Another telling grin swept in Drew’s direction. “You don’t say.”
He slinked away from the door before the conversation turned into a full-blown I-told-you-so fest, but he only made it a few feet toward his desk when the word “free” brought him to a stop. He hastened back around in time to hear the woman thanking Ti for the gift.
He stretched the screen door open after the customer reached the curb. “What was that?”
“That, my friend, was the power of free advertising.” Ignoring his blank expression, Ti returned to her spot on the swing and resumed her artwork. “That tiny investment is going to reap marketing benefits for you. Just watch, ye of little faith.”
“Forgive my doubt, oh wise one.” He feigned a bow.
Maddie chuckled at his wink.
He reached for his back as he straightened. The surf had been extra choppy this morning.
“You look a little stiff there, cowboy. Too much fun on the mechanical bull last night?”
“Funny.”
“Or are you still sore from Coop and I whipping your butt in basketball?”
“Even funnier.” Drew unbuttoned his cuffs. “And you owe me a rematch.”
Maddie stifled a laugh. “No offense, Dad. But you might want to learn to cut your losses.”
Unbelievable. Betrayed by his own daughter. He shook his head. “All right, ladi—”
A fluster of barks from across the street turned Jasper into a reactive spaz. Maddie double-looped his leash around her wrist and dug her heels into the ground. If Jasper had any clue how small he really was, he might not be so quick to throw on his Wonder Dog suit.
Drew’s laughter vanished when the growling across the road matched scathing stares from the schnauzer’s owners. What were Annie’s parents doing on this street? They hadn’t spoken to him since the day he and Annie got married.
Her dad’s disapproving stare raked over him. Apparently, time hadn’t changed anything.
Ti swung her head back and forth between them like a tennis referee. “Making new friends again?”
More like reliving mistakes. “Not today.” Drew gripped a piece of taffy in his pocket, refusing to move until the Barretts rounded the corner and meandered out of sight.
“You wanna tell me what that was about?”
“Nope.”
As Drew turned to go inside, a sun-bleached blond surfer coasted up to the curb in his golf cart and hopped out. “Sweet. I’ve been hoping to cross paths with you.”
Ti looked behind her and back. “Sorry, do we know each other?”
“Not yet.” Surfer Dude extended a hand. “Carter Elliot. I’m visiting from California. You?”
Ti rose to her feet and returned his handshake. “Ti Russo. New York.”
“Business or pleasure?”
Her gaze drifted from Maddie to the ground. “Little of both.”
“Ahh. Those are the best kind.” He called to a woman with a pixie haircut in the golf cart, “Sue, you got any of my business cards on you?”
The cute woman flittered over with a card in hand.
“Thanks, babe.” He kissed her cheek. “I own a gallery in San Francisco. I’m always looking for new talent. If you have any work with you, I’d be interested in taking a look.”
“Really?” Ti stumbled over the word. “Wait. How’d you know I’m an artist?”
He hurled a glance over the storefront. “Besides transforming this place?”
Drew shoved his sleeves up his arms. There was nothing wrong with his shop. What did Mr. California know about it? He ripped off a bite of taffy. Better than chewing someone out.
“I’ve seen you taking shots around the island. As a gallery owner, you learn to take notice when you see an artist in love with her work. It’s usually a good sign.”
“Photography’s just a hobby. It’s not professional quality.”
“I doubt that.” Carter smiled with far too much charm.
Ti bent his business card back and forth. Was she blushing?
“You have a portfolio on you?”
“Um, yeah, actually.” She pointed to her smart car. “You have a few minutes?”
“I’m all yours.”
Feelings Drew had no business having sank into the middle of his chest. A chance for Ti to showcase her photos in a gallery—what she’d always wanted and certainly what she deserved. She’d thrive in California or anywhere the wind took her. Girls like her didn’t have roots.
Still clutching the taffy wrapper, Drew strode inside to make his usual afternoon tea. He almost snorted at his routine. Nothing like landing the gavel on the defining line between them.
He stopped by the magnets along the wall by the staircase, peeled one off, and sighed.
“You can turn this shop into whatever you want.” Ti’s infectious words steered his eyes upstairs. Maybe it was time to change his inventory. Finish what he’d once started.
Sunlight flickered over the picture of Dad and him on the wall and refracted across the shop Dad had poured his life into. How could Drew risk letting him down?
He couldn’t. Period.
Drew tossed the empty taffy wrapper in the garbage along with the thoughts sidetracking him from the only thing he needed to concentrate on. He returned to his desk with his green tea to sort through which bills he could afford this week. With discipline and focus, he’d see this through on his own.
Several minutes later, the over-the-door bell chimed as a mom and son strolled in behind Ti. The boy ran into the front display and landed his sticky hands against the glass.
Drew bit back the comment he wanted to make and nodded at the woman browsing the back shelf of nightlights. “Let me know if you need any help.”
Ti propped an easel against the base of the counter and started rifling through drawers.
Drew strained to ignore her. Right.
Exhaling, he set his pen down. “What are you looking for?” he whispered.
“Your label maker. I know you gotta have one.”
Always ready to crack a joke.
“You know, organization can save you a headache. You should try it sometime.”
“What do you think coffee’s for?”
“Are you on your third cup already?”
“Is that a rhetorical question?” Ti leaned against the counter and studied him with an artsy glint in her eyes.
He shifted in the chair. “Just because I don’t have my own portfolios or approach business with your carefree spirit doesn’t mean I’m completely anal.”
A clamor in the corner drew both their attention to the monster of a boy smearing his hands over another display case.
A few choice words stayed locked in his throat until the mom and kid exited the shop. He reached under the counter for a spray bottle.
Ti looked from the cleaner to Drew and arched a brow. “You were saying, Mr. Clean?”
He sidestepped around her.
“Drew, c’mon, I’m teasing. Business isn’t about being free-spirited. It’s about knowing what your customers want. Look, I’m the first to admit I never got my MBA, but I know art, and I know people. And you can’t sell anything unless you understand your audience.”
He spritzed the glass. “And you understand them already?”
“Luckily for you, I actually mingle with people.” A thoughtful expression took over. “Families come here on vacation to escape the monotony of everyday life and make new memories. They don’t want the same generic souvenirs they can get anywhere. They want something memorable to remind them of what they experienced on this gorgeous, peaceful island.”
Sometimes, all Drew could do was beg his face not to show how much her passion and insights took him aback. Despite his keeping things all business with Ti these last few days, she hadn’t pulled away. Hadn’t let his distance damper her energy or her commitment to helping the shop turn a profit. She’d never stop surprising him.
As usual, his smile betrayed him.
Ti picked up her eas
el and headed across the floor.
“Where are you going?”
“To get to work,” she said on her way past him.
“You call painting work?”
“I usually call it joy. But at the moment, I call it saving your butt.”
He followed her into the back room, where she set a half-finished canvas on her easel. “Hand paintings of the island? I doubt that’s very cost effective.”
“Paint once, digitalize for endless options. Prints, magnets, note cards, coasters, tote bags. Possibilities, my friend.” An appraising glance around the room ended in a look he knew better than to encourage. “You know what you should do?”
Hightail it out of here?
“Offer art classes for kids. This space is perfect for it. Just get rid of that giant furnace or kiln or whatever that is over there. What is that for, anyway? Oh!” She tapped her fingertips together. “You could totally have a pottery class. That’d be awesome, actually.”
Drew rubbed his neck. She wasn’t supposed to be in this part of the shop.
“It’d be a great way to bring in extra revenue. Families will eat it up. I’m telling ya. It’ll give them a fun activity to do when they need a break from the beach.”
Did her mind ever slow down? He grinned in spite of himself. But any humor quickly gave way to the reality always lingering in the forefront. “I’m sure you’d enjoy teaching art classes while you’re here, but I won’t be able to keep that up when you leave.”
“Sure you could. I’m a great teacher.” She lifted a smock and sauntered over.
He backed away. “Not happening.”
“Who said I was talking about teaching you?” Her gaze strayed past him as the over-the-door bell dinged.
Maddie ran straight into his legs. She swung around him, eyes alight as she took in the painting. “Wow, is that the harbor?”
“Yep.” Ti ran her fingers along the side of the canvas. “Well, the start of it, anyway. I still need a few more pictures to capture the heart of it. Speaking of which . . .” There was that dangerous look in her eyes again. “Is Chloe on shift this evening?”
“Yeahhh.” This couldn’t be good. “Why?”
“’Cause you, Drew Anderson, are taking Maddie and me out on the water tonight.”
He coughed. “Excuse me?”
Maddie squeezed his hand in both of hers, excitement already bubbling over. “We can take her to the inlet. Uncle Coop and I cleaned up the skiff this morning.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Ti mussed his hair. “I know staying here with the diffuser I got you and a barrel of taffy would be relaxing, too, but this will be better. Promise.”
Relaxing was definitely off the docket.
Evading her dangerous ocean-colored eyes might’ve helped if her herbal shampoo weren’t messing with his head. “I . . . I thought you were afraid of the water.”
“Of being in it, not on it.” She crossed her arms. “Besides, I have a song to help with that. I’ll teach it to you.”
“Negative.”
“Aw, c’mon, I can’t sing alone.”
“Never stopped you before.”
“Don’t make me start now.” Humming, Ti clapped his shoulder. “I’ll bring the food. You bring the drinks. It’ll be fun. A little spontaneity’s good for you, remember?”
When he didn’t relent, she lifted her cell to her mouth. “Owner’d rather use his label maker than hang out with two of the coolest chicks on the island.”
He tried to steal the stupid phone, but she jumped back and circled an arm around Maddie. Cheater.
“Please, Dad?”
Drew looked from one expectant face to the other.
Like there was ever a chance of him saying no.
Chapter Ten
Sinking
A low-hanging sun and lazy breeze welcomed them to the harbor. Carrying her flip-flops and camera, Ti stepped onto the pier’s warm wooden planks and drank in the beauty of the expansive horizon intersecting the quaint docks.
She could get lost here. Could forget what kind of girl she was and stop running for good.
A twinge of guilt snuck in. To be fair, she hadn’t fully lied about her reason for coming to visit. Establishing her own art studio this last year had depleted her well of inspiration. She needed to replenish. And she was being useful here, right? Couldn’t she stay a little longer?
Maddie let go of Drew’s hand and darted for a shallow, flat-bottomed boat tied up to the dock. Jasper barked at the rope as Maddie wrestled the knot. Everything about the precious scene opposed the unrest inside Ti. She needed to pull herself together.
“Don’t untie it quite yet.” Ti crisscrossed a pair of paddles over the boat’s sides, placed the thermos and picnic basket they brought on one of the seats, and knelt on the pier to square off the right angle.
She positioned the boat in the right-hand side of the frame to leave room for adding text to the image. Creativity surged with each take until questions about returning to Astoria gradually subsided.
“Okay, you and Maddie get in.” She motioned Drew toward the boat. “Hold her on your lap.”
Unlike Jasper, who leapt in without any prodding, Drew angled his chin in hesitation. Ti waved him on. Exhaling, he pulled a life jacket over Maddie, got situated, and helped her in. “You’re not putting our faces on postcards, are you?”
“Why? You don’t want to be famous?” Ti laughed at the taut expression he gave her. “Relax. With the sun where it is, you’ll look more like silhouettes. No one will make you out. Promise. You’re just in it for effect.”
Ti twisted the lens to focus on the backdrop, capturing a soft image of a dad and daughter creating a memory together. Jasper added a scoring bonus. Families were going to love these prints.
“Now, do something funny. We need a few candid ones.”
With Maddie, Drew didn’t seem to need much prompting to lower his guard. A tickling fest brought priceless moments to life on camera. Even if all the shots didn’t turn out to work for souvenirs, they’d be treasures for the two of them to keep.
Ti’s throat tightened at how tender he was with his little girl and how much she made Drew come alive.
“All good?” he asked.
Ti scrolled through the stills. More than good. “Perfect.”
“Now, it’s your turn.” Maddie climbed out of the boat, Jasper her shadow, and extended a hand in front of Ti.
“Maddie.” Drew’s low tenor rumbled behind her.
Ti gripped the camera. “Um, no. That’s okay, love. I’ll stay behind the lens.”
Head tipped, arms crossed, Miss Obstinacy tapped her foot. “A lot of people come here as couples. Don’t you think they’d want a few souvenirs, too?”
Dang, she was clever.
A quick glance at Drew caught him sitting as rigidly as if he had one of those oars staked to his spine. At least Ti wasn’t the only one uncomfortable with the idea. But Maddie’s unrelenting hazel eyes shot down their rebuttals before they could get them out.
Ti shook it off. What was the big deal? They could fake romance for two minutes for the sake of the shop.
She stole a moment to make sure the camera settings were good and slipped the strap over Maddie’s head. After giving a quick set of instructions, she stepped into the skiff.
Cautious strides led her across the rocking boat to the seat Drew was still glued to. She fidgeted above him in search of a non-awkward way to join him until he finally gave in to a smile and reached a hand out to steady her.
Fat chance any steadying was happening.
She gave up hiding her amusement and let him take her into his lap. The boat swayed with the movement, stirring up her fears more than expected. She circled her arms around Drew’s neck without thinking.
“Don’t worry. The sound’s much calmer than the ocean, especially in the harbor.” His husky voice echoed the security of his hand pressed against her lower back.
Ti aver
ted her gaze from the white foam beside the boat back to his eyes. Like drowning in those green beauties was any safer than going down in the water. She’d look away if they’d let her. They held on instead, driving up her pulse.
If his dimples were any indication, he must’ve felt her heart rate beating through her wrist onto his neck. “So, how do we do this?” he asked.
Breathe? No clue. And what happened to that breeze?
“Come on, guys,” Maddie called. “Look romancy or whatever.”
Ti pinched her lips together. Romancy. Right. She loosened her hold on Drew’s neck and tried to shove enough fog from her brain to picture which romantic poses would work best for prints.
Another glance around the setting made the choice for her. She stretched her fingers behind his ear, leaned back so her hair dangled over the boat’s edge, and angled her feet in the air. Borderless, carefree, picture-perfect romance. It’d sell, all right. Even she was buying it.
Camera snaps sounded in the background. “Gorgeous,” Maddie complimented like a professional photographer working a shoot.
Drew and Ti both laughed as he pulled her up. But once face to face again, the same intensity from a moment ago crippled her. He brushed a strand of hair off her cheek, his eyes never leaving hers. Being this close to him felt good, real. Too real.
“How we doing?” he asked through a grin that was about to demolish her resistance.
“I think that’s probably good.” She shot up from his lap. The boat rocked, but nowhere near as forcefully as the waves inside her stomach.
Ti held in a breath as Maddie crawled into the boat with the camera.
“Did they come out okay?” Maddie asked.
Ti secured the camera away from the water. Not that it helped relax her nerves. Her heart sank without explanation as she scrolled through the shots. “They’re perfect.” Almost enough to believe she and Drew hadn’t been pretending.
The scene’s irresistible charm must’ve been getting to her. Even though Drew was intriguing, it wasn’t like things between them could go anywhere. A stable family man like him and a tainted wanderer like her? Yeah, right.
Ti curled an arm around Maddie’s shoulders and closed out reactions she didn’t need to be feeling. She was here to help them. That was all. “I think you have a photographer inside you, missy.”
Begin Again (Home In You Book 2) Page 9