WATERCOLOR WISHES: Love Along Hwy 30A, Book Four

by Chambers, Melissa

  She scooted back her chair. “I’ll be right back.” She went to the ladies’ room and breathed deeply, pulling herself together. Shouldn’t a person be happy to see their family? And these people weren’t awful. They just had a way of making her feel inferior with every word out of their mouths…which was ridiculous. Didn’t Eleanor Roosevelt say that no one could make you feel inferior unless you let them? So why was she letting them? And were they even trying?

  She closed her clutch and headed back out of the bathroom to be confronted with Malcolm lurking there in the hallway. “Hey, I’m sorry. They made me promise not to tell you they were coming.”

  She let out a hard breath. “It’s fine. I’m just a little…disappointed. I was hoping we could talk business.”

  “We can. We should. We could have a glass of wine with them and then scoot off somewhere?”

  Marigold narrowed her gaze, not exactly sure how to take that.

  “I mean, to another restaurant or wherever you’re comfortable.”

  She checked her phone to see what time it was. “I’ve got that party to get to.” She could cancel. Chase and Shayla would forgive her. But she couldn’t be sure of Malcolm’s motives, so a set schedule for the night seemed in order. “But maybe we can connect in the next day or two. You are staying for a few days?”

  “Yes, I am. That sounds good.” He just sort of stood there staring at her, and then he motioned toward her. “You look great, by the way. I guess I haven’t seen you in a few years, right? You’re always in and out of town so quickly at Christmas and Thanksgiving.”

  “Well, you know. I can’t afford to be away from the shop long. Day after Thanksgiving and Christmas are two of my busiest days of the year.” Owning a gift shop had always come in super handy for getting out of long visits. “If this hotel works out, I’ll be open 365 days a year. I’ll have to eat my turkey at the register.”

  “Your dad mentioned you might want to run the hotel.”

  She waved him off as she walked out of the hallway into the open air where she didn’t feel like she was conspiring for an illicit affair or something. “No, that’s what he wants. I never said I wanted that.”

  “You could train under me in Savannah. I’ve been running our flagship location up until just recently. You’d be up to speed by the time this location was built. Or if you like, you could run the Savannah location.”

  What was he going on about? She forgot how Malcolm he was…figuring out her life before she could even think about it herself. “Why don’t we just see if we get the bid first, then we’ll take it from there. Don’t you think?”

  “Sure,” he said, looking a little hurt. “What’s the story with your lease, anyway? How much longer do you have in that spot?”

  “Oh, um…” She scratched her scalp, wishing she was a better liar. “It’s over at the end of November.” She hated how his face lit up. “But I was thinking about seeing if he’d go month-to-month, at least until the place is rented. But enough about that. Let’s get back to the table.”

  “Of course.” He held out his arm, motioning her toward the table. As they walked that way, her phone dinged, and she pulled up a text from Dane.

  I’m not stalking you, I swear. But Chase invited Ethan and me to his cookout and so…

  She waited a second and then a picture populated her screen of Dane’s beautiful face with the backdrop of Chase’s pool with some familiar faces in the background. She grinned, her heart warming up for the first time all evening. He texted again.

  Where the heck are you?

  She glanced up to find herself staring at her family, who were sipping glasses of wine and staring at menus.

  “Sit down, honey,” her father said, a command, not a request. “We’ve decided to order dinner. You can eat with your friends anytime. We’re here now.”

  She glanced at Camellia who had a wine glass close to her lips as she looked around the place like she was bored out of her mind, and at her mother who was pointing at the menu and consulting Peter about something.

  She tucked her clutch up under her arm. “As I said, I have plans. I hope you all have a safe flight home tomorrow.” She turned to Malcolm. “I’m happy to do a call or even a video chat with you about the plans when you’re ready.” She held up a hand in a wave and exited before anyone could guilt her otherwise.

  17

  Dane was starting to regret having come to Chase’s barbecue. He and Ethan had gotten the invite just yesterday when they ran into Chase at lunch at MarketCafé in Seagrove. Chase had been in the best mood, mentioning his new girl, Shayla, about ten times during the one encounter. Dane had been envious. He had someone he was excited about, too, but his someone had thrown him the F-bomb earlier in the week.

  At first, Dane had tried to play it cool and not text or call her. That lasted about six hours into Monday. When he decided he couldn’t take it anymore, he texted her his favorite joke about the three-legged dog that walks into a saloon looking for the man who shot his paw. Of course, that joke was better told than written, but she still got it, and the floodgates opened to a week full of texts.

  He hadn’t mentioned anything today about coming to Chase’s barbecue. She hadn’t mentioned it to him all week, but he knew she was invited. She was in Chase’s inner circle of friends, and he’d overheard someone asking where she was and her friend Sebastian saying she’d be there soon.

  He was probably overstepping. He started getting paranoid and sent her a text letting her know he was there, just because he didn’t want her to walk in and see him and think he was stalking her. But she hadn’t responded, which had made him all jittery and nervous.

  “She’s prettier than I am, isn’t she?” Ethan asked, staring at the beautiful girl who Ashe Bianchi often posted on his Instagram.

  “God, I hope so,” Dane said.

  Ethan nudged him. “No, seriously. Who’s hotter, her or me?”

  Dane gave him a look. “How am I supposed to answer that objectively?” Ethan waved him off like Dane was the one not making sense. Dane nudged him. “Go talk to him.”

  “I can’t be the first one to approach. Whoever approaches first loses the upper hand.”

  “I think you lost that the first night we met him.”

  “I lost some ground, but I’ve been working on gaining it back. We’ve been playing this game over text. Whoever texts last loses.”

  “Sounds mature,” Dane said, and then took a drink of his beer.

  The door to the house closed and Chase hustled down the stairs and toward them. He’d been tied up when they came in and had directed them to the beer by the pool, so they’d been standing there solo for a few minutes. Chase held out his big banana hand for Dane to shake. “What’s up, man? I’m so glad the two of you made it.”

  “Thanks for the invite,” Ethan said. “Your house is amazing. Your kitchen’s new, huh?”

  “About a year old,” Chase said.

  “Who did it?” Dane asked.

  Chase pointed his beer bottle toward a woman across the pool standing with Cassidy Anderson of Seaside Sweets fame. “Seanna Evans. Perry at the time. She just married Blake Evans last summer. You guys know him?”

  “I’ve seen him around,” Dane said, Ethan nodding along. “Have we met her?”

  “Probably. She works with me now. She was looking for work and I was looking for someone to get me organized. Win-win.” His girlfriend, Shayla, stepped up beside him, and he took her into his arm, beaming. “Have the two of you met Shayla Harrison yet?”

  The dark-haired beauty squinted, searching them, and finally landed on Dane, pointing. “We’ve met, right?”

  Dane nodded with a smile. She was good.

  Ethan held out his hand. “We have not. Hello.” He looked her up and down, pleased. Ethan was so superficial sometimes, drawn to attractive people like a magnet.

  Shayla shook his hand. “You guys work together, right?”

  “Yes. Property development,” Ethan said. “What d
o you do?”

  “Pool cleaning,” Shayla said, and Ethan turned his head to the side like a dog trying to make sense of an odd sound.

  “Harrison Pool Supply?” Dane asked, making the connection. He’d thought it was a guy named Bo who owned that business, but he could have had it wrong.

  Shayla nodded. “Right.”

  “Ah,” Ethan said, as if it all made sense now.

  “It’s not my business though,” Shayla said. “My brother owns it.” She pointed to a guy tending to the grill in the outdoor kitchen.

  “Mmm,” Ethan said, looking the guy up and down. Dane was this close to shoving Ethan in the pool to cool him off. Dane had to admit the guy was buff and had a certain likability about him, but Ethan needed to cool it. Dane figured Ethan’s inability to land Ashe Bianchi was more than his libido could take.

  The door opened, and a woman with short blond hair stood in the doorway. “Chase, where are your salad tongs?”

  Chase looked lost, and so Shayla said, “I’ll be right there.” She turned to them. “It was really nice meeting you. I hope you’re hungry. We’ve got more food than we can shake a stick at in there.”

  “Chase, go get that clean platter on the counter inside,” Shayla’s brother shouted, looking down at the grill. He glanced up distractedly, then did a double-take when he saw Ethan and Dane, their presence seeming to take him by surprise. He waved with his spatula in acknowledgment of them.

  “Aye aye,” Chase said. “I’ll be back.”

  “No hurry,” Dane said, making sure Chase didn’t feel the need to babysit Ethan and him.

  Ashe Bianchi caught Ethan’s eye and held up his cup in greeting, smile in check.

  “Oh, he so wants me,” Ethan said, holding up his beer in return.

  Dane shook his head at his brother. “We need to go talk to someone before these people think we’re anti-social.”

  “Let’s go talk to Cassidy. We know her.”

  Dane shrugged and they headed that way. He couldn’t help but wonder if Marigold had come in the front door and was inside talking to Shayla and that blond woman. But he was no better than Ethan. He knew he had to play it cool. As stupid as it was, the overeager one was the one to lose. She’d been the one to declare them friends, so the ball really was in her court.

  They approached Cassidy, who was deep in conversation with Seanna and another guy Dane thought looked familiar. When Cassidy caught their approach, she smiled. “Hello there. I was just getting ready to head your way.”

  “That’s what all the girls say,” Ethan said, smiling and giving her a side-hug. Dane hated how familiar Ethan got with people so quickly. It made Dane uncomfortable because then they would look at him like they might have to hug him, too. But in this case, Cassidy just smiled at him genuinely, no awkwardness. He’d rarely seen a person so comfortable in their own skin.

  Dane held out a hand to Seanna. “I’m Dane. I’m not sure we’ve met.”

  “Seanna. I definitely know who the two of you guys are,” she said, shaking Dane’s hand and then Ethan’s. She grinned at Dane, and he wondered if she was a friend of Marigold’s and knew something he didn’t.

  The well-dressed guy next to her held out a hand. “Sebastian Peyton. We met the night of the bonfire.” He turned to Ethan. “We have not met yet.”

  “Ethan Knight,” Ethan said, shaking his hand with interest.

  Sebastian looked him up and down. “I definitely know who you are.” He glanced discreetly at Ashe Bianchi and then back at Ethan with a small grin. Ethan’s eyes sparkled. Point Ethan.

  “These are the guys bidding on Marigold’s hotel?” Seanna asked.

  Sebastian looked them up and down. “Yes. The competition. I’ve been researching the two of you.”

  Ethan raised an eyebrow. “Hope you haven’t found any skeletons.”

  “Unfortunately not. You two appear squeaky clean and like you do excellent work,” Sebastian said, pursing his lips.

  “How do you factor in here?” Dane asked.

  “I’m Marigold’s business consultant,” Sebastian said.

  “Ah,” Dane said, recalling Marigold telling him about Sebastian. “She speaks very highly of you.”

  “She should for what I charge.”

  Cassidy nudged him with her elbow. “Oh, I’m sure you’re not charging her anything.”

  Sebastian held a finger to his lips. “Shh, don’t tell these two our secrets. I’m going for intimidation here.” He let a smile peep through at the two of them, and Dane could see why Marigold liked him so much.

  “Speaking of, there’s our favorite gift shop owner now,” Seanna said.

  Dane turned to find Marigold walking down the steps, his stomach like a kite being caught by the wind. Bo, the guy at the grill, turned around at the sound of the door shutting and grinned from ear to ear at the sight of Marigold. She went to him and he took her into his arms for a hug, picking her up off the ground as they embraced.

  Dane swallowed hard, trying not to let the little green monster invade his brain. He knew Marigold was close with this group, and he also knew how likable she was. Of course these guys loved her. Dane just had to swallow that pill. What he couldn’t understand was why she wasn’t hooked up with any of them.

  After the two of them spoke for a moment, Bo pointed at the cluster Dane was standing in, and Marigold turned toward him. She scanned the group, and then locked gazes with Dane with a smile that erased all of his neurosis from the past few minutes.

  She walked around the pool, stopping at an open cooler full of drinks and retrieving a white can before heading their way. Hugging her way through the group, she hit everyone else first before coming to him. He, for some reason, didn’t get a hug.

  “Hey, stalker,” she said, grinning at him.

  Dane pretended to sniff his underarm. “Do I stink?”

  She leaned in close, taking a whiff of his neck, waking up his midsection which he batted down with a quick image of Jabba the Hutt. “You actually smell pretty nice for a boy. Why do you ask?”

  “Everyone got a hug but me.”

  “Did you want one?”

  “No. Well, maybe.”

  She reached around him, pressing her body against his, finishing off with a kiss to his neck that made him want to pick her up and whisk her right out the door with him. She pulled away. “Will that suffice?”

  “I guess I’d call it adequate.”

  She lifted her drink to her lips and took a sip through a smile. God he wanted her. Her gaze focused on Ethan who had apparently made his way to Ashe at some point. “Looks like that’s finally coming together.”

  “We’ll see how Ethan does.”

  “You don’t have much faith in your brother, do you?”

  “He usually gets what he wants, but I think he’s met his match this time.”

  She giggled. “For sure. But I think Ashe is super interested. I’ve never seen him work it like this before.”

  “Good for him.”

  She nodded and sipped her drink.

  “What are you drinking?”

  She looked at the can. “Oh, it’s one of those seltzer things with alcohol. You wanna try it?” She offered him her can and he sipped from it just to accept her offer of familiarity.

  “That’s pretty good.”

  “Mmm.” She nodded, glancing around with that grin that made him feel like he was back in middle school with a crush on a girl for the first time. “So,” she said, giving him a look. “How has your week been?”

  He lifted an eyebrow, not sure what she was getting at. “Good.”

  “Did you have any…surprise visitors?”

  “Ah,” he said, catching on. “No.”

  She squinted at him. “You sure?”

  “You don’t believe me?”

  “I’m just trying to help, as your friend…or maybe I’m trying to understand. I don’t know. I’ll butt out.” She shifted, glancing around.

  He squeezed his eyes shut, and the
n shook his head. “No, don’t…butt out that is. It’s confusing, and it’s messy. It’s a lot, and I wish I had clear answers for you.”

  “It’s not for you to explain to me. The whole point of this friendship thing is for me to be there for you when you need to talk about it, or whatever.”

  He stared at her, wanting to tell her that he didn’t want her as a friend. He wanted her in his bed, and in his life. He wanted to know her. He wanted to play putt-putt with her and walk on the beach with her and take her out to nice dinners and cuddle up on his couch with her—all those things people did when they were in new relationships.

  But that wasn’t his life. His life was…complicated. His life included two goofy kids who he loved more than anything on the planet, and it included their mother who was capable of throwing pipe bombs into his life at any moment, just as she’d done that week.

  A loud whistle sounded and everyone turned to find Chase standing by the door to his kitchen. “It’s all ready. Come make your plates inside and we’ll eat out here.”

  Dane exhaled a deep breath, partially thankful to be saved by the bell, but also wishing he had decent answers for her. “Are you hungry?” was all he could think to say.

  “Yep,” she said, and headed that way, leaving him behind with a heart that was becoming heavier by the moment.

  18

  The girls plus Sebastian all sat on Shayla’s king-sized bed, having just watched a bit from a comedian Seanna had discovered that she’d been dying to share with everyone. “Is she not hysterical?” Seanna asked.

  “I’m watching the rest of that when I get home,” Sebastian said. “I may have peed a little.”

  “Wouldn’t be the grossest thing on this bed,” Seanna said, and Shayla knocked her on the head with a throw pillow.

  “I changed the sheets this morning, not that we’re even sitting directly on the sheets here,” Shayla said.

  “Didn’t your housekeeper come today?” Sebastian asked.