Begin Again (Home In You Book 2)

by Crystal Walton

  Ti wandered around the shop—the part of him he’d risk everything for. She wouldn’t jeopardize that. Wouldn’t let herself hurt him. Or Maddie.

  After he finished putting up the table, he met her at the door. Not much rivaled the humidity’s thickness around here, but the awkward silence trailing them outside might’ve had it beat.

  Drew cast a glance in her direction as they walked. “You must’ve thought the jewelry thing wasn’t going to go over well.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Your earrings.”

  She stopped, head tilted. “I’m sorry, do you have a jacket I can borrow? ’Cause it just got a little windy out here in left field.”

  He laughed. “You wear those big hoops or long dangly things when you’re in a good mood and studs when you’re upset about something.” He lifted a hand to her teardrop earrings. “So, I figured these medium ones were a cautious middle.”

  She breathed in at the touch of his fingertips skimming her ear. “I . . . don’t coordinate my earrings with my mood.”

  His grin disagreed. “If you say so.” He pushed his rolled-up sleeves above his elbows, his countenance drifting in the opposite direction. “But you know the jewelry isn’t enough, right? The foreclosure . . . I only have four weeks . . .”

  “The jewelry’s just a start. I have more ideas. Some good ones.”

  A soft smile landed over her. “I’m sure you do.”

  He might not believe those ideas could help, but they had to. It was all she had to give him.

  A few minutes down the road, Drew’s attention gravitated toward his house.

  Ti leaned an arm into his. “You can take your drink to go, if you want.”

  “You really do have mind reading on your résumé, don’t you?” His chuckle drifted down the street and into a chorus of crickets.

  The southern live oaks bordering the road bowed their branches to the wind while their leaves entertained the breeze.

  A gray and white Shih Tzu vaulted off a woman’s lap on a nearby tree swing and raced to the edge of the property as they passed.

  Drew gave the dog’s head a good rub. “No coming in the street, Rufus.”

  Of course he knew the dog’s name. Small-town charm at its finest. One of its many perks. Ti toyed with her bracelet. “Grandma Jo seems like a real blessing.”

  “More than I deserve. The woman’s been watching over our family for decades.”

  “Was she a friend of your parents’?”

  He nodded. “She lost her husband early. Since she doesn’t have children of her own, we sort of adopted her into the family. Even more so after my mom died.”

  The streetlight streamed over the pavement. “That must be nice.”

  “Becoming a widow early?”

  She shoved him. “Having a group of people who love you like that. A family you know you can always count on.” A traitorous knot seized her throat.

  “You didn’t have that growing up?”

  Ti’s balance snagged on his question.

  Drew caught her arm. “You okay?”

  Anything but.

  Eyes of genuine concern searched hers, and the panic commandeering her spine turned into guilt. Here she was, smack in the middle of his life. He had every right to inquire about hers. But how could she let him see where she came from? Her heart thrummed like the wings of a dozen horseflies.

  “Ti?”

  Startling, she jutted a thumb behind her. “I actually have something I need to work on tonight. Will you tell Livy and Cooper I’m sorry I can’t make it?”

  “Um . . .” He raised his shoulders, confusion marching across his face. “Sure.”

  “Thanks.” She turned before his expression cut any deeper.

  Halfway back to the house, Ti stopped with her hands on her knees and inhaled slowly. The briny air that’d once burned her lungs now soothed them. Not good. She was getting too comfortable, letting feelings that were off-limits sidetrack her.

  She raked her bangs off her forehead with her glasses, drove her attraction to Drew out of reach where it belonged, and waited for some semblance of concentration to break through.

  The surf competition. That was the only thing she needed to focus on right now. She turned in a circle, wheels spinning. They needed to make the most of the crowd being there. The shop was on track to handle it. They just had to get customers in the door without interference.

  She shot her head up. Got it.

  Her one-mission path directed her straight to Mr. Fiazza’s. In case there was any question which house was his, the cutout yard sign with a big X over a dog going to the bathroom on the grass eliminated any doubt.

  Ti knocked on the door, slipped her hands in her back pockets, and smiled at the dragonflies dancing around the porch light. “You guys should leave while you can. Trust me.”

  A bustle stirred behind the door. An even crotchetier version of Mr. Fiazza than she remembered emerged. “Who in the—?”

  “Mr. Fiazza, we need to talk.”

  “Not at this hour, we don’t.” While mumbling under his breath, he tucked one side of his white bathrobe tighter into the other and doubled the knot on his belt straps. “You have some gall coming here like this.”

  “You haven’t known me long. You’ll get used to it.” She peeked around his unhinged jaw toward a fifty-five-inch flat screen mounted on a wood paneled wall opposite a corduroy couch. Apparently, electronic upgrades trumped all others. “Nice digs.”

  His five-foot-six frame grew an extra inch in an attempt to block her view.

  “Listen, this’ll only take a minute. Then you can get back to the Double Jeopardy round you’re missing right now.” She stopped the door with her hand as he swung it. “I know you have a thing for Jolene.”

  He gaped at her. “What did you just say?”

  “Relax, Romeo. Your secret’s safe with me. I just thought you might want a chance at winning the woman you love.”

  Turning a memorable shade of maroon, Mr. Fiazza strode onto the porch. “This is absurd.”

  “No, letting pride rob you of the things you’ve always wanted is absurd.” Ti folded and unfolded the arms of her glasses, back and forth. “You’ve loved her since, when? High school? She married someone else. You got bitter. But by the time she was widowed, you’d caused too much of a rift between you to ever think things could change.”

  Mr. Fiazza matched his son’s scathing stare. “How do you know all this? You some kind of reporter?”

  “Just observant. And I don’t need to dig up details when you just confirmed them.”

  He opened his mouth but snapped it shut. She had him, and he knew it.

  “So, what do you want?”

  “I want to coach you how to be around Jolene.”

  The corner of his eye twitched. “In exchange for . . . ?”

  “The pallets from your hotel.”

  “You want my trash?”

  “I’m going to make art pieces out of them.”

  “Uh-huh.” He studied her like she was the one who needed a white robe—the kind with arms that buckled across the back for restraint.

  Ti blew off her offense over his lack of artistic vision. The real reason she came was more important. “Plus,” she added, “I want you to get Marcus to back off Drew for a while.”

  Mr. Fiazza scoffed. “My son has a mind of his own.”

  “One that’s greatly influenced by what his father thinks, I’m sure.” Ti crossed her arms, not backing down. “Traffic from the upcoming surf competition will bring enough business for everyone. Just talk him into not interfering with what we’re doing at the Anderson shop. That’s all I’m asking.”

  He heaved a sigh. “Fine.”

  “Thank you.” Ti fluttered her fingertips together. “This is gonna be fun.”

  With an almost imperceptible nod, Mr. Fiazza reopened his front door. “Good night, Miss Reporter.”

  “I’ll meet you here tomorrow at seven.” Ti leaned ar
ound the door as it closed. “First item on the to-do list is to get you pants that actually reach your shoes. Then we’ll tackle manners,” she slipped in right before the door slammed.

  With her shoulders to her ears, Ti let out a small squeal. Even living a Grumpy Old Men remake couldn’t dampen her spirits. She was going to save Drew’s shop if it killed her.

  Back at the trailer, she changed into boxers and an off-the-shoulder T-shirt, curled up at Cooper’s desk with a bag of kale chips and a notepad, and started sketching some designs for the pallets.

  Almost an hour later, a soft knock at the door interrupted the silence. She cracked it open. “Drew?”

  “Your light was on. I thought you might still be up. But if it’s a bad time, I can . . . What is that?” He motioned to the bag in her hand.

  She flung it behind her back. “Nothing,” she mumbled through a mouthful of kale.

  There were those stinking dimples again. He poked his head inside the trailer. “Crunching all by yourself where no one can hear you, huh?”

  “No.” She bit down as quietly as possible.

  “You know I’m gonna give you flak for this.”

  “Whatever, Alfalfa.”

  He danced from under her hand reaching for his cowlick. Why did he have to be so adorable sometimes?

  Ditching the bag of chips, Ti leaned against the trim. “Listen, I’m sorry about dipping out earlier. I had some business to take care of.”

  “You don’t have to apologize for coming and going as you like.”

  “I know.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay.” She grazed her toes along the back of her calf.

  An awkward shuffle ensued until Drew lifted a to-go coffee cup and the corners of his mouth. “Penance.”

  She arched a brow.

  “For that thermos stunt I pulled at the inlet. Among other mess-ups,” he added softly.

  “You brought me coffee at ten o’clock at night?”

  He feigned shock. “Sorry, I must’ve confused you with the girl who usually carts a caffeine IV around with her. You have special timeframes for drinking coffee?”

  “Only when I’m breathing.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  Conceding, she took a sip and fluttered her lashes. Pure heavenly perfection. “How’d you know how I like it?”

  Deferring to a lopsided smile, he backed up and turned. “Night, Ti.” The afterglow of his presence spread through her to places hot coffee couldn’t touch.

  “Night,” she whispered back.

  Even after he disappeared inside, Ti stayed in the doorway with her cup in hand and heart jumbled in her ribs. She faced the Prussian blue sky and clutched her arms over her chest. She’d learned to fool a lot of people over the years. Maybe even herself. But pretending she wasn’t falling for Drew Anderson was one act no amount of deflection could mask.

  Hope tingled from the ashes of buried dreams. What if he felt the same?

  Chapter Fourteen

  Yielded

  The sunrise warmed Drew’s back on his way home from the beach. In the backyard, he propped his longboard against the house and rinsed off under the outdoor shower. Salt residue ran down his skin and into the sand at his feet. It’d be nice if his stupid nerves would drain as easily.

  He flicked a glance at the trailer.

  “I just want to see you remember how to have fun again.”

  Debating with himself all morning hadn’t shaken Livy’s words from his thoughts. Maybe she was right. He could be the carefree guy he used to be. Have fun without giving his heart away. Cooper did it all the time. What was a date or two? No strings attached.

  Apprehension sparked. Drew lowered his head under the cold jets of water trying to lodge sense into his thick skull. What was he doing even thinking about asking Ti out? Even if she weren’t out of his league, marrying his first and only girlfriend right out of high school didn’t exactly make him a dating guru.

  Ti had been an international model, for Pete’s sake. Who knew how many smoother, more experienced guys had already offered her all she wanted. What could he possibly add? Smothering affection? Small-town chains? Extra baggage? He’d been down that road once. Knew where it led. This was stupid. He shouldn’t even be thi—

  “That’s it!” Ti flung open the door to the trailer. In the same wide-neck shirt and boxers from last night, she stumbled onto the patio, waving a high heel in the air at a seagull. “You and me, buddy. Let’s finish this.”

  Drew slowly turned off the water. He pinched his lips together to hold in a laugh and eased toward Ti from behind to disarm her. “Easy there, killer. No one needs to get hurt.”

  She whirled around, hair a hot tangled mess. “That seagull needs to die.”

  Man, she made keeping a straight face impossible.

  He turned the shoe over. “I hear death by stiletto may be considered malicious intent. Wouldn’t want you to add any more time to your sentence.”

  With one side of her shirt drooped off her shoulder, hair blowing in the wind, and a frenzied look in her eyes, Ti failed miserably at looking dignified while staring him down. “It’s not funny.”

  “Oh, no, trust me. It’s very funny.”

  She stole her heel back and whacked him with it, but he only laughed harder. “You’re lucky I don’t have my phone on me right now.”

  “You’re the lucky one. ’Cause this . . .” He waved a hand over her frazzled pose. “Is definitely picture-worthy.”

  “Shut up.” Her mouth quirked.

  Drew dipped his head, waiting. Three, two, one . . .

  Pent-up laughter tumbled out on cue. Ti shoved his shoulder. “That stupid bird shouldn’t be allowed near anyone’s window this early. The blasted ferry horn is bad enough. I hardly got any sleep last night.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t drink coffee so late.”

  Ti mirrored his impish expression. “And maybe a knight in shining armor shouldn’t have brought a girl penance she couldn’t refuse.”

  “Touché.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

  Her gaze slanted past him to his board. “So, that’s where you run off to every morning. To exercise at the crack of dawn. On purpose.” She tipped her chin. “You need help.”

  Drew angled his chin right back at her. “Says the rabid-looking girl flailing a high heel at an innocent seagull.”

  “Glad I can bring out your sense of humor.”

  “Your specialty.”

  Barefoot and unfairly adorable first thing in the morning, Ti chewed on her bottom lip. Sunlight glistened over her skin, and all he could do was stare. Words, Anderson. Maybe if he punched himself in the jaw, it’d actually remember how to work.

  “I should probably get ready.” She hooked a thumb toward the trailer.

  “Yeah. Yeah.” Drew gestured behind him. “And I should . . .” Go get a life. Or at least a shred of manhood instead of standing here like a preteen with no clue how to talk to girls.

  “So, I guess I’ll see you at the shop.”

  “Yep. Ready to sell things.” Ready to sell things? Really? He conquered the ocean every morning, and here he was drowning on dry land.

  “Right,” she said slowly. “Glad we clarified that.”

  Someone needed to put him out of his misery now before it got worse.

  Once Ti turned to go back inside the trailer, he squeezed the bridge of his nose. Good thing Cooper wasn’t around to see this. The jokes would never end.

  Drew trudged over to the shower to finish rinsing off his board. It was probably better he hadn’t asked her out. What would they do all night? Play Whose Line Is It Anyway until he actually came up with one?

  He turned off the water, but images of Ti’s bare shoulder catching the sunlight kept pouring in. He banged his forehead against his board.

  “You all right?”

  Drew flinched backward and pivoted toward Ti standing on the patio. Tell me she didn’t see that. “Uh, yeah. I was just . . . checking the boa
rd. You know, making sure everything’s nice and sturdy.” He patted the solid foam. “Yep. All good.”

  Ti nodded, the corner of her lips climbing her cheek. “Mm-hmm. Well, I forgot to mention I have something I need to do this morning, so I’ll be at the shop a little late.”

  “Oh. Okay. Yeah, sure. No problem.” Drew backed up. “I have some things to take care of first, too. So, I should get a move on.” He stumbled into his board, turned, and batted it between his hands like a gyroscopic juggler. Once he stabilized the stupid thing, he breathed in and turned once more.

  If the amused look on her face was any clue, a career in the circus might not be a bad idea. He passed off a casual nod and made a beeline around the side of the house before he could open himself up for any more blunders.

  Halfway to the front, he forced his feet to stop and waited for his brain to catch up. This was ridiculous. So, he could tattoo World’s Rustiest Dater on his head. So what? If anyone would be able to laugh about it with him, it’d be Ti.

  With at least a meager grasp on confidence, Drew jogged back to the patio. “Ti,” he called as she was about to shut her door. He latched on to her crippling blue eyes. “I was actually wondering if I can take you somewhere tonight.” He picked at a mosquito bite on his arm. “Unless you already have plans with Cooper.”

  “Cooper?” A slow grin built behind her eyes. Her lashes dipped and lifted slowly. “Not unless we’re all hanging out together.”

  “Not tonight.” He leveled his shoulders. “Chloe’s coming in at four, so that should give us enough time.”

  “For what?”

  “A surprise.”

  Eyes squinting, she studied him. “All right, Mr. Evasive. Four o’clock it is. But I’m gonna be wearing stud earrings if you don’t give me a clue how to dress before we go.”

  He laughed. “Point taken.”

  Drew rounded the corner of the house again and relaxed his muscles. Now that the asking part was out of the way, he just had to make it through the actual date part. A flicker of sunlight filtering through the trees drew his gaze to the sky. Little help here wouldn’t hurt. If he were going to pull this off, he’d need all the help he could get.