“Be my guest.”
I felt Shane walk up behind me, and my entire body became aware of his presence. Even my toes tingled at the thought of seeing him again. This was absurd. I was a grown woman with a body and mind acting like I was in seventh grade. He was purely a wedding crush.
“Dakota,” Shane’s voice nearly shoved all the other voices out of the tavern as he stood at my table.
This moment was crucial. It was now or never that I had to take my stand. I would be kind yet distant, aloof yet sympathetic toward the work that needed to be done.
I brought my gaze to his and my heart stopped right in my chest. I refused to let the feelings from last night’s kiss wash over me. He was a mere mortal.
“Hi, Shane.” I smiled, feeling every single thought I’d had over the last couple minutes charge right out of my head. “I didn’t expect you to be here.”
“There are only so many places on Fireweed, and I’m staying at the B&B down the road.”
I gave a curt nod. “Good to know. This is my friend Tess. She’s single.”
“Good to know.” Shane gave a curt nod in return but had to hold in his laughter. “You’re not going to back out on me now, are you?”
I cleared my throat and took a sip of my ale. “Why would I do that?”
“Just a hunch.” His smile became even friendlier. “But be sure to send over your bid on Monday so we can get you in the system.”
“Right. Totally.” I nodded, watching Shane scan the bar before returning his gaze to mine. “Have a nice night.”
He took a sip of his beer and grinned. “I’m sure I will.”
The moment he turned around and walked away, I felt like I could breathe again. There was a part of me that wanted to know where he was going and who he was going for, but it wasn’t my business and I’d made a vow it was only business.
“Well, hello, Miss Ice Queen,” Tess teased.
“I was totally friendly.” I shook my head, smiling.
“Oh, yeah. Totally.” Her head bobbed up and down. “You were oozing with the stuff. So much so that he beelined right for the blonde tourist at the end of the bar.”
“What? Where?” I gasped spinning around in my seat, only to see Shane sitting alone at a table. “You are so mean.”
“I thought you didn’t care?” Tess giggled.
“I don’t, but I didn’t think he’d be so rude as to—”
“Find a woman who actually was kind to him?” Tess’s eyes sparkled with intrigue.
“I was very kind to him.”
“You didn’t offer him a seat.”
“We’re almost done with our meal. Actually, I am done with my meal.”
“Whatever you say. I’m just here for the show.”
“There is no show.”
“Clearly.”
“You’re impossible.”
“No, I think that’s your title.”
I rolled my eyes and giggled before leaning across the table. “You think he’s cute too, right?”
“Beyond.”
“I guess it is kind of sad to leave a stranger all alone here to drink away his sorrows.” I smiled, feeling the confidence slowly build at the thought of inviting him to have drinks with us. Although, moments before, I thought I was about ready to go home.
“Well, I would have said absolutely, but it looks like someone else already thought that too.”
“Fool me once and—”
“This time I’m serious.” Tess grimaced, and my stomach knotted.
I glanced over my shoulder and sure enough there was a female sitting at his table. His gaze connected with mine and I quickly turned my attention back to Tess.
“Okay. I think it’s time to head out.” I smiled awkwardly. “I missed my chance and I’m totally fine with it.”
“I’m sure he’s awful in bed anyway,” Tess assured me.
I laughed and shook my head. “Doubtful.”
“I know.” She let out a sigh and shook her head. “But now you’ll never know.”
I laughed and tossed cash on the table to cover my share of the bill.
“And that’s totally okay.”
Tess and I walked by Shane, and I felt his gaze on me as I exited the Mudflat Tavern. Sometimes it was more fun to entertain what could have been than what actually was and with Shane Parker, I was certain that was the case. Like his sister said, he was easily distracted, and the blonde sitting across from him proved that.
Chapter Six
“I wish you carried gingerbread tea all year ‘round.” I plunked myself down on a chair and glanced up at Maddie, who owned my favorite tea store. “That can’t be good for business.”
Maddie’s store was in the heart of Fireweed Island, but she spent a lot of her time on Hound Island since she’d met her soul mate and left us all behind. Marriage and babies tended to have that effect on people, not that I would know. But I noticed a trend.
“You appear to be in a sour mood, and it has nothing to do with my holiday tea blends or lack thereof.” Maddie chuckled and disappeared into the back room before reappearing with a plastic bag. “But I do have an emergency stash for just such occasions.”
“Do I really seem like I’m in a bad mood?” I asked, trying to plaster a smile on my face.
“You don’t seem like you’re in a bad mood. You are in a bad mood.”
I chuckled. “Which is precisely why I knew to come here and drink away my sorrows.”
“You might need something stronger than tea,” she suggested.
“You have anything?” I teased, and she rubbed her belly.
“Not really of much interest now that baby number two is on the way.”
“How did you know Chance was the one?” I asked out of the blue.
Maddie’s eyes brightened at the mere mention of Chance. “Where do I begin? Let’s see…” She chuckled. “He was persistent.” She quieted for a few seconds.
“That’s it? He was persistent? Should I be waiting for the last guy standing who keeps coming back for more? Is that the trick?” I laughed and so did Maddie.
“The spark was undeniable. I couldn’t stop thinking about Chance. It was like I was back in grade school experiencing my first crush and heartbreak all rolled up into one messy ball of hope.”
“Hope?”
“That he would love me as much as I loved him.” She grinned. “And…”
She let out a happy sigh as she rested her palm on her expanded belly. She wore a beautiful crocheted shawl that draped gracefully over her floral dress, and she looked ready for Easter Sunday. I glanced down at my stonewashed jeans that looked like they were from the nineties with plenty of holes, strings, and stains to complete the look.
Well, they probably were from the nineties. I only wore this pair when I was working in my studio, but for some reason I had no shame and decided I needed a cup of tea.
“And Chance just got me. He put up with my worries, my fears, my inadequacies, which he turned into my strengths. Chance had the patience to get to know me, and he didn’t care that I had carried an entire freight train of baggage with me when we began our relationship.”
“I don’t think I have too much baggage, but I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready to settle down. Mainly, I don’t think I want to settle down.”
“Ha.” Maddie threw her head back. “Everyone our age has at least a little bit of baggage.”
“I don’t think I do.” I shrugged. “I mean, I’ve stayed friends with all my ex’s, and I’ve—”
“That’s just a front,” Maddie interrupted, giggling. “Good for the appearance.”
I laughed and rolled my eyes. “I live on Fireweed. No one cares. Appearance of what?”
“Beats me. Maybe to impress people like me who would never talk to my ex unless it was to show him how good I have it now.” Maddie giggled. “Kidding. I’m not that bitter.” A few seconds passed. “Well, maybe I am, but I don’t really buy how someone could always be so happy about all of thei
r past relationships. Didn’t you just go to a wedding for one of them?”
Maddie finished steeping the gingerbread tea for me and slid the cup over in my direction.
“Yup. Sammi’s dad, Charles. He finally married Cynthia. I’ll be watching Sammi when they go on a honeymoon this summer.”
“That’s the girl that’s always running over for tea and helping you in your studio?” Maddie narrowed her eyes on me, and I smiled wider. “And you’re telling me that you were as happy as a clam that they got hitched and you were there to celebrate?”
“One-hundred percent.” I let out a happy sigh. “If anyone needed a happy ending, it was Charles and Sammi, and Cynthia is absolutely amazing.”
Maddie cocked her head as her sister, Holly, bounded into the teashop. “Maybe, you’re just a better person than I am. Mentally healthy and all that.”
“Why, thank you.” Holly clapped her hands and giggled. “I always pride myself on my sanity.”
“I wasn’t talking about you.” Maddie shook her head. “This one here.”
Holly gave me a quick hug and adjusted her blonde ponytail. “What makes Dakota so special?”
“Your sister and I were discussing how I stay amicable with all my past boyfriends,” I informed Holly.
Holly’s brows furrowed. “That is different. Every single one?”
“Apart from my high school boyfriend.”
“Well, I couldn’t do it.” Holly shrugged. “But more power to you. Do I smell gingerbread in May?”
“I needed it,” I confessed.
“She just came back from one of her amicable weddings,” Maddie informed Holly, and I laughed.
“That’s not why I needed the tea.”
“No. You probably needed vodka for that,” Holly teased.
“Maybe.” I let out a sigh. “But I am beginning to think my view on dating is warped.”
“I think dating itself is warped. Doesn’t matter what your view is.” Holly patted my back before walking over to the wall of tins where all the tea blends were stored. She pulled a couple metal canisters down and walked them over to the counter and began measuring. “It was all backwards until Nick.”
I nodded. Holly and Nick were paired as perfectly as Chance and Maddie, and both were pairings I didn’t think possible for myself.
“Nick made me realize that I’d been doing it all wrong.” Holly put the canisters back on the shelves. “I had been overthinking it. I was so worried about getting hurt all the time, I wouldn’t let myself…I wouldn’t give myself fully.”
Holly’s words hovered in the air and I refused to think that was me. “I can see how that happens. I’m not exactly a fan of the ugly breakup, so I like to break it off before it can get nasty.”
“Ah-ha.” Maddie wagged her finger at me. “I knew there was more to the story.”
I laughed, but the truth was that I knew exactly when to exit any relationship before it got rough. I was an expert in the art of breakups.
“I don’t know.” I took a sip of the gingerbread tea and enjoyed every second of sweetness. “I’m not really a fan of emotional messiness or being all sad over someone or something out of my control. I’d rather not…”
“Not what?” Maddie asked.
“Not expect too much.”
“I see how it is.” Holly scowled and pointed. “You don’t give yourself fully, so when you have to call it off, there’s not much remorse, regret, or trying to fix it because you really don’t care.”
“I care.” I cleared my throat. “Maybe not as much as I should, but I definitely care. Anyway, I don’t even know how we got on this topic.”
“You were in a bad mood,” Maddie reminded me.
“That’s right.” I chuckled. “And it’s not improving any.”
“I know what will work. It always does.”
Maddie groaned, and Holly grabbed the remote for the stereo and switched to an eighties station. She started dancing like she was Molly Ringwald in Sixteen Candles and before I knew it she had me up from my chair, dancing with her.
“I hope you’re not expecting any customers,” I hollered over the music as Holly cranked it up.
Watching Holly’s ponytail bounce around filled me with complete happiness, and I almost forgot why I was in such a foul mood.
Oh, yeah.
The woman Shane was talking to last night.
Grrr.
“What just happened?” Holly shouted over Bon Jovi. “You look like you’re ready to murder someone. Do you not like Living on a Prayer?”
I chuckled and shook my head as the front door swung open, pushing a cold breeze into the teashop.
Holly quickly turned the volume down and smiled at the stranger as I turned around to see what poor soul walked into the store.
“Sorry about the music.” Holly glanced at me, and I was shaking my head frantically for her to quiet down, but she continued. “My friend here is a bit down in the dumps about her love life.”
“Oh, she has one?” Shane took a few more steps into the store, and I wanted to die. Well, not actually die, but definitely slither under the counter and hide until I died.
Holly exchanged an odd look with Maddie before glancing at the customer. “You know Dakota?”
Not wanting to let him embarrass me further, I piped up. “He’s Cynthia’s brother.”
Holly scrunched her face together. “Is Cynthia new to the island? Should I know her?”
“Cynthia is the new bride of one of Dakota’s ex-boyfriend’s. Sammi’s dad and stepmom,” Maddie informed her sister, and I just let out a long sigh.
It was so nice to air my dirty laundry, but I was the one who started it. I should have just stayed in my studio hunkering down and readying myself for the weekly tour I gave.
“Wow. I had no idea.” Holly held out her hand “Well, welcome to Fireweed.”
Shane smiled and shook her hand as I took my seat next to my gingerbread tea.
“So, is he why you’re in such a bad mood?” Holly whispered just loud enough for the entire island to hear.
“I don’t think she knows what to do with me.” Shane walked over to the wall of tea and rocked on his heels as he analyzed the different blends.
I refused to notice how wonderfully well the navy wool sweater he was wearing hugged his masculine body and or how his jeans sat perfectly snug against his hips.
“A real big tea drinker, are you?” I asked wryly, getting the distinct feeling he was trying to track me down.
He turned slowly and smiled. “Actually, yeah. I like a good Earl Grey any day.”
“Hmph.” I took another sip of my gingerbread tea, and Holly let out a little chuckle.
“That must have been quite some wedding.” Holly walked over to Shane. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
“I’d love a bag of morning tea and…” He ran his finger in the air as he made his other choice. “Huckleberry.”
“Are you following me?” I asked flat out.
Guns N’ Roses now quietly played in the background, and I was certain Shane would think we were all living in the eighties on Fireweed Island.
“Is that a trick question?” Shane asked as Holly began scooping the tea into bags for him.
I stared at him, trying to shove away the jealousy that roared to life from last night, the extreme attraction that had been haunting me since the wedding, and the disappointment I felt for not sleeping with him just for the heck of it.
“No. It’s just a question based on observation. Everywhere I go, there you are.”
He was a business associate and nothing more.
Nothing more.
Nothing more.
Maddie’s brows quirked up, and she turned her attention to Shane in anticipation.
“I think the appropriate answer to that question is no.” He smiled and handed his card over to Holly. “But I’m in town until tonight so I thought I’d take in the sights.” He glanced at his phone. “By the way, isn’t there
a studio tour in thirty minutes at your place?”
I scowled at him and polished off my gingerbread tea. “Yeah. There is.”
Holly giggled and Maddie poked her in the side, but that didn’t stop Holly. “And she’s really good at giving the tours.”
“I bet she is.” Shane smiled and took the bag of tea from Holly. “I’m sure she just charms the pants right off of people.”
Holly laughed. “Yeah. She’s a real charmer, that one.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle as I drank the last of my gingerbread tea and let out a silent groan. Obviously, Shane wasn’t going to make it easy on me.
“Well, you can go amuse yourself at the ice cream store down the road while I ready my studio. Don’t think you can mosey on down there early.” I scowled at him and couldn’t help but notice he loved every second of my bad mood.
The bad mood he created.
“Would you like me to pick you up anything?” he asked.
His gaze locked on mine, and it felt like Maddie and Holly had evaporated into thin air.
“No. Why would I need you to pick me up anything?” My hand flew to my hip, and I blinked away.
“Have no idea. Was just trying to be polite.” He flashed a devilish grin, and I wondered how his night went.
Holly and Maddie giggled, and I tossed them my best dirty look, but they didn’t take the hint and only laughed harder.
“Enjoy your ice cream, Shane. I’ll see you in a few.”
“I look forward to my personal tour.” He was beaming, holding his tea, and I rolled my eyes.
“Everyone who sets foot in my studio gets a personal tour. Don’t let it go to your head. You aren’t getting special treatment.” I spun around and felt his gaze still on me.
“Never dreamt I would with you.”
Chapter Seven
I charged out of the shop feeling completely overheated and bothered for all the wrong reasons.
My fervent hope was that Shane Parker would stay in Montana the entire time I worked on his project. The thought of him popping up at the grocery store or my favorite coffee stand was more than I could take. It was hard enough not to satisfy my curiosity about him, but it almost felt as if he was taunting me with what I couldn’t have.
Accidental Love on Meadow Cove Lane (Island County Series Book 10) Page 5