“Sounds good. I just confirmed the Ocean Edge meeting for Tuesday with Mia. I’ll get it on the calendar.” Mia Stone was Jared’s sister, though Gavin had only recently learned they were related. Mia was the assistant to world-renowned fashion designers Josh and Riley Braden, whose main offices were in Manhattan. They were opening a new boutique at the resort, which was owned by Josh’s brother, real-estate mogul Treat Braden. Treat was making changes to the property to appeal to families of varying economic statuses rather than only the upper class. The new boutique, Coastal Enchantments, was one of those changes.
“Great. These are gorgeous, by the way.” She ran her hand over the fabric samples and said, “Almost as gorgeous as Harper.”
“Real subtle, Serena.”
“Almost as subtle as doodling her name on your notebook. What are you, twelve?”
He glanced at his notes from a call he’d had earlier with a woman who’d rambled incessantly, and he was shocked to see he had in fact doodled Harper’s name. He closed the notebook, cursing under his breath. The first thing he’d done when he’d gotten home last night was check the front pocket of his suitcase for Harper’s number. He’d found it just where she’d said it was. He could have kicked himself for not checking there last summer, when he’d scoured the surface of every piece of furniture in their room at the inn, hoping she’d left a note.
“I want all the details!” Serena set down the fabrics, her eyes wide with curiosity. “The way you hauled her down the beach made it look like you two were a lot more than friends at that music festival.”
“We had a connection,” he said more casually than he felt.
“So are you two an item now? You’d be really great together.”
“I’d love to be dating her, but no. She’s not ready for that.” He hoped to change that sooner rather than later.
“Why not? Unless she isn’t into you, which I can’t imagine would be the case.” She glanced out the window, her brow wrinkled in concentration. “Or maybe you weren’t that good when you hooked up…”
Gavin pushed to his feet and said, “This conversation is over, but just for the record, you couldn’t be more wrong. Unforgettable is more like it.”
Serena hopped to her feet with a loud, “Aha! You did hook up! I knew it. Chloe said she didn’t think you had because Harper never hooks up with guys, or at least she never used to. This is so exciting! Two of my best friends together.” She grabbed Gavin’s hand and dragged him toward the couch. “You have to tell me everything.”
He yanked his hand away and said, “Forget it, Serena. I’m not sharing all the dirty details of our night with you.”
“Okay…so it was one night. Got it. Did you talk afterward, while she was in California?”
He sat on the edge of his desk and crossed his arms. “No. You heard me last night. I thought her name was Parker. I didn’t even know her last name—”
“You know what? The more I think about this, the more I’m not buying it. That’s not who Harper is. There’s something you’re not telling me.”
He shrugged. “Have you ever known me to lie?”
“No, which makes this even more curious.” She sat down on the couch, drumming her fingers on the cushions, her mouth twisting in concentration.
“You can stop wondering, because that’s all there is. We met, we connected for a night, and then we had no contact until she appeared at the bonfire.”
“But you didn’t look like that was all there was last night.” Her eyes widened. “Oh my gosh. She’s the one, isn’t she?” She pushed to her feet, not waiting for an answer as she paced the floor of their cozy office, talking a mile a minute. “The one you told me about? The woman you had a brief affair with and hadn’t been able to stop thinking about? A night is a brief affair. And I’ve never seen you go after a woman like you did last night with Harper.”
She looked at him, and he shrugged.
“Oh no, Gavin. You are not getting away with being coy. You said you’d like to be dating her but she’s not ready, so what are you doing about it? And why isn’t she ready?”
He wasn’t going to breach Harper’s confidence, so he said, “She’s got a lot going on and she’s not keen on dating at the moment.”
“So what?” Serena threw her hands up in frustration. “Nobody has more going on than I did when Drake and I got together. I was living in two cities, for Pete’s sake. What are you going to do about it?”
“I set her up on a blind date with a buddy of mine.”
“You what?” She was on the move again, wearing a path in the floor. “Why would you do that? I thought you were smart, but boy, that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Who’d you set her up with? Justin? Dwayne? Cory? Because none of those guys are right for Harper.”
He chuckled at her vehemence, although she was right about those friends. Justin and his cousin Dwayne were too aggressive for Harper, and Cory wasn’t Gavin, which made him all kinds of wrong.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got it covered.”
She rolled her eyes. “Are you that clueless? Do I need Drake to give you a lesson in taking control?”
“Hardly.”
“You’re going to lose your chance, and then you’ll wish you had balls enough to walk right up to her and tell her she’s making a big mistake passing you up.” She stopped pacing and glared at him. “You have no idea how great Harper is if you’re willing to set her up with some other guy.”
“I’ve jumped too fast and been burned before, Serena, and I’m not into repeating past mistakes. Not that I think Harper would ever be a mistake, but she’s too important for me to rush into something she may not be ready for and risk ruining it. To be honest, I was completely blown away last night when I saw her. I never thought I’d see her again, and yes, she’s the woman I told you about. But she doesn’t need to be the center of Bayside drama or pressured into going out with me by you and the gossip girls. I know what she and I had in Virginia was special, but her well-being is more important to me than claiming her as my girlfriend. So take a deep breath, Serena. Chill out and let me do things my way.”
“Wow.” She sat down again. “Thanks for reminding me who you are.”
He went to the couch and sat beside her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you and Justin are always talking smack. I forgot you’re the same guy who told me how important family was to you and that you hoped to end up with a wife who understands marriage won’t always be easy because the last thing you needed was a diva who had no idea what being a family really means.”
He’d forgotten he’d admitted those things to her, though they were true. “So?”
“So, even though you talk a good game with Justin, you’re putting Harper’s well-being before your own manly urges. That means you’re still one of the biggest-hearted guys I know.”
“Thanks.” He pushed to his feet and said, “I’ve got to go. And remember what I said about keeping Harp out of the Bayside drama.”
“Wait!” She rushed after him as he headed out the door. “What’s the plan to win her over?”
“Good night, Serena.” He climbed into his car and rolled down the window.
“I can help!”
“No helping. No doing anything.”
“But you might not get your girl!”
He winked and said, “I think you know me better than that.”
HARPER SAT AT her writing desk, tapping her foot to the music streaming from her playlist while staring at her blinking cursor. She’d had a busy day of grocery shopping, unpacking, weeding her gardens, cleaning her cottage, and doing just about anything else she could think of that didn’t involve going anywhere she might accidentally see one of her siblings. She’d had to do something to keep her mind off Gavin’s threat of a blind date. When her phone rang and Chloe’s number appeared on the screen, she snagged it from the desk, glad for the distraction.
“Hi, Chloe. Sorry Gavin dragged me away last n
ight.”
“Yeah, right,” Chloe said. “I hear you and Gavin had a pretty great evening.”
“From who?”
“Serena. They’re business partners, remember?”
“Right, sorry.” How could she have put that out of her mind? Serena could be pushy. Had Gavin told her everything? She hadn’t had to worry about gossip in LA. Even with the few people she’d occasionally gone out to lunch or dinner with, she always felt like she was out of the loop.
“I have to admit, I’m a little jealous.”
“You’re into Gavin? I had no idea. But don’t worry. It’s not like that between us.” Why did that leave the taste of regret in her mouth?
“No, I’m not into Gavin. I would have been if he’d showed any interest whatsoever, but nope, nothing. He’s never dragged my ass down the beach.”
“Sorry,” Harper said, sure her nose was growing.
“Don’t be. I hope it is like that between you two.”
“Well, as I said, it’s not. But if you’re not into him, then why are you jealous?”
“Because you’re back in town for half a minute and you’ve got a great guy dragging you away to be alone, and I’m over here fending off losers on dating sites and apps like Match and Tinder.”
“No way!” Harper exclaimed. “Why would you do that? You’re gorgeous and outgoing. When we used to hang out, guys were always hitting on you.”
“According to Serena and Desiree, I’m too picky, and according to Violet, I’m too uptight.”
“I don’t think you’re uptight.”
“Then you’re on Team Picky. Great. I’m probably both, too picky and uptight.”
“No, you’re not. Justin was looking at you an awful lot last night. He’s hot in that bad-boy way most girls love, but I get it.” She and Chloe had long ago discovered that they had similar tastes in guys, and bad boys weren’t either of their types. “Most of the guys around here are either tourists who are just passing through, taken, or bad boys.”
“Pretty much. But Gavin’s a great guy.”
Harper sighed. “I told you it’s not like that. He set me up on a blind date tonight. That should tell you everything you need to know.” She’d been trying not to think about what that really meant, but it bugged her to no end that he was willing to hand her off to a friend, even if she had turned down his offer to go out with him.
“That’s what Serena said. But with who? He wouldn’t tell Serena who it was with.”
“I have no idea, and I was so flustered I forgot to ask. But it doesn’t matter. He’s supposed to be here any minute, and I’m not going.”
“Oh, well, you might want to tell Gavin that. That means you can come out with us! Serena, Drake, and I are meeting Rick and Des at Undercover in about half an hour.”
“My life is too much of a mess to pretend it’s not, and Colton will see right through it.” She winced, realizing what she’d revealed, and quickly said, “I’m still unpacking and getting used to the time difference. I hate living in chaos. I just need to get things under control.”
“I hate feeling disorganized, too. Do you need help unpacking?”
Harper looked at the boxes by the door. The things she’d shipped from LA had arrived early that morning, and they were still all packed up. “No. I’ll get through it, but I appreciate the offer.”
“Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been gone so long. It must feel weird coming back, and then being blindsided by Gavin…”
Blindsided was the perfect word for what she’d felt last night. The trouble was, she still felt off-kilter. She’d thought she’d romanticized the effect he’d had on her, but now she knew she hadn’t. After their tryst in Romance, she’d thought about trying to find him. It would have been a ridiculously futile effort, since she only knew his first name and hadn’t even known where he lived, but that hadn’t stopped her from wanting to try dozens of times. And last night she’d caught herself wanting to call Chloe or Serena just to get the 411 on him. But she’d stopped herself then, too, because her life really was too much of a mess for a guy like him right now.
Maybe one day…
“Hello? Harper?”
“Sorry. I’m here, and I’m okay. Thanks for asking.”
They talked for another few minutes, and after they ended the call, Harper’s phone vibrated with a text from a number she didn’t recognize. She read the message—My buddy is psyched about your date. Have fun tonight! Her pulse quickened as she typed a response. Gavin? How did you get my number?
His reply was immediate. You’re not the only one with fancy connections, LA girl. A minute later another message popped up. Did you forget you put your number in my suitcase?
She loved that he’d gone searching for it and typed, I’m not going on the date. I don’t even know his name! The phone vibrated a second later with his text. Gale.
“Gale?” She typed, Sounds girlie, adding a laughing emoticon.
Another text rolled in. Hardly. GALE as in gale-force wind. The guy’s going to blow you away. Trust me, beautiful.
She rolled her eyes, trying to think up a response, but she wasn’t fast enough. The phone vibrated again, and she read his text. Remember, it’s a FIRST date. You should probably keep that sunflower tat to yourself…
Heat rushed through her as memories assaulted her. Gavin’s strong hands stripping off her panties, his soft lips kissing the sunflower tattoo on her hip, his warm, wet tongue tracing the stem and each of the petals. She could still feel the sharp, scintillating points of his teeth as he tasted his way lower…
Her entire body shuddered, and she tossed her phone on the desk like she’d been burned. She was turned on and annoyed at herself for getting so carried away by mere thoughts of him.
Glaring at the phone as if it were a villain, she snapped, “I’m not going!” and stormed into her bedroom. “Who do you think you are anyway, setting me up with some other guy?”
She grabbed an old, ragged sweatshirt from the closet and tugged it over her cami. Then she tugged a pair of baggy sweatpants over her shorts. She turned her head upside down, shaking out her hair. The messier the better. She twisted it into a messy bun, securing the bun in place with a hair tie, and pulled a handful of strands free just for good measure. She went into the bathroom and pulled out her makeup, artfully smearing a little eyeliner beneath her eyes so it looked like she hadn’t slept in weeks, which wasn’t far from reality. She took one last look at her disheveled self in the mirror.
Perfect.
She stalked into the kitchen and grabbed the pepper shaker. A knock sounded at her door, and as she went to answer it, she shook pepper into her hand and inhaled it. Her eyes watered and her nose burned. How’s this for beautiful? Maybe next time you’ll listen when I say I’m not ready to go out.
Chapter Four
HARPER COULDN’T STOP sneezing, but even through watery eyes and between brain-rattling sneezes, she made out Gavin standing on her porch looking insanely handsome and shaking his head. She dropped the pepper shaker as she covered her nose to keep from sneezing on him, but that only made things worse, because her hand was still covered with pepper.
He picked up the pepper shaker and arched a brow. “Really? This was the best you could come up with? Faking sick?”
She cough-laughed as she stepped outside, hoping the fresh air would clear her nostrils. As she tried to regain control, she glanced around, expecting to see his friend. While she was at it, she took in Gavin’s sculpted bronze arms. Her gaze slid down the blue T-shirt molded to his hard chest. Her pulse quickened as she continued her visual exploration to what she knew were thick, muscular thighs beneath his cargo shorts. Her gaze drifted up along the same delicious path to his full, smirking lips.
God…
Annoyed with herself yet again, she wiped her peppered hand on her sweats and said, “What gives, Gavin? Where’s Gale? Did he stand me up?”
“There’s not a chance he’d stand you up.”
Sh
e peered down the road. “Then where is he?”
“You’re looking at him.”
“I don’t…” As understanding sank in, she said, “You lied?”
He dragged his narrowing eyes down her sweats, and then he eyed the pepper shaker in his hand. “Actually, I’d say you’re the fibber.” He motioned with his hand at himself, like he was presenting a prize, and said, “Gavin Gale Wheeler at your service. And if you think a little pepper is going to get you out of our date, you’re wrong.”
“You set me up on a blind date with yourself?” Oh boy. He was definitely a smooth talker.
“I’m the best there is. Let’s go, beautiful. Get your keys or purse or whatever you need. We’ve got plans to work through the hitches in your life, and I’m an organized guy. I’d like to stick to those plans.”
She’d poured her heart out last night, and it was all kinds of romantic that he hadn’t forgotten. That made her even more attracted to him, which made her even more nervous. She crossed her arms and said, “I told you I’m not ready to date.”
“And I told you this isn’t a date. We’re greasing your wheels before we take the ultimate ride.” He waggled his brows.
She inhaled a shaky breath, knowing just how ultimate that ride was.
He rolled his shoulders back and said, “It’s important that you’re fully in control of every aspect of your life before you let the one and only man who matters into it.”
How could he be so confident about them? She looked down at her shabby clothes and said, “I can’t go like this.”
“Why? You look beautiful. Stunning, really.” He held her gaze, the honesty in his eyes urging her to just go with it. “I love the extra effort you put into your eye makeup. Were you going for the smoky look? It’s all the rage this summer. Come on, time to get your keys. Or Mace,” he said teasingly as he took her hand and stepped into her cottage.
His gaze swept over the hardwood floors in the cozy living room. Her writing desk sat against the wall to their left, with a vase full of flowers from her gardens. Beside the desk, an armoire housed her television and space for her notebooks, printing paper, and other necessities. A sofa sat against the wall to the right, and there were three stools at the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room.
Bayside Romance (Bayside Summers Book 5) Page 4