by Marie Force
But as she nibbled on a muffin and sipped her coffee, she couldn’t deny the house was immaculate. Every knickknack shined, the stainless steel appliances Liana had bought her a year ago gleamed, every surface was dusted, and the kitchen showed no sign of the baking that must have occurred early that morning. From everything she had read about Alzheimer’s, Liana would have expected more disarray in the house. If anything, the opposite was true. Puzzling, she thought, vowing to spend as much time as she could with her mother while she was home to hopefully figure out what was going on.
With nothing to do until eleven, Liana decided to take a walk. Since she was always concerned about attracting attention, even in Portsmouth, she wore dark sunglasses and pulled her long ponytail through the open back of an old Red Sox hat she found on the closet shelf in her bedroom. Leaving a note for her mother so she wouldn’t worry if she got home first, Liana set off down the big hill that led to the river.
Along the way, she saw people she knew but didn’t stop to talk to any of them. So far she had managed to elude the paparazzi on this trip, but she had learned the hard way that no one was above selling her out to earn a quick buck.
Mr. Duckworth was pruning his roses when Liana walked by his house. His daughter Meghan had been a childhood friend of Liana’s, and she had spent many an hour in that house. By the time they reached high school, though, Meghan and most of Liana’s other childhood friends had distanced themselves from her as her staggering beauty set her apart from the other kids.
The coaches hadn’t had much of a choice about allowing Liana onto the cheerleading squad because she’d been an outstanding gymnast and athlete, but the other girls had gone out of their way to exclude her from the fun they had away from school. Even her teachers had treated her differently, something Liana had never understood. So she was pretty. Why did everyone care so much?
Only many years later did it fully register with Liana that by the standards of the rest of the world, she was a whole lot more than pretty. And while her face had opened doors for her, it had kept others firmly closed. Being at home never failed to stir up memories of those lonely high school years when she had craved a few good friends and a boyfriend who cared about her—not how she looked. Ten years later, she had yet to find any of those things.
After a short walk along the pretty river, she trudged back up the hill, which was much steeper than she recalled. By the time she reached Mrs. Zito’s house next door to her mother’s, she was panting and sweating. She stopped short when she saw the burgundy Jaguar parked behind her mother’s car in the driveway. What’s he doing here?
Liana debated whether to turn around and head back down the hill until he gave up on her and left. Unfortunately, his very presence here today told her he wasn’t one to give up easily. Damn it! I don’t feel like dealing with him right now. He had stirred up feelings and longings in her that were better left dormant. She couldn’t afford to want the things he made her want.
After a full minute spent staring at the shiny Jag, she lifted the ball cap to wipe the sweat off her forehead. Let’s see what he wants and get rid of him as fast as possible.
The first thing Liana heard when she went in through the front door was her mother’s laughter. Liana had forgotten that wonderful sound and realized she hadn’t heard it very often in the seven years since her father died.
“Oh, Travis, that’s just so funny,” Agnes was saying when Liana walked into the kitchen.
Her mother wiped away tears from laughing so hard.
Travis leaned back in one of the kitchen chairs—something Liana had never been allowed to do—with a cup of coffee and a muffin on the table in front of him. He wore a faded green T-shirt, khaki shorts, and black flip-flops. His jaw, which had been clean-shaven the night before, now had a layer of stubble that only added to his already overwhelming appeal.
An adorable yellow lab curled up at his feet was the only one who seemed to notice Liana. The dog raised her head, gave a perfunctory sniff of the air, and returned her head to her paws, as if getting up to greet the newcomer was too much trouble.
“So,” Travis said, finishing his story without so much as a glance at Liana, “I just rowed harder and faster trying to catch up to Dash before she reached the beach, but by the time I got there she had invaded two picnic baskets and knocked over a toddler with her tail. I made her apologize to the child, but I don’t think she learned anything from it. Then, we get back out to the boat, and she pees on the deck.”
“Stop it.” Agnes held up her hand as a new fit of laughter overtook her. “I can’t take any more.” “What are you doing here?” Liana asked, unable to stay quiet for another minute.
“Liana, don’t be rude,” her mother said.
Travis took a long sip from his coffee cup. He still hadn’t bothered to look at her. “I was just having a lovely visit with your mother,” he said with a smile for Agnes.
Oh, that smile! He should have it registered as a dangerous weapon.
“Travis came by to see if you’d like to go sailing today,” Agnes said to Liana.
“No, thank you.”
“I told him you’d love to go,” Agnes said as if Liana hadn’t spoken. “You work too hard and don’t have nearly enough fun.”
“But, Mom—” Liana sputtered.
Agnes held up her hand to stop her daughter. “Enid spoke so highly of Travis, Liana. He was wonderful to them when they were planning her wedding. You wouldn’t want to be rude to a friend of Enid’s, now would you?”
Liana fumed when she realized she was being manipulated again.
Travis watched the proceedings with what seemed to be growing amusement.
“I was planning to spend the day with you, Mom.”
“Oh, go on, now. We’ve got two weeks to spend together. When was the last time you had a man as handsome as Travis ask you out, honey?
Ignoring that question, Liana said, “Why did you leave without telling me last night?”
“I was tired and bored. Now, go get your bathing suit on, and find a different shirt. That big T-shirt does nothing to show off your cute figure.”
Travis cleared his throat as if to stifle laughter.
Liana glared at him before she turned on her heel and stalked down the hallway to change. She took her time and returned ten minutes later carrying a tote bag with a change of clothes and a sweatshirt.
He polished off his second muffin, unfolded himself from the chair, and reached for Agnes’s hand. “Thank you for the muffins and coffee,” he said, brushing a kiss over her knuckles.
Liana rolled her eyes. Could he be anymore ridiculous? Does he honestly think he can use her to get to me? Well, she is the only reason you’re going with him today. Damn him!
“I enjoyed our chat,” Travis said. “I hope you and Liana will come to the club for dinner while she’s home. My treat of course.”
Utterly charmed, Agnes gazed at him. “We’d love to. You two have a nice time and don’t worry about getting her home too early. She doesn’t have a curfew anymore.”
“Honestly, Mother,” Liana said.
Agnes kissed her daughter and all but shoved them out the door.
Travis opened the back door of the car for the dog and the passenger door for Liana. When the dog seemed to get all of a sudden that Liana was coming with them, she paused to give her a full sniff.
“Dash, this is Liana.” Travis squatted down to make eye contact with the dog. “Make nice.”
The dog gave Liana a look that said, “Don’t mess with my man,” before she leaped onto a blanket in the back seat.
“Whew,” Travis said when the dog was settled. “Dash says you can come with us.”
“That’s a big relief,” Liana said dryly. She wanted to giggle at the way he treated the dog like a person but didn’t wish to encourage him.
He laughed as he closed her door and walked around to the driver’s side. They reversed the route they had taken the night before on the way to the marina.<
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“After meeting your mother I can see where you come by your good looks.”
“She’s not giggling at you like a foolish school girl anymore, so you can give your whole phony baloney act a rest.” Liana edged as far to the right of the passenger seat as she could get without falling out of the car.
He glanced over at her. “I won’t bite, you know.”
“That’s what you said last night, and we both know how that turned out.”
“I don’t recall using the word ‘bite’ at any point last night.”
She shot him a “very funny” look, which she hoped sent the message that she didn’t appreciate his pathetic attempt at humor. “Why aren’t you at work?”
“We’re closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so I’m all yours.”
“My lucky day.”
“All that money your mother wasted on charm school. Such a pity.”
“I didn’t spend five minutes in charm school for your information,” she retorted.
“Well, that explains it.”
Furious at herself for walking into his trap, she asked, “Explains what?”
“Oh, nothing,” he said with a smug grin.
“You’re annoying me.”
“At least you’re talking to me.”
“I can rectify that.”
He pulled into a parking space at the marina and turned off the car. “What do you say we strike a truce and enjoy this spectacular summer day in peace?” he said with one of those lethal smiles.
She nibbled on her bottom lip for a moment before she shook his outstretched hand. “Okay. Truce.”
He brought her hand to his mouth and left a lingering kiss on the back of it.
“That might work on my mother, but it does nothing for me.”
He turned her hand over, and the flutter of the pulse in her wrist made a liar out of her. “Nothing at all?” he asked, pressing his lips to the throbbing spot.
She tugged her hand free. “I thought we had a truce.”
“You didn’t say it was a ‘no touching’ truce.”
“It is.”
“All right. We’ll do it your way. For now.”
The loss of his touch left her bereft, and Liana was already sorry she had made such a big deal out of it. The more she pushed him away, the more she wanted him close. Why that was would be something she’d mull over later when she wasn’t using all her energy and wit to resist him.
Chapter Five
The small sailboat had a tiny cabin and even tinier bathroom. Dash hopped aboard and made herself comfortable on the V-berth in the cabin.
“Have you sailed before?” Travis asked as he prepared the sails.
Liana ran a sunscreen stick over her ivory complexion. “Not in years.”
“It’s just like riding a bike. It’ll come back to you.” As she took a good look at the North Point property in the daylight, Travis took advantage of the opportunity to study her when she wasn’t paying attention. She had worn a sleeveless top in a buttery tone that complemented her natural glow. Her endless legs were on full display under a denim mini-skirt. He noticed a bathing suit tied in a bow at her neck and couldn’t wait to see if it was a bikini.
Travis had never met a more beautiful woman. He supposed it would be easy to get so caught up in the stunning face that discovering the woman inside became secondary. Perhaps all the other men in her life had made that mistake. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to know who she was behind the flawless façade. He wanted her to trust him with her dreams, her hopes, her desires, and the passion that lurked just below the surface of her carefully cultivated disdain. He yearned to know it all, and that frightened him more than anything had in a long time.
“Do you approve?” he asked, gesturing to the sprawling country club, marina, golf course, condo tower, and the luxury homes under construction on the south end of the property.
“It’s amazing. You’ve really created something special here.”
He was more pleased by her approval than he cared to admit. “I’m trying. We’re finally starting to get some legs under us after a lot of years of planning, building, promoting, and fighting.”
“Fighting?”
He cast off the last of the lines and sailed the boat out of the slip into the bay. Just a smattering of boats dotted the water between Portsmouth and the north end of Prudence Island. “I’ve had a few issues with some of the locals who’ve been less than welcoming to an out-of-towner with grand plans.”
“You’d think the town would appreciate the tax revenue a place like yours will generate.”
Impressed by her astute assessment, he nodded. “You would think so, but it’s been quite the opposite. I had to take them to court to clear the zoning board, had to repave the access road—which the town owns—had to pay a hundred phantom fees and taxes, and have had to fend off vandals who decided to take the law into their own hands when their legal avenues were exhausted.”
“What kind of vandals?”
“Oh, mostly harmless stuff that’s just really annoying. Sprinklers redirected toward golfers, windows broken in the new construction area, tires flattened in the parking lot. That kind of stuff.”
“That’s terrible! What do the police say?”
“They’ve ramped up patrols in the area, but they haven’t caught anyone.” He shrugged. “I’m here to stay, so I’m counting on them to lose interest after a while. I’ll admit, though, I was relieved when the wedding went off smoothly last night.”
“I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with that, Travis. This is enough of an undertaking without having your property damaged.”
“Thanks.” He appreciated that she understood the magnitude of what he’d tried to do at North Point. Living his dream hadn’t been without its challenges.
She tipped her face into the sun. “This is so peaceful. I don’t think I’ve been on a boat for pleasure since I left here ten years ago.”
“What do you do for pleasure?”
Her eyes came down from the sky to give him a measuring look. “I read.”
He snorted. “You’re kidding.”
The subtle lift of her eyebrow told him she wasn’t kidding.
“You read. How… interesting.”
“How relaxing,” she corrected. “It’s what I enjoy.”
“How do you, you know . . .”
“What?”
“Let off steam.”
“I don’t have any steam to let off.”
He laughed. “Please, Liana. Try telling that to someone who hasn’t kissed you. I know better.”
She blushed, which he found completely disarming.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” she asked.
“Am I staring?”
“You know you are. Stop it. Right now.”
The more flustered she got, the rosier her cheeks became. “Is that no touching clause still in effect?”
She swallowed. Hard. “Why?” she asked in little more than a whisper.
“If I were allowed to touch, I’d want to brush a finger very lightly over that sweet blush on your cheeks.”
“I don’t blush,” she said with indignation, exacerbating the color.
“Oh, sweetheart, trust me. You do.”
Her violet eyes were full of vulnerability as she worked over her bottom lip. “I want to trust you.”
Travis felt a curious twist in his belly that was all new to him. “You can trust me, Liana.” He kept his right hand on the tiller to steer the boat and lifted his left arm to invite her to move closer to him.
After mulling it over for an endless second, she scooted across the bench to sit next to him and managed not to flinch when his hand landed on her shoulder.
“I love how you do that thing with your lip when you’re considering something.”
“What thing?”
“This,” he said, demonstrating it for her.
“I do?”
“Uh huh. I’ve never been so jealous of someone
else’s teeth.”
Shocked, she turned to him and found his face a mere inch from hers. “Travis,” she sighed.
He let go of the tiller to caress her face as he’d longed to since the blush first appeared. Without his guiding hand the boat soon floundered. The sails whipped in the breeze, but Travis did nothing about it. “I want you, Liana,” he whispered. “And not just because you’re the loveliest creature I’ve ever seen. I want to know you. I want to be with you. I want to talk with you. I want to make love with you, but not until you want to.” He almost stopped breathing when she reached up to drag a finger over his unshaven jaw.
“I can’t decide whether I like you better with the stubble or without.”
“Let me know when you make up your mind, and I’ll either shave every hour on the hour or every three days.”
She smiled, and Travis felt himself falling. To where he didn’t know, but the sensation of falling was unmistakable.
He closed the small distance between them. “I’m going to break the truce.”
“I wish you would.”
He kept the kiss easy and light, and it would have stayed that way if she hadn’t sent her tongue to look for his. His mind went blank with lust as he hauled her even closer to him so he could explore her sweet warmth while his hands moved over her back.
Dash began to bark, and Travis reluctantly pulled back from Liana. “She doesn’t like it when I let the sails flap in the breeze,” he said with a quick kiss before he reached across the boat for the main sheet to bring the sails under control. As the boat began to move through the water again, Travis put his arm around Liana and leaned in for another kiss. “Are you hungry?”
“Kind of.”
“We can drop the anchor and take lunch into the beach.”
She raised a surprised eyebrow. “You brought lunch?”
“Sure. You can’t be out here all day without food.”