Most everybody had arrived and they were standing around the kitchen island chatting. Smiling at them, he set his bottle of wine down on the counter. “Wow, it smells great in here.” He gave his hostess a hug. “Hello, Olivia. Sorry I’m a bit late.”
He nodded to Mason’s sister, Melody. “Mel. Long time, no see.”
She gave him a smile. “Nice to see you, Alex.”
“Alex! I’m so glad you could make it,” Olivia gave him a warm squeeze before turning to make introductions. “I don’t know if you remember Jackie from high school? She was in my class, a couple of grades ahead of you. This is her boyfriend Tom and her daughter Abby.”
Alex shook both of their hands, and winked at the little girl shyly looking up at him as Olivia spoke. “Paul is the co-owner of the shop with Liz, and his nephew Jimmy just started working there this week.”
“Yeah, I’m doing all the paperwork and stuff that Liz and my uncle can’t stand.” Jimmy smiled. “I’m not complaining. At least now I get paid for the work I do, which is more than I can say for high school.”
“Better you than me,” the older man said gruffly before shaking Alex’s hand. “Nice to meet you. Olivia has been telling us how well the remodel is going.”
“I think we’ve been making good progress. It’s a fun project to be working on.”
Olivia gestured towards a woman setting the table, “My youngest sister, Fiona…and of course, Liz. You two were in the same class together.”
Alex was hardly surprised when he saw that Liz had taken the dishwasher apart. There were a handful of screws and parts piled on the counter beside her. What did startle him was the way his pulse jumped when she turned to look at him.
The long brown hair that she’d always worn in a practical ponytail had been chopped into a sharp, edgy pixie cut that was sexy as hell. It perfectly accented her big, pale-green eyes. Even just standing there, he imagined running his fingers through it and mussing it up. Feeling like an idiot for staring at her, Alex struggled to find his voice. “Eliza, you’re looking good.”
He loved watching the way her eyes fired up at the use of her full name. “It’s Liz. Not even my own mother called me Eliza.”
He knew using her full name would rile her, but he couldn’t resist the urge. Alex had always secretly liked how feminine her name was. Especially when compared to her badass attitude.
An attitude he was receiving a full dose of at the moment.
“Well, it’s nice to see you,” he said. She stared at him for a moment, then turned back to what she was doing. Maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea to tease her right off the bat. He wondered why he always became tongue-tied around her. It felt like he was fifteen all over again.
Alex could feel everybody holding their breath as they watched his exchange with Liz. Conversation lulled in the room for half a beat longer than was comfortable before Jackie carefully stepped into the quiet. “So, Alex…Olivia tells me you’ve been living in Seattle for a few years. How did you like it?”
Grateful, he turned towards Jackie. “I loved it. Seattle, actually the whole Pacific Northwest, is a beautiful place.”
“I’ve heard it always rains there. Is that true?” Jimmy asked.
Alex laughed. “Sort of. It’s cloudy most of the year and even when it isn’t downpouring, there’s usually a drizzle.” He shrugged. “Believe it or not, you get used to it. Besides, the summers are amazing and the winters aren’t nearly as harsh as they are here.
“Plus, Seattle is booming right now. Amazon and Microsoft have been expanding in the region, so the real estate bubble never popped like it did for the rest of the country.”
Fiona handed him a beer. “It sounds like you’ll be happy to return.”
“Thanks.” He took a swig before continuing, “I miss it, that’s for sure. The company I work for is one of the largest in the region, so there was a lot of work. I’m just hoping I still have a job when I get back.”
“It shouldn’t be too long, right?” Paul asked. “Olivia says the restaurant is coming together well. Do you honestly think it could be finished in a few weeks?”
He nodded. “Yes, I think we’re on track to open the last week of August.”
“It must be quite a challenge,” Fiona said.
“Actually, it’s not so bad. It’s sitting on a beautiful piece of land and the underlying structure still has good bones.” He looked at Melody, who owned the old barn they were converting into the restaurant. The restaurant would be right next door to her bed and breakfast. “Plus, you can’t get large beams like those anymore.”
“I admit, that’s my favorite part,” Melody agreed.
“Mine, too,” said Olivia. “Although I have a feeling my opinion may change once the wall of windows goes in and we get to take advantage of the view.” She began ladling gumbo into bowls and passing them off to Fiona to place on the table. “Dinner is ready. Why don’t you all grab a seat?”
Everybody came to the table. In the jostle for chairs Alex tried to find a seat next to Liz, but was disappointed when she maneuvered her way into a spot at the other end of the table. Although it wasn’t obvious, he got the impression she was doing her best to avoid him. Was he a sucker for punishment because he secretly hoped he’d have another opportunity to talk to her?
The start of the meal passed quietly as everybody savored their first few bites, murmuring their approval. Gradually, conversation resumed. With Mason on one side and Melody on the other, Alex was content to discuss the progress of the restaurant with them. Periodically, he would look up to find Liz glancing in his direction, but she never jumped into the discussion.
For his part, he noticed the way she interacted with her family and the people she considered friends. It struck him how relaxed and in her element she appeared to be. It was a far cry from the quiet and socially inept girl he’d known back in school.
Alex suspected Liz would be a great person to have as a friend. She was the kind of person who would do just about anything for the people she cared about, like breaking down a dishwasher in the middle of a dinner party. What would it be like to be a part of her inner circle?
The evening progressed and, to his dismay, the opportunity to interact with her was quickly slipping away. He’d be waiting there forever if he relied on her to initiate a conversation. “So, Liz, I drove by the shop earlier. The place looks like it’s doing well.”
As he suspected, she was too polite to ignore a comment made specifically to her. “It is, thanks.” Then, after a brief pause, “What brought you by?”
Alex hesitated to talk about discovering the intruder’s car outside her garage. The ugly topic of drugs didn’t fit into polite dinner talk. Besides, until he could better assess how Liz might be involved, it would be best to be discreet and give her the benefit of the doubt. He’d already bungled one conversation tonight, and he didn’t want to alienate her again so quickly. “The starter on my truck is grinding and I thought I’d see if you could fix it.”
“Oh, that’s an easy fix.” Paul chimed in. “Liz here has been doing that since she was fifteen.”
Liz’s cheeks blushed at the words of confidence. She nodded at Alex. “Sure, come by tomorrow. I’ll take a look at it.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it. I remember how much you used to like working on cars. It’s nice to see you’re still doing it.”
She gave him a wry look. “Yup, I’m still a good ol’ grease monkey. Never used to hear the end of it back then. Now I service most of their cars in my shop, and laugh all the way to the bank.”
Alex cringed at the memory. “Most of us have managed to grow up since then and can appreciate good work.”
The look of surprise that crossed Liz’s face had Alex wishing he could go back and kick his younger self’s ass.
A couple of hours later, Alex left with a grin on his face. The rest of the evening had gone well. Discussions spanned the gamut from music and travel destinations to architecture and food. While his di
rect interactions with Liz were limited, he was tuned in to her conversations. He learned she liked jigsaw puzzles and spicy food, and noticed she preferred beer over wine.
Overall, spending the evening surrounded by good conversation and friends was exactly what he needed. Plus, it didn’t hurt that he’d been in the company of an intelligent, beautiful woman. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been on a date. Maybe it was time to do something about that.
Liz called to him from the front steps. “I thought you said you drove a truck.”
Alex turned just in time to see her saunter towards the end of the driveway. This was definitely not the Eliza Harper he remembered from high school. No, this version was much more confident…and hot. He watched as she propped a hip up against the back of the Jeep sitting in the driveway before answering. “My truck is for work. This is for pleasure.”
“A 2014 Audi R8 is kind of impractical for Maine winters.” When he didn’t immediately respond, she added, “Although I like that you chose the royal blue as opposed to the typical red.”
“Glad you like it,” Alex couldn’t prevent the dry tone that entered his voice.
“Well, it’s a little newer than I like my cars, but not bad.”
Alex barked with laughter. “Not bad, huh?”
She crossed her arms and shot him a cocky grin. “430 horsepower, 0-60 in 4 seconds…”
“And a top speed of 168 miles per hour,” he said, finishing her list of statistics. Leaning up against his car, he mirrored her stance from across the street. Who knew it could be so sexy to hear someone rattle off car specs? Impulsively, he asked, “You wanna go for a ride?”
A shadow of doubt crossed her face before she straightened and made her way to her car door. “Nah, I’ve gotta get going. Early day tomorrow.”
“Oh. Okay, then. Well, I’ll stop by in the afternoon.”
“What?” She turned to him. “Right, your starter. Yeah, sounds good.” She opened her door.
With that, he watched her get in. His eyes followed her taillights all the way down the road until they turned at the intersection. Well, she didn’t bite his head off or ignore him, at least there was that.
Chapter Four
The man leaned back on the wall, deeper into the shadows, and waited for the other end to pick up. He didn’t bother identifying himself when it did. “The house has been compromised.”
There was a sharp intake of breath from the person on the other end. “Well, shit. This location didn’t last long. It’s getting harder to come up with places. What the hell happened?”
“The golden boy came by to check on his dad’s property.”
A heavy sigh came over the phone before the voice grew colder. “That’s the least of our problems. We need to find the shipment, or we’re all fucking dead. Have you located it yet?”
The man hesitated. He didn’t want to be the bearer of more bad news, but there was no way around it. “Not yet, but we have everyone looking. It’ll turn up.”
“It better. I am not going down for this alone. Don’t forget who’s running this operation.”
The man swallowed against the rage building in the back of his throat. There wouldn’t be an operation if he wasn’t doing the dirty work and covering their tracks. Instead of voicing his thoughts, he just grunted. “I’ll let you know if anything happens. I had them clear what was left from the house. There’s a new location already lined up, but I’ll need to confirm its status.”
“Well, put a rush on it.” The voice on the other end was little more than a growl.
He heard the click and shook his head. Getting saddled with all the work was starting to get tedious. It might be time to start thinking about branching out.
First, they had to find that damn shipment and get themselves squared away with their supplier. Then maybe it would be time to consider his options. In fact, if he played the situation right, this mistake could be an opportunity to take over the entire operation.
Chapter Five
Liz sank farther down in her seat and held her breath. She didn’t want to have to deal with the group of kids who had just entered the coffee shop. She watched as they teased and pushed each other, cavorting and making enough noise for her to hear everything they were saying from across the room.
From the outside, she scowled and cast them a look of distaste, but inside, she secretly envied their camaraderie. Almost against her will, her eyes were drawn to the center of their group where Alex stood. How was life fair that the rich kid was also blonde and handsome and so damn perfect? Even light seemed to get a little brighter where he walked.
Her stomach fluttered at the same time she rolled her eyes at herself. As if someone like Alex Weston would ever be interested in a rangy grease monkey like her. Surreptitiously, she cast a look down at her stubbornly flat chest. It was a good thing she was a tomboy by nature. She certainly had the look right.
Maybe they won’t see me…
Just as the thought crossed her mind, Alex’s teammate Josh looked up and caught her eyes darting away. From her peripheral view, she watched him lumber towards her.
“Hey, look, Alex…they actually let the monkey out of her cage.” He looked down at her, every line of his face full of derision. Liz thought his beady eyes and square face made him look more like a bullfrog than a boy.
“Shut up, Josh,” Liz responded. She stuck her chin out and stared at him defiantly. No way would she ever let these jerks know how much they got to her.
“Why, what are you going to do about it?” He reached for her biceps, but she yanked her arm away, “You look like a ten-year-old boy.”
Cynthia, the high school’s freshman darling, flounced up and began to giggle. “Yeah she does! She’s not a monkey, Josh, she’s a plank!”
Josh bent over and let out a loud guffaw. Anybody who didn’t know him better would think it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. His eyes took on a crueler glint.
Liz furtively looked around to see if any of the adults were close enough to notice what was happening, but they all looked too preoccupied with their newspapers and Blackberries to pay any attention to the little group in the corner.
She should have just stayed at the garage with her dad, instead of letting him convince her to take a break. In a small town like this it was virtually impossible to avoid the toxic popular kids during Spring Break.
Cynthia turned to her best friend and sidekick. “Awww, poor little plank, both dumb and mute!”
Ashleigh let out a high-pitched giggle. “Yeah!”
Liz wasn’t sure which was worse. The fact that someone as pretty as Cynthia could be so ugly on the inside, or that Ashleigh followed her around like a puppy dog and didn’t seem to have an independent thought in her head. She supposed it didn’t matter. They were both terrible.
She looked up at Alex from her seat at the table. Up to that point, he’d just watched. Liz was curious to see what he would do. Something in his gaze flickered, but it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. Finally, he said, “Come on, guys. I think our drinks are ready, and my dad said he’d come pick us up. Let’s go back to my place and hang out at the pool.”
With a final look of disdain from Cynthia and Josh, the little group left Liz sitting alone at her table, as easily forgotten as a piece of toilet paper stuck to the bottom of their shoe. Distasteful, but hardly worth noticing once flicked away…
Liz woke with high school taunts echoing in her mind. Seeing Alex last night had dredged up those terrible years of being subjected to mockery by the mean girls.
She hugged her pillow and smiled. That wasn’t how things had gone a few hours ago though, was it? In fact, all night it felt like she and Alex had been circling each other. She’d caught him looking at her more than once. Each time, a little frisson of electricity would shoot through her. Liz wasn’t the only one who noticed, either. Even Fiona had pulled her aside and asked what was going on between them.
Plus, what was that invitation t
o give her a ride? At the time, part of her couldn’t believe it. The other part of her had felt victorious, as if the younger, high-school version of her was vindicated by his interest.
She frowned. And didn’t that thought piss her off? The last thing she needed was Alex Weston’s approval or interest. Liz reminded herself that she was a strong, sexually confident, successful business woman who had gotten over those old insecurities a long time ago. She’d been getting along perfectly well without the likes of him for years now.
Even if he had looked good leaning up against his car. Liz wrinkled her nose and silently chastised herself. “The last thing you need is to get involved with a guy like Alex Weston,” she muttered to herself.
He was the kind of guy who stood silently by while his friends bullied her. A nice guy to your face, but not the guy who would defend you when you were down. He was not to be trusted. The dream was her subconscious reminding her of that.
Liz climbed out of her bed and pulled a ratty t-shirt out of the basket of clean clothes she’d neglected to put away. Picking up her favorite pair of jeans, she gave them a sniff test before shrugging and climbing into them. There was no point in being picky. They were already oil-stained and would be getting just as dirty again today.
Feeling good, she decided to walk the few blocks to the café. If she hurried, she’d have just enough time to grab some breakfast with her cup of coffee.
The air was thick with humidity and lay heavy on the back of her neck. In minutes, she had started to sweat. Crossing the street to walk in the shade, she waved to Frank, standing behind the counter of the hardware store. Despite what had happened to her sister a few months ago, she’d never known a more welcoming and safe town. There wasn’t any place else she’d rather live.
Blessedly cool air washed over her as she stepped into the café. Jackie and Tom had taken it over from Olivia after the fire last winter. It still felt weird to see the sign saying “Abby’s” as opposed to “The Three Sisters Cafe,” but she couldn’t help but approve of the changes they’d made.
Secret Need (The Harper Sisters Book 2) Page 3