From This Moment On: Heartwarming Contemporary Romance (Windswept Bay Book 1) (6 page)

Unnerved by the continuing reaction to her, he concentrated on pulling a bowl of fresh fruit from the basket. He handed it to her and then pulled out one for himself. Then he pulled out a plate of assorted cheeses and crackers and thinly sliced deli meats.

“You thought of everything,” she said.

“I try,” he answered, liking the surprise he heard in her voice. “I wasn’t sure if you were a vegetarian or maybe gluten-free so I went with caution.”

A soft smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “You are a very thoughtful man. I’m neither but it was a nice thought.”

He liked that smile. “There’s more in here, if you want something else. I didn’t want to overwhelm you. Then again, compared to other picnics you might have been on, I didn’t want to come up on the short end of the stick either.”

“I’ve never done something like this before.”

He paused pulling out a container. “You’ve never been on a picnic?”

“Not—” She halted, and turned crimson. The woman could blush like nothing he’d ever seen. “I mean, with my family, certainly.”

“Oh, you meant with a date.”

She fidgeted. “This isn’t a...a date.”

She was cute. “No, I guess not. But I’m still in shock that no man took you on a picnic. Are the men in Windswept Bay blind? Or just stupid?”

“Well, ah…” Her brows bunched together and then she let out a soft laugh. “I don’t have a clue. You really throw me off.”

“You look really pretty in pink.”

Her fingers went to her cheek. “It’s a curse I’ve suffered with all my life.”

“Aw, and I thought it was just me who brought it out in you.” He wasn’t sure what had come over him. It had been months since he’d felt like himself, but since being around her, his old self kept jumping out with these bad one-liners.

“So are you being inspired?”

He couldn’t look away from her. “That’s a loaded question but yes, I am. Very much so. Cam didn’t tell me I was going to be mesmerized by one of his sisters. Well, he did dare me not to fall in love with one of you but I thought he was joking.”

She stiffened and the color drained from her face. “I… Look, Grant. I need to be up-front with you. I appreciate that you’re a nice guy, personable, and you believe in repaying a debt you believe you owe my brother. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with you but I need to be blunt—I’m not on the market. I’ve been through a divorce several months ago and believe me, I’m not interested in a repeat. I came strictly to show you the island so you can be inspired. Just like you requested.”

He put a fork into the melon in his bowl and berated himself for being so insensitive. “I apologize for pushing. I wasn’t thinking. I take it your divorce was a rough one?”

She didn’t say anything for a moment and he wanted to kick himself for his thoughtlessness.

“It’s none of your business, but yes. It was rough.” She pulled a grape from the bowl and placed it in her mouth. She chewed slowly while she studied the waterfall, lost in thought.

“Have you ever been married?” she asked at last.

“No. I’m thirty-two and have never even been tempted to marry. I’m not sure if that says something bad about me.”

“I think being able to wait until you find the right person is great. But in reality, who actually knows, until the deed is done, if it’s going to work out.”

“That’s pretty cynical.” He shouldn’t have been surprised after what she’d obviously been through.

“Absolutely. And I really hate it, but that’s all I can feel right now and it goes against my normal nature. Being lost inside yourself is a bad thing,” she finished softly.

He knew this was something she didn’t share with many people. He could tell by the way she said it. He reached across and laid his hand over hers. “You just need time.”

She released a ragged breath and didn’t make a move to pull away. “Maybe. If I focus on the resort, it helps me step outside my problems and it’s better. I came home because I needed to have some new direction to my life. This resort means the world to me in so many ways.”

He could look at her all day. Get lost in the emotions of her eyes and the silken sound of her voice. But mostly he could get lost in helping her find her way back to the woman he knew she so desperately was searching for. Her confession helped him see that but then he felt it too. Maybe it was because he could relate. He hadn’t been the same since the crash and didn’t think he ever would be. A part of him wanted to be the man he’d once been—but then, a part of him couldn’t cross that line. Couldn’t let go of what had happened. Of what had been lost.

But this wasn’t about him. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze; he’d give her what he could give. “Not the same thing, but I don’t know if you know that I recently lived through a plane crash?”

“I did know that. And I wanted to tell you that I was sorry for the loss of your friends. I just didn’t want to bring it up because I know it has to be hard for you. What a horrible tragedy it was. And awful to live through.”

“Thank you. They were good men who didn’t deserve to die. Their loss and the crash…changed me. I can’t imagine that I’ll ever get back to the person I was before, but, like you, I’m trying to find my footing in the new reality. It’s not easy. Coming here is my first step toward moving on.” Reluctantly, he released his hold on her. “You’re going to come out of this stronger and even more dynamic than the woman I’ve already come to know. You inspire me.”

“Thank you, but…” She halted, as if to pull herself back. A curtain seemed to fall over her gaze. “I brought you here so you’d be inspired by the falls.”

He forced himself not to cup her cheek because it was so obvious that she was fighting to stay distant. “Believe me, I’ve been inspired more than you realize.”

“Fine, but I need a painting and the last thing I want is a painting of me.”

He laughed hard at the sternness of her tone. “Relax, you’ll get your paintings.”

The laughter felt good.

Cali plopped another grape into her mouth and chewed; it was the best way she could hide the smile that she wanted to allow herself. It was a defensive move. Grant had gotten to her and she couldn’t let him know how much. He seemed to understand her in ways that she was not going to analyze right now. “So, tell me about why you said you owe Cam. He never said anything about you owing him. Only that he mentioned the renovation project to you and my vision for having murals and you offered to do them. I will say that I was surprised when he called and gave me your number. And told me you were flying out here so quickly.”

He placed a piece of cheese on a cracker and then doubled a slice of turkey and handed it to her. She thanked him and then watched as he made his.

“Cam wouldn’t tell you because he keeps telling me that he did what anyone would have done. He saw a grass fire heading toward my house and he put himself in danger to protect my home. He was hurt in the process. My stuff isn’t worth someone getting harmed over. I was grateful the house and my belongings were saved, but he’s worth more than stuff. I owed him.”

“I see. Of course he neglected to tell me that. He didn’t come out here while he had the injury. None of us knew he’d even been hurt. Mom and Dad went to visit him and saw the scar on his arm and that was the first we knew of it.”

“Sounds like him. He denies vehemently that he did anything heroic, and I kid him and tell him he’s right—it was idiotic. His life is worth more. Still I owe him.”

“And the resort is benefiting.”

“I think it’s a perfect solution. This meant a lot to him, helping all of you get the resort going, and his plan was to pay me the difference of what you had budgeted. I flat-out refused doing the job if that was the case, so we finally compromised and I’m accepting the payment.”

“But then donating it.”

“It’s a win-win. Don’t you think?”

She had to admit that it was.

Chapter Six

“So tell me about yesterday,” Shar demanded the moment she saw Cali the next day.

“It was great. He’s a nice man.” A man she hadn’t stopped thinking about all night.

Shar’s mouth dropped open. “A nice man. That’s all I get? Are you kidding me? I want details. Did you kiss him?”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Cali snapped. “Are
you
kidding me? I’m not going to kiss the man. Why are you even asking that?”

“Because I
want
you to. You need your life shaken up some. Grant Ellington seems to be the man who might be able to do exactly that. Just because you got a bad apple on the first go-round doesn’t mean it’s time to give up on all men.”

No way was she letting on that she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Grant.

“You’re thinking about him right now! You’re turning pink and Grant’s the man who causes that reaction in you.”

“What—” Cali glared in denial at Shar just as Jillian walked by the door. “Jillian, come in here,” she demanded.

“Boy, do you look flustered,” Jillian said. “Get that from your afternoon with a certain handsome man?”

That did it. “Okay, look you two, we need some boundaries. I’m just going to say this once. You two need to stop pushing.”

Jillian cleared her throat. “I haven’t been pushy. I just hope you’ll not shut yourself off from doing something for yourself, like exploring possibilities with someone you’re attracted to.”

Cali knew there was no hiding it from her sisters. “Fine. I am attracted to him.” She moved to the door and closed it, not taking any chances on Grant walking up and overhearing her conversation. It would be too embarrassing and it just simply wasn’t good. He might get the wrong impression. She turned back to her sisters and shot a very pointed look at Shar.

“I don’t know what to do. There, are you both satisfied? I went through a horrible divorce, a betrayal that rocked me to my core. I’m scared but I can’t stop thinking about him.”

Shar gave her a hug. “It’s okay to be scared. It means you’re taking a risk, pushing past boundaries that are trying to hold you back. It’s a good thing.”

“I don’t know,” Cali murmured.

“Cali.” Jillian’s voice was gentle. “You can do this. You are in control. If you realize you aren’t comfortable or this isn’t what you want, then pull back. But at least you’ll have stretched yourself and moved past a barrier.”

“And that’s all I want for you.” Shar rubbed her arm. “That you’re happy. I want my sister back.”

“I get that. I am happy, but you might have to settle for this me. Both of you are single and seem to be happy about it. Olivia is single and loving her life. And then we haven’t even gotten to our brothers. All four of them are as busy as can be and seem to be fine. I’m the only one who married and failed and now I’m happy, thrilled even, to be single again. I don’t understand why the two of you seem to think I need a man to make me happy.”

Jillian looked thoughtful. “I think all of us—well, maybe not some of the brothers—but most of us are willing to admit that we’re getting of the age that we would welcome the right person coming along. I’m all for it. I really would love to start a family. And Shar, she’s—”

Shar cut her off with a laughing declaration. “Is not ready.”

Cali’s mouth dropped open. “Then why are you pushing me?”

“Because the man makes you pink. I’ve been saying that all along. You are never pink. You are a calm, cool, collected gal with your act together who used to like to have fun. Your jerky ex-husband rattled your existence and stole something from you that you need to get back. Your mojo…your confidence—the thing that made you sparkle. You are a smart, sexy, desirable woman, who’s a fun and genuinely good person. Who got pushed off the path. Pink tells me things. Tells me that this guy is shaking up your world in a good way. It’s time to get your mojo back.”

Cali could not help chuckling. If there was one thing about her sister Shar, it was that she was brash and always would be a cheerleader. “Okay, I get it, Dr. Lovejoy. You should get your own late-night radio show. You could put the real Dr. Lovejoy out of business.”

“Yeah, right. I’ll stick with giving you advice and let the mysterious Dr. Lovejoy have everyone else.”

“That’s probably a good thing,” Jillian told her and then looked at Cali. “Yesterday was a good start for you. Now, keep it up. Go for it.”

“Perfectly said, sister,” Shar drawled.

“So is he taking you anywhere today?” Jillian asked.

She shot her sisters a face of mild exasperation. “Hopefully, he starts painting today. Remember, that’s what he’s here for.” She was tired of the focus on her personal life.

“That’s true.” Jillian’s expression said she got the hint. “I just came from the beach area and the scaffold has been set up for the beach wall. The crate of supplies is in the gardening supply area but it’s unopened.”

He’d asked Cali whether she would be available today and she’d told him she would be. However, so far she found herself wondering what he was doing. Or where he was.

“Maybe you should go check on him. This is, after all, your project to handle.”

“You’re right,” Cali agreed with mixed emotions. It was her project. She headed toward the door. Her sister looked so innocent but Shar had found the push button needed to get her to make a move when she’d reminded Cali that this was business. “If he comes by here, let him know I’m looking for him.”