Moonlight Cove

by Sherryl Woods

  “Jenny was too young to be affected that much by Sam taking off, but I know over the years she had questions and that she resented me for somehow allowing her dad to get away.”

  “Did you ever fill her in on what a jerk he was?”

  Connie smiled. “Of course not. On the off chance that he ever came back into her life, I didn’t want her to hate him.”

  “That’s a pretty generous attitude under the circumstances,” Thomas said, his gaze warm. “It just proves what a remarkable woman you are.”

  Connie felt herself blush. “I’m not remarkable.”

  “Hey, I get to be the judge of that. You need to learn to take a compliment.”

  “Usually the most personal compliments I get are customers at the nursery telling me I have a nice phone voice or that I’ve been very helpful.”

  Thomas shook his head. “I have to tell you, you have just painted a very dark picture of the intelligence level of the men in Chesapeake Shores.”

  She laughed, unable to disagree. “I think that’s a discussion best left for another time.”

  He laughed with her. “I hate to do it, but I should probably get back to Annapolis,” he said. “I’ll see you next weekend at the fall festival?”

  “Absolutely.”

  They walked to her car. He held the door while she got in, then smiled down at her. “It was a good first date.”

  “It was.”

  He winked at her. “The next one will be even better.”

  That wink set off a frisson of anticipation that rattled her even more than his earlier kiss. She had a feeling if this attraction got any more powerful, she was going to throw herself into his arms and cause a scene likely to be talked about in Chesapeake Shores for years. She wondered what her daughter, who thought she was a stuffy prude, would think about that.

  10

  Jess spent an hour cleaning out the attic at the inn, then lost interest. What she needed, she decided, was to do something even more physical, something that would burn some real energy, maybe help her to stop thinking about Will, about her pitiful lack of a social life.

  Never much of an athlete, she wasn’t at all like her brothers. Almost the only sport that had ever appealed to her was kayaking. There was something soothing about paddling around on the water, and, from time to time, when the whitecaps kicked up on the bay, it could be strenuous and challenging, as well.

  The inn kept a couple of kayaks on hand for use by the guests. Both were in their rack at the foot of the steps, their paddles locked in place beside them. Using her key, Jess took the more lightweight of the kayaks off the rack and lowered it into the calm water. It was a perfect afternoon, she thought, noting that quite a few people had had the same idea. Kayaks dotted the waterfront, along with way too many speedboats for her comfort.

  Staying close to the shoreline to avoid the wake of the larger, more aggressive boaters, she paddled hurriedly along, then took a turn to the left when she reached the narrow inlet leading to the more tranquil Moonlight Cove. There were fewer people on the water here and no powerboats. It was a small cove loved by locals because tourists hadn’t discovered it. It was also an ideal place to spot the occasional eagle or osprey sitting high atop the branches of the old oaks, cedars and weeping willows that shaded much of the shoreline.

  And its tiny beach, not that far from Connor and Heather’s Driftwood Cottage, remained inaccessible by road. It had always been especially popular with teenagers looking for a secluded place to be alone.

  She thought of the times she’d come here with one boyfriend or another, only to have Connor or Kevin come after her in their small motorboat to chase her back home before she did something utterly foolish. Though she’d protested their protectiveness vehemently at the time, claiming total humiliation, she now appreciated that they’d kept her from an impulsive mistake that could have ruined her life.

  Today, though, the beach was deserted. She paddled close to shore, pulled the kayak up onto the sand, then went for a swim before tossing her towel on a tiny patch of warm sand and lying down to dry off in the last rays of the day’s sun.

  Exhausted, she fell asleep almost immediately. When she awoke, darkness was falling rapidly as it seemed to do especially quickly on fall afternoons.

  Muttering an expletive, she grabbed her towel, but when she turned toward where she’d left the kayak, she realized that it was gone, pulled back out to sea on the tide. In the dusk, she could actually see it bobbing on the waves, which set off a few more curses.

  Now what? She could probably swim out to retrieve it, but in the gathering darkness, she recognized that wasn’t smart. She had her cell phone, though, so she could call for help. Connor or even Kevin would probably come and rescue her. But they’d also lecture her from now till next Sunday about being irresponsible. She could probably even hike through the woods and get to Connor’s place, but the same issue would confront her if she appeared on his doorstep and explained what had happened. Besides, as close as Driftwood Cottage probably was if she walked directly there, it would be way too easy to get turned around in the woods after dark.

  Almost without realizing she was doing it, she found Will’s number on her phone. His lectures would probably be only a shade more bearable than her brothers’, but she made the call before she could talk herself out of it.

  “Jess?”

  “Hi,” she said, relaxing at the sound of his voice.

  “Where are you? I can barely hear you.”

  “I’m on my cell. I’m at Moonlight Cove.”

  “What on earth are you doing there at this hour? It’ll be dark any minute.”

  “Believe me, I know that. I hate to bother you, but there’s a problem.”

  “What kind of problem?” he asked, his tone suddenly crisp and efficient. “Tell me.”

  “It seems my kayak has drifted away.”

  “How the devil did that happen?” he asked, and she could practically see his perplexed expression.

  “Is that really important right now?” she asked.

  “No, I suppose it’s not. Give me a half hour.”

  “Thanks, Will.”

  “Where exactly are you? Do you have any kind of light you can flash, so I’ll be able to spot you?”

  “I think if I turn on my cell phone and hold it up, you’ll be able to see that. And there’s a full moon rising, so that should help, too.”

  “That’ll work. Don’t turn on the cell phone right away or the battery could die. Wait a half hour, okay? Give me time to get to your parents’ place and grab your brothers’ old fishing boat. It doesn’t have much of a motor, but it’ll get me there faster than my kayak would.”

  “Thanks.”

  He hesitated. “You okay, otherwise?”

  “Other than feeling foolish, I’m fine.”

  He laughed. “Foolish passes, trust me. I’ll see you soon.”

  Even after she’d disconnected the call, Jess clutched the cell phone tightly. It made her feel less isolated.

  No, she corrected herself. What had made her feel less isolated was hearing Will’s calm, reassuring voice, his immediate offer to come after her with no recriminations.

  Of course, as nice as he’d been on the phone just now, she knew perfectly well he was likely to have quite a lot to say once he got here.

  Will hadn’t panicked, at least not for Jess, when he’d heard her predicament. She was perfectly safe at Moonlight Cove.

  No, what had flat-out terrified him was the thought of being there, alone, with her. He’d only gone there a handful of times as a teen and never with Jess. He knew, though, that Connor and Kevin had dragged her home from more than a few romantic trysts, always in the nick of time, to hear them tell it. Will hadn’t really wanted the details. Just knowing she’d been off with some other boy had been enough to make a knot form in his stomach.

  At least that hadn’t been the case today. She’d apparently gone there alone. He’d find her on the beach, in some skimpy bathing sui
t, no doubt, maybe even cold and shivering now that the sun had gone down. With that full moon she’d mentioned already rising, this rescue had danger written all over it. How much could one man be expected to handle before he lost control of himself?

  Forcing himself not to dwell on what he might find when he got to Jess, he went to the O’Briens, stepped onto the dock and borrowed the small fishing boat that Connor and Kevin kept there. It was always gassed up and ready to go, and over the years he’d taken it out on plenty of occasions. Though he usually asked first, he figured tonight was one of those times when discretion was called for.

  As he stepped into the boat, he wondered why it was Jess hadn’t called either of her brothers, but he could guess. A rescue by either of them would have come with a lecture she obviously didn’t want to hear.

  Ten minutes later, he found the inlet to Moonlight Cove and made his way toward the beach, the boat’s little engine chugging along nicely. He figured the sound on the still, quiet night would alert her. Sure enough, he saw a flicker of light on the shore.

  “Jess?” he called out.

  “I’m here,” she said.

  “I’d probably better not bring the boat too close to shore. Think you can swim out a bit?”

  “Of course,” she said. “The moon’s plenty bright enough to light the way. I can see you from here. I guess it doesn’t matter if I leave the kayak paddles and my towel behind.”

  “Hardly,” he said wryly.

  “Thank goodness I thought to put my cell phone into a waterproof pouch,” she added. “At least I won’t ruin that swimming out to the boat.”

  He could hear her splash into the water, then the quieter splash as she swam toward him. He kept talking to guide her, his gaze following her sure, steady progress.

  When she reached the boat, he pulled her up, then wrapped her in the thick towel he’d brought along. “Here, take my shirt,” he said, when she was dry but shivering.

  Even then, though, he could hear her teeth chatter, so he sighed, muttered a silent curse and pulled her into his arms. She stilled at the unexpected contact, then snuggled close.

  “You’re so warm,” she murmured, her breath soft against his chest.

  Warm? He felt like he was in the blasted desert. And his body was starting to react to having this almost naked woman—a woman he’d loved for an eternity—plastered against him. This was bad, he told himself. It was hell. He swallowed hard and amended, no, it was heaven.

  “Um, Jess, not a good idea,” he said, setting her away from him and securing the thick towel more tightly around her. “Take a seat. I’ll have you back at the inn in a few minutes.”

  Thankfully, she didn’t cling or argue, because he wasn’t sure he could have maintained that noble stance for more than another heartbeat or two.

  He steered the little fishing boat back out into the bay and along the shore until he spotted the inn’s dock. He pulled alongside it, secured the boat, then scrambled up on the dock and held out his hand for Jess.

  She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight. “Thanks, Will. Do you want to come in for coffee or something? Maybe a glass of wine?”

  He hesitated. “You should probably take a shower and get into something warm,” he said.

  “That won’t take more than a minute,” she told him, her gaze still on his. “I really owe you for coming to my rescue. Maybe we could have that dinner we never got to have the other night. I think there’s more of Gail’s roasted chicken.”

  He smiled. “You don’t have to bribe me with food and drink, you know.”

  “I know. Actually I was hoping we could talk.”

  He stilled. “Oh? About what?”

  She looked away, clearly flustered. “You know, just this and that.”

  “You’re going to have to give me more than that,” he said. “If this is going to be another of those conversations where you explain that we’re not dating, I’ll pass.”

  Her laugh sounded forced. “Oh, I think I’ve learned my lesson on that one. I just miss talking to you about stuff.”

  “Stuff?” he echoed. “When did we ever talk about stuff?”

  “A long time ago, before things got so complicated.”

  “You mean before I fell for you and you didn’t fall for me?”

  Her chin jutted up stubbornly. “Okay, yes, back then.”

  “Okay, one more question. Why did you call me tonight? I understand why you didn’t call one of your brothers, but why me?”

  She looked vaguely rattled by the question. “You were the first person I thought of.”

  “Any idea why?”

  “Because I trust you,” she said simply. “And I wanted to make up for what happened the last time I saw you. I felt as if we lost something. I want it back.”

  Intrigued despite himself by her sudden nostalgia for the old days, he decided to take a chance. Who knew what was going on in that unpredictable head of hers?

  “Let’s go, then, before you catch pneumonia.”

  When they entered the inn through the kitchen, Jess pointed him toward the refrigerator. “Help yourself. Make me a sandwich or something if you don’t mind. I’m starved. And feel free to raid the wine supply. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  Will found a loaf of freshly baked whole grain bread, cut thick slices, lathered them with mustard and mayonnaise, then added thin slices of cheddar cheese, ham and tomato. He found a stash of homemade sweet potato chips, one of the inn’s specialties, and put them into a bowl. He’d just poured two glasses of wine when Jess returned.

  Her cheeks were flushed, her damp hair tousled, but she looked terrific in a pair of faded jeans and some kind of fuzzy sweater that practically begged to be touched. She was barefoot, her nails painted an unexpectedly sexy shade of dare-me red. It contradicted her otherwise wholesome image. He thought that was one of the things that appealed to him most about her. She was such a mass of unpredictability and contradictions. No man could ever possibly be bored by her.

  Of course, what he saw as charming unpredictability, too many others over the years had convinced her was a flaw caused by her attention deficit disorder. She’d become extraordinarily self-conscious and testy about what she viewed as a negative that she couldn’t overcome.

  “You look about a thousand times better,” he said approvingly.

  “And this sandwich looks amazing. Thank you. Want to take them into the lounge? We can build a fire, if you want. There’s no one around tonight, so we have the place to ourselves again. I love Sunday nights for just that reason. I have the run of the place.”

  She met his gaze. “Remember when we were kids, how much we loved Sundays because all the tourists would leave by suppertime and the town would be ours again? There were no lines waiting for ice cream or snow cones and our favorite booths at Sally’s weren’t occupied by strangers.”

  Will smiled. “I remember.” He tore his gaze away. “Why don’t you grab the sandwiches and I’ll bring the wine, the glasses and the chips? Should I bring dessert, too? There’s a decadent-looking cake in the fridge.”

  “Bring the whole cake,” she said, grinning. “I did mention I’m starved, didn’t I?”

  He laughed. “I’ll grab a couple of plates and forks, then.”

  “Forget the plates. If it’s Gail’s double fudge cake, we’ll just finish it off. Or I will.”

  Shaking his head, he looked her over. “For a skinny little thing, where do you put all this food?”

  “Nervous energy,” she said, leading the way into the lounge with its overstuffed chairs arranged to face the fireplace.

  “Thank goodness there’s wood,” she noted, heading toward it after she’d set down the sandwiches.

  “Sit. I’ll get it,” Will said.

  She regarded him skeptically. “Do you know how to build a fire? I thought you were the intellectual type.”

  “I was also a Boy Scout, just like every other male kid in town.” He grinned. “Of course, I did flunk
quite a few of the tests, so my collection of merit badges is pretty limited. I think it’s safe to let me light the fire, though.”

  He made quick work of getting it started, then saw that instead of sitting in a chair, she’d settled on the floor. She patted the spot next to her. Will sat, but he studied her with a narrowed gaze.

  “What’s going on, Jess?”

  She gave him an innocent look. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but this scene has seduction written all over it. It seems out of character, at least when it comes to you and me. You’ve been keeping me at arm’s length for a long time.”

  Bright patches of pink climbed into her cheeks, even as she mustered up a heavy dose of indignation. “You’re imagining things,” she insisted.

  “Am I really?” he asked doubtfully. “Something’s changed tonight. I’m trying to put a finger on what.”

  “Can’t I just be grateful to you for coming to my rescue?”

  “And that’s all this is?”

  She shrugged. “Sure. What else?”

  Will sighed, more disconcerted than he’d been in years. What else, indeed? For a couple of minutes there, he’d wondered if perhaps his dreams were about to come true.

  Jess hadn’t expected Will to call her on her intentions, especially since she wasn’t even certain herself why she was suddenly considering breaking her hard-and-fast rule about not dating him. She had to admit, though, that he was right about one thing: something had changed between them tonight. There was a sizzle in the air she couldn’t remember ever being there before. Oh, there’d always been the heat of anger or a quick spark of indignation, but never this powerful pull, nor this simmering attraction. At least not until that kiss at Brady’s. Since then, she’d felt it more frequently.

  Maybe Gram’s advice had simply sunk in. Maybe she was finally at a point when she was ready to put her fears aside and embrace whatever there might be between the two of them. How ironic it would be if she was ready now, and Will was the one who held back.

  “How often do you go to Moonlight Cove?” Will asked, watching her intently, an odd wariness still in his eyes.