by Various
Elsie sighed. “I know, Mom. I’m sorry. There’s a lot of stuff running around in my head today. And having Asher here doesn’t help at all.”
“What are you going to do about him?”
Elsie rolled her eyes. “I have no clue. But I just might have a Gone with the Wind moment today.”
“Worry about it tomorrow?”
“Exactly.”
SEVEN
Cam woke to the sounds of gulls screeching and sunlight teeming into the room. After the greyness of the past couple of days, it was a welcome sight. It put everything into a new light, literally and metaphorically.
He’d had a long night of thinking, not only about Elsie but about his past relationships with women. It really had impacted the way he’d thought about Elsie from the instant he’d met her. He’d assumed she’d want him. He’d assumed she was sending him down to this cottage for their own pleasure. And he’d just carried on with innuendo after innuendo thinking she was on the same page.
It had been so long since he’d met a woman that wasn’t ready to jump into bed with him without any regard for anything that he’d stopped thinking about what it might mean. Sex had become an activity as common to him as drinking coffee. For him, there was no barrier between wanting something, and getting it. Like an itch, you scratched it. But if you scratched too often, you could get a nasty wound. That’s what he was. A big, open sore that had been scratched too often. That was a disgusting thought. And so it should be. No wonder Elsie had run from him.
There was only one thing to do. He had to leave her alone. She didn’t deserve to be reminded of what an idiot he was. He pulled on a sweater and headed to the inn. He’d have breakfast, and then find another place to stay. There were plenty of sea birds all along the coast. Daphne had only been trying to find him a nice place to stay because he’d demanded it. He’d become spoiled by his own success and image.
He was relieved to find the dining room full of guests. It made it easier for him to ignore Elsie should she come in, and for her to ignore him, as she should.
“Good morning, Mr. Scott,” said one of the servers. She was an older woman but still strikingly beautiful. He didn’t recall seeing her before.
“Good morning.”
“Breakfast this morning is baked beans, bologna, hashbrown potatoes, eggs, toast. A hearty feast. But if you’d like something special ordered, we can do that as well.”
“No thanks, that sounds wonderful.”
“Well now, what are your plans for the day, since we’ve been blessed with all this sunshine?’ She poured his coffee.
The more he looked at her, the more he realized that she had to be Elsie’s mother. They had the same eyes and hair colour. This is what Elsie would be like as she grew older. Gracefully beautiful. Kind. With smiling eyes. He was willing to bet Elsie’s father had never treated this woman as some object to be used for his own pleasures without any thought to her concerns.
“Well, perhaps you could help. I’m thinking of relocating.”
She laid the coffee pot on the table with force. “You aren’t enjoying your stay here? If it’s your accommodations, we can move you to another room.”
“Oh no. That’s not the case. I just think I should move on.”
“Hmmm. Well, that’s your choice. I can recommend a few places but none nearby.”
“That would be greatly appreciated. Location doesn’t matter, as long as I’m still near the coast.”
“Certainly.” Her entire demeanour had changed, more aloof now. Definitely had to be Elsie’s mother. “It’s likely for the best.”
“Pardon?” Why was his leaving for the best?
“Well, my daughter—I’m Noreen Walsh by the way—is headstrong. She’s challenging on the best of days. Worth it, I’d say. But I’m biased. But you really have to be up for a challenge if you’re going to deal with her. I can see why you’d be best getting on your way,” she said and walked away.
He looked around, wondering if anyone had overheard the exchange. Had the woman just called him a coward? Or at least insinuated he wasn’t man enough for Elsie? These Walsh women were all crazy. He would be far better off getting away from here. Imagine spending the rest of his life with Elsie. Sure she’d still be beautiful. But as touchy as a well-wound coil spring.
He’d spend his life never knowing what little thing he said might send her into a spin. Although he’d also get to spend his life full of make-up sex. He hadn’t had make-up sex in a very long time. But he remembered it could be very, very good. With Elsie, he was sure it would be earth-shattering.
Stop the bus! Why was he thinking about a future with Elsie at all? He was leaving because he didn’t want to lead her on, and here he was thinking about growing old with her. His brain was a mess. He was going to eat, and then get the hell out of here. Before his brain started messing with him any further.
“Scott? Is that you? Good God, what brings you to this desolate part of the universe?”
As if he needed any other reason to get as far from here as possible, fate had just delivered it to him. Ted Corbin.
“Corbin. I could ask the same of you.” Not that he really cared.
“Oh, lady troubles, you know. I know the owner. I come here from time to time when I need a pick-me-up. She’s a grand bird.”
Elsie was friends with Ted sodding Corbin? He refused to ever call him by his ridiculous stage name. Asher. Who the hell named themselves Asher? Ted Corbin, that’s who.
“Yea, I’ve met her.”
“So, still drawing cats and sheep and all that?”
“Among other things,” Cam replied. “I sketched a wonderful nude of Laura Taylor. Remember her?”
“Lucky bastard,” Corbin said, slapping him on the arm. “Hope you did more than draw her. Oh, she was a hot one, yes? Hottest in our class for sure. Little miss hoity-toity. She wouldn’t look at either of us back then. Little did she know how well we’d both turn out, yea?”
What he did after the sketch was none of Corbin’s business.
“I’m here working on a book of sketches, actually,” he answered instead. “Birds.”
“Right on. Well, it’s great to see you, old man. I’m on indefinitely. Good time to catch up, hey?” He poured himself a cup of coffee.
“Actually, I’m planning on...”
“Elsie, luv. There you are. Where’ve you been hiding yourself?” Corbin called across the dining room. The look on Elsie’s face as she took in the two of them sitting together told Cam she’d sooner be anywhere but near him.
——
She’d managed to avoid Asher all night by sending him a bottle of rum and a note that said she had business to take care of. Avoiding Cam was easier since he didn’t budge from the cottage all night. She knew this because she spent too much of her night looking out the window at the light shining down the hill. And now, here they were. Together. Sharing breakfast. It wasn’t unusual for guests to share a meal, but she couldn’t help but wish they’d both just stayed in their rooms.
Still, the room was full of other diners so she had to put on the facade of friendly, welcoming hostess.
“Good morning, Asher. Cam. I hope your meal is good?”
“Sit down, luv, and have a cup of coffee with us. You’ll not believe this, but Cam here is an old school chum of mine.”
Of course he would be. Makes sense. They went to the school of swine together.
“Really. What a coincidence.”
“Oh, we were always getting up to mischief in those days. Part of me misses them. Of course, not often. I mean, I’d much rather the life I have now. Most of the time, anyhow. This place is a bit of a sanctuary for me, Scott. I suppose you’ve heard the latest in the rags about me.”
“Not really, no,” Cam said in a tone that Elsie thought said, ‘I’m bored.’
“Well, I’m heartbroken,” he said. “All set to finally take the plunge, and she up and left me. All because I did the right thing for a change in my life
and was honest with her. What is it with women? They profess they want honesty and then when the answer isn’t the one they expected, you’re the culprit?”
“Oh, I know that feeling all too well,” Cam said. There was no mistaking that he meant that for her benefit. His eyes never left her.
“Now gentlemen, I think you’re being hard on us females. Of course we want honesty. Just sometimes the answers make us discover something about you men that we didn’t realize before. Better to find out early than waste time.”
“See? Sage advice.” Asher reached out and put his arm around her. “That’s why I love you, my sweet. Always putting things in perspective.” He would have kissed her mouth had she not reacted quickly and turned her cheek.
Cam was studying the interaction intently. “So, Ted,” he said purposefully. “How long have you been coming here?”
“Three years, isn’t it?” the rocker replied, looking at Elsie.
“I’m not sure. But I think you’re right,” she said. She didn’t like where this line of questioning was going.
“Do you always come by yourself?”
“No,” Elsie jumped in.
“Yea,” Asher said at the same time before noticing Elsie. “Yea, I bring some ladies here from time to time. But other times, I come by myself if I need to get away. Love the privacy, you know. The air. The people aren’t crazy. In fact, no one has ever asked me to sign anything in all the time I’ve been coming here. Great people, really. Elsie here is just the best of them.”
As if it couldn’t get more uncomfortable, Elsie looked just in time to see her mother coming with two heaping plates of food. She would have tried to mouth Help me if both Cam and Asher weren’t looking at her.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” her mother said in a voice about as genuinely sweet as aspartame. “Should I bring you a plate as well?”
“No, that’s fine, Mom. I have some work to do.”
“Oh, don’t be silly,” her mother insisted. “You need to eat.”
“Yes, stay,” Cam said, still scrutinizing her.
“It’s unanimous,” Asher said, scooping a spoon of beans into his mouth. “God, we haven’t had breakfast like this together in some time.”
She kicked him under the table. This wasn’t the first time she’d realized that while he had a pretty face, Asher could be rather dumb. He wanted their relationship kept as quiet as she did, but sometimes he needed a gentle reminder.
She had to find a way to take control of the conversation. “Cam, what was that you called Asher a second ago?”
He grinned. “Ted.”
Asher turned red. “Good thing you can keep a secret, luv. That’s the name my dear mother saddled me with. But Scott, I haven’t gone by Ted in quite some time. Had it legally changed, you know.”
“Ted. Teddy. I like it,” she said. “Very down to earth.”
“Very mundane and ordinary. And totally forgettable,” he said.
It was at times like this that she was reminded why she had been willing to put up with Asher - Ted - for the past few years. Deep down inside he was like a lost puppy, always looking to be liked. And remembered. He did mean well. He just happened to be caught up in the world he’d created for himself. She genuinely liked him. She just didn’t want him any more. Now that he was sat at the same table as Cam she could see why she was drawn to the Scotsman in the first place. He was Asher’s opposite in every way.
Cam was tall, built like a gladiator, and had a roughness to him that was surprising once you realized he made a living sketching. He was not your typical artist. Whereas Asher was your stereotypical rocker/songwriter. Pale, thin, pretty, with a mainstream manufactured tame punk look. Asher had a way about him that brought out a woman’s motherly instincts. You wanted to protect him. He was hard to say no to for that very reason. Cam, on the other hand, made you want to beg him to protect you. He looked like he wrestled polar bears for sport. Of course, he could also send you running for the hills, as if your very sanity depended on being far from the danger he presented.
“Well, I like it. But then again, I’m not your target audience, so I suppose Asher is also perfectly good,” she said, smiling at him.
Cam pushed his plate away. “I’m sure you’ll both excuse me, but I have to go.”
“Not going to eat the rest of that?” Asher’s plate was empty.
“No. I have to go take advantage of this sun. But I’m sure I’ll be ravenous come lunch time.” Again, he was looking at her hard. “Do you think you could arrange to have lunch brought down to the cottage around one?”
“I’m sure we can.”
“Could you bring it down? I’d like to see those posters you mentioned yesterday. I’m guessing my talk to the locals is still on the agenda?”
“There’s a cottage here?” Asher said. “Since when?”
“It’s new.”
“Very new,” Cam added. “I’ll see you at one, yes?”
“Sure,” she said, dragging out the word as if to infuse it with every ounce of displeasure she could.
As he strode out of the dining room she watched as her mother handed him a piece of paper, which he promptly crumpled and tossed in the garbage. Now what was that all about, she wondered?
——
Most of the morning was spent with Asher trailing along behind her as she tried to work. After about an hour of nearly constant pawing, she made it clear that there was not going to be anything physical between them.
“Look, Ash, if you’re only here for that, you might as well go. Things have changed. I’ll be your friend, but that’s it,” she had said as he tried to pin her into a corner.
“You’ve always been my friend,” he said. “My super-sexy, make-me-forget-everything-for-the-moment friend.”
“Well, now I’m just your shoulder-you-can-cry-on-but-nothing-more friend.”
“Since when?” He looked hurt.
“Since I realized you’re in love with at least two women, one of whom you almost married this week.”
He sighed. “I do love Nina. Do you think she’ll forgive me?”
She’d sent him off to call Nina, profess his love, and beg forgiveness. With any luck she’d take him back and he’d be out of here. Elsie didn’t need the money he brought to the inn that badly.
She hadn’t seen him since, although once she’d walked past his door and heard him strumming his guitar.
She really was falling behind on work. The Queen was coming the year after next, and already her people were making demands on the accommodations. There were several varying requests from celebrities hoping to rent out the entire inn for Christmas and it had turned into a bit of a bidding war. And she’d gotten wind that a Frommer’s reviewer was in the province and could be headed her way any day. That was just the big stuff. There were plumbing issues in two bathrooms, thankfully vacant. A stray cat had gotten in and kept appearing in various rooms. And Aunt Ida was driving her insane. She was taking her job very seriously, and had a list of improvements that would help guests enjoy themselves more.
Still, every few minutes she found herself thinking about Cam. Her mother wouldn’t tell her what was on the paper she’d handed him, and it had been removed from the trash before Elsie could get it. She wished she could remember her exact words the day before. Had she said enough that he would know that Asher was the man she was talking about? It seemed even worse now, knowing that they knew each other. Calling them friends seemed a bit of a stretch. But really, what were the odds? Someone in the universe was playing a cruel trick on her.
She trudged through her work until she realized it was time to bring Cam his lunch. The temptation to send someone else down with it, and with the poster, was great, but she wasn’t a coward. And part of her felt as if he’d issued her a challenge. This time she’d keep her cool, regardless of what he said or did. She was a grown woman, and she’d had enough of these men setting her life into a spin. Give him food, show the poster, and be gone. Fifteen minutes tops.
——
Cam could usually get lost in his art, but not this time. Each time he set pencil to paper he found himself drawing Elsie. And thinking about her got him thinking about Ted bloody Corbin and his suspicion that Corbin was the reason why Elsie had sworn off anything other than professional conduct with her guests. He tried not to think about why that was the case. He really wished he had no idea who that man from her past might be, but he was pretty good at picking up on subtleties.
And there was no way he was leaving here as long as Corbin was around. He might not stand a chance with Elsie, but he certainly wasn’t going to leave the way clear for Ted. Not that he was a bad guy. They’d been alright friends when they were in school together. It was that stupid persona he’d created that really irked Cam.
Asher.
Ted Corbin might have been the son of an electrician who’d left his wife destitute. Ted Corbin might have been shipped off to finish school in Scotland with his grandmother after his mother committed suicide. But Asher Corbin had none of that past.
Asher Corbin grew up on the continent, gaining experience in life and love from the women who tutored him. It was ridiculous. Still, Cam, and the others who knew Ted, couldn’t bring themselves to correct the story. Ted really did have a lousy life growing up. Cam supposed the fantasy was better than the reality. Asher just wasn’t the right man for Elsie.
Elsie deserved someone who would lay down life and limb for her. Someone who understood her every mood, and appreciated her even when she was her maddest. And she was the kind of woman that could, if he was willing, make a man better. Already he’d changed, just thinking about her. The very idea that today he’d spent as much time thinking about what a relationship with her might be like as he spent thinking about what making love with her would be like was an indicator that he had changed a little already. He was curious to see what new discoveries he’d make about himself in the next day or so.