by Marie Force
“Why me?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, and she was instantly mortified to realize she’d actually asked the question.
Naturally, he was nonplussed by her blatant inquiry. “Why not you?”
“I feel like you’re playing some sort of game with me, only I don’t know the rules.”
Much to her dismay, he slid over to sit right next to her. When he took her hand, sensation darted up her arm and zinged through her bloodstream at lightning speed. This is so not good. “I’m not playing games,” he said in the most earnestly sincere tone she’d heard yet from him. “I promise.”
She tried to pull her hand free, but he only held on tighter. “I don’t get you.”
“What you see is what you get.”
“That is so not true.”
His low laugh stirred something deep inside her. She discovered in that moment that she rather enjoyed making him laugh. “Now what is that supposed to mean?”
“Don’t act like you’re not all complicated and broody and full of yourself.”
“I’ll give you full of myself—at times. I’m working on trying to be better about that. But complicated and broody? Not so much. I’m an easygoing kind of guy. I work hard and play hard. I like to have fun. Don’t you?”
It’d been such a long time since Kara had done anything that could be called fun. Matt had ruined a lot of things for her. “I guess.”
“Oh the enthusiasm! You bowl me over, Ms. Ballard.”
He shifted their joined hands and linked their fingers. Startled to realize she’d allowed him to hold her hand for several minutes, she tried again to pull free of his grasp.
“Stop,” he said. “Just relax, will you? I’m not about to cause you harm.”
“You may not intend to.”
“What happened to you, honey?”
“Don’t call me that. I’m not your honey.”
“I think I’d like you to be.”
“You never did answer my question.” The feel of his warm palm pressed against hers was doing odd things to her nervous system.
“Which one was that?”
“Why me?”
“Because the night I met you at Luke’s house… Remember that?”
“Yes,” she said, exasperated. Of course she remembered! She’d thought about that night so many times during the long, cold winter in Maine, and she’d thought about him, too, not that she’d ever admit that.
“I… You…”
“Articulate, Counselor. Seriously. I’m dazzled.”
He laughed again and squeezed her hand. “As soon as I met you, I wanted to know you better. I wanted to know who had hurt you, and I wanted to hurt him on your behalf. I wanted to tell you what happened with my fiancée, and I haven’t told anyone.”
“You haven’t?”
He shook his head. “Only she knows the truth. And one other person.”
His entire demeanor changed when he spoke of his ex. Kara wondered if he knew that.
“I wanted to talk to you and be with you and maybe kiss you, if you’d let me,” he continued.
As if she’d left the door wide open, he was slipping through her defenses. Amazingly, she wasn’t nearly as bothered by that as she probably should’ve been.
“I’m not interested in being part of a harem,” she said, hating how prim and proper she sounded.
“Oh, damn! Really? There go all my plans to make you one of the sister wives. Shit.”
“Stop,” she said, laughing as she bumped his shoulder with hers.
“You should laugh more often. It looks good on you.”
Kara hadn’t laughed in a very long time. It felt good. “My ex dumped me for my sister,” she said. Again, the words tumbled out of her mouth before she could take a moment to consider the implications. What was it about him that made her say things she had no intention of saying?
“Ouch,” he said with a grimace.
“Yeah. Ouch.”
“Are they still together?”
“Married with a baby on the way.”
“Oh, man. That’s got to be rough.”
“I haven’t spoken to either of them in two years.”
“Can’t say I blame you.”
“I thought he was going to ask me to marry him. Instead, he took me out for a nice dinner to tell me he’d fallen in love with my sister. I think he did it in public so I wouldn’t make a scene.”
“I hope you made one anyway.”
Kara recalled throwing her glass of merlot in his face in the middle of one of Bar Harbor’s nicer restaurants. The town had buzzed over the incident for months afterward. She hadn’t touched a drop of merlot since. “Damn right, I did.”
“Good for you,” he said with another squeeze of her hand. “I caught my fiancée in bed with my best man two days before the wedding.”
“Oh my God!” Without releasing his hand, she turned in her seat so she was looking at him. “What did you do?”
“Made a scene, punched my so-called best friend in the face and thought about kicking him in the junk. I should’ve. When I think back on that day, that’s my biggest regret. Funny, huh?”
Kara smiled. “You so should’ve done it.”
“If I ever run into him again, he’d better hope he’s wearing a cup.”
That drew a genuine laugh from her.
“You are so very pretty, especially when you smile.”
Her smile faded.
“You don’t think so?”
“My self-esteem isn’t quite what it used to be.”
“Let me assure you that any man who’d walk away from you is an idiot.”
“You’re very smooth with the lines.”
“Is that right?”
“Like you didn’t know that.”
“I want you to go with me to Stephanie’s party tomorrow night.”
“Why?”
“Because I really like talking to you, and I want to talk to you some more. Very soon. Actually, tomorrow night is a long time from now. What’re you doing tonight?”
Kara held up her free hand to stop him. “I’ll go with you tomorrow night, but I’m busy tonight.” She wasn’t really, but she felt the need to regain some control over this rapidly evolving situation.
His smile stretched from ear to ear. “Tell me the truth. Was it the Mountain Dew?”
“It didn’t hurt,” she conceded.
“Where do you live?”
She pointed to a white building that abutted the marina property.
“Ah, well, that’s easy.”
“Don’t make me sorry I told you that.”
“You injure me with your lack of faith in me.”
“I’m sure you’ll recover in due time.”
“I’m not so sure.”
“Um, excuse me,” a male voice behind them said. “Is the launch running?”
Kara had been so caught up in the conversation she hadn’t planned to have that she’d completely forgotten where she was and what she was supposed to be doing. She tugged her hand free and jumped up. “Yes, we are. Come aboard.”
Chapter 10
Tiffany was alone in the store when the bells rang, alerting her to a potential customer. She hustled from the stockroom and stopped short when she saw Linda McCarthy taking a look around.
“Hi, Linda,” Tiffany managed to say, even though her mouth had gone totally dry. “Nice to see you.”
Linda raised her arms to hug Tiffany. “I wanted to come in and see your store and congratulate you on starting a business. I surely remember what that is like.”
“Kind of stressful,” Tiffany said, relieved that this would be a friendly visit from her sister’s mother-in-law.
“Do you mind if I poke around a bit?”
“Of course not.” Knowing Linda’s approval and endorsement could be critical to the success—or failure—of her store, butterflies stormed in Tiffany’s stomach. “Let me know if I can help with anything.”
“I certainly
will. Everything is so pretty.” Linda held up a floral silk robe and glanced at the price tag.
Tiffany had to hold herself back from recommending items that might interest her. Maybe, if she got very lucky, Linda wouldn’t notice the smaller room behind the beaded curtain. The idea of Linda McCarthy in a room full of dildos and vibrators had Tiffany on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
While keeping half an eye on Linda as she perused the racks, Tiffany sorted a stack of invoices and made note of which ones had to be paid sooner rather than later.
“Could I try this on, Tiffany?” Linda asked, holding up a pink floral silk nightgown and robe.
“Of course. Let me get a fitting room ready for you.”
“Would also you mind offering an opinion?” Linda asked almost shyly, which was interesting. Tiffany had never known her to be shy.
“I’d love to.”
“Great, thanks.” Linda stepped into the dressing room. “Okay,” she said a few minutes later. “Here goes nothing.” She opened the door tentatively. “What do you think?”
“It looks wonderful on you—and I’m not just saying that because I want you to buy it.”
“I quite like it myself.” Linda took a closer look in the mirror. “I wonder what my husband would think of it?”
“Venturing a guess here, but I’ll bet he approves wholeheartedly.”
Linda smiled at Tiffany in the mirror. “I bet he will, too. Sold!”
“I’m so glad you found something you love.”
“I do love it.”
Linda changed and brought her purchases to the register. As Tiffany was ringing up the sale, Linda pointed to the beaded curtain. “What’re you hiding back there?”
“Oh, nothing. Just this. And that.”
Linda raised an eyebrow. “This and that, huh? Mind if I take a look?”
Tiffany wanted to die on the spot. “Um, well, ah…”
Linda surprised her by giggling. “Must be some pretty good this and that if your face turns bright red.”
“It’s pretty good, all right.”
As she watched Linda walk over to the curtain, Tiffany’s heart pounded.
Linda parted the curtain and took a good long look before glancing back at Tiffany with a scandalized expression on her face. “Oh. My.”
“I told you—this and that.”
“Where does one begin to know where to start with…items…such as this…and that?”
“I recommend starting simply.” Tiffany forced her legs to carry her across the room. “May I?”
Linda stepped aside to admit Tiffany into the room. “By all means.”
Tiffany reached for an egg-shaped vibrator and handed it to Linda, all the while telling herself to treat her sister’s mother-in-law the way she would any other customer who had questions about her inventory. As long as she kept up that pretense, she might get through this without suffering a stroke.
“And what does this little number do?”
“It vibrates.”
“Oh.”
Watching Linda McCarthy examine the vibrator from every angle made Tiffany want to giggle like a child, but somehow she managed to maintain her professional demeanor.
“I wouldn’t know what to do with this.”
Images of what Blaine had done to her with theirs flashed through Tiffany’s mind like an X-rated movie. “You place it against your, um, pleasure points.”
“I don’t know if I could do that.”
“Well, you don’t have to do it. Your, ah…your husband could do it for you.”
“Oh. Oh.” Linda’s face turned bright red this time. “I don’t know if he could do it, either.”
“I bet he’d love to try.”
“You think so?”
“I’d almost guarantee it.”
“I’m trying to imagine how I’d broach the subject with him…”
“You could say that you stopped into my shop today, and I talked you into trying something new.”
“That’d be one way to introduce the idea.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Tiffany said. “Take that one on the house. If you discover you like it, come back and get another one to try.”
“I couldn’t do that! You’re in business to make money. Not to give things away.”
“I’m also in business to help people try new things and to spice up their love lives.”
“Not that my love life needs much spicing, but I have to admit I’m curious. I’ll take it.”
Tiffany smiled all the way to the register, where Linda insisted on paying for the vibrator.
“You’re very good at this,” Linda said as she accepted the red-striped bag from Tiffany. “I predict you’ll be a smashing success.”
“That’d be very nice.”
“Congratulations on your new venture. I’ll be sure to tell my friends they need to stop in and check out what you’ve got.”
“That’d be great. Thank you. I, um, I also want to say that I appreciate how good you’ve been to my sister. She’s quite fond of you, and I can see why, after spending some time with you.”
“Thank you, honey. I love her very much. She’s made my son so happy.”
“They are some kind of happy,” Tiffany said wistfully.
She was surprised when Linda reached for her hand. “You’ll have your turn one of these days. Don’t let what happened with Jim make you bitter about love. You can do better.”
“That’s nice of you to say.”
“Well, I must be off. Thanks again.”
“Thank you. I appreciate the business.”
Linda was almost to the door when she stopped and turned back to Tiffany. “You won’t tell anyone what I bought, will you?”
“Absolutely not. It’s our secret. But I’d love to know what your hubby has to say about it, if you feel like dishing.”
Linda flashed a bright smile. “You got it.”
As the bells chimed to announce Linda’s departure, Tiffany clapped her hands and did a little jig. The bells chimed again when Patty came into the store.
“Was that Linda McCarthy?” Patty asked, wide-eyed.
“The one and only!”
“And she bought something!”
“You bet she did.”
“I’m so happy for you, Tiffany.”
“Thanks.” Tiffany took a closer look at her assistant, noticing she’d made an effort with her hair, makeup and clothes. “You look so nice.”
Patty’s face flamed with embarrassment. “I’m trying. Still no boyfriend, though.”
“These things take time. It’s only been a couple of days since you unveiled the new you.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“I’ll give some thought to who might make a good boyfriend for you.”
“You will? Really?”
“Sure. It’ll be fun to narrow down some candidates.”
“We need to get you a boyfriend, too.”
“Don’t worry about me,” Tiffany said, thinking of Blaine, who was hardly her boyfriend. She wasn’t sure what he was, exactly. He defied description. “Let’s focus on you first.”
“I’m fine with that!” Patty said, making Tiffany laugh.
The bells rang on the door again, and a young woman entered, glancing around the store tentatively.
“I’ve got it,” Tiffany said to Patty. Approaching the woman, who wore a polo shirt with shorts and a ball cap, Tiffany said, “Hi there. May I help you find something?”
“I’m looking for a dress, but this seems to be an underwear store.”
“Actually, we have some summer dresses in the back. Could I show you?”
“That’d be great, thanks.”
“Have we met?” Tiffany asked as she led the woman to the back of the store. “You look familiar to me.”
“You were at Luke and Syd’s party last fall, right?”
“Yes! That’s it. I’m Tiffany Sturgil, Maddie McCarthy’s sister.”
“Kara Ballard. I ru
n the new launch service in the Salt Pond.”
“It’s all coming back to me now.” Tiffany gestured to the racks of sundresses that lined the back of the store. “What’s the occasion?”
“The opening of Stephanie’s restaurant.”
“I’m so looking forward to that. Should be a great party.”
“I have no idea what to wear.”
“You’ve come to the right place.” Tiffany looked through the racks for the dress she thought would best complement Kara’s coloring and figure. “How about this?” She held up a red halter dress with exotic flowers on the skirt. “Summery but not too flashy. Something tells me you don’t do flash.”
“Not really my thing,” Kara said with a grin. “But I love that. Could I try it on?”
“Absolutely. Patty, would you please open a dressing room for Kara?”
“You got it, boss.”
“I’ve got the perfect strapless bra that’d work perfectly with this dress.” Tiffany glanced at Kara’s chest, trying to be subtle. “Thirty-four D?”
Kara stared at her. “How’d you know that?”
“She knows her breasts,” Patty said, making Tiffany and Kara laugh.
While Kara tried on the dress and bra, Tiffany rummaged through the bins of panties looking for a particular thong that would work with the dress and match the bra. She found it and turned as Kara emerged from the dressing room, looking stunning in the red dress.
“Fabulous,” Tiffany said.
“Definitely,” Patty agreed.
Kara stood in front of the three-way mirror and looked at the dress from all angles. “I have to say I agree. Perfect.”
“This would make it perfect,” Tiffany said, holding up the silky thong.
Kara eyed the thong with trepidation. “Never gone there.”