and there was no commitment in sight.

  “So you’re working on your next album?”

  “To everyone else in the world who asks? Yes. To you? No. I haven’t done much on it at all. I’m just not feeling the inspiration like before.” We pulled up to my apartment, and I really didn’t want to go in. “If you tell Cole or Natalie, I’ll take back those flowers.”

  I laughed. “Lips are sealed. Promise.”

  Anthony turned off the car and leaned his head back.

  “So what do you think the issue is?”

  “No clue.”

  He slid his hands over his face and let out a sigh. “What is it about you?”

  “Me?” I asked, turning in my seat to look at him. A slow smile crawled along his mouth, and my entire body tingled with anticipation as his eyes fell to my lips.

  His hand slid to my knee and I lit up like a firecracker.