All They Ever Wanted

by Tracy Solheim

  Will’s eyes were full of mirth, but he wisely kept the laughter out of his voice. “The kid might be wimpy but he’s got some decent brains in that egghead of his.” He checked his phone. “Gotta bolt. I have a date with my son and a Tonka truck.” He took a step before he paused and turned to face Miles. “Look, Miles, it goes without saying that Julianne and I will contribute whatever you need. And the senator still owes me for his interference in my career last year. So you just say the word and we’re there for you. Just don’t let The GTO Granny get under your skin. You’re a natural politician. The kind that everyone wants to believe still exists. As long as you don’t lose sight of that, you’ll be fine.”

  He cuffed Miles on the shoulder and exchanged a fist bump with Gavin before taking off at a jog down the beach to his own house.

  “Will’s right, you know,” Gavin said as they climbed the wooden steps leading them from the sand to the green grass stretching out in front of the B and B. “You’ve got this. I’ve known you all my life and you’ve never backed down from chasing your dream. My one bit of advice: Don’t let Bernice dress you in anything orange. It messes with the blue in your eyes,” his brother teased.

  Miles slammed his shoulder into Gavin’s, trying his best to knock his little brother on his sorry ass. But Gavin also carried the McAlister DNA and he proved to be a tough take-down. Before they knew it, they were both grappling on the grass.

  “Hey, you two boys quit messin’ around and git over here. I need help gittin’ your mama’s house ready for her to come home today.”

  Morgan Balch stood next to his pickup, smacking a piece of plastic pipe against his palm as though he was going to knock some sense into the two men. The old coot had worked for their father for as long as Miles could remember. Miles released the choke hold he had on his brother, only to have Gavin hit him with a wet willy as they approached the pickup parked in front of the two-bedroom carriage house their mother used as her private residence.

  Built in the same era as the inn, the one-story building boasted the identical gingerbread framework and peaked roof line as well as a smaller version of the inn’s veranda. Behind it was an intimate wooden gazebo where Will and his wife, Julianne, had exchanged their vows the summer before. Connected to the inn by a fifty-yard walkway with clematis plants growing over the trellis roof, the carriage house afforded his mother some privacy away from her guests.

  “Miles has to go get himself all dolled up for a photo op, Morgan. Sal and Jorge are supposed to be here at nine to put together the ramp for the stairs.” Gavin glanced at his phone, presumably to check on the whereabouts of his two employees.

  Morgan grumbled something that sounded like “too big for their britches” before pulling down the tailgate to the truck. “I got your mama some of these handicapped thingies that are supposed to make her bathroom safer. I’m just not sure which ones she’d like best.”

  Miles exchanged a look with his brother. While their mother would appreciate the sentiment, he wasn’t sure she’d appreciate the nod to her advancing age, especially given Kate’s little confessional bombshell yesterday.

  Gavin grinned, clearly happy to throw Miles under the bus. “You’ve got your finger on the pulse of the senior demographic, bro, so you should definitely pick.”

  He shook his head in frustration. “Any of them will be fine,” Miles said, done with his brother’s teasing. “Thanks for taking care of this, Morgan. I’ll be back tonight to help with whatever else needs to be done.” Ignoring his brother, Miles headed to the inn and a shower.

  He heard Gavin say something about calling their sister Kate to help and then his brother’s footsteps were eating up the ground between them.

  “Dude, wait up,” Gavin called. “You know I’m just having some fun with you. It’s so rare to find a wrinkle in that perfect bubble you live in that I have to bust your balls a little when I can.”

  Miles took the steps leading to the veranda in one stride. “Practice your standup routine on someone else today, Gavin. I have a shitload of work to do.”

  “Look, I can rearrange my schedule so that Ginger and I aren’t in New York next week. That way, we can handle things at the inn if that will help you out. I know this thing with Faye Rich kind of blindsided you.”

  He turned to see his brother standing at the bottom of the steps with his hands on his hips, eager to jump in and save the day. Again. A wave of residual frustration washed through Miles every time he thought of Gavin putting his career—not to mention his life—on hold to protect their family.

  “No, you’ve already done your fair share.”

  Gavin swore under his breath. “My way may not have been the right way, according to the Book of Miles, but I had everyone’s best interests in mind. Especially Mom’s. At some point you need to let me off the hook for not telling you Dad’s secret.”

  Miles waved his hand. “Water under the bridge, little brother.” And he meant it. Miles didn’t know what he would have done differently in the same situation, but he could still hate that he’d never gotten the opportunity to try. “Go build your fancy lofts in Manhattan. I can handle the B and B. Besides, Mom will be home today. She can take over the decision making. And with Cassidy and Lori around to do most of the day-to-day work, everything should be fine.”

  His brother looked like he wanted to say more before shaking his head instead, which was fine with Miles because he wasn’t in the mood for a heart to heart. “Yeah, okay. We’re lucky to have Lori. I don’t know how we could keep the place running without her. She’s a hell of a cook and housekeeper.”

  Lori.

  If Miles were being truthful, it wasn’t only the campaign’s unexpected twist that had him up tossing and turning last night. The B and B’s cook/housekeeper had much more to do with his restless night than he’d dare to admit. Jesus, he’d nearly kissed her. One minute he’d been negotiating with her and then her hand was in his, skin to skin, and all he could think of was her wet body that day he’d spied her in the shower and he’d become as horny as a sixteen-year-old. It didn’t help matters that she smelled like a freshly baked cupcake.

  With a groan, Miles wiped his sweaty brow with his shirt.

  In his defense, she’d completely caught him off guard with her quick banter and her refusal to be cowed by him. The woman who made it a habit to recede into the shadows most of the time clearly wasn’t as timid as she appeared. Lori had a stubborn mouth with a tart tongue and Miles wanted to taste both. Desperately. Even worse, his plan to chase her off had backfired. He should have known she’d go running to his mother.

  “Make sure you play nice with Lori, Miles. I don’t think we could find someone of the same caliber to replace her in a pinch if we had to. Not without paying a fortune.”

  “I don’t plan on ‘playing’ with her at all.” Miles’ answer was more vehement than he would have liked. “And the only reason it would be a fortune to replace her is that Mom isn’t paying her a damn thing outside of room and board.” His mother had been very forthcoming with that tidbit during her dressing down of Miles when he’d stopped by the rehab center the previous evening.

  His younger brother arched his eyebrows at him. “Hmm. I’d say something about you protesting too much, but since I already pinned your ass to the ground not more than five minutes ago, I’ll let it go. As for Mom’s reasoning behind who she hires as her employees”—Gavin sighed heavily—“I don’t think we can fight that battle with her. She’s going to do what she’s going to do. And that means taking in a desperate stranger or two. All we can do is run interference if something becomes a danger to Mom. I don’t like it any more than you do, Miles, but I take some comfort that Mom’s got Lamar watching over her now, too. And you can be sure he’s already vetted Lori himself.”

  The mention of the sheriff caused the throbbing in Miles’ temple to intensify.

  Gavin shook his head as though he kn
ew Miles’ train of thought. “Seriously, bro, you’ve got to let these things go. Focus on the campaign instead, okay? You’ve worked so hard to get to this point, enjoy it. This is your time, Miles.”

  His brother was right. Miles’ life was back to going as scripted. But that didn’t mean he still wouldn’t worry about his mother and what trouble might be following the women she chose to shelter. With his mom at least on the grounds of the inn, he needn’t sweat the day-to-day running of the B and B. But he would be keeping an eye on Little Miss Stubborn Mouth. A close eye.

  * * *

  Being careful to walk along the periphery of the inn’s large breakfast room, Lori quietly checked the contents of each silver chafing dish on the mahogany sideboard. This morning’s breakfast consisted of pimento cheese grits, mounds of turkey bacon, hickory smoked sausage, praline and pecan French toast, and seasonal fruit. It was nearly ten o’clock, and Lori took great pleasure in the fact that almost every morsel had been eaten. Cooking had always been her passion. It had also been her downfall, but she couldn’t dwell on that right now. Not in a room full of twenty strangers, any one of whom might recognize something about her.

  “He has my vote and I don’t even live in the state of North Carolina,” one of the female guests tittered, stopping Lori in her tracks.

  The woman’s companion at the table peered over the rim of her coffee cup across the room. Lori followed her gaze just in time to see Miles crouch down to listen to something a guest at one of the other tables was saying.

  “Seriously, I wonder how young you have to be to work as a congressional page,” the woman whispered.

  Both women laughed out loud as their oblivious husbands discussed plans for a day at one of the local golf courses.

  Miles was dressed in a light blue shirt that fit him like a second skin, and Lori had no doubt all the females in the room were tracking his progress, paying particular attention as the muscles in his back flexed with every move. Not to mention that when he bent down, his chinos stretched over an ass that had obviously seen its fair share of squats. Putting that body on such an arrogant man was definitely a sin in Lori’s book.

  He stood up then and his wily eyes swept the room, passing over Lori before quickly flicking back to land on her face. A face she hoped wasn’t crimson after having been caught ogling him. His eyes narrowed and he started toward her only to have another guest intercept him. Lori took advantage of his distraction to slip back into the kitchen, where Cassidy sat at the island munching on a banana.

  “The dryer is buzzing,” the girl said around a mouthful of the fruit. “I’ll do most anything around here, but you know I hate wrestling the sheets into neat piles.”

  Lori headed to the laundry room adjacent to the kitchen, swiftly pulling out a load of towels from the industrial-sized dryer. Snapping each one, she then folded it neatly before stacking them in the laundry basket. The mindless task helped her to regroup after Miles’ heated glare in the breakfast room. He was angry and she knew why. But he wouldn’t win this round.

  Still, his voice startled her when he entered the kitchen. “We need more coffee in the dining room.”

  Without a word, Lori headed toward the cambro containers at the other end of the room. Rather than make coffee in-house, a local brew was supplied to the inn in the three-gallon containers each morning by the Java Jolt, a coffee shop located in Chances Inlet’s downtown. Guests would often wander down to the shop to purchase additional bags to take home with them, making the arrangement a win for everyone.

  “Cassidy can do it,” Miles commanded. “And while you’re there, Cass, please give Mr. and Mrs. Belfield a brochure for Bald Head Island and directions to the ferry.”

  Both women froze in place.

  Miles’ hands went to his hips as he aimed his stare at the teenager. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you say last night that you wanted to help out more around the inn?”

  Cassidy nodded.

  “Well, let’s see you put those words into action.”

  The teenager silently slid off the barstool and tossed the banana peel in the trash before walking over to fill one of the thermal coffeepots. Lori turned back to the laundry room. Unfortunately, Miles was right on her heels.

  “We have to talk.”

  She kept her back to him while she loaded sheets into the washing machine. “Again? Didn’t we talk last night? Surely you don’t want to make a habit of this.”

  He made a sound behind her that sounded like it belonged more to a wild animal than a candidate for Congress.

  “You went behind my back to my mother.”

  It was all she could do not to roll her eyes. “That’s a little dramatic, don’t you think, Miles? I just asked your mother to explain our arrangement to you, that’s all.”

  “You couldn’t have explained it yourself?”

  Now she did roll her eyes. “As if you would have believed anything I said.”

  “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m trying to spare my mother from having to deal with the day-to-day minutia here. Her method of ‘explaining’ your ‘arrangement’ didn’t exactly keep her blood pressure low.”

  “Your mom reams you out, so now you’re taking it out on me and Cassidy?” Lori slammed down the lid to the washer. “Cassidy will be able to vote in this election, you know.”

  “Damn it, Lori, this isn’t about the election! It’s about you hiding out here and whatever fallout is going to ensue when the gig is up.”

  Lori let out a resigned sigh before slowly turning around. Apparently they were still going to beat the same dead horse. Her breath hitched in admiration when she finally faced him. Miles had both hands bracketing the doorway, eliminating any possible escape route. Not only that, but the pose afforded her a breathtaking view of his chiseled chest where the shirt stretched over it. She jerked her head up before she did something stupid like reach out to trace the ridge between his pectoral muscles.

  His hair was still damp from his post-workout shower. If those women in the other room liked what they saw at breakfast, they should roust themselves up at six thirty every morning when Miles took his run. Spying on him out the kitchen window at dawn was Lori’s guilty pleasure, her reward for having to rise so early for work.

  When Miles wasn’t playing politics, he was a world-class triathlete, twice finishing in the top ten of the Iron Man World Championship in Hawaii. Patricia proudly displayed his Iron Man medals—alongside sports memorabilia from her husband and all of the McAlister children—in a trophy case in the B and B’s library. Obviously, Miles’ ambition wasn’t limited to his desire to take over the world, but to keep his body in peak shape, as well. Judging by what she saw as he ran back and forth to the beach every morning wearing nothing but a pair of nylon gym shorts, he was doing an excellent job of it. The man had a beautiful body.

  She backed up against the washer and crossed her arms over her chest. “I guess I didn’t make it clear enough last night. I’ll be gone before there will ever be any ‘fallout’.”

  He wasn’t looking through her now. Instead his piercing gaze was bearing down on her face, searching for something. But he wouldn’t find anything there. At least not the answers to her identity. If he looked closely enough, though, he might find clues to her desire for him. And that would never do.

  “Do you want me to leave now? Is that what this is really about?”

  She watched the war of emotions play out on his face. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw what looked like desire flicker briefly in his eyes before it disappeared.

  “What I want is irrelevant.” He pulled his hands from the doorframe and took a step farther into the room. “But my mother wants you to stay and I’m going to do my best to respect that. It’s her B and B.”

  Lori licked her lips; his steady stare was doing things to her body. “It’s only until she’s back on her feet. Then I’l
l be gone from here.”

  “Mmm,” he murmured as he reached out a hand and gently brushed back some of the long hair shielding her face. His blue gaze was still probing, as though he was looking for some tiny clue that would give him the upper hand in whatever it was that was pulling them together. “But what damage will you do while you’re here?”

  “None,” she whispered as she tried to ignore the temptation to lean into his hand. “I would never do anything that could hurt your mother.”

  He traced his fingers along the line of her jaw, his gentle touch warming her skin. Miles’ critical gaze prompted a twinge of vulnerability—and unease. But she knew she shouldn’t react. She reminded herself that he was just toying with her, hoping to force her to reveal something of herself. Her eyes drifted to his mouth, which looked quite kissable when it wasn’t curled in a frown that he seemed to always be directing at her.

  “And what if my mother isn’t the one I’m worried about?” he asked softly just as his lips began descending toward hers.

  No! No! NO! Too bad her body wasn’t listening to her brain. Lori’s eyelids drifted shut and she was seconds away from making a huge mistake when Cassidy stomped into the kitchen.

  “Hey, Miles, your body man is here. He says you’re going to play checkers with the old-timers at Sunset Dunes.”

  Lori’s eyes snapped open and she watched as Miles blinked rapidly before he jerked his hand back from her face. Fortunately, his large body blocked the entire doorway of the laundry room, shielding them so Cassidy couldn’t possibly have seen their close encounter of the dangerous kind. He swore quietly, running his fingers through his hair.