Ti draped an arm across Livy’s back, sniffed, and wrinkled her nose. “Either that, or he bolts the other way when you reek of bacon. Please tell me that’s from working in the kitchen and not a new bodywash.”
“And the Queen of Deflection strikes again.”
Livy wasn’t so bad at that skill herself.
Speaking of that . . . Several sidewalk dividers passed before Ti looked up from the ground. “I don’t get it, Liv.”
“What?”
“Why you’re stuck at a job you hate just to pay the bills. I mean, I get wanting to leave modeling. Believe me. But you didn’t have any money left over?”
Livy stopped three feet back with her gaze adhered to the concrete.
Ti inched up the sidewalk and angled her head beneath her friend’s. “You know you can talk to me, right?”
“Yeah.” Nodding with too much effort, Livy evaded Ti’s eyes. “I need to get back to my flat to shower. Don’t want this bacon scent to turn off anyone else.”
“Liv—”
“I’ll catch up with you later.” She veered to the right, down a side street.
Ti didn’t have to memorize every road on the island to know Livy was taking the long route home. With as many detours as Ti had taken herself in life, the long route was the only home she knew.
The gardens and screened-in porches lining the street practically laughed at her for wanting the map to end here. She’d almost kept driving when she went to Hatteras. Maybe she should have.
“Drew’s important to you, isn’t he?” Important enough to guard both of their hearts.
One more week. You can keep your heart intact for one more week. She faced the warm sunlight weaving through the leaves above her. “Little help would be nice.”
Drew’s Jeep coasted alongside the curb. He stretched over the passenger seat and lowered his sunglasses. “Going for a run?”
Sending a smirk to the sky, Ti shook her head and approached the Jeep. She folded her arms over the door panel toward the green eyes that kept her anchored here. “Apparently, not today.”
Chapter Twenty
Glow
Drew slid a thumb across his cell. Still no messages. Last time Mrs. Cunningham had come in, she’d eagerly caught him up on why Lenny wasn’t around. A death in the family brought on a lot of repercussions. He knew from experience. What if Lenny ended up leaving Ocracoke for good? Would he still want the skiff now? If Drew couldn’t sell it . . .
He shoved his phone and the taunting questions into his pocket. One trial at a time.
With a deep exhale, he peeked over his shoulder at Ti hanging the last 8x11 frame on a gallery display she’d created on the back wall. Nine white matted frames showcased stunning takes of the harbor. The sunrise in the middle had held him captive for a solid half hour earlier this morning. Even now, he had a hard time looking away from the image.
Until a flutter of Ti’s hair drew his focus to her instead.
After thirty-two years of living in the sun, it’d taken less than a month with this outspoken, contagiously energetic, talented woman to show him how dim his world had been without her.
The caliber of her paintings, photographs, and jewelry had transformed his shop. No question. But new inventory wasn’t what made the place glow. It was the girl behind the art.
Maybe it was time Drew took a risk on creating his own art again. Would seeing him try change Ti’s mind about him?
He looked away from her and added the last of the decorative mason jars to a shelf in the middle of the store. The distraction of gearing up for the surf competition starting tomorrow had kept her inevitable departure date in the background. But now that they’d run out of things to keep them preoccupied, it hung in the air with a thickness even her essential oils couldn’t remedy.
The glowing diffuser Ti had coerced him into setting up in the corner sent puffs of mist into the air like they were about to have some sort of spa-slash-yoga session.
Thankfully, she hadn’t tried to talk him into selling aromatherapy paraphernalia. Unable to say no to her, he’d have ended up walking around the shop with one of those diffuser pendants tied to his neck while grinding up herbs in a stone mortar.
Laughing it off, he ducked behind the counter and grabbed one of her pallet art pieces to hang. The fake auction sign Marcus had stashed in Drew’s yard last week brushed against his knee with a reminder of what was at stake.
He kicked it aside as he rose. The combination of small and big-ticket items should give them a shot at coming up with enough back payments during the competition to appease Mr. Parsons for a while.
His arm drifted to his side. It’d work out, wouldn’t it?
“It’s gonna be fine.” Ti strolled up beside him, obviously reading his thoughts. As usual. “All those calluses left from threading the necklaces are totally going to be worth it.”
Better be worth something. Chuckling, Drew put his rough hands to work hanging up a distressed pallet Ti had turned into a decorative shelf.
Another glance around the room sent him across the floor to pick up an empty box. He stopped at the jewelry display. “Is there enough?”
Ti stole the box, wedged it against her hip, and took his hand. “It’s enough, Drew—all of it. Everything’s taken care of. You’re taking the night off. We’ll do dinner. Six o’clock.”
“The night off?”
“Don’t worry. I promise it’ll be edible.”
He raised a brow. “You’re gonna cook?”
“Yeah, and we can work on the three-word question issue you seem to be stuck on.” An impish grin tailed the barb, but the doorbell chimed before he could dish out a comeback.
Mrs. Cunningham strode in, wearing a wrap-around skirt and a low-cut bathing suit failing miserably at covering wrinkled skin no one’s eyes should be exposed to.
“Hey, darling.” Her heeled sandals flopped against her feet as she sashayed toward him. “Any chance you can sneak away today? My boat’s giving me some trouble. And with Roger out of town again, I could sure use a hand.”
Drew kept his gaze neck up. Though, the red lipstick on her teeth was almost as bad as the over-tanned skin sagging above her bathing suit.
She leaned closer, pungent old lady perfume nearly choking him. “What do you say?”
Help? “Um . . . Ti?”
“Hey, can you—” Ti wheeled around the display and jerked to a stop. Visibly caught off guard, she stared at Mrs. Cunningham like a moth in front of a light.
Mrs. Cunningham shifted her weight, producing ripples in places never intended for any. “You like my suit, dear? Got it at Ann Taylor’s last season.”
Ti simply stood there, transfixed. Drew elbowed her, but she barely blinked. “I’m sorry, what was that?”
Mrs. Cunningham rattled off another round of praise about her flower-patterned suit.
Ti shook her head without looking away. “Yeah, sorry, still missed it.”
He had to move to keep from cracking up. He looped an arm around Ti’s back and nodded at Mrs. Cunningham. “Will you excuse us for a moment?”
Over by the door, he scrunched his face at Ti. “What was that? You were supposed to come to my rescue over there.”
“From being suffocated between the twin peaks?”
“Aw, jeez, thanks a lot for the mental image. I can never un-see that now.”
“You gotta admit. They’re kind of a showstopper.” Ti opened the door.
Trying not to gag, he followed her out. “Where are you going?”
“To get some coffee before I meet up with Maddie.”
“You’ve been sneaking off a lot lately.”
“Look who’s talking, Mr. I-Get-Up-At-The-Crack-Of-Dawn. And I’m not sneaking. We’re working on her school project.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“You seem a little tense. You sure now’s the best time to go cold turkey on your taffy addiction? You might need it in there. Just saying.”
It truly never ended, did it?
She started down the walkway with far too much bounce in her step.
“Wait, you can’t seriously be leaving me alone. Make coffee here.”
“With the twin peaks? No thanks. Having my life flash before me once was enough. I need the strong stuff to recover. Can I get you anything while I’m out? Mountain gear, climbing shoes?”
He groaned. “How about a squeegee?”
Her laughter chased her down the walkway. “You’re getting good at this banter thing, Mr. Anderson. I’m sure Mrs. Cunningham would take you on for a few rounds. Might even get a free boat ride out of it.”
“I hate you right now, you know that?”
Ti walked backward, the corners of her mouth quirking. “I’ll see if I can find the right bathing suit to remedy that.”
He let out a breath. Why did he set himself up for these things? “I can’t believe you’re bailing on me.”
“Sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Not in the least.” Laughing it up, she spun toward the street. “See you back at your place at six.”
Drew leaned against the porch railing as Ti flitted down the street in the larger-than-life style he admired more each day.
As risky as opening himself up to creating glasswork again was, it didn’t come close to the danger of messing up what little time he had left with her. His advances had already driven her away once. He needed to keep himself in check.
Mrs. Cunningham opened the door. “You’re not hiding from me, are you, honey?”
He squinted at Ti’s fading silhouette. It didn’t matter how many days they had left. She was definitely getting it for this later.
As long as whatever Ti had planned tonight didn’t demolish his self-control first.
A few minutes before six, a mouth-watering Italian aroma welcomed Drew through his front door. He dropped his keys on the sideboard in the entryway. “Hello?”
Maddie soared around the corner. “Upstairs.”
“What?”
She blocked the doorway to the kitchen with her arms and legs like Spiderman. “Upstairs to change before dinner.”
He peeked around her, but she pushed him toward the steps. “Go.”
“All right, I’m going.” In his bedroom, a shirt and a sleek pair of dress pants looked back at him from the bed. Okay, he was definitely missing something. “Mad—”
“Trust me.” His little fashionista whirled in and went straight for his closet. She turned with two ties in hand and motioned him toward the bathroom. “I can’t decide between these two until I see the rest on you. So, hurry up in there.”
This just sailed past weird. “I think I can handle getting myself dressed, Sea Monkey.”
She laughed like he’d told a joke from a stand-up act. “That’s cute, Dad.” Stopping in the doorway, she draped the ties over her shoulder. “Holler when you’re ready. Oh, and I left some hair gel on the sink.”
Hair gel? “Maddie, what’s going on?”
Her heart-grabbing smile lit the whole room. “We’re celebrating your birthday.” As if it were the most normal comment she could make, she swept the door closed behind her.
It took a minute for him to be able to move as the pieces fused together. Italian aromas, dress clothes, hair gel. She wanted tonight to be a date for him and Ti.
He banged the heel of his hand to his forehead. The phone call from Winnie’s. That’s what this was about. Maddie’d asked Ti to stick around for his birthday. His chest constricted at the implication. Ti’d stayed because she was doing Maddie a favor. Nothing else.
His heart ached for Maddie as much as for himself. No use denying it. His daughter was attached. And she wasn’t alone.
Casual dating didn’t work. Lying to himself obviously didn’t either. But what choice did he have? Ti planned to leave after the competition. His resolve would have to hold.
“I don’t hear any water running in there, mister.”
Drew obligingly hopped in the shower. For Maddie’s sake, he’d at least enjoy dinner as if the night would last.
Dressed, gelled, and ready to eat, he trotted down the stairs. One step into the kitchen caught him short.
Ti glided across the tiles in an exquisite golden dress flowing against her tanned calves. She added two goblets to the place settings and peered up at him with eyes that made the blown glass he’d worked with this morning seem lackluster. All traces left of his resolve vanished, along with his ability to form words. Wow, she was stunning.
Amusement climbed her cheek. “Mrs. Cunningham isn’t joining us? You haven’t been sneaking off in the mornings to rendezvous, have you?”
A laugh unlocked his voice. “Cute. You’re still in the dog house for earlier, by the way.”
“Dinner penance?”
He rubbed his jaw to fight a grin. “I’ll let you know.”
“Fair enough.” She motioned to his seat, but he helped her and Maddie into theirs before taking his own.
Ti picked out a slice of cucumber from the salad. “Did you know cucumbers are ninety percent water? They regulate blood sugar, relieve headaches, and even promote healthy skin.”
“I’ll remember that the next time I play Trivial Pursuit.”
She jabbed the vegetable at him. “You’ve been hanging out with me too long.”
Not long enough. “Guilty,” he said instead. The steam rising from a pan of lasagna lured his focus to the center of the table. “You made this yourself?”
Ti swayed her head. “I might’ve used a lifeline to phone a friend. It’s Ethan’s Nonna’s recipe. Well, a meatless version, anyway.” She reached for his glass. “And a little red wine for the grown-ups.”
She had no idea what she was doing to him right now, did she? “I can’t believe you cooked for me.”
Her bare shoulder gave a gentle shrug. “It’s a special night.”
One he’d never forget.
With her silky hair wound in a side bun, only a trace of her herbal shampoo reached him, but it was enough to fuel the craving to breathe in her soft skin.
He forced his eyes closed. He could do this. One night. One very long night.
Once they’d finished eating, Maddie sat back in her chair and rubbed her belly as if it hurt.
“You okay, Sea Monkey?”
“Yeah.” She wiped the glower off her face. “Just ate too much.” Without giving him a chance to interject, she jetted into the living room and returned with a wrapped box.
“You guys didn’t have to go to all this trouble.” Drew set his wrinkled napkin on his plate.
Maddie made a teenager-worthy face at Ti. “Told you he’d be like this.”
“Like what?”
“All don’t-make-a-big-deal-out-of-me,” she said in a dopy ogre voice.
Great. Two conspirators rubbing off on each other. Just what he needed.
“It’s good to be celebrated every now and then.” Maddie placed the gift on his lap and fluttered her fingertips together. “Open it.”
Drew looked to Ti, but she kept her expression surprisingly serene. He tore into the wrapping. The paper dropped to the floor, his heart right behind it. The photo of his dad and him at the shop beamed behind a thin sheet of glass in a new frame. He traced his fingers along the edging made of blown glass scraps, like a mosaic.
“The colors are gorgeous, aren’t they?” Ti scooted her chair closer to his. “I found the broken glass at the shop in the back room. A customer must’ve knocked something over without telling you. I don’t know what it was, but as soon as I saw it, I knew it’d be perfect. Maddie and I stayed up last night piecing it together. What do you think?”
That this amazing woman would leave him undone every day he knew her.
Tears threatened the border of his longstanding defenses.
Ti’s uncertain glance intersected with Maddie’s. “You can use the frame for something else if you want. We can put the picture back. I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s perfect.” Regaining his c
omposure, Drew stretched a hand to both of them. “Thank you. This is really special.”
“Night’s not over yet.” Maddie bubbled up, snagged the two ties she’d picked out off the back of the empty chair, and held them against his dress shirt.
Ti motioned to the silver one.
“Definitely,” Maddie agreed. “Now, you guys go on. Grandma Jo and I will meet you there.”
“Meet us where?”
“Another opportunity for adventure.” Ti hooked her arm around his and steered him toward the door.
This couldn’t be good.
The undercurrent of mixed emotions that’d been following him around all evening like Peter Pan’s shadow led the way to his friend Jacob’s house.
In the glow of candles and globe lights, Jacob’s third-floor deck whisked them into a flurry of music, drinks, and friends. Ti drifted into the crowd toward Livy and Cooper.
As people swarmed in with birthday wishes, Drew kept his eyes on the girl who’d put this all together. In her golden yellow dress, she could’ve been someone from a movie. Blonde, brunette, it didn’t make a difference. She was real. She was here. Right now, that was all that mattered.
Ti glided farther onto the dance floor like she had in the café on Cedar Island. “Ready for some fun?”
As long as it included sweeping her into his arms. Ti’s claim on his heart was about to finish off his last ounce of resistance.
Chapter Twenty-one
Complicated
Ti slid an empty glass onto a tray as a server bustled by her. She’d call the night a success. Well, other than not having a moment alone with Drew since they’d gotten to the party. Probably better that way. This night was for him and the people in his life. The ones who’d always been there for him and would continue to be after this week.
Unlike her.
Why didn’t she leave the day she got the first call from Mia? Or at least after she’d brought all the items she’d made over to the shop for the competition. Livy could’ve helped him take care of the rest.
Then Drew had to go and envelope her in the arms of safety and acceptance she longed for more than anything. Any chance of walking away without scars had died right then.
Begin Again (Home In You Book 2) Page 17