Last I saw the building, it was Fireweed’s sore spot. Most of the community wanted it torn down, but there were a few diehards who wanted it designated as a historical site. The brick building was three stories tall with tons of tiny windows and several large fire escapes decorating the façade. There were several areas were the bricks had tumbled down, and the trim on the front of the building was beyond needing fresh paint. The wood was rotten in most areas.
“You’re better at envisioning that mess than I am.”
“It’s a beautiful building.”
I wasn’t sure even in the building’s heyday it was pretty.
“You look skeptical.” He smiled and rested his hand on my shopping cart.
“I must not have the right vision.”
“Did you ever notice the bronze inlays around each of the windows?”
“Can’t I say that I did,” I confessed.
“There are also beautiful and distinct lintels over the doorways, and the arches over the windows are all unique from one to another. You probably never noticed because the brick is so dirty.”
“I’ll have to check it out.” I was actually curious about what he was talking about. All I remembered about the building was that it looked like a death trap.
“Back when it was being built, they probably had a bricklayer on-site to cut ordinary bricks with a chisel and bolster and then finish them off with an ax to create the arches over the windows. It was a real art form.”
“I had no idea, and I feel bad for not even noticing.” I watched the workers stack the canned goods back to remake the wall I’d magically torn down and wondered how much more Shane Parker might be hanging around the island. “Well, I hope the deal goes through for you this time.”
“I’m pretty sure it will.” He winked and tapped my cart. “Well, I guess I should let you get back to destroying more grocery displays.”
I laughed just as my phone rang, and I immediately recognized the ring tone as Sammi’s. I held up my finger to Shane. “It’s Sammi. Your new niece.”
Shane didn’t leave as I answered the phone.
“What’s up?” I asked over speakerphone as I turned the volume down.
“Can I come to your house for the weekend?” Sammi huffed into the phone.
“Why? What’s wrong?” I asked, my pulse suddenly quickening.
“Things aren’t going well.”
My eyes connected with Shane’s, and he pressed his lips into a thin line.
“How so, Sammi?” I asked. “What’s going on?”
“Dad caught me sneaking out last night.”
“Okay,” I stayed silent as Shane tried to suppress a smile.
“And it’s not fair. Dad grounded me all the way up to his honeymoon with Cynthia.”
Shane broke into a grin and shook his head.
“No phone, no movies, no friends, no prom.”
“You have a prom at fourteen?” I asked, and Shane looked equally concerned and surprised. Obviously, his prom was as fruitful as mine.
“Junior prom.” She groaned. “I don’t know who he thinks he is, but he’s totally changed since he married Cynthia.”
“Have you snuck out before?” I asked.
“No.”
“Then maybe it’s not Cynthia and more like the punishment that needs to fit the crime,” I suggested.
“Sneaking out isn’t a crime,” Sammi mouthed back and then quickly mumbled, “Sorry. So, can I stay at your house?”
“If you’re grounded, I highly doubt your dad would let you come to my place.”
“Would you just ask, please?”
A knot tightened in my stomach as I glanced at Shane whose expression changed to something that confused me. Did I see admiration or appreciation? I wasn’t sure and either way it didn’t help the matter at hand.
Sammi was fully becoming a teenager.
“Sammi?”
“Yeah?”
“Who were you sneaking out to see?”
“No one.”
“Well, I certainly won’t ask your dad if you don’t tell me all the details.”
Shane let out a low chuckle.
“My boyfriend.”
My heart dropped.
“You have a boyfriend?” I looked over at Shane whose eyes were wide as saucers. “How serious?”
My mind start flashing to all the things I did when I was fourteen. Or was it fifteen? No, it was definitely sixteen. Not that it mattered. This was Sammi, and I preferred to think that she hadn’t even made out with a guy yet.
“Pretty serious. We’ve been going out since Christmas.”
“And what does your dad say?” I asked, afraid to hear the answer.
“He doesn’t know.”
“Then what did you tell him you were sneaking out for?”
“To go to a party, which was partially true.”
“Sammi, this isn’t like you.” Concern genuinely filled my heart. Sammi was always so conscientious and wanted to please her dad. “You never keep secrets from Charles.”
A few seconds of silence sat between us, and I noticed the last of the MIA canned goods had been retrieved and put back. Things were so simple ten minutes ago. Now, I was dealing with a fourteen-year-old having real teenage problems.
“Things have changed.” She let out a heavy sigh. “I’m growing up, and he still treats me like I’m ten. It’s only gotten worse since he married Cynthia.”
“They’ve only been married for a few days. Maybe it’s purely coincidence.”
“Maybe.”
“Do me one favor, and I’ll ask your dad about this weekend.”
“What’s that?” Sammi sounded tentative.
“Tell your father the real reason you were sneaking out and ask if you can introduce your boyfriend to him.”
“There’s no way I can have dad meet him, Dakota.”
“Sammi, if you’re too embarrassed to have your dad meet your serious boyfriend then you’re too immature and young to have one.”
“Good one,” Shane whispered.
“Who’s that?” Sammi asked.
I glared at Shane, and he scratched his whiskered chin as he tried to come up with something other than the truth.
“Shane Parker,” I admitted, cringing at the thought of the news spreading to Cynthia and Charles.
“Cynthia’s brother?” A few beats of quiet went by. “Why is my uncle with you? Are you dating him?”
“No. We are not dating.” I was too quick to clarify.
“Then why is he on Fireweed Island?”
Remembering the surprise and real reason he was here, I scrambled to think of something when the warehouse popped into my mind.
“He’s thinking of renovating the old cannery,” I blurted out and Shane gave me the thumbs up sign.
“Sure he is.” Sammi laughed.
“No, he really is.” My brows furrowed.
“Whatever you say.” Sammi giggled. “What was that you were telling me about being mature enough to admit who I was dating.”
“Sammi Troner,” I admonished. “I’m not dating Cynthia’s brother.”
“That’s too bad or you could have been my aunt.”
My cheeks blushed as Shane nodded in agreement. Quick to change the subject, I cleared my throat and drew a breath.
“Will you tell your dad the truth?” I asked Sammi.
“Is that the only way I can come over?”
“It’s not a guarantee that you can come over, but I’ll at least make the call.” I let out a heavy breath. “And Sammi, your dad only grounded you because he loves you. He loves you more than anything or anyone in this world. You know that, right?”
“I know. I just—” Sammi sniffed in. “It’s just been dad and me for so long that it’s weird having another person around.”
“Until today, you haven’t picked up the phone, Sammi. I’m always here for you, and we can talk things through, but first you have to let me in on your worries. I know Cynthia loves you a
lot. I’m sure she feels as awkward about things as you do. Your dad loved your mom so much and there are still photos of her all around the house. It takes a special woman to recognize how much the past can define the future and not be jealous.”
“That’s true. I didn’t even think of that.” Sammi said quietly.
“Don’t fall prey to the normal teenage hormones. You’re better than that.”
Sammi giggled. “Fine. I’ll tell my dad.”
“And instead of sneaking out, my gut says he’ll offer to allow your boyfriend to hang out at your house.”
“Doubtful.” She snickered.
“You might be surprised.”
“So where are you?” Sammi asked.
“The grocery store,” I answered.
“And Shane Parker just happens to be there?”
“Sammi, you’re too smart for your own good.” Shane laughed, and I flashed him a wicked grin before Sammi hung up on us.
Chapter Nine
“I’m not very good at this,” I groaned.
“At what in particular?” Tess asked, glancing at my latest design. “It looks great to me.”
I scored a section of the bright red glass on the worktable and grabbed my pliers to break it the rest of the way.
“Pretending I don’t like someone.” I set the glass back down and scooted a stool out of my way so I could reach a different portion of glass.
“And that someone is Shane Parker?”
“How’d you guess?” I laughed.
“Well, it’s not that hard when you don’t date.”
“Which leads me to my next bright idea.”
“And what’s that?” Tess asked.
“Wanna go to Seattle and eat, drink, and be merry?” I grinned, trying to convince myself that sounded fun.
“What does merry involve?” She eyed me suspiciously.
I shrugged and scored the next piece of glass. “Maybe run into a good-looking guy and dance a bit or something.”
“It’s the or something that has me worried.” Tess stood up and walked over to toss her candy wrapper into the trash.
I giggled, and my mind immediately drifted to Shane Parker. There were a lot of or somethings I’d love to experience with him.
“Tell me this.” She spun around and gave me a wicked grin. “If Shane Parker is the man you really want to sleep with and possibly pursue—”
“Not pursue, just sleep with,” I corrected.
“Then why not just cut out all these middlemen and sleep with him?” Her eyes widened.
I let out a sigh and put my cutter on the worktable. “Because… it’s complicated.”
“Or are you just making it that way? You’re both adults. So what if you sleep with him and word gets back to Charles and Cynthia?”
I straightened up. “No, you’re absolutely right. I can sleep with whoever I want.”
“Exactly.” She nodded her head in agreement. “Sleep with whoever you want, whenever you want, wherever you want.”
“Damn right.” I laughed. “Then what am I waiting for?”
Tess laughed. “Totally.” She nodded her head. “Go, get ‘em, Tiger.”
Without a beat of hesitation, I promised myself that if the next time I saw Shane Parker I still felt the same way, then game on.
“Does this mean I don’t have to go to Seattle this weekend?” Tess asked, eyes wide.
I chuckled. “Actually, it wouldn’t be this weekend anyway because Sammi is coming over.”
“The plot thickens.” She scrunched her face in surprise.
“Actually, Sammi is having a tough time now that Cynthia and Charles are officially married... And Sammi has a boyfriend.”
“Really?”
“She even snuck out to see him.”
“Uh-oh.”
“Yeah. She says it’s serious, but I’m not sure what kind of serious we’re talking about.”
Tess grimaced. “Hopefully not serious serious.”
“No kidding.” I let out a sigh and stretched. “I think I’ve had enough excitement for one day. I’ve gotten way more done than I thought would.”
“Am I your good luck charm?” Tess asked.
I laughed and made my way to the door where Tess was standing. “I think you are.”
“I suppose I ought to get back to correcting tests and planning the rest of the quarter since today is a teacher-planning day.” She gave me a quick hug and opened the door.
I followed her outside and noticed how warm the weather had turned. Summer was on its way to Fireweed Island.
“Blue skies are on the way,” Tess said with glee. “I’ve been waiting ten months for this.” Tess spun in a circle and let the warm air kiss her skin. “This makes me want summer so bad.”
“Not the kids driving you mad?” I teased.
“Believe it or not, I miss them every spring, which is why I always sign on for summer school.”
“If only there were more teachers like you.”
“A diamond in the rough.” She pointed at her chest. “That’s me.”
Tess started to the gate and spun back and stopped to look at me. “Is Shane Parker still on Fireweed?”
“No.” I shook my head. “He left two days ago to go back to his ranch in Montana.”
She covered her heart. “How romantic. A guy who owns a ranch.”
“I never really thought of that as romantic.” My brows furrowed.
“Oh, please. You’re dating a cowboy. All rough and tumble…A rugged—”
I held up my hands. “Whoa. I’m not sure who actually has the crush here.”
“Maybe we should go to Seattle after all.” She wiggled her brows. “Kidding, but maybe you should hop on a plane and head for Montana.”
“Yeah. That’s sane.” I laughed. “I’d like to complete his job before I get myself committed somewhere as a stalker.”
“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind that kind of stalking.”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Something tells me he gets plenty of stalking.”
“That’s still code for s-e-x, right?”
I chuckled and waved after Tess as she laughed her way right out of my yard and onto my sidewalk.
I always felt better after a visit with my friends. It reinvigorated the soul.
When I got inside the house, I heard my cellphone ringing and grabbed it, but the call had ended. I scrolled to see the unanswered call and saw it was from Charles. He was good about leaving messages, so I went to the kitchen and grabbed some melon out of the refrigerator while I waited for the voicemail to pop up. When my phone dinged, I picked it up and waited for the message to play.
“Hey, Dakota. Can you give me a call? It’s about Sammi. Okay, thanks.”
My pulse quickened, and I called Charles as I curled up on my couch. This was precisely what I needed to push Shane Parker right out of my mind.
Reality.
He lived in Montana. I lived on Fireweed Island. Besides distance prohibiting any long-term relationship, there was the world I lived in and the one he lived in.
Shane was a wheeler-dealer who had enough money to own a ranch in the middle of Montana with people to help run it, while I was a one-woman show who had a small business and an even smaller home with very little time to even sleep, let alone sleep with someone. And I had people who needed me.
“Hey, Dakota,” Charles voice sounded stressed. “Thanks for calling back.”
“Of course. I just got back in the house. So what’s up?”
“You know how Sammi has a boyfriend.”
“Yeah.” I was so relieved Sammi got the nerve to tell her dad. Now, I just hoped Charles didn’t screw it up and scare the new couple away.
“I think it’s more serious than I realized.”
My skin prickled. “How serious?”
“I found a brochure for a local woman’s clinic in her bedroom.”
Better than her dad finding a box of condoms.
“Oh geez.” I let ou
t a moan as I thought about sweet, innocent Sammi.
“And her boyfriend is a year older.”
“She failed to mention that part.” Not that it would matter. The heart wants what it wants, especially at that age.
Who was I kidding? That was the plight fought around the world at any age.
“First, let’s not jump to any conclusions,” I started. “There are many reasons why she might have gone to a doctor.”
“Then why wouldn’t she ask me to take her?”
“Well, she knew you were busy with the wedding.” I tried to find words to keep Charles calm, but none came. “Listen, when she’s here this weekend, I’ll see what I can find out. Hopefully, there’s a completely logical explanation.”
“You think?” It sounded like he almost choked back tears.
“What does Cynthia think?”
“I haven’t told her.”
“You need to. This is all part of the life she signed up for.”
“I didn’t want her to have second thoughts.”
I laughed. “Too late for those. She walked down that aisle.”
“True.” His voice sounded lighter, and I was happy I could still help.
“She’s getting on the five o’clock ferry on Friday?” I confirmed.
“Yup. We’ll be dropping her off at the terminal and she’ll walk on.”
“Well, that’s comforting because the thought of a fourteen-year-old girl driving herself seemed a little unsettling.”
Charles laughed, and I knew he was back to his old self.
“Thanks for everything, Dakota. I couldn’t do this without you.”
“Not true, but anytime. Sammi is a special girl.”
“She is,” Charles agreed. “And one more thing.”
I tensed not knowing what else Sammi could be up to.
“You can’t help who you fall for in life.”
“Excuse me?” I stammered.
“Cynthia might not be all that close to her brother, but that doesn’t make him a bad guy.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I squeaked out.
“Don’t think for a second Sammi doesn’t tell me everything.”
“What a little traitor,” I mumbled, laughing.
“She definitely knows how to play both sides.”
“And so do I. I’ll keep you posted about what I learn about sweet Sammi.”
Accidental Love on Meadow Cove Lane (Island County Series Book 10) Page 7