“Hello?” I called out as footsteps started in my direction.
I walked through a large arch into a grand room with ceilings reaching toward heaven and walls of dazzling glass, many in need of repair, highlighting that this building once belonged to a congregation.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” the man’s voice sent a thrill down my spine as a smile spread across my lips.
I closed my eyes and shook my head in disbelief.
“Very.” I blinked my eyes open to see Shane Parker walking down the center aisle toward me. “I’ve never been inside before.”
“So, do you believe me now?”
He was only a foot away, and I felt every cell in my body light up in a frenzy of excitement that made absolutely no sense.
“About what?” I asked, bewildered.
“That I was coming to Fireweed.” An affectionate smile spread across Shane’s face, and I melted. “You didn’t believe that I would be here.”
“Would you after all your lines?” I teased.
“Probably not.” His smile deepened.
“Did you know you were meeting me here?”
Shane shook his head. “Not until this morning when my assistant sent me the company information and I looked it up.”
I placed my items on one of the pews and took a breath. “I’m not sure I believe that.”
“You’re not very trusting.” He laughed.
“Only around you.” I winked. “Remember? You were the scorned ex-lover?”
“Oh, yeah. Well, I had to do some undercover work.”
“In the name of your sister,” I added.
“Amen.” He chuckled. “So, did you miss me?”
My cheeks flamed red. “Why would I?”
“Ah.” He nodded. “The question should be why wouldn’t you?”
“You are going to be impossible to work with.”
“If you get the job,” he added with a sparkle in his eyes.
“Exactly.” I hid a chuckle and batted down the butterflies that were roaring to life. “I thought you were a rancher.”
“I own a ranch,” he corrected. “That’s where I live.”
“On a working ranch.”
“Correct.”
I narrowed my eyes at him and let out a long, confused breath. “So, you own Lark Construction?”
“I do.”
“Why didn’t you name it Parker Construction? You seem like the kind of guy who’d want everyone to know of his accomplishments.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Do I?”
“I thought that was obvious with your overflowing confidence.”
“Well, my successes have largely been built on a lark, so Lark Construction seemed more fitting than a bland name like Parker.”
“I see.”
“Tell me why you didn’t name your company Turner? That’s your last name. I’m sure there’s a story behind your business name.”
I scowled at his observation. “There is and it’s my middle name.”
“Juniper is your middle name?” he asked in surprise.
“Yup.” I picked my sketches back up. “Juniper Glass. Boring, huh?”
“There is absolutely nothing boring about Dakota Juniper Turner.”
“How do you know? You just met me.”
“There’s a fire behind your eyes that tells me something.”
“Like what?”
“I’m not sure.” He let out a low chuckle. “Maybe to watch out?”
I smiled and took in a deep breath in before spinning around to get a better look at the church and give myself a break from Mr. Gorgeous. Being alone with him on the edge of Fireweed Island with no one around for miles was starting to get to me. I could imagine all kinds of things that we could do that would definitely not be church appropriate.
“So what’s your plan for this building? Your assistant mentioned you wanted to keep the integrity of the architecture and design.”
“That’s true. For the most part.”
I refused to turn to face him for fear that I’d want to start where we’d left off last night. Instead, I slowly wandered over to the nearest wall of windows and hoped that would create enough distance between Shane and me.
The glass flooded the interior of the church with light. There didn’t appear to be any electricity and the ornate glass throughout was the only source of brightness. Speckles of dust floated in the rays of light as I slowly took in the yellow and red glass splaying a gentle glow along the stone floor. I needed to focus on business, not pleasure.
I wandered over to one of the windows that had been broken from weather or a vandal and was boarded up.
“I don’t see you as a ranchman or a priest.” I slowly turned, wishing I hadn’t.
He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a red buffalo plaid shirt, sleeves rolled up, and my eyes drifted along his broad shoulders and muscular chest.
“Definitely not a man of the cloth, but I certainly appreciate what this place of worship represents.”
“So you’re opening up a church?” I asked in surprise.
“No.” He shook his head. “But I am restoring it. I hope to turn it into a home for our family for generations. It’s a gift.”
“A gift?” I asked.
He nodded. “For my sister. Like I told you, I have a lot of making up to do.”
I smiled in awe at this man. Cynthia never revealed she had a brother or any problems with her family, but I also didn’t think it was my place to ask Shane any questions. This was a business meeting.
Nothing more and nothing less.
But there was something filling his gaze that made me think nothing he could have done was as bad as he thought.
“Sometimes we beat ourselves up far more than we should, but I’m sure your sister will be completely shocked at this gesture. Does she have any idea?”
Shane shook his head. “Not a clue. It’s their wedding gift.”
“Well, I know Sammi will love it. She loves everything about Fireweed Island. In fact, she’s staying with me when Charlie and Cynthia take their belated honeymoon in a few months, but she’s in love with everything to do with the ocean and Fireweed.”
“She does?” Shane looked relieved.
“Totally. And you know what they say about happy stepchildren.” I grinned and Shane laughed. “But, really. Sammi always comes over and stays at my place and helps me with the glass work.”
“She’s a lucky girl.” Shane smiled.
“Sammi’s been through so much. It’s the least I can do. I just wish I could do more.” My voice hushed as I thought about Sammi’s mother. “I couldn’t imagine not having my mom.”
Shane started toward me and my heart skipped a beat. “So, you’ll have electricity run in here I suppose?”
“That’s the plan.” He kept walking toward me, and had I not already been up against the wall, I would have started to back up. “This will be the great room and the—”
Shane stopped walking and stood about three feet away. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No,” I nearly whispered.
“Am I making you uncomfortable?” Concern spread across his features.
“Not in the slightest.”
“Then what is it?”
I blushed. “I’m sorry. I—”
“What?”
“I don’t think this is the job for me.”
“I’ve seen your work, Dakota. It’s beautiful. Far more intricate than even these installations.” He pressed his palm against his chest. “You’ve got—”
“It’s not that. I don’t want to mix business and pleasure and…” I let out a slow breath. “You’re distracting.”
“Distracting,” he repeated, somewhat bewildered.
“You’ve been on my mind since last night. I’ve tried to forget about you, but you really made an impression.”
“Good or bad?”
“I don’t know.” I pressed my hands together and glanced around the church. �
��But I don’t think I should work on this project. Cynthia might feel uncomfortable that I was involved.”
“She says nothing but wonderful things about you.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Which was partly why I wanted to check you out. I was worried Cynthia was just being blindsided and you were merely good at what you did.”
“Good at what I did?” My brow arched. “Which would be what?”
“You know, being sneaky and sleeping with your best friend.” He held up his hands. “Which I now know is completely untrue and just my made-up immature mind working overtime.”
I laughed.
“I honestly have never seen two ex’s be so civil,” he continued.
“Well, as I’ve said… it’s complicated.” I drew a breath. “Which is why I shouldn’t take this job. I’d be honored to work on it, but I don’t want things to get—” I let out a grunt. “Complicated.”
“Life is complicated.” He shrugged. “You’re the most qualified artist to work on this project and you live on the island, which saves me money.”
“Well, thank goodness for that. I was worried.” I grinned and he shook his head.
“Give me twenty minutes to make my pitch about this place and then make your decision. Will you give me that?” His lip curled slightly and let out the breath I didn’t know I’d been holding in.
“Fine. Tell me why I should work for you, Shane Parker.”
Chapter Five
“Oh, my word.” Tess’s dimple sank deeply into her cheek as she took everything in I had to tell her about Shane Parker.
Like he was gorgeous, infuriatingly confident, smart, witty, and…the list was endless.
We met for dinner at Mudflat Tavern in Fireweed. It had outside dining, but it was too cold to eat on the deck overlooking the harbor. It was late spring, but felt like mid-October. There were still a few diehards eating their fish and chips under the heat lamps, but I much preferred eating a burger near the mammoth stone fireplace.
“So, did you take the job or not?” Tess asked, sipping a Fireweed Ale.
Her blonde hair was in a braid with a few wispy strands falling along her cheekbones, and her brown eyes were eating up every word I had to tell her. Tess was a teacher, who adored her kids and used them as an excuse as to why she couldn’t date.
Too much homework to correct, fieldtrips to coordinate, PTA meetings to plan, she had a reason for it all. I understood it all. I always had classes to teach. Always had a commission to finish up on or an installation to oversee. They sounded like rational excuses.
I straightened in my chair, feeling the warmth of the fire rolling off my skin. The church with no electricity also didn’t have any heat, and I’d been cold ever since I took the appointment. A shiver ran through me as Shane popped into my mind, and I quickly forced him out as I thought about the job. It was going to be purely business.
“Yes.” I nodded and took a bite of a fry. “With one condition.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
“No dating, flirting, texting, calling…” I let out a sigh. “Basically we’ve got a no-contact order between us unless it’s about the job.”
“And what precisely is the job?” Tess’s brow arched.
“I’ll be restoring and replacing some of the glass work at the old church on Meadow Cove Lane.”
Tess shivered. “That place always gave me the creeps.”
My face scrunched. “Really? Why?”
“Haven’t you heard? It’s haunted?” She trembled again.
“You don’t believe in that stuff, do you?” I laughed.
“Uh, yeah. When a candle lights on its own in a church when you’re sneaking in. Yeah. It makes a believer out of me.”
“When was this?”
“I was in middle school and a bunch of us had snuck into the abandoned building, and we’d only been there for a few minutes when a candle on the altar lit up.”
“Did you go check it out?” I asked.
“Heck, no. We all screamed and tore out of there.” She pressed her lips into a scowl. “I’ve never been back since.”
I laughed imagining a thirteen-year old Tess sneaking into a church with her friends.
“Did you hang out at cemeteries too?” My brow quirked in suspicion. “Like around midnight?”
“So what if I did?” Tess ordered another beer for both of us. “Anyway, it’s going to take a lot of courage to check out your finished project. I vowed I’d never set foot in that place again. But who cares about that? How in the world are you going to keep it professional with a man who clearly wants to sleep with you?”
I shrugged. “You could date him.”
“Me?” She laughed. “Yeah. That would end well.”
I chuckled “All I know is he’s trouble, and he’s Cynthia’s brother. There’s no way even if I liked him it could or would work out.”
“That’s the spirit.” She landed her fist on the table and our beer mugs jumped. “Way to open your heart to love, my friend.”
“Like you should talk?” I teased.
“I’ve got good reasons. Can you imagine a man who would want to take a backseat to all my kids? I’ve got places to be and things to do and no time to stop and babysit a man.”
“Maybe you should find one you don’t need to babysit,” I suggested.
“That’s like spotting a unicorn on top the Space Needle.” She grinned and let out a wistful sigh. “But thank you for the offer. This Shane guy is all yours.”
“I was afraid you’d say that,” I grumbled, feeling the pesky butterflies swarming in my belly again just off the pure memory of the man.
“So how long is this project going to take?” she asked.
“There are eleven windows of various sizes that need work or replacement. He’s adding on a small addition and wants to incorporate the glasswork in there as well, but it will be a long project. Probably eight or nine months at the minimum. Part of it depends on how quickly the contractors can get in and do their thing.”
“I see.” She hid a grin.
“What?”
“And you think you’ll be able to ignore your feelings for almost a year?”
“Without a doubt. It’s a completely professional relationship from here on out.”
“And you want to do that to yourself for what reason again?”
I cocked my head slightly and chuckled. “Because it’s the right thing to do. And he lives in Montana.”
“Yeah, a long-distance relationship isn’t a great idea. Unless, of course, you both fall deeply, madly in love and he decides to move for you.” She winked.
“Because that will happen.” I winked back and took a sip of the Fireweed Ale. “Can you imagine how mortifying it would be if I slept with him and word got back to Cynthia and Charles? Or worse yet, we got into a relationship and it ended horribly. Hanging around Cynthia would be so awkward, and I wouldn’t do that to Sammi. She needs me.”
Tess nodded in agreement. “She does.”
My phone buzzed and I pulled it out of my purse and couldn’t help but smile.
What color red will you be using on the rear window by the great room?
I hid in a chuckle and typed back a quick answer.
Fire.
“What? Who texted?” Tess asked, already knowing the answer.
“Shane wanted to know what color red I’ll be using in the great room.”
“Oh, yes. I’m sure that would have kept him up at night,” Tess agreed with a chuckle.
Another text came over.
Doesn’t fire seem like an odd choice? Fire and brimstone and all that? Almost seems naughty?
I quickly texted back.
The only thing naughty is your mind. Now, is there anything else I can help you with?
“That’s a cute smile,” Tess said, laughing.
I felt my cheeks ache with the huge grin I was displaying and quickly flipped my mouth around into a scowl.
“I�
��m not smiling. I’m merely bothered by a man who doesn’t take a hint.” I slid my phone into my purse and noticed Tess’s eyes roam in the direction of the door.
“You said he was tall and good-looking in that rugged, rancher kind of way?” Tess bit her bottom lip and gripped her mug of Fireweed Ale. “And what was he wearing this morning?”
I let out a disgruntled sigh as I wracked my brain wondering if I’d let it slip where I’d be tonight.
“I don’t know.” I lifted my shoulders and let them fall quickly as if I hadn’t memorized everything about Shane Parker this morning. “Maybe a plaid shirt or something.”
“Right.” Tess chuckled as her gaze moved toward the bar. “Looks like Mr. Plaid Shirt is grabbing a drink.”
“Good. Maybe that’s all he’s grabbing and will get out of here.” I glanced over my shoulder and knew instantly the man at the bar was Shane. His broad shoulders filled out his red plaid shirt in all the right places and his jeans fit every inch of him like I remembered.
“Okay. I’ve got to give you a tip.” Tess leaned over the table. “You might want to put your tongue back in your mouth if you plan on keeping everything strictly business.”
I waved my hand at her. “Whatever. I’m not that bad.”
“Really?” She pointed at the corner of my mouth. “I’m pretty sure I see a bit of drool there.”
I laughed and shook my head, loving how Tess didn’t care about flipping me grief. Ever since I’d moved to Fireweed, we’d hit it off, and I’d treasured her friendship and honesty for years.
“Looks like your laughter did the trick.”
I froze in my chair and my eyes widened. “What? What do you mean?” I whispered.
“He’s on his way over.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not, and you didn’t give him half the credit he deserves with the description you gave. Maybe I should have gone for him.” She giggled and polished off her last fry.
Accidental Love on Meadow Cove Lane (Island County Series Book 10) Page 4