“Thanks,” she
said, blushing. She didn’t share her art with many people. It was a
deeply personal expression of herself. She felt it conveyed her
vision of the world around her in a way mere words never could.
“I had no idea
you painted.” He sat down on a stool at the breakfast bar to watch
her.
“I’ve been
toying around with different mediums for a while now,” she said. “I
just got into oils last year, but it’s been fun. To tell you the
truth, my first love is…” She knew if she told him about her
illustrations, he would ask to see them. She wasn’t sure she was
ready to share that part of herself with a man she’d only known a
short time.
“Your first
love is what?”
Anna reached
for the leather portfolio beside her. “I’ve had this idea in mind
for a while now.” She carefully unzipped the case. “I’m not sure it
will go anywhere, but I’ve been thinking about maybe…” She didn’t
know why she was so nervous. The worst that could happen was he
would smile politely, and she would know he was unimpressed with
the crude quality of her illustrations. “Submitting it to a
publisher.”
He reached for
her portfolio. Their eyes met, and she knew he understood she was
trusting him with a cherished part of herself.
Justin didn’t
say anything at first. He spent several minutes reading and even
longer studying the illustrations that accompanied her story.
Tom had never
given her work more than a cursory glance before dismissing it, so
she was honored that Justin seemed to think it was worth his time
and attention. “What do you think?” she asked, clearing her throat
delicately. When he didn’t respond, her stomach clenched. “I know I
have a lot to learn, but…”
He looked up,
his eyes locking with hers. “I’m no expert, but this is good, Anna.
I mean, really good.”
“You think so?”
she asked. She wiped her damp palms on her clean apron.
“Like I said,
I’m no expert, but I know someone who is.”
“You do?”
“My mother owns
a small publishing company.”
“Really?”
He nodded as he
passed her portfolio back and braced his elbows on the counter
behind him. “She deals in non-fiction mostly. It started with her
passion for horses. She wasn’t able to find the kinds of books she
wanted to read about showing, breeding, that kind of thing. With
her connections, she knew all of the experts, so she went to them
to pick their brains. It was a niche market, so they weren’t likely
to attract the attention of a major publisher. She decided she
would start her own publishing company.”
“Wow, that’s
pretty ambitious,” Anna said, trying to imagine what kind of woman
his mother must be to take on such a challenge.
“I guess.” He
shrugged. “She never expected it to evolve into what it is today.
Both of my sisters are involved in the business as well. They’re
still a niche publisher, but they’ve recently ventured out into
fiction, including children’s books, if I’m not mistaken.”
“That’s
interesting,” she said, tucking her portfolio away. She didn’t
believe in calling in favors, which was why she’d never used her
last name or her father’s celebrity status to help her get
ahead.
“My parents
said they may come out here for a visit this summer. Why don’t I
invite my sisters, too? They could have a look at your work and see
if it might be something they would be interested in.” He shrugged.
“I can’t say they would be for sure, but it wouldn’t hurt to have
them look at it, right?”
Anna couldn’t
deny she was interested in hearing their professional opinion. She
didn’t want to cash in on her friendship with Justin, but they may
be willing to give her an unbiased opinion about her work.
“Perhaps,” she said. “I’ll think about it.”
He smiled. “Why
do I sense some reluctance?”
“I don’t know,”
she said, lifting one shoulder. “Tom always thought I was wasting
my time. It’s just a hobby. I never really thought I could make a
living at it or anything.”
“Why not? I’m
sure thousands of people make a living writing and illustrating
children’s books. Why not you?”
“I’m a
teacher,” she said quietly.
“Tell me about
that,” he said, wrapping his hands around his knee as he hooked his
running shoe on the bottom rung of the stool.
“Well,” she
said, thinking about the excited little faces that lit up her world
on a daily basis, “I love my kids.”
He grinned.
“Somehow I knew you would say that.”
She laughed.
“You don’t get into teaching for the money or praise, that’s for
sure. You do it because you love the kids and you hope to make a
difference in their lives.”
“I love
that.”
She was a
little embarrassed, but she continued. “I always wanted to be a
teacher, and I love what I do…” She dipped her head and looked at
him from beneath the veil of her lashes.
“Why do I get
the feeling there’s more to the story?”
She couldn’t
tell him about her desire to get married and have a few children of
her own. Their relationship would end before it even started if he
thought she was just looking to settle down. She stood up and
walked into the adjoining kitchen. “It’s nothing. Have you eaten? I
was about to make some French toast. Would you like to join
me?”
“On one
condition,” he said, getting off his stool and walking toward
her.
“What’s that?”
she asked, trying to ignore the heat coursing through her body as
she felt him moving in, crowding her against the counter.
“You promise to
tell me over breakfast what you were about to say.”
Hoping he
wouldn’t hold her to that promise, she forced a smile. “It’s a
deal.”
***
Justin couldn’t
remember the last time he’d enjoyed a woman’s company so much. He’d
had a few relationships over the past ten years, one serious, but
he’d never thought any of his previous girlfriends could one day
become his wife. Something about Anna made him think a life of
domesticity was more of a blessing than a curse.
As she refilled
his coffee mug, he said, “Don’t think I’ve forgotten that promise.
What were you thinking about earlier?”
“Um… nothing,”
she said, refilling their juice glasses.
He chuckled.
“Nice try.” Pointing at her, he said, “A promise is a promise, Miss
McCall.”
A faint blush
crept over her cheeks. “I was just thinking about my plans for the
future.”
“I’d love to
hear about those plans.” He reached across the table, linking his
fingers with hers. Looking her in the eye, he hoped she sensed his
sincerity when he said, “I really want to get to know you.”
“I’m a pretty
simple person,” she said, looking at their joined hands. “I hate
being in the spotlight, surrounded by flashing cameras and
microphones.”
“But your
father’s a famous singer. You must have grown up with the press
hovering around you.”
“That doesn’t
mean I liked it.” She extracted her hand from his and reached for
her coffee cup. “We have a lot of famous family and friends, and I
love and respect them, but I would never want that kind of life for
myself.”
He sensed she
was trying to tell him she would never fit into his world, nor
would she have the desire to try. That past month, he couldn’t step
outside of his door without a camera going off or a reporter
demanding to know when or if he expected to return to racing.
“Is that your
not so subtle way of telling me my world doesn’t appeal to
you?”
She dabbed her
mouth with a paper napkin. “I respect the choices you’ve made,
Justin. But if you’re asking me whether we could ever make a
relationship work outside of this little island paradise, the
answer is no.”
He felt a sharp
stab of regret. She wasn’t even willing to give him a chance? She’d
already written him off as someone who would never fit into her
world? “Why’s that?”
Tossing the
crumpled napkin on her plate, she said, “We’re very different
people. I love the quiet life; you love the crowds and excitement.
You get a rush out of putting your life at risk, and I just can’t
understand why anyone would want to do that.”
Women in his
life had questioned his sanity before, but it had never bothered
him. He hadn’t felt the need to defend or explain his choices
because he knew racing was a part of him, and anyone who chose to
share his life had to accept that.
“You’re saying
you could never love a guy who does what I do for a living?” He
knew it was a bold question. They were still getting to know each
other, but he had to know how she felt before he let himself fall
any deeper.
“I could never
allow myself to fall in love with someone like you,” she said
quietly. Taking a deep breath, she looked him in the eye. “The
truth is, I want to get married and have a family someday.”
Between
clenched teeth, he asked, “So, I guess my career puts me out of the
running, huh?”
“You know the
inherent risks of your profession. It could have just as easily
been you instead of your friend who died that day.”
He knew she was
right. He got up and tossed his napkin on his plate. “Thanks for
breakfast.”
Reaching his
hand, she said, “Please don’t be angry with me. I felt I owed it to
you to be honest about where I see this going.”
“So you’re
saying we may be able to have sex, but it can never be anything
more. Is that it?” At any other time in his life, with any other
woman, he would have been happy with that arrangement, but
something about Anna made him want more.
“I didn’t meant
to hurt you-”
“It’s okay. I’m
glad you were honest.”
***
Later that
evening, Justin sat on his deck, trying to ignore the fact that the
woman occupying his thoughts was only a few hundred feet away, when
a boat caught his attention.
He reached for
the binoculars he used to catch glimpses of the native birds and
wildlife that frequented the area. No question about it, the boat
was heading in their direction. Trying to catch a better look, he
felt uneasy. He hadn’t invited anyone to the island, and his family
and friends knew better than to drop by unannounced. That could
only mean one thing: Anna had a guest.
Justin held his
breath, hoping he would see the silhouette of a woman. No such
luck.
Damn it.
After the boat
docked, the guy reached into his pocket to pay the boat’s captain
and heaved his single suitcase up on the dock. Justin cursed under
his breath and tried to catch a glimpse of Anna through her window,
to no avail. He wanted to know whether her visitor was a surprise
guest or someone she had invited.
He’d given her
some space after their conversation over breakfast. He couldn’t
deny he was hurt and angry she was willing to write him off so
quickly, but he believed that with a little more time, she would
give him a chance to prove he was worth the risk.
The man spotted
Justin and walked toward him.
Standing up,
Justin leaned over the wood railing and looked down at the man who
dared to intrude on his private getaway. “What can I do for you?”
As if he didn’t know.
“I’m here to
see Anna McCall,” he said, blocking the setting sun’s rays with a
hand over his eyes. “You know if she’s around?”
“Where else
would she be?” Justin muttered.
The man
laughed. “I thought she might’ve been out for her jog. I’m the
doctor and she’s the health nut. That doesn’t seem right, does
it?”
Just as Justin
feared:
Tom
. “You’re her… ex-fiancé?”
Setting his
leather suitcase down on the sand, Tom said, “You look familiar.
Have we met?”
“No.”
“I never forget
a face.” Tom slipped his sunglasses inside his short-sleeved button
down shirt. “Are you sure we haven’t met?”
Before Justin
could respond, Anna sprinted across the sand toward her guest.
“Oh my God!
Tom, what are you doing here?” she asked.
Justin watched
their interaction as Tom reached out to pull her into his arms.
“You didn’t
think I’d let you spend your birthday out here all alone, did you,
sweetheart?”
“I can’t
believe you came all this way,” she said, hugging him back.
He kissed her
cheek. “I don’t know why you’re so surprised. I told you on the
phone how much I missed you.”
Looking
uncomfortable, Anna finally glanced at Justin. “Um, Tom, this is my
neighbor, Justin Hunt.”
Tom snapped his
fingers and pointed at Justin. “That’s where I know you from.
You’re the race car driver, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“I can’t claim
I’m a fan,” he said, chuckling. “I don’t have much time for sports…
if that’s what you call it.” He laughed, looking down at Anna.
“Does racing even qualify as a sport?”
Justin was
tempted to hop over the railing and strangle the smug bastard, but
Anna intervened. “Uh, you must be tired, Tom. Why don’t we head
inside and get you settled?”
“Not before I
give you your birthday present,” he said, releasing her.
“We don’t need
an audience for that,” Anna said quietly.
Tom smiled. “I
don’t mind, sweetheart.” He reached into a zippered pouch in his
suitcase and extracted a long velvet box. “Go ahead, open it.”
Appearing
hesitant, Anna did as she was told. She lifted the lid and winced.
“Tom, it’s lovely, but you really shouldn’t have.” She handed the
box back to him.
“Don’t be
silly. Of course I should have. It’s not every day my fiancée turns
the big 3-0.”
“We’re not
engaged anymore, remember?” she whispered.
He waved a hand
in the air. “Why do you think I came here? We really need to set
things straight and get our wedding plans back on track, darling.
They won’t hold the venue for us indefinitely.”