I walked down the sidewalk that led to my little home. The white picket fence stretching across my yard cheered me up. I put up the fence myself, and other than a sticky lever on the gate leading to my home, it was perfection, and the fence gave me the perfect place to put my sign. I bent over and flipped the studio sign to open and continued through the gate.
My little cottage was just as I left it. My home wasn’t huge. In fact, it was tiny, but it worked perfectly well for me. I had everything I needed and there was even a separate building where I did all my work. I’d painted my front door a bright red to match the color of my studio, or barn, as I lovingly referred to my daily retreat, and the interior was just as bright and festive.
I opened my front door, kicked off my shoes, and slithered out of my old jeans before heading to my bedroom to put on something a little more presentable for any tourist who might decide to show up and see my lecture on the art of stained glass.
I glanced at myself in the mirror and nearly gasped at the sight in front of me. My mascara wasn’t where I’d put it this morning, and my brown hair no longer looked like I swept it into a bun. Instead, it looked like a family of deer mice had made a nest and called my head home.
“It must have been all that dancing,” I muttered to myself.
I quickly ran a comb through my hair and put it in a tight knot. Wiping off the mascara that wasn’t on my lashes any longer, I let out a grunt as my mind tripped right back into Shane Parker territory.
It was so frustrating. Maybe I ought to just sleep with him to get it over with. I might even get him to promise to keep it quiet until he’s buried.
I shook my head and pulled on a new pair of jeans and a pink sweater as I shoved that idea right out of my head. Something told me sleeping with him once wouldn’t be enough. So instead, I’d just have to continue to make myself miserable about the idea of Shane Parker.
I glanced at the clock and made my way out my front door and over to my barn where I quickly unlocked the door and turned the lights back on. I currently had a pattern spread across the worktable and several sheets of glass that had been delivered this morning that I still needed to unpack.
I looked out the window and saw Shane sauntering along the sidewalk, slowing as he reached the gate. Of course, he was kind enough to have an ice cream cone in each hand. No matter how much I wanted to be annoyed by this man, he gave me ten reasons with every encounter to be more intrigued.
Not wanting him to catch me looking at him, I pretended to sort some patterns I had left over from last week’s class.
The bell on the door jingled as he made his way into my barn.
“Fancy meeting you here,” I said smiling as he handed me an ice cream cone.
“Between beekeeping and stained glass, I thought this sounded less dangerous.” He looked at one of the patterns closest to him. “Unless, of course, I make you angry.”
I laughed, following his gaze to a bucket full of shard glass remnants. “Yeah. Those could do some real damage.”
I took a lick of the chocolate ice cream and let the rich, creamy treat coat my tongue. I caught him looking at me and I blushed.
“I’m surprised there aren’t more visitors. I usually get at least two or three couples at this tour.”
He polished off his cone. “Curious.”
“Indeed.” I narrowed my eyes at him before looking at the clock. “Well, are you ready for the tour?”
“Absolutely.” He took a step closer and I suddenly wished my barn was packed with tourists.
I shoved down the embarrassment that he was the only one who showed up to my tour and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. I cleared my throat, ate the last of the waffle cone, and washed the stickiness from my fingers at the sink. I never managed to eat an ice cream cone unscathed.
Before I had a chance to begin my normal lecture, he walked over to the worktable with the pattern laid out.
“Where do you get your inspiration?” he asked, his eyes still on the pattern.
“It would be easier to answer what I don’t get inspiration from.” I smiled. “Everything gives me inspiration. The roses in my garden, sisters giggling at a tea shop, the church you’re restoring. Life is full of beauty, and I love to translate that in my glasswork.”
“I can see that.” He nodded, leaning over the table to get a better look at the abstract orchid I’d drawn. Swirls of inlaid glass surrounded the orchid and stems. I was really excited to see it all completed.
The orchid society of Seattle was renovating their community-learning center and had commissioned a window for their library.
“Those two women at the tea store are sisters?” he asked, standing up.
“Yup. And they’re both happily attached.”
He laughed and touched his hand to his chest. “I wasn’t wondering.”
“Well, just in case you were.” I moved toward some scrap glass I had in a bucket.
“Well, I wasn’t.” He drew a breath, and it felt like the entire barn shrunk to the size of a closet. “Do you ever have anyone help with your design or installation?”
“Absolutely. I have someone who actually does the installations for me. I’m always on the jobsite on the big day, but I don’t do the installations any longer.” I picked out a red piece of glass from the bucket. “Sometimes I also have someone help with the cutting and soldering of the glass.”
I turned to face him and handed him the brilliant red glass. “This is fire, the color I’d planned on using on your project.”
He grabbed the piece from me, and our fingers touched, sending a shock of electricity through me.
“I like it.”
“Good. I do too.” I took the piece from him and put it back in the bucket. “Anyway, I tend to sketch my designs in my journal.” I picked up the pale pink journal and waved it in the air. “When I’ve finished making all the design tweaks, I begin drawing it on the tracing paper and then I cut a pattern from it.”
“Do you have a lot of designs on the backburner that you haven’t made yet?” he asked, seeming genuinely interested.
“Hundreds.” I smiled and walked over to the shelves of glass. “There just isn’t enough time in the day.”
“That I can relate to.” I felt him walk up behind me, and a shiver ran down my spine.
One step backward, and I’d tumble right into him. Even though my mind kept rewinding to our kiss, I kept my eyes focused on the glass in front of me.
“I tend to have some favorite colors that I always make sure to have on hand.” I reached up for the speckled confetti piece in black and opaque white. He caught my hand in his and drew it to him, forcing me to turn around.
Looking into his eyes took my breath away as his gaze dipped to my mouth. Every single cell in my body lit up as his full lips parted, and I prayed we’d have a repeat of the wedding night. He narrowed the gap between us, and my heart started beating so quickly I was certain he could see it thudding through my chest.
Right when he opened his mouth to either say something or kiss me, his phone rang and his face scrunched.
“Sorry. I was certain I silenced my phone.”
“No, problem.” I shook my head, telling myself I was completely relieved I wasn’t about to make another mistake when it came to Shane Parker. I had the strength to stay away as long as he was away, but the moment he came into my little bubble, it was hard to resist the ease between us. It wasn’t like I normally went around kissing strangers, but with Shane that was all I really wanted to do. Kiss him. Lots. “Go ahead and grab it.”
He glanced at the screen, groaned, and walked toward the sink. “It’s my assistant.”
Shane answered his phone, and his expression changed from carefree to downright horrified before hanging up.
“Everything okay?” I asked, unsure that I wanted to know the answer.
“Yeah. Just got outbid on something.”
“Sorry to hear it.” I found myself moving toward him as he stared o
ut the window. “Does that happen often?”
“Very seldom,” he confirmed and took a deep breath in before letting it all out. “I do a lot of research before I take a leap, and I thought for sure I’d win. It was an old factory in Seattle. The location would be perfect for a hotel, restaurant, and bar. Now, someone is just going to come in and tear it down to make room for some ugly apartment building or something.”
“You think?” I asked.
“That’s what always happens.” He shrugged. “Just part of the business, but I always feel good when I can turn something that holds so much history into a place where people want to be.”
“Sounds like a lot of work.” I looked around the studio. “I thought building shelves, worktables, and adding some paint was a lot of effort.”
“Well, the place is darling and definitely you.” The sparkle returned to his gaze and a flood of longing washed over me.
I was darling?
“How so?” I asked, looking around to see what tipped him off to my personality. I didn’t see anything over the top that screamed some character flaw.
“You have bright white walls with seafoam green window and door trim.”
“Oooh. Seafoam green?” I asked.
“I’m a contractor. I know my paint colors.”
I chuckled, and he continued.
“And you have a funky sculpture that’s also a clock on the wall over there.” He pointed at my favorite piece in the room. “And the legs on your tables are all different shapes and colors. It’s kind of like Alice in Wonderland meets Willy Wonka. Not to mention the cabinet pulls are all different shapes.”
“Very observant of you.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “So am I Willy Wonka or Alice?”
He ran his fingers along his jaw and drew a deep breath. “That’s a tough one.”
“Seriously? You’d want to sleep with Willy Wonka?”
“Better than an Oompa Loompa,” he teased.
“You know, my tour has been all completely thrown off, and I don’t even know where to begin or end or—”
Shane walked over to where I was standing, and with every step forward, I felt my pulse race quicker. I’d dated a lot of attractive men. That was never my issue, but there was something really different about Shane Parker. Even the way he moved was unlike any man I knew. Every step was filled with confidence, and I didn’t know whether to be flattered, worried, or confused.
“I think your tour has been great.” He leaned his hip against the table. “I learned a lot about you.”
“Why would you care?” I asked.
“I thought that was kind of obvious.”
“I’m dense. It takes a lot to get through to me.” I smiled and sucked a breath in, praying he would…would not kiss me.
“Well, I’m in no rush.”
“Rush for what?” My brows raised.
“To see where this can go.”
I wagged my fingers between us. “This can’t go anywhere. You’re Cynthia’s brother. Right there everything becomes too complicated and very murky.”
“All depends how you want to see it, I guess.” He shrugged. “But I should get going.”
“That’s right.” I ignored the longing I was already feeling at his near absence. “You said tonight you were leaving.”
“Sure am.” He cocked his head slightly, and his eyes fell to my mouth since I was nervously chewing my bottom lip.
I was dealing with a confused mess of emotions. I liked Shane’s company, but I also didn’t want to be another notch on his belt as my mind flashed back to the blonde at Mudflats last night.
“Well, it was nice of you to stop by my little place. At least you know I’m good for finishing the project. I’ve got all the tools and skill right here on Fireweed.”
Shane took a step closer, and my heart fell to my toes.
He leaned toward me, and my body instantly warmed, until he leaned right past me and grabbed a piece of fire glass.
“Mind if I take this with me?” he asked, straightening back up.
“Not at all,” I breathed, wishing for a kiss.
“Good.”
And before I knew it, Shane Parker’s lips found mine. He tasted as delicious as I remembered. My body instantly leaned into his, and I felt his hardness as he brought me closer.
A little moan escaped my lips, and I immediately froze. I couldn’t do this to myself.
Shane felt the change and broke his mouth from mine.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Sorry.” I shook my head. “I think I’m a very confused individual.”
“It makes things more interesting. That’s all.” He cracked a smile as another call came to his phone. “But it looks as if business is calling, and I better get back at playing boss.”
“I bet that’s not a hard role.”
His grin deepened, and I walked him to the door and outside, following the path to the gate.
The truth of it was that I didn’t want him to leave. I liked Shane Parker, and it was going to make the next several months difficult not acting on the impulse to sleep with him. It was as if Shane could read my mind as he opened the gate and bent down, swiping my cheek with another kiss.
“Stay out of trouble, Shane Parker.”
“Always.” He waved and turned on his heels, heading back to town and leaving me completely confounded as I wondered how in the world I’d keep to my own promise of not sleeping with him.
I glanced at the sign I was certain I’d flipped to open, and it suddenly became clear why Shane Parker was the only tourist taking my studio tour.
Chapter Eight
I was beyond relieved to know that Shane Parker wasn’t still wandering around my island. It was really unnerving thinking he could pop up while I was trying to grab a cup of coffee and a bagel in the morning while still halfway asleep or lurking in the alleyway while trying to go for my once-a-year jog around town.
But there was also part of me that was kind of disappointed. He was fun to talk to, and he actually seemed to have a genuine interest in what I did.
And his kisses.
They were what fantasies were made of, which was precisely why I should leave it at that. Why ruin a perfectly good fantasy? He was probably awful in bed.
I let out a wistful sigh and pushed my shopping cart toward the Granny Smith apples. I guess I would never know, but it was kind of fun to speculate.
I grabbed a few shiny green apples and set them in my cart while trying to read my shopping list on my phone. I only had distilled water and chips left to get.
As I rounded the corner for the water aisle I stopped dead in my tracks and saw Shane wandering in the aisle.
What in the world was he doing here? He was supposed to have left Fireweed yesterday. I slowly backed up my shopping cart being careful not to call attention to myself when I felt my heel catch on something behind me.
Before I knew it, an entire display of canned goods came crashing down with corn and green beans rolling in every different direction. Heat immediately ran up my entire body, and I hung my head in complete despair. Even when I wanted to hide from him, the universe was dead set on calling attention to my existence.
I lifted my head to see one of the workers, who already had a mop bucket next to him lifting his gaze to stare at me in disbelief.
“I’m so sorry,” I began as I bent over and started picking up the rolling cans.
Rather than help me stop the mountain of falling tin, the worker wandered off while I crawled on my hands and knees, gathering the corn and beans. I glanced in Shane’s direction and much to my relief, saw him analyzing the shelves of water.
The cans continued falling one-by-one as I tried my hardest to stop the avalanche while grumbling about where all the workers went.
A scratchy announcement began over the speakers, “Cleanup on aisle seven. Cleanup on aisle seven.”
Realizing the wall of canned goods wouldn’t stop falling until someone skilled at stacking became
involved, I stood up and dusted my yoga pants off. My work there was done.
“Why am I not surprised?” Shane’s voice sent thrills through me, but I pushed away the excitement and let the mortification wash over me instead.
“What in the world are you still doing on my island?” I spun around with my hand on my hip. “This is absolutely ridiculous.”
His smile lit up my world. “I thought I’d grab a bottled water for the ferry ride back to Seattle. I missed the ferry last night.”
“Oh, well…I guess that’s allowed.” I smiled as a few more cans dropped behind me and rolled by.
“I’m glad you think so.” He smiled and glanced over my shoulder to see the remnants of the display. “How in the world did you manage that?”
I pressed my lips together and scowled. “How do you know it was me?”
“You were the only one crawling on your hands and knees trying to chase the canned produce.” He smiled at a couple of workers who finally showed up to stop the waterfall. I flashed them an embarrassed smile and uttered my apologies and thanks.
“Didn’t you say you had a ferry to catch or something?” I narrowed my eyes at him, and his eyes twinkled with a witty remark he was obviously keeping to himself. “You don’t want to miss it two days in a row.”
“It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, would it?” His right brow arched, and his gaze stayed on mine, creating an explosion of hope that I quickly tamped down.
“Don’t you have some construction company to run?”
“I hired a lot of good people.” He smiled as the workers quickly rounded up the stray cans surrounding us. “But, I actually found another property here that I’m interested in.”
“Lucky me,” I teased. “Where?”
“The old cannery off Main Street.” He grinned.
“What would you want with that?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“It would be a perfect boutique hotel and restaurant. Maybe even a bowling alley.”
“You think?” I asked, unable to see his vision.
Accidental Love on Meadow Cove Lane (Island County Series Book 10) Page 6