“That’s what I’m here to find out.” She glanced past him to the open suitcase. “You’re leaving?”
“Maggie didn’t tell you?”
“No. She didn’t say much at all, and you were conspicuously not present at breakfast.” She shrugged. “I knew something was going on.”
“I’m going, so you’re right about that.”
“Call me nosy, but I’m here to find out what the heck happened.” She looked puzzled. “Why are you moving?”
“Maggie threw me out.” That was a tad dramatic, but he was feeling that way.
“Why would she do that?” Josie’s blue eyes narrowed on him. “What did you do, mister?”
“Nothing.” He couldn’t suppress a small smile at her tone and figured he should explain. “You sound like my mother and make me feel twelve years old again.”
“That’s a relief. I thought I’d lost my mojo.” The older woman stood a little taller. “But something must have spooked her into evicting a stable, paying customer.”
“If this was only business between us, I’d be at my office right now and not throwing my stuff into a suitcase.”
Josie pushed the door wide and walked into the room. “You’re saying there was something personal between you?”
“Yes.” That was all he was prepared to divulge.
“I knew it!” The older woman pumped her arm in triumph.
“What exactly did you know?”
“Here’s the thing. Maggie is an open book.” She met his gaze, and her own had a spark of intelligence that hinted she missed very little. “You’re a bit more guarded, but not much. You kissed her. I knew right away. Not because I was doing covert surveillance or anything. It was the way you acted around each other.”
“How was that?”
She laughed. “Both of you worked so hard at being casual and cool. Before the kiss there was an easy give-and-take. Afterward, you acted as if an accidental touch would cause spontaneous combustion.”
Eventually that was exactly what had happened, Sloan thought. And if it was up to him they would spontaneously combust again.
Often.
But after the engagement party last night, Maggie made it clear that wasn’t ever going to happen. “Okay,” he said grudgingly. “So we kissed.”
“I also confirmed it with Maggie. I’m not proud of it, but her mother and I got her to admit it.”
“So I heard.” He remembered lunch with her mother.
“Maureen meant well.” It was as if Josie could read his mind. “Then after a while you and Maggie sort of relaxed. Although anyone could see the sparks between you. The way you looked at her when you thought no one was watching. And Maggie did the same to you, in case you were wondering.”
“I was,” he admitted.
“So you care about her.” She wasn’t asking a question.
“Yes.” Again, he wasn’t prepared to say more, although he had the distinct impression this woman already knew his secrets.
“You’re in love with her.” Again, it wasn’t a question.
Why did his feelings need a label? Couldn’t they just be whatever they were? He liked spending time with Maggie. Sex was awesome and left him aching to have her again. She was beautiful, smart, hardworking, nurturing. He could go on, but that felt a lot like digging a hole he wouldn’t be able to crawl out of.
And Josie was waiting for him to comment, watching him like a hawk and probably reading his mind. In case that was a power she didn’t possess, he said, “I’m going to tell you what I told her brother. I’ve never been in love, never experienced it. So I wouldn’t recognize it if it walked up and shook my hand.”
“Aha,” she said. “Baggage.”
“Yeah.” Good. She got it. Maybe she’d back off now.
“That’s just an excuse for running away.”
So much for cutting him some slack.
“You should be telling Maggie that, not me.” He was getting irritated at taking the blame for having to move out. “I suggested to her that we take things one day at a time and see what happens.”
“She didn’t agree?”
“Her initial reaction was that it was sensible.” He’d hated how bland she’d made the exploratory phase of a relationship sound. “But last night, just before we left, Danielle insisted on giving me a hug.”
“I saw Maggie’s face when that happened and hoped it wouldn’t be a problem.” Josie looked troubled. “I guess it was.”
“Maggie said her daughter was getting attached to me and she didn’t want her hurt by someone who wasn’t sticking around.”
“How does she know you won’t?” the older woman demanded.
“That’s what I said. But she refused to discuss it. Her mind was made up.”
“There’s more, isn’t there?” She was studying him intently. “Maggie knows as well as I do that there are ways to handle Danielle’s attachment if that was the only issue. But you’re determined to move out. Did she ask you to?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“She said there couldn’t be anything physical between us.” Sloan wasn’t quite sure how she’d gotten so much information out of him, but, oddly enough, he didn’t mind all that much. So what did he have to lose by telling her what she probably already knew? “I told her that every time I see her I want her again and couldn’t promise that it wasn’t going to happen.”
“Good for you!” Then Josie frowned. “I don’t understand. Why are you giving up? You wouldn’t handle your business that way. What the heck is making you run away from this fight?”
Her tone clearly said she was disappointed in him, and Sloan was surprised at how much losing her good opinion bothered him. It put him even more on the defensive. “Look, Josie, you can’t call me any name I haven’t called myself. But this was Maggie’s decision. She has enough to deal with and I don’t want to make things harder for her.”
“I didn’t peg you for the cop-out type, Sloan.”
“It’s pretty easy to pass judgment when you don’t have skin in the game,” he said angrily.
“It is.” She wasn’t the least bit intimidated by his accusation and outburst. “But you’re wrong. I do have a stake in this. Maggie is like the daughter I never had. Opportunities for happiness don’t come along every day and second chances are even harder to find. I don’t want to see Maggie blow it like I did.”
“What—”
She held up a hand. “I’m not finished. You’re not the only one with baggage. If you stack yours up next to hers, she’ll win hands down. She lost the man she loved and is raising his child alone. That baby has to be at the top of her concern list if she considers letting a man into their lives. The thing is, you passed the test. You’re terrific with Danielle, obviously a natural with kids. Danielle responded to you in the best possible way. So there’s one wall down.” She blew out a breath. “But now Maggie has to face the fact that she’s just plain scared to let herself care for someone again and risk getting hurt a second time.”
“If I could make her take a chance, I would.” Frustration laced his words and had his hands curling into fists. “But only she can do that.”
“For you she just might try,” Josie said. “And if you were here every day right under her nose, if she had to look at you, interact with you, it would be easier to wear down her resistance. It would be a lot harder for her to ignore her feelings.”
“And if it doesn’t work, where does that leave me?” he demanded.
“You’re tough. Smart. Not just a pretty face. A big boy who would never have to say he gave up.”
“What if I want to throw in the towel?”
Josie sighed. “You’re hiding behind self-righteous anger to keep the hurt from leaking through.”
“
My choice.” His stubborn was coming out.
“It is. But sooner or later you’re going to have to face your feelings and be honest about them.”
“Maybe.” The bullheaded streak wasn’t going to let him admit she had a point.
“Or you could decide to continue ignoring the obvious.”
“There are benefits,” he maintained.
Josie nodded as if to say she felt sorry for him. She smiled sadly and met his gaze. “I’m going to miss watching TV with you.”
“Come to the lodge. The suite has a TV.”
“It won’t be the same.” She walked over and hugged him. “Goodbye, Sloan.”
“Take care of her, Josie.”
She nodded, then left him to his packing.
He threw things into the suitcase and wallowed in his self-righteous indignation. When there was nothing left to pack, the bubble of anger and resentment popped. It was time to face walking away from Maggie and this brief but wonderful glimpse into a life that could have been everything he’d ever wanted. Josie’s words drifted through his mind about being a quitter. They stung, but he didn’t see any future in taking his head out of the sand.
The problem with leaving it there was that it left his ass exposed.
* * *
Two days. Forty-eight hours.
Maggie couldn’t stop herself from marking time in terms of before and after Sloan. It had been two days since he’d moved out of her house. Correction: her B and B. He’d been a paying guest and it wasn’t supposed to get personal. So she’d fixed the problem and now he was gone. If only her house would stop feeling so empty without him in it.
Speaking of empty—her stomach growled, a reminder that she hadn’t eaten lunch and it was nearly two o’clock in the afternoon. Food hadn’t been high on her list for the past couple of days, but she needed something or she’d get sick. That wasn’t an option.
She left her office and went downstairs to the café. The lunch rush was over and only a few customers were in the place. Lucy was ringing up a couple’s bill, and after paying it they left. She picked up the half-filled coffeepot and strolled over to the table where the lone customer sat and topped off his mug. There was a flirty expression on her partner’s face, then Maggie noticed that the guy was very cute. Brown hair, blue eyes and broad shoulders—a triple threat. He also had a nice smile.
When she finally looked up and spotted Maggie, Lucy waved her over. “I was wondering when you’d surface for lunch.”
“I guess that would be now.” Maggie shrugged.
“Have you two met?” Lucy indicated the thirtysomething man she’d been chatting up. “He works for Sloan.”
“We haven’t run into each other.” Although just hearing Sloan’s name made Maggie feel as if she’d run into a brick wall. “I’m Maggie Potter.”
“Dalton Sparks. It’s nice to meet you, Maggie.” He shook her hand.
“I was just telling Dalton about all the fantastic things Blackwater Lake has to offer,” her partner gushed.
“It’s a pretty little place,” he responded, his eyes never leaving Lucy.
“It would be hard to find more spectacular scenery anywhere.” The woman was practically purring. She rested the half-full pot on the table. “And you can’t beat the people. Salt of the earth. Best anywhere. Friendly, hardworking. Always there if you need them.”
Maggie wondered if her friend should be on the town’s tourism and public relations committee. She was doing quite a sales pitch on the man. It was obvious because everything she’d said was what Maggie would have pitched to Sloan in order to talk him into staying. But she never had.
There were times when Maggie envied her partner. By taking a break from men, and apparently no emotional baggage, Lucy could be carefree. The only person she had to think about was herself. If she met a good-looking man there was nothing to stop her from pulling out all the stops. Maggie could barely remember a time when she didn’t have to consider a little girl, whose welfare came first. The love for her child was tremendously big and all consuming, but it didn’t quite fill up the lonely places inside her, the places that missed Sloan.
“How do you like Blackwater Lake?” she asked the newcomer to town.
“Seems like a great place,” he said.
“Do you enjoy working here?” Lucy wanted to know.
“If you’d asked me that two days ago I’d have answered yes without hesitation. But my boss has developed a bad case of surly and it’s showing no sign of letting up anytime soon.”
Two days? That was when Maggie had asked him to leave the bed-and-breakfast. It probably wasn’t a coincidence. Part of her wanted to believe he was crabby because he missed her, too. The practical part shut down that thought. And before she could figure out how to delicately phrase a question, the café’s front door opened. Automatically she turned to look and saw her brother, Brady, walk in. He glanced around, then spotted her and came over.
“Ladies. How’s it going, Dalton?” He obviously had met the man who worked with Sloan.
Dalton stood and shook hands. “Good to see you, Brady. I was just saying that things could be better.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Sloan. His attitude stinks. It’s as if someone told him he has to paint the outside of the new resort pink or something.” Dalton shook his head. “And speaking of work, I better get back to it. You know what they say about poking an angry bear.”
“I’ll ring up your check.” Lucy led him over to the cash register.
Maggie watched the other woman smile up at the new guy, then met her brother’s gaze. “Hi, there. Are you here for lunch?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s kind of late.”
“I’ve been kind of busy,” he said.
“Me, too. I just came down for a quick bite myself.”
“Good. Join me,” he invited. “I hate to eat alone.”
“Since when?” she asked. “After you met a computer, you made a friend.”
“Very funny. Although kind of true.” He grinned. “Maybe falling in love with Olivia changed me for the better.”
“Definitely better. You had nowhere to go but up,” Maggie teased. She led him to a table for two by the front window and they sat down across from each other. “That’s the thing. Because she’s your executive assistant you took her for granted. You took advantage of her for years. But I don’t think you suddenly fell for her. You just always loved her.”
“I see that now. But it wasn’t until she gave me notice that she was quitting and leaving town for another job that I started to pay closer attention.”
“She shook you up.”
His eyes narrowed. “As I recall, you had a little to do with that.”
“Oh, who can remember.” Maggie waved her hand dismissively.
“I do, as a matter of fact. It was your idea for her to quit.”
“She tried to give her notice more than once, but you dangled more money in front of her. All she wanted was for you to love her.”
Brady’s expression turned serious. “I don’t know what I would have done without her.”
“You would have gone after her. Just like you did when she took that trip to Florida.” Maggie grabbed two menus stacked beside the salt-and-pepper shakers and handed one to him. “Olivia said you proposed to her right there on the beach.”
“What can I say? I’m spontaneous. A man of action.”
Maggie scoffed. “It only took you five years.”
“I had issues,” he defended.
Lucy walked over to them, order pad in hand. “Hi, Brady. How are you?”
“Good. You?”
“Can’t complain.” She glanced over her shoulder to the door where Dalton had just exited. “I have to say that the resort project is
bringing in a lot of interesting men to deepen the dating pool.”
As far as Maggie was concerned, the pool could be a puddle and that would be deep enough for her. Her experience with Sloan had shown her the wisdom of not dipping her toe in the water. If only she’d listened to her own warnings and stuck to her guns when she’d blathered to him about not inviting him into her bedroom. Now she missed him so much she ached from it.
“So what’ll you two have?” Lucy asked.
“Hamburger.” Brady hadn’t even looked at the menu.
“If that’s what you had your heart set on, you should have gone to the Grizzly Bear Diner,” Maggie said.
“Excuse me,” Lucy objected. “But in Building a Business 101, it says that you should encourage people to come into your establishment, not send them to the competition.”
“He’s not people. He’s my brother. And he doesn’t pay anyway,” Maggie reminded her.
“Wait a second. I’m not a freeloader,” he protested. “I did your website at no charge. And I’m here because the beef you serve is grass fed and comes with a side of field greens or fruit. Organic and healthy. My woman will be so proud.”
“Okay, then.” Lucy looked at her. “Maggie?”
“Vegetable soup.”
“And?” Lucy and Brady said together.
“That’s it. I’m not very hungry.” Her stomach growled in spite of the knot that told her she would have trouble getting the soup down.
“I’ll throw half a tuna-salad sandwich on the plate.” Lucy turned away.
“She’s a gigantic pain in the neck,” Maggie said fondly.
“And she cares about you,” her brother reminded her. “A lot of people do. So what’s wrong, Maggie?”
Ah. This was why he hadn’t gone to the diner. There was an ulterior motive for showing up at the Harvest Café.
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine.”
“Let’s leave that for now. I’ll come back to it because you’re not fine.” Brady met her gaze. “But it’s important for you to know that Sloan has been like the walking dead since the night of Burke and Sydney’s engagement party. And from what Dalton just said and my own observations, it’s clear something happened between you two that night, because the rumor is that the next morning he moved into Blackwater Lake Lodge.”
The Widow's Bachelor Bargain Page 18