Family Bonds- Emily and Crew (Amore Island Book 4)

by Natalie Ann

  “Got to get those packages and Christmas cards out,” he said, laughing. “But I did go visit my grandmother. I was gone a few days. Flying is a bitch this time of year.”

  “It really is,” she said. “Where are you from since you know so much about me?”

  “I don’t really know all that much about you,” he said, picking up his ball. They were set up to go and he had to decide what he was going to say. He wasn’t much for lying, but he could omit things too. “Boulder, Colorado. I flew home to spend time with my grandmother.”

  “That’s so sweet. I wish my grandparents were still alive or around here. My mother’s parents retired and are in Florida. By the way, my mother is the one from Patricia’s side. My father married into the family and met my mother when he started to work for Mitchell. But anyway, no more family history, we’d said. My father’s parents are no longer alive, but they were into tourism too. They had some motels back in the day, but my father sold them years and years ago and then turned it into more rental properties and apartment investments.”

  So money on both sides, but definitely workers.

  “My grandmother is all I have left,” he said, then walked up and threw the ball hard, getting a strike.

  When he walked back, she laughed. “I think I hit a nerve and that made you knock them all down. I’m sorry for that. I don’t mean to pry.”

  “You’re not. My parents died ten years ago in an accident.” He wasn’t about to say a plane accident with his father flying. That would open up too many questions. “I’m estranged from my mother’s brother and my father’s sister. My father’s parents are no longer alive. It’s just my mother’s mom. We’re close, but she won’t move in with me even though I keep asking.”

  “You’ve got a soft side to you,” she said.

  “Don’t judge,” he said back and she burst out laughing.

  4

  Ask Him Out

  “What are you doing here on a Sunday?” Penelope asked her.

  “The same thing you’re doing,” she told her younger sister. “Working.”

  “Yeah, but you’ve been sick and just came back on Thursday. You shouldn’t push it. You even came in yesterday morning and didn’t need to. I’ve got it covered.”

  “I know you do,” she said. “But I’m fine. You should be off too. When was the last time you took a day off?”

  Penelope snorted. “Who the hell knows anymore? But look at this place. It’s all ours.”

  Emily looked around in Penelope’s office. Her sister had her arms out wide and turned in a circle and she stepped in and gave her a hug. “Yeah. It’s mainly ours. Along with the bank loan and Dad and Mitchell.”

  “Don’t rain on my happy parade. Speaking of happy. You’re smiling and you don’t normally smile like this. At least not in the office.”

  She thought she was a happy person but never showed it during working hours. She’d found that not many took her seriously if she did and if there was one thing she worked hard at, it was to be looked at and respected for what she built herself.

  “I went on my date yesterday.”

  “You did?” Penelope said. “Come in here and dish the dirt. The mailman, right?”

  “Yes, Crew Ackley.”

  “What did you do? Where did you go?”

  “Bowling, then went and had burgers and played darts and pool and I never laughed so hard or had so much fun before.”

  “Oh my God. It’s like a college date that you never got in college.”

  Her sister was right. She was dating Simon in college and he was always taking her out to fancy places and putting on the charm. His family had money but nothing like hers. He tried to impress her more than have fun.

  Looking back, she’d told him enough times they didn’t have to do what he wanted all the time but he insisted. He was just the stuck-up one. She’d bet he’d never been to a bowling alley a day in his life. His loss.

  “It was,” she said. “I think he was shocked I was good with it. He kicked my butt in bowling so we won’t talk about that, but I held my own in darts. Pool was a lost cause.”

  She wasn’t going to mention to her sister that Crew had tried to help her. That he’d stood behind her, and put his hands around her to hold the stick and help her aim. She was pretty sure he’d heard her gulp at that time too.

  But he was gentlemanly and she appreciated it. Even if she might not have minded if he made another move.

  No, no. What was she thinking? He paid money at a charity event to take her on a date and that was exactly what they did.

  Obligation over and she was probably not going to see him again other than when he rang her bell to deliver her packages. It’s not like he asked to see her and since their date came about by the fundraiser she was at a loss.

  At the end of the night, she’d thanked him and said she’d had a wonderful time.

  He’d nodded his head and said he had too. That he needed it, knowing how busy he was going to be in the coming weeks, and she took that as a clue that they weren’t going any further.

  “Do you like him?” Penelope asked.

  “He brought me soup,” she told her sister. She hadn’t wanted to say that to anyone, but it felt like the time to bring it up.

  “Yesterday?” Penelope asked.

  “No. When I was home sick. He delivered packages and rang the bell. I went to get the stuff and thought he was gone and he’d forgotten a package and came back and caught me going to the door.”

  Penelope started to laugh. “Were you in sweats and thick socks with a blanket around your shoulders and your hair up in a bun?”

  “All but the bun,” she admitted. “Fuzzy slippers instead of socks, so probably worse.”

  “And he still wanted to take you on the date?”

  “Obviously. My nose was red. It was horrible. But later that day he came back with soup for me. It was so super sweet. Then I coughed on him and he stepped back like I was going to spew germs everywhere. I’d sneezed a lot earlier too when he was delivering the packages.”

  “I’m sorry,” Penelope said, grabbing the wall she was laughing so hard. “This is hilarious.”

  “It kind of is.”

  “And very sweet too. I’m telling you, there is something more there with him.”

  “I don’t know. I thanked him for the date and then he said he was going to be busy in the coming weeks. I thought we had a great time, but it seems to be it.”

  “It doesn’t have to be,” Penelope said. “Ask him out.”

  “What?”

  “Come on, Emily. I know you’re jaded. Simon was a dick and I’d like to think you’d never come across someone as dishonest and manipulating as him again, though I’m sure you will. There are just a lot of assholes in the world. But you’ve got this guy that normally you’d have nothing in common with that dropped three grand to take you bowling and play darts. You admitted you had a great time. He brought you soup when you were sick. That’s not just a charity write off for him. And really? Do mailmen even make that much to have that kind of money sitting around to pay for a date?”

  “No clue and I didn’t ask. Maybe he doesn’t have a lot of expenses,” she said. Maybe he got some life insurance policy from his parents?

  “On this island? It’s not cheap to live here even if you can find property.”

  “He’s probably renting an apartment,” she said.

  “And not easy to find a place to rent even though Mitchell and Scott are putting in more apartment buildings. The two of them went their own ways with the bulk of their businesses, but they still do a lot of joint ventures. Or Mitchell puts the money in. That’s more his style.”

  Mitchell Bond, father of Eli, Egan, and Ethan, had a lot of investments, but the boys did the bulk of managing things now. Scott Bond was the same way and his sons, Drew and Bode, ran Bond Realty. Their youngest brother, Coy, was a dentist on the island and didn’t have the tourism headache the rest of them did.

  “I didn�
��t ask any of those questions. That would be prying and I don’t like when people do that to me. You know that.”

  “You two had to talk about something though,” her sister said.

  “We talked briefly about the island, things to do here. What the weather is like since he’s only lived here for half a year. I know his parents died ten years ago and he’s estranged from everyone but his grandmother. He never mentioned siblings, just aunts and uncles so I’m guessing he’s an only child.”

  “That’s sad. Our family is so big I can’t imagine anything otherwise.”

  “I know. I thought that too but stopped from mentioning it. I didn’t know how it’d be received. But he did fly home to see his grandmother for Thanksgiving and said he wants her to live with him.”

  “Oh wow,” Penelope said. “Big, sexy, and sensitive. What a combo.”

  “Who said he was sensitive?”

  “You didn’t dispute the big and sexy part.”

  “I’m not blind,” she said.

  “Anyone who wants his grandmother to live with him is a family man. He’s single, I’m assuming since he took you on that date. Not many thirty-somethings that are single want their grandparent crimping their style.”

  “I don’t think Crew cares what people think or worries about crimping his style.”

  “You really like him, don’t you? Admit it to me even if you won’t to anyone else.”

  “I kind of do. But how would that look?”

  “How would what look? Don’t you dare be snobby because he’s a mailman.”

  “Of course not,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “What do you take me for? I care more about a person and their character than what’s in their wallet. I meant how would it look that he paid for a date for me and then I want to go back out with him?”

  “I think it looks exactly like something that happens to a Bond family member on Amore Island. But no one says you can’t just go out and have fun now and again with someone. Especially if he puts a smile on your face like you’ve got now.”

  Her sister was right, but she wasn’t going to admit that. She’d never believed in fate. Or love at first sight. Hell, she wasn’t sure she even believed in love anymore, but she sure the heck knew what lust was and it seemed to have hit her hard yesterday when she least expected it.

  Maybe she’d think about it. What could it hurt if they went out and had fun again? It’s not like she wanted a romance, but a little bit of companionship might be nice.

  5

  Smoking Delivery Guy

  “I’m not really buying for the whole town.”

  “Hey, Emily,” he said when he turned after she’d made that statement.

  It’d been three days since their date and she fulfilled her obligation for his “donation” to the Bond fundraiser. He’d thought she had as great of a time as he did that night yet he hadn’t heard anything else. It’s not like he was going to make the first move when he had to buy time to be with her. She had his number. She knew where he worked.

  And if he was sour about it all, he had to get over it.

  But here he was delivering seven packages to her house, ringing her bell like he always did, then turning to walk away. She didn’t have to come out and say anything to him. She didn’t even have to pick them up until he’d driven away.

  Nope, she did make the first move, but he wasn’t sure what kind of move it was.

  “I was thinking that since there are still twenty-one days left till Christmas. Guess I’m getting my exercise in just delivering to you.”

  She laughed at him and started to pick up the boxes but struggled with one of them in her tight skirt and heels. The box was heavy and if he wanted to get a better peek at her looking all fancy, he was hiding that.

  “I’ve got it,” she said when he bent to lift a few up.

  “What kind of gentleman would I be if I stood back and watched you struggle? Or at least tip over in your heels.”

  “I’ll have you know I can run up and down the block in these heels carrying a few of these boxes and not wobble once.”

  “I stand corrected. It’s not the heels but that nice fitted skirt.”

  She laughed low in her throat and that just shot heat to places of his body that hadn’t seen action since he moved here.

  “The skirt I couldn’t run in, but I’ve got a meeting with vendors today and need to look the part.”

  “You always look the part when I see you. Not that I’m watching.”

  “Darn,” she said. “Here I thought there might have been a compliment in there.”

  He stood back once the boxes were in her hallway and tried to figure out what game she might be playing. “You want me to be looking at you?”

  She angled her head. “I shouldn’t keep you. I know you’re working and you’ll get behind.”

  “Oh no. I can catch up just fine without speeding. You started this and I’d like to see where it’s going.”

  “Maybe I’d like to see that too and it’s the reason I started it.”

  Interesting. “So if I asked you on another date—one I didn’t have to pay three grand for—you’d agree?”

  “How about I ask you to dinner instead?”

  “And if I said no?”

  “Then I’d say you just wanted to loosen me up like you said because I’m a tight ass as so many say about me and you did what you wanted to accomplish for the night. We can both go on our way like we were.”

  Her voice was cool now. “Damn,” he said, putting his hand to his face. “I had to check for frostbite on those words.”

  Her shoulders dropped. “I guess that explains why so many say that about me. But if you want to know the truth, I had a lot of fun on Saturday night. More than I thought I’d have when I had to go on the date.”

  “Because someone like you was expecting a stuffy dinner date?” he asked.

  “Someone like me?” she asked, her eyebrows lifting. Her voice wasn’t as cool but more like questioning.

  “Yeah. Someone who is used to the finer things in life. Not me. I’m just a regular old Joe.”

  “I’m not so sure there is anything regular about you,” she said.

  “No, you’re right.” If she only knew the truth to those words. “My point is. I can take a lady to a fancy dinner if she’d like and suffer through it, but most times I’d rather just be relaxed.”

  “And bowling and darts are relaxing to you?” she asked.

  “Don’t forget about pool, burgers, and beer.”

  “Oh my, we can’t forget about that.”

  There was a light in her eyes. A joking one and she had one hell of a personality that he only saw a glimpse of the other day. He damn well wanted to see more of it.

  “So are you asking me on a date?” he said.

  “I think I might be. Why don’t I cook you dinner rather than making you endure some stuffy restaurant dinner?”

  That was completely unexpected and most appreciated. “I believe I’m going to say yes.”

  “You believe that, do you?” she asked, a light laugh escaping.

  He turned to leave, knowing he really had to get back on his route. He was already going to be behind more than normal since he was delivering packages. “You’ve got my number and you know I work days. Why don’t you text me a time that works for you.”

  “I will later,” she said. “Thank you again for the packages.”

  He nodded his head and jogged back to the truck to get a move on. He couldn’t speed, not that the mail truck moved all that fast. But he could walk fast dropping boxes off at houses. And he had a lot of them to deliver today, just like most days in December.

  UPS and FedEx rarely came on the island but rather had direct contracts with the post office. That was the main reason packages took so long. They’d get sorted in Boston, then shipped over on the last ferry of the day to the island where second shift workers unloaded the large delivery truck to be sorted back in the office and then delivered the next
day. If they were lucky.

  There were only so many staff employed and the way the ferries ran limited deliveries to once a day most times. Maybe twice if things got bogged down, but not often.

  Island living meant things didn’t always operate as fast, so if someone wanted something faster they left the island to buy it, or to pick up where it was shipped at one of the ports. He’d been told that the Bonds owned a lot of buildings by the port in Boston and one for the businesses run out of there was a shipping and delivering office for the island.

  Knowing what he did with his job, it was smart of the Bonds to do that rather than using the post office. Someone could buy something, have it shipped to the Boston location by the docks, then take the ferry over to get it if they had time, and they’d get the package faster than if the shipping company tacked a few days on contracting with the post office.

  Since the few Bonds he’d run into were pretty smart, he’d say most didn’t have to worry about any packages and there were things picked up and brought back and forth daily to the island. Didn’t Emily say a family member was always flying back and forth?

  And why was he even thinking or caring about that?

  All he cared about was that Emily actually did make the first move and it put one hell of a smile on his face.

  Emily let out a breath as she sagged against her front door once she’d shut it.

  She knew darn well she had a lot of packages being delivered today and stayed home to get them. Penelope picked on her about just having them delivered to the hotel and getting them there to bring home, but she was more private and didn’t care to have staff see what she might be buying. It was no one’s business if she had a lot of packages delivered or that she liked to buy gifts for others.

  Her weakness was shopping and she wasn’t ashamed to admit that, but it’s not like it was all for her. At least this time of year.

  But she really was running late now and kept the boxes where they were when she normally was like a kid at Christmas and had to rip right into them. She’d do it when she got home later tonight, whenever that might be.