“Do you miss your father?”
The directness of her question took Joel aback. Usually, women he dated didn’t care one way or another. It was as if they barely even knew he had parents. They focused on the glitz and glamor of the resort.
“I actually don’t think I do.” He shook his head and sorrow crept through his expression. “And that saddens me.”
“Because of the affairs?” she pressed.
“Partially.” Joel was shocked that he felt so comfortable talking to her about something so personal.
He usually kept the conversation simple and away from topics that involved anything to do with drama and emotion. “But my father had also slowly started to change over the years. He became intolerant of others’ mistakes, and he didn’t seem like he cared what happened to my brothers or me. I suppose in hindsight, I can say that his intolerance was a way to divert our attention away from his own mistakes.” He shrugged.
“I tried to stay in touch, but he didn’t seem interested. He had a new family, and that was where he focused his attention. My brothers might have had better luck, but we don’t really spend much time talking about it. I’m not going to beg for a man’s attention.”
“And neither am I.” Autumn giggled and instantly lightened the mood.
“You’d never have to.” Joel’s smile widened, but Autumn wasn’t ready to let him off the hook.
“What does your mom think?” Autumn had finished her salad.
“That she’s glad she had a great attorney.”
That brought another smile to Autumn’s lips, and Joel loved seeing it. She was beautiful no matter her expression, but Autumn’s smile shone unlike any he’d ever seen.
“I like your mom already.”
Joel became quiet. He knew his mother would love Autumn. His grandmother and niece already did, which was somewhat alarming. They usually let him know all the potential problems and pitfalls of any woman immediately. From their estimation, Autumn had no issues other than that she was in over her head at the B&B, but Joel didn’t see it that way.
If anyone was capable of making something out of nothing, he firmly believed it would be Autumn who could make that place magical. It didn’t hurt that she was across the street, and he’d be more than happy to lend a hand—or a brother—if that meant it would make her stay.
“I love that your family gets along.” She glanced around the restaurant. “I mean, not only do you run a business together, but you still manage to want to speak to one another at a family barbeque. I think that’s impressive. I’d like to think that if I had siblings, that’s how it would be for me.”
“I don’t doubt it would be.” Joel laughed. “But just look at the strays you’re willing to take in.”
“You’re not a stray,” she teased, knowing full well he was talking about Ronald.
Joel looked at her and complete admiration flooded through him. No matter how serious the topic, she could always lead him back to the light. He thought back to the other women he’d dated over the years, and no other woman had ever possessed that ability.
Often, the women he’d dated brought conflict into his life. He could never understand how that happened, but he swore he was a magnet for women who craved drama and spectacle. His eyes floated over to Autumn as she happily looked on as the waitress brought over the filet mignon. She beamed as the plate was set in front of her.
Just being near Autumn made his life better.
Joel thanked the waitress and turned his attention back to Autumn.
“This doesn’t look like the Kobe burger to me.”
Joel smiled and winked. “The brandy peppercorn sauce is a must. We can do the burger some other time.”
“It looks amazing.” She picked up her steak knife and happily cut into the meat. “So there might actually be a next time?”
“If I’m lucky.”
She took a bite of steak and her eyes closed in pure bliss. “Amazing. So, have I seen any of your investment properties in town?”
Her question alarmed him and made all his thoughts slide right out of his mind. He certainly wouldn’t lie to her, but he’d hoped to omit a few details here and there until it became absolutely necessary for her to know. He hadn’t planned that tonight would be that night, but as he looked into her eyes, he knew he had to at least answer her question.
“Actually . . .” He moved in his chair slightly and waited until her eyes fluttered back to his. “Those two homes I showed you the other day—”
“The ones on Tucker Street?” she interrupted.
“Yeah. Those are the ones.” He tried to read her face, but it remained expressionless. “Both of those are rental properties.”
Her face broke into an immediate smile. “So that’s why you think you could get me a tour inside.”
His shoulders fell from the tension that released. Maybe all of his worries were unfounded. After all, she hadn’t even known she had a deep-rooted history in Silver Ridge until a few weeks ago. Why did he assume she’d be upset with him or his family for intervening when needed?
“That would be why,” he acknowledged, slightly worrying about her reaction.
“Wow.” She shook her head and took another bite, savoring the flavor. “I wouldn’t have guessed it. Do you own any others?”
“A few.” He took a deep breath and noticed his brother, Austin, walking into the bar. He really hoped he didn’t notice Joel.
“Any other homes of significance that you own?” Her brow arched and he shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to give an explanation as to why he owned them, and maybe that time would never come. He kind of hoped it wouldn’t, but he hated lying by omission to her, and that’s what it felt like he was doing. She’d been kept in the dark long enough as it was.
“Not that I know of.” Joel chuckled and took a bite of steak.
“So why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.
“I’m not exactly sure.” Which was true.
It wasn’t like his grandmother hadn’t mentioned the street and homes to Autumn either. She did suggest that Autumn go see them. There were other residences that the Tuckers had owned over the years, so he could have shown her some of those, but these were the most grand, the most beautifully restored. Perhaps, he wanted to give Autumn something that she could be proud of. His chest tightened as he thought about why he’d ended up with those particular properties and why he’d turned down the B&B Autumn now owned.
“Any other secrets I should be aware of?” she teased, and he felt his pulse dip as he eyed his brother. Her gaze followed Joel’s and she chuckled. “Guess there’s no hiding from family when you all work and play at the same place.”
“Indeed.” Joel was relieved that his brother had provided a quick distraction.
Austin caught sight of the two of them and held up his drink in their direction. He obviously had his eye on someone at the bar or he would have made his way over. Joel scanned a few stools down, and it didn’t take him long to figure out which woman caught his brother’s attention. He had a type. He always had a type.
They both finished their steaks, and the waitress offered the dessert menu, which Autumn politely turned down. He wasn’t ready for the night to be over with her, but he knew he’d soon be driving her home and they’d go back to being neighbors.
“You know, I wasn’t kidding about installing the cabinets and—”
Her eyes flew to his, and she shook her head.
“I honestly couldn’t do that to you.” She looked around the restaurant. “You have a lot to keep you busy during the day already.”
He waved his hand in the direction of the bar. “The place basically runs itself.”
A complete lie, but he’d do or say just about anything to be able to be around Autumn, even if that meant installing kitchen cabinets, counters, and tile work in the middle of summer when the temperature gauge finally ran north of ninety degrees.
“I’m looking forward to hearing back from Mason so I can w
rap my head around everything.”
Joel nodded, seeing that she didn’t want to take him up on his offer immediately, which he respected. But he also knew that no matter how fair of a contractor Mason was, the B&B was a disaster sitting on top of crumbling concrete. There was a reason he didn’t bother including it in the deal with Fred Tucker. He pushed those thoughts aside, worried Autumn would somehow tap into them, and steadied his eyes on hers.
“You ready?” he asked, and she nodded eagerly.
If he didn’t know better, he’d guess her eyes fell to his mouth before flicking back to his gaze.
“I am.” She smiled and stood as Joel glanced at his brother, who gave another quick wave in his direction.
Normally, he would have made his way over to the bar to say hi to his brother, but he didn’t want to risk anything with Autumn with him. Instead, he tucked Autumn into his side and they walked through the restaurant and toward the lobby of the resort.
It was silent between them, but there was nothing awkward about the moments shared as Joel linked his fingers through hers and they made their way into the cool night air.
“I really enjoyed myself.” Autumn glanced up at Joel and he smiled. “I’m glad you convinced me to come out with you tonight.”
Joel held in a chuckle, knowing it didn’t take much at all in the way of convincing her.
“Sometimes, the best way to deal with issues is to step away, and the solutions come.” He wanted to add that he was the solution, but he didn’t want to push that on her because he wasn’t actually sure he was. He knew how much he could help her beyond pulling off wallpaper or driving her guests to the urgent care. He really could hang cabinets and do tile work, but he was also dependable in other ways.
“I’ll have to remember that.” She squeezed his hand. “I have a feeling there’ll be plenty of opportunities for me to step away.”
He pulled her to a stop, and without giving it another thought, he brought her close as his mouth came down on hers. She kissed him back, and he suddenly felt powerless. He’d never wanted a woman as much as he wanted Autumn. He would do anything for her.
All it took was a simple kiss from Autumn, and Joel was fully aroused.
Who was he kidding? All it took was a glance in his direction from her.
He slowly broke his lips from hers and pressed his forehead against hers. “Are you free on the Fourth?”
She looked up at him with a soft look in her eyes, and he knew his world would never be the same as long as she was in it.
Chapter Fourteen
Autumn stared down at the email she’d printed off from Mason. There was nothing about his bid that seemed exorbitant. In fact, she was pretty certain he’d given her a break whenever he could, but the problem was that this house had so many little issues on top of the big ones that she didn’t even know where to start. In order to get her to the point where she could open the doors and begin charging guests, she had to get at least eighty percent of the items checked off the list in front of her.
Mason already had his men working on the front porch yesterday, and today, they might possibly finish, even though it was the Fourth of July. She peered out the window and saw several shirtless men sawing, pounding, and nailing down the freshly sawn lumber when a knock at the kitchen door brought her to life. It was funny.
A few months ago, she might have gotten excited over seeing such a show out her front door, but since she’d met Joel, no one seemed to compare, and she hadn’t even slept with him. He’d kissed her a few days ago and she was still floating on cloud nine.
Autumn wandered over to the door to see one of the men leaning on the frame. He’d put on his shirt and his tool bet hung low, but his smile was charming. It made her wonder if Mason got his workers from a modeling agency.
“We’ve called the Department of Wildlife, so we’ll be cutting back on the work for the rest of the afternoon until they get here. We might go grab lunch.”
Judging by the look on his face, whatever prompted him to make the call wasn’t something she necessarily wanted the details on. Her mind flashed to Ronald, and she hid a smile.
“Is it bad?” she asked.
“It’s nothing I want to deal with.” He straightened up and shook his head. “There’s a family of angry raccoons right beneath the steps. They’ve made a nest under the porch, and I honestly think they’ve been there for a really, really long time.”
“Are there babies?” The image of raccoons crawling around Ronald’s legs gave her a sudden fit of giggles.
“Four babies and a mama,” he confirmed, but she couldn’t stop giggling as she thought about Ronald shrieking like a girl and hopping around with his head and shoulders poking out from the porch. It shouldn’t make her laugh.
But it did.
After all, Ronald had to hobble around with a broken ankle for a brief time thanks to the trip he made up here, but there was something about the whole situation that wouldn’t let her stop.
When the guy saw he wasn’t going to make any more headway with the maniacal woman at the door, he gave a quick wave and headed back to the guys. Her laughter carried her to the dining room, and she plopped down in a chair, envisioning raccoons curling around Ronald’s ankles.
She couldn’t resist and sent a quick message to Joel.
Looks like Ronald was right. There was something crawling around his legs. A family of raccoons!
Autumn finally calmed her giggles down and took a deep breath when another knock on the side door echoed through the air. Maybe it was a wildlife agent. She hoisted herself off the chair and attempted to compose herself on the way to the door.
She didn’t bother checking to see who it was before flinging open the door to see her two best friends standing on the stoop.
“Surprise!” They both yelled in unison.
Autumn let out an excited yelp as they all gave each other giant bear hugs.
“I hope we didn’t ruin your Fourth of July plans,” Tami said, still holding onto Autumn and Dina.
Tami was a petite woman, only coming up to Autumn’s shoulders, and her short blonde hair framed her delicate features and bright blue eyes while Dina was the complete opposite. She was taller than both of them and had dark hair, brown eyes, and a muscular body.
“I can’t believe you pulled this off.” Autumn took a step back, beaming.
“You can’t expect that by sending us all those photos, we weren’t going to make our way up here.” Dina smiled and Tami nodded in agreement, leaning in.
“We’re actually kind of worried about you.” Tami twisted her mouth into a sweet pout and put both hands on her hips. “This is a big project.”
“I’m not actually sure this counts as a project.” Dina glanced inside the kitchen. “This is a monumental undertaking.”
“Not for the faint of heart,” Autumn agreed, welcoming them inside.
“Wow.” Dina’s eyes lingered on the countertops before spinning around to look at Autumn. “This is going to be fabulous. Nothing a little paint can’t fix in here.”
“Are we in the same kitchen?” Tami asked, and Autumn laughed.
“It’s retro,” Dina said.
Dina always had a way of putting a positive spin on things, and Autumn needed to hear that right now. She needed all the positive reinforcement she could get.
“I’m hoping I can put in new cabinets and countertops in here,” Autumn informed them.
“Tell me this.” Tami craned her neck and glanced out the dining room window. “Are those men the reason you’re staying?” The twinkle in Tami’s eyes made Autumn laugh.
“They just showed up yesterday.” Autumn followed her gaze to the workers. “But they have to be the most attractive carpenters on the West Coast.”
“Totally agree.” Tami nodded.
“But my neighbor is way hotter.” Autumn giggled, and Dina’s gaze flew to hers.
“Is there a reason you haven’t mentioned him?” Dina’s dark brow rose. “Is h
e married?”
“No. He seems to be very single.” Autumn’s cheeks flushed and Dina’s smile only grew.
“You’re blushing.” Dina laughed and Tami nodded.
“She is. Can we meet him?”
“It’s not like that.” Autumn shook her head. “I haven’t been here long enough to—”
“Long enough,” Dina chimed in, and Autumn rolled her eyes.
“Have you two . . .” Tami didn’t finish her sentence but wiggled her brows instead.
“No.” Autumn could feel her cheeks turning crimson. “But we’ve kissed.”
The girls stood silently in front of Autumn for a few seconds until Tami couldn’t resist.
“How many times?”
“A lot of almosts.” Autumn cleared her throat. “But three times.”
“And?” Dina pressed.
“Amazing.” Autumn’s knees got weak just thinking about Joel North.
“So, what’s he look like?” Dina asked.
“Dark hair, blue eyes, tan . . .” Autumn sucked in a deep breath as her mind went over every detail of the man she was definitely falling for. “A really muscular build, broad shoulders. You know, the usual perfect male who is impossible to find and even harder to convince—”
Dina’s eyes widened as she looked over Autumn’s shoulder. She watched Tami stand taller, and Autumn knew she had absolutely no plan to continue describing the man who was apparently standing right behind her.
“And I even install cabinets.” Joel’s voice made all of Autumn tingle with delight. Even his voice was sexy.
“And I think Autumn definitely needs cabinets installed.” Dina glanced at Joel and then over at Tami. “You know, we’ve been traveling all morning. We need to get upstairs and get freshened up.”
Autumn narrowed her eyes at her friend and grabbed her hand. Autumn wasn’t going to point out that they had absolutely no idea where to go or which rooms had beds. “Dina and Tami, this is Joel North. He’s my overly helpful neighbor who lives across the street.”
“You’re the one who helped Autumn out of her bind with Ronald.” Dina smiled and didn’t budge even though she’d planned on going upstairs only seconds before.
Happy Truth About Love: Island County Spinoff Series (Silver Ridge Series Book 1) Page 13