by Elks, Carrie
Lydia shook her head. “Nope. There was a cute flight attendant in my section, so I made it a point to go pee every five minutes.” She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket, showing them a phone number. “We’re meeting up when I’m back in New York.”
Griff grabbed her bag as Lydia slid her arm through Autumn’s, and they followed him to the parking lot. “Oh my god, sun!” Lydia said as they emerged from the building. “It was raining in New York. You should have seen all the looks I got wearing this at the airport. Who’s the loser now?”
Autumn could see Griff’s shoulders shaking with laughter.
“How’s New York?” Autumn asked her.
“Same as when you left it. Boring. Stuffy. Cold.” Lydia wrinkled her nose. “I’ve stayed there for too long. I’m planning on flying to Hawaii when I leave here.”
“What about your date with the flight attendant?” Griff asked.
She shrugged. “I’ll contact him the next time I’m back.”
And he’d come running. Autumn was certain of it. Her sister was different, that was for sure, and that allure seemed to hook men like bait hooked a fish. They wanted to tame her, but she’d never be tamed.
Didn’t stop them from trying.
When they reached the truck, Griff slid Lydia’s case into the flatbed and opened the passenger door. Lydia clambered onto the backseat, her bare legs squashed as she tried to get comfortable.
“You want me to sit in the back instead?” Autumn asked her.
“Nope. You sit next to your man.” Lydia grinned. “I can interrogate him from back here.”
Griff raised an eyebrow as he started the engine. “I’m an open book.”
Lydia clapped her hands together. “Oh good. I can’t wait to ask you all the questions.”
Autumn bit down a smile and let the sun warm her face through the windshield, the same way her sister and Griff were warming her on the inside. She was surrounded by people she loved and it felt so right.
* * *
“This view of the ocean is wow,” Lydia said, pressing her nose against the glass doors that led to Griff’s balcony. “I’d sleep out here every night so I could hear the waves. So much better than listening to traffic.”
Griff poured a glass of wine for Autumn and her sister, then grabbed a beer for himself. “Autumn’s view is better. Her cottage opens onto the beach. You can hear the Pacific from her bed.”
Lydia turned her head to give him a cheeky grin. “I bet that’s not all you can hear.”
Autumn shook her head. “Lydia.”
“What?” She shrugged. “I’m just telling it how it is.” Griff passed them the wine, winking at Autumn as she rolled her eyes at him.
“Sorry,” she mouthed.
He leaned forward to press his lips against her brow. Her love for her sister shone out of her. It was in her smile, her amused exasperation, and most of all in her eyes. “She’s right, babe,” he told her with a grin.
“See. I knew it. I only had to take one look at him to know he’s good in bed. And after your ex, that’s a good thing. Am I right?”
“We should think about dinner,” Autumn said, ignoring her sister. “Do you want to get take out?”
“No, I want to go out and explore. We should go to that place on the pier.”
“Delmonico’s?” Autumn’s eyes met Griff’s again. “I don’t know…”
“It’s okay.” Griff told her. “We can go there. It’ll be fine.” He knew she was thinking about Carla and her reaction to them. But Carla would have to get used to it. He wasn’t planning on hiding his relationship with Autumn, not anymore. Wasn’t sure he could if he tried.
Not that he wanted to try.
An hour later, the three of them walked through the painted blue glass doors into the Italian restaurant, where most of the red-and-white checked covered tables were occupied, couples, friends and families leaning forward to talk to each other, the hum of their conversation filling the air.
“Griff. And beautiful Autumn.” Pietro held his arms out as he walked to the desk. “Welcome. A table for three?”
“I’m Lydia, Autumn’s sister.” Lydia reached forward to shake Pietro’s hand. “I love this place already. I bet you have the best baked ziti.”
Pietro smiled. “Yes, we do. And it’s a pleasure to meet you. I didn’t realize Autumn had a sister.”
“I’m visiting for a few days, and this is the first place I had to try. I’ve heard so much about your food. Autumn tells me your cannolis are to die for.” She leaned forward. “I don’t suppose you have a table for us on the terrace, do you? I really want to dine overlooking the Pacific. I’ve never seen the ocean before.”
Autumn’s mouth dropped open at her sister’s blatant lie. Griff tried to swallow down a laugh. Pietro didn’t notice, though, he was too busy smiling at Lydia and calling the waiters over to free up a table. Within a couple of minutes, they were seated around a square table with warm, fragrant bread in a wicker basket that was making Griff’s mouth water.
“So this is the pier,” Lydia said, looking around, then smiling at Autumn. “I can’t believe you own this.”
“Some days neither can I,” Autumn admitted.
“So tell me about the charity day this weekend,” Lydia said as the waiter filled their glasses with a cool Sauvignon Blanc.
Autumn tore off a hunk of bread and dipped it in the herby olive oil, closing her eyes as she savored the taste on her tongue. “We’re raising money for the local animal shelter,” she told her sister. “One of my friends, Brooke, volunteers there. It’s for a really good cause. We’ve got old fashioned fair rides and food vendors and a series of bands playing at the end of the pier, but more than anything it’s about the community. I want this pier to be the center of Angel Sands, like it was when it was built. Somewhere people come to sit and look out at the water, or to walk along with a sweetheart when the sun is just about to go down. I want the kids to feel welcome here, because god knows there aren’t enough places around here for them to hang around.” She shook her head. “Maybe I’m reaching too far.”
Griff was smiling at her, his eyes soft and warm.
“I’ve never heard you talk about somewhere like that,” Lydia said, grinning. “Whenever you bought in Manhattan it was all about yields and profitability. You didn’t mention money once when you talked about the pier.”
She hadn’t? Autumn ran a finger along her lip. “Money will help, too,” she said.
Griff leaned over and pressed his lips against Autumn’s. “It sounds fantastic. And exactly what this place needs. Frank Megassey’s gonna have a fit. In the best way.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Let’s hope so.”
He slid his hand around to the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her long hair as he kissed her deeper. God, it felt good. Better than all the bread in Delmonico’s. When he broke away, she felt dazed.
“Hey, who’s that woman looking at you guys like she wants to throw you in the ocean?” Lydia asked, sipping at her wine.
“Which woman?” Autumn turned to look over her shoulder. When she saw Carla standing at the window, she felt her stomach drop. Poor Carla. She’d feel the same if she saw Griff kissing somebody else.
He wasn’t the kind of guy you got over easily.
Before she could tell her sister who it was, Carla was walking out of the restaurant and over toward their table, her face dark and serious.
Dear lord. It looked like things were about to get a whole lot trickier around here.
23
“Griff,” Carla said, standing on the terrace next to their table. “Can I have a word with you, please?”
His skin prickled at her question, and his eyes immediately caught Autumn’s. She gave him a quick a nod, as though she didn’t mind.
“Ah, yeah, sure.” He turned back to Autumn and Lydia. “I’ll be back in a minute, okay?”
“Works for me.” Autumn shot her sister a reassuring smile. “If your food arriv
es, I’ll ask them to keep it warm.”
Lydia was watching with a rapt expression, as though she was enjoying the drama a little too much. As soon as Griff followed Carla around the back of the restaurant, he heard Lydia whisper loudly to Autumn, “who’s that?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Autumn replied, clearing her throat.
There was nobody at the back of the restaurant. Just him, Carla, and all the trash cans, along with stacks of furniture waiting for repair. With a sigh, he turned to look at her. Her mouth was pressed together tightly, and her eyes shone a little too hard.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice low. She might’ve hated his guts but he wasn’t an asshole. He could tell she was upset.
“Not really, no.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe you brought her here, to my dad’s restaurant, to flaunt it all in front of me. How could you kiss her while I was watching?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think.” He shot her a sympathetic look. “What happened between us was a while ago, Carla. And you were the one who called an end to it. I kind of assumed we were over this.”
“I was.” She shook her head. “No, I thought I was.” She lifted her gaze to his, her eyes glinting. “But you told me we couldn’t work because you weren’t into commitment. That you only wanted something casual. That it wasn’t about me.”
“It wasn’t.”
“So why is it not casual with her? Why are you ready to commit with her when you said you never would be?” Her bottom lip trembled.
It was the same question he’d been asking himself for the past couple of weeks. What was it about Autumn that made him want to change all his perfectly ordered rules? To open up the armor he’d carefully constructed around his heart and let himself be vulnerable?
“She’s different,” he said softly. “That’s why.”
Carla’s face fell. “You said you couldn’t commit to anybody.”
“I didn’t believe I could.”
She took in a ragged breath, then blew it out again. “So why couldn’t you be with me?” Her voice broke, and it made him break a little. Because they’d been friends once, before he’d messed everything up between them. And even if they hadn’t, he wasn’t inhuman. He didn’t want to see anybody suffer.
Especially not because of him.
“I told you before. It’s not you, it’s me.” He looked down at the wooden planks beneath his feet, fixating on a raised knot. “I was really careful to be honest with you all along. I didn’t lie to you. I didn’t make any promises I couldn’t keep.” He looked up. “And I never meant to break your heart.”
She stifled a sob. “But you did. I really thought you were a good man, Griff. An honorable one. And maybe I thought I could change you.”
“I’m sorry.” It was all he could say, because she was right. He’d tried to be good and honorable. Never to hurt anybody the way he’d been hurt all his life. But he’d done it anyway, without meaning to, and it made him feel like crap.
“It’s not going to work between you two,” Carla said, lifting her chin up. “You must know that. She’s out of your league. I can tell that just by looking at her. She’s rich, she’s classy.” Carla laughed. “And I have no idea what she sees in you.”
Any vulnerability she’d had was gone, replaced by the hissing anger he’d become used to. The Carla she’d been ever since they’d ended things. The crazy thing was, he preferred it this way. He could deal with furious Carla.
But tearful Carla was another matter altogether.
“I have no idea either,” he admitted. “But I’m just telling myself I’m a lucky sonofabitch.”
“Luck always runs out,” she spat.
“I guess we’ll see about that.” He rolled his stiff neck and looked out at the ocean. “Is that everything you wanted to talk about?”
“Yeah. I have nothing else to say.” She crossed her arms over her ample chest.
He flashed her the briefest of smiles. “Okay. Take care of yourself.”
“I will. And you can go fuck yourself.”
His lips twitched, but he managed to stop himself from laughing. God, she was certifiable. Her abrupt change of mood made it much easier to walk away from her, even though he still felt like a piece of shit.
Relationships weren’t for the faint hearted. He knew that much.
But once in a lifetime you found the one person it was worth risking everything for. And for him, Autumn was that person.
He just hoped he was her person, too.
* * *
“So Griff is hot,” Lydia said, fanning her face as she sat down on the corner of Autumn’s old mahogany desk. “And big. Jesus, he’s like Aquaman. But a bit less wet.”
“I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear that.” Autumn shook her head as she pulled an old photograph out from beneath Lydia’s butt. It was one she’d scanned to be blown up onto the huge canvasses that would line the pier on the charity day. It showed a beautiful woman wearing a long, pale dress, an elaborate bustle pushing the fabric out from her hips, emphasizing her tiny waist. She was holding a lace-edged parasol, the stem resting on her shoulder as she lifted her head up to the sky, her eyes closed.
Of all the photographs Frank Megassey had loaned her, this was Autumn’s favorite. She wasn’t completely sure why. Maybe it was the rapt expression on the woman’s face, or the beautiful clothes she was wearing. Whatever it was, it made Autumn feel warm inside. Content, even.
“So who was that woman who looked at him like he’d just killed her cat?” Lydia asked casually. “Cara, was it?”
“Carla,” Autumn corrected her. “Her dad owns the restaurant. And she and Griff had a thing a while back.”
Lydia leaned forward, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. “They did? When? Is that why she looked like she wanted to swallow him whole?”
“A year or so ago, I think. But it wasn’t serious, according to his friends.”
“Whoa. He must be really good in bed for her to still look upset about losing him.” Lydia leaned even closer. “Is he?”
“I’ll never tell.” Autumn tried – and failed – to hide her smirk.
“You don’t need to tell me. I can read it on your face. I knew it!” Lydia clapped her hands together. “The big guys always know what to do with their bodies. It’s like they understand their power or something, and know how to use it wisely. Did I tell you about the guy I met in New Zealand? He was bigger than Griff, if that’s even possible. And when I say big, I mean in every way.”
Autumn clamped her hands on her ears. “Stop! I don’t want to hear about my baby sister having sex.”
Lydia laughed and peeled Autumn’s hands away. “Okay, I won’t mention him again. Or the multiple orgasms he could give a person just by looking at them.”
Autumn’s mouth dropped open. “Seriously?”
“Almost. But that’s not what I want to talk about, anyway. From the way he’s been looking at you all day, I think Griff has a few ideas of his own. The guy adores you.”
“Shut up.”
“I mean it. The way he looks at you is sizzling. He’s got this whole protective thing that’s impossible to see if you’re not looking closely. If somebody is walking toward the two of you, he speeds up just enough to put himself in front of you. I swear he’d take a bullet for you if he could.”
Autumn’s eyes widened. Lydia had to be seeing things.
“And I’ve seen the way you look at him, too, so don’t tell me I’m imagining stuff,” her sister continued, lowering her voice. “He’s gotten under your skin, hasn’t he?”
Glancing out of the dusty window, Autumn could see the pale blue painted building that housed Delmonico’s. Behind it was where Griff had talked to Carla, and she’d be a liar if she said it hadn’t bothered her a bit.
“Yeah, he has a bit,” she admitted.
“I knew it.” Lydia hugged her, the impulsive action taking Autumn by surprise. “I’m so happy for you. I knew all that bullshit about no st
rings was just lies. You two are perfect for each other.”
“They weren’t lies,” Autumn said softly. “I really believed them. I didn’t think I was ready for a relationship so soon after getting divorced.”
“Pah. Your divorce was inevitable. Anybody could see Josh was the wrong guy for you. I always thought he and dad were more suited than you two were.”
“Josh and Dad?” Autumn laughed. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, I’m not saying in a romantic relationship. But Dad was always subtly trying to push you and Josh together. And I swear he was more upset than you were when the two of you split. Like you ruined their bromance.”
“You think?” Autumn wrinkled her nose.
“Yep. And it scuppered all his plans. You’ve always been the daughter he can show off. You made him look like a winner. His daughter with a business degree and a successful marriage to a man who’s making waves in Manhattan real estate. Did you ever notice that your wedding photo was on his office wall next to all his certificates and commendations?”
“I never thought about it like that.”
“Of course you didn’t. He’s like one of those guys in those historical romances, giving his daughter’s hand to the man who’ll bring the most prestige to the family. No wonder he was devastated when you told him it was over.”
Autumn’s breath caught in her throat. Was Lydia right? She thought about the night she met Josh, at a garden party in the Hamptons. He’d walked over to her with a glass of champagne and told her she was the only beautiful woman at the party. And she’d fallen for him, hook, line, and sinker. But now she could also remember him telling her he’d been talking to her father, and asking about his business.
“When I told him Josh and I were divorcing, Dad begged me to give it another year,” Autumn admitted. “Said that I wasn’t a quitter, that I just needed more time to get used to things.”
“He doesn’t like not being in control.” Lydia walked over to the window that faced the bright blue ocean, pressing her nose against it. “I think this is the first time in your life you’ve done something that makes him angry.” She looked over her shoulder at Autumn. “And it looks good on you.”