by Amity Hope
“I do feel bad. I know my aunts are going to be furious. On the other hand…” He shrugged as he made a rueful face.
“They’re never happy anyway?” I finished for him.
“Exactly,” he said with a sigh.
“I am sure Villette and Charles are ecstatic that everything is in order.”
His grin reappeared and he nodded. “Yeah. Yeah they are. Now I just hope I can make them proud.”
I leaned over to drop a kiss on his cheek. “Max, I know you already have.”
“Well, I hope to continue to make them proud,” he said.
I moved back to my side of the booth. I was so happy to see him this happy.
“There’s more,” he admitted.
“Well, come on,” I prodded. “Don’t keep me in suspense.”
“Dad heard all about the commotion my aunts were causing. They’ve been calling him to complain as well. Of course, he doesn’t have a lot of patience with them. When he heard they were harassing Grandma and Grandpa about the beach house, he decided to do something about it.” He paused for a breath. “He called the other day and asked what my long term plans were. I told him I’d like to buy the beach house eventually. Anyway, he gave my brother and me each a pretty large chunk of money. I have no idea what Mike’s using his for. He’ll probably just blow it. Dad wanted me to use mine as a down payment. He’d already talked to Grandpa and Grandma about it. Today, when I met with them about the winery, we discussed the beach house. They’re going to let me buy it. If we can ever agree on a price.”
“Wow!” I said. “You’ve had a busy day.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Sorry I was running a little late. Again. I had to make a quick stop before I got here.” He stretched out in his seat so he could pull something out of his front pocket. It was a small jewelry box. “Not a ring!” he said with a teasing wink.
I reached across the table and lightly smacked his shoulder. “Haha.”
“I had this specially made. I was going to give it to you on Valentine’s but it wasn’t done yet. But maybe today is even better. I’ll give it to you in celebration of owning Villette Vineyards.”
I was pretty sure I’d never seen his smile so huge. I couldn’t help grinning back. I loved to see him this happy. After the stress of the last few months, he deserved it.
He handed the small box to me.
It wasn’t wrapped and I flipped the lid open. Nestled inside was another charm to add to the bracelet Max had given me last summer. It was dangling from my wrist, full of charms that meant something to both of us.
“Oh, this is so perfect!” I gushed. I ran my fingertip across the small, silver fountain. “Thank you!”
“You’re welcome.”
“Hey you two!” Clarissa said. I hadn’t heard her approach. She placed an enormous banana split between Max and me. It looked like it was served in a platter rather than a bowl. Upon further inspection, I realized it was the Harmony Bay Café’s Banana Split Supreme. I knew this because I could see hunks of gooey brownie, the ‘supreme’ ingredient, poking out of the ice cream.
I glanced up at her. “What is this for?”
She scrunched up her face in apology. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. But I was walking by with an order. I heard what Max said about the winery. Congratulations!” she said as she turned to him.
He grinned back at her. “Thanks.”
“So, celebratory dessert is on me.” She plunked two spoons into the concoction before bouncing away.
Max looked at me as he reached for the spoon.
Dessert before dinner? Oh, why not? I thought to myself.
He dug in and I followed suit.
He held his gooey bite up in the air and made a tiny motion with it. “Cheers?” he asked.
I clunked my own huge bite into his. “Cheers,” I said with a laugh.
~*~*~
“Don’t you think it’s a little strange that she refused to fly?” Max asked me. He stretched his legs out and gave the porch swing another shove. The air was chilled and the sun would be setting soon.
I’d gotten a text from Lanna not too long ago. She’d let me know she’d just gotten into town and was sitting at the first stoplight. She should be arriving any second.
I nodded because I did, indeed, find it strange. It wasn’t as if Lanna had a fear of flying. She’d flown halfway around the world and taken countless vacations. Driving to Harmony Bay from Chamberlain was quite the road trip. I knew, I’d traveled it twice so far. And I, at least, had had Max for company.
“She said she wanted to use the drive to clear her head,” I told him. “Something is going on with her.”
He gave me a look, as if to ask When isn’t something going on with her? I knew that was what he was thinking but he was too polite to say it out loud. I also knew he didn’t mean it in a negative way. It was just that it seemed Lanna was always up to something.
“I asked Dani and Felicia but they swore they didn’t know. In fact, Dani said she’s hardly seen Lanna lately. Which, as you know, isn’t like Lanna at all. She loves to go out.”
Max tilted his head to the side. “I think she might be here. A car just stopped at the curb.”
I bounced up from the swing and hurried across the deck and down the steps. I picked up my pace even more when my feet hit the ground. As I rounded the corner of the house, I saw a brand new, dark blue Camaro out front. I could make out Lanna’s silhouette in the driver’s seat.
“No wonder she drove,” Max muttered appreciatively. “I’d want to spend some quality time with that car too.”
“Hey, guys!” she said as she emerged from the driver’s seat. She was so tall that she easily leaned on the roof of the car. Her long, blond hair was already blowing in the breeze. She reached up to prop her sunglasses on her head as I closed the distance between us.
“Lanna!” I cried. I tossed my arms around her in a hug. We talked almost daily but I hadn’t seen her in forever. The few times I’d seen her in the past few years, it had been for a limited time.
“I’m so glad I’m finally here,” she said. “I thought that drive would never end!”
I laughed because I could relate to that statement.
She peeked around me and a blissful look settled onto her face. I turned to see exactly what she was looking at. Between the gap in our house and the neighbor’s was a pretty impressive view of the ocean. The evening sky was a swirl of pastels as the sun began to fall into the horizon.
“Oh, wow,” she breathed. “I think I love it here already.”
“It’s pretty awesome,” I agreed.
“Nice car,” Max said. He circled it, taking in every detail, no doubt.
She turned back to it, appraising it for a second. “Thanks. I really love it. I never knew driving could be so much fun.”
“It’s kind of…flashy,” I said. Not that I didn’t like it. I liked it a lot. While the car was flashy, the color was subdued. It was a nice combination.
She smiled and shrugged. “You can call it flashy. I prefer to think of it as retail therapy. And we both know that’s the best kind of therapy.”
Before I could ask her why the sudden need for therapy of any kind, Max was talking again.
“So, uh, just how long are you planning on staying?” He turned to her as he joined us again. His head was cocked to the side, a curious look had settled onto his face.
I squinted in confusion at the interior of Lanna’s car, finally noticing what Max must’ve already noticed. She had told me that she wanted to drive so that she could have some time to think. Time to clear her head.
However, it looked to me like she’d driven because there was no way that she could get that much luggage on an airplane. Not only was the backseat full, but the passenger seat as well. If the inside was full, I had to assume the trunk was packed tight.
She gave him a sheepish smile. “I’d like to stay for as long as you’re willing to have me. Remember when I sent Holly out here with you?”
Max’s gaze cut to me and then back to Lanna. As if he could forget my disastrous wedding-day-that-wasn’t. That had been the day we’d stood in the church parking lot in the rain, my wedding gown becoming drenched. Lanna had very firmly insisted that Max let me travel to California with him. It was that moment that everything had started to fall into place for Max and me.
“Yeah, of course I remember,” he said.
“And remember how you said you owed me?”
Now I was the quizzical one. I hadn’t been aware of that conversation. Not that I was surprised.
Max cleared his throat before saying, “Yeah?”
“Well, here’s your chance to pay me back,” Lanna said, giving him a sugary smile.
“Pay you back how?” he wondered as he narrowed his eyes at her.
She tossed an arm around his shoulder and she smiled at him.
“You want to stay, don’t you? I mean, like, permanently?” Max asked with a knowing look.
She grinned back and nodded. “I want to stay for as long as you can stand me.”
“Well, then,” Max said as he smiled back, “we better get you unpacked. Because it sounds like you’re going to be here for a while.”
I let out an excited little squeal. I had hoped she’d stay for an extended vacation. But something more permanent?
I had no doubt that Harmony Bay was about to become a whole lot more fun.
Coming Soon: Burned, Lanna’s story
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Other books by Amity Hope:
TWISTED
DITCHED
TAINTED LEGACY
PURE REDEMPTION
FIGHTING FATE
TRUTHS AND DARES
SECRETS AND LIES