Moonlight Cove (10 page)

“Truthfully, I was hoping you’d be there,” he admitted.

“Was there something you needed? Did you want to go over the plans for the fundraiser on Saturday?”

He chuckled. “No, I’m confident that you and Shanna have that totally under control. Besides, Shanna was at lunch with Kevin, so if there had been any questions, I’m sure she could have answered them.”

“Oh, of course,” Connie said, flustered.

“What are you up to now?” he asked. “Are you busy? Do you feel like grabbing a cup of coffee or something before I head back to Annapolis?”

Connie looked at her filthy hands, the streaks of dirt on her clothes, the old sneakers she’d crammed her feet into when Jake had called. She’d barely combed her hair, and she didn’t have on so much as a dab of lipstick. If Thomas saw her now, she’d terrify him.

“Oh, Thomas, I’m a mess. I’ve been over here at the nursery helping Jake load some plants for a job.”

“How close are you to finishing?” he asked, clearly not intimidated by the image she’d painted of herself.

“Fifteen, twenty minutes at least,” she said.

“Then another pair of hands will make it go that much more quickly,” he said decisively. “See you shortly.”

He disconnected the call before she could protest. She wasn’t sure which was worse—having Thomas see her in such a sorry state or letting her brother get a glimpse of her swooning over the man.

She spent a full minute debating whether she could get into her office, clean up and change into the spare outfit she kept on hand for days when she wound up helping out in the nursery, rather than the office. Unfortunately, if she greeted Thomas wearing pristine clothes, he was bound to know she’d changed just for him. Never mind what Jake would have to say about it. She decided Thomas would just have to deal. This was who she was, at least some of the time.

“Who was that?” Jake called as he passed with two large plants.

She steadied her voice, then said in what she hoped was a casual tone, “Thomas. He’s on his way over.”

The five-gallon buckets landed in the truck with a thud. Jake walked back over, his gaze narrowed. “You want to tell me why he’s coming here?”

“To lend us a hand,” she said brightly.

“Really? We’re almost finished. Did you invite him to come?”

“No, I just told him what I was doing, and he offered to help. No big deal.”

Jake continued to look doubtful. When Thomas’s hybrid car turned into the parking lot, he frowned. “I’m missing something, aren’t I?”

“Not a thing,” she insisted. “Stop looking so suspicious and be grateful for the help. I’m sure he’d even pitch in on the job this afternoon, if you asked him to.”

“Will and Mack promised to meet me over there,” Jake said automatically. “You were awfully generous to be offering Thomas’s services, though. Is that because you’re nervous being around him?”

“Now you’re just being crazy,” she said, turning away so he wouldn’t see her cheeks burning. “Please hush, before you embarrass me.”

When Thomas emerged from his car, he was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, a far more casual outfit than he’d likely had on for Sunday dinner. The T-shirt emphasized his broad shoulders and his muscular arms. His was the kind of tanned, rugged fitness that men who worked out solely in a gym could never attain.

Though he glanced at Connie with a smile, he wisely
focused on her brother. “Jake, tell me what you still need to load.”

“I’ll show you,” Connie said, leading him to the remaining plants for the job. “Just these. I told you we were almost through.”

“Then there will be time for that coffee,” Thomas assessed, picking up the large containers as if they weighed next to nothing.

The minute the truck was loaded, he asked Jake if he’d need a hand unloading at the job site.

“No, I’m good,” Jake said, though he couldn’t seem to stop frowning. “Thanks for the help.”

“No problem,” Thomas said.

“You should get going,” Connie told her brother. “You only have a few more hours of daylight to get started. You know Mr. Carlson will have a fit if he doesn’t see at least some progress today after all these delays for the weather.”

“Right,” Jake said, though he still appeared reluctant to leave.

When he’d finally driven off, Thomas turned to her. “Well, that went well, don’t you think?”

Connie laughed, despite her nervousness. “In what universe? My brother senses that there’s something going on with us. He’s not going to be happy until he figures out what it is.”

Thomas caught her gaze and held it. “Is there something going on with us?” he asked quietly. “Or am I the only one who feels anything?”

She wanted to deny it, to buy herself more time before committing to exploring these feelings that washed over her every time he was nearby.

She eventually drew in a deep breath, then said,
“You’re not the only one.” She met his gaze. “You have to admit, though, that this is scary. Or is it just terrifying for me, because I haven’t dated anyone for years?”

“Oh, it’s terrifying,” he said with total sincerity. “Because I know even better than you the dangers of messing this up. The wrath of the entire family will come down on my head.”

“Not on mine?” she asked with a smile.

“I’m older. I’m a man. And everyone knows I’m a terrible risk. The blame will definitely be all mine.”

“If it’s going to be that dire, are you sure you want to risk it?” she asked, then gestured to herself. “Look at me. No makeup. Dirt from head to toe. The fashion sense of a tomboy. Am I worth it?”

Thomas didn’t seem to be the slightest bit put off by her description or her appearance. Instead, he took a step closer, tucked a finger under her chin and kissed her.

It wasn’t the smoldering kiss of two people wildly in love. It wasn’t a prelude to immediate, no-holds-barred sex. It was the gentle, tentative, exploratory kiss of a man trying to prove that his feelings were real, a man willing to wait for more.

When he stepped back, there was a smile on his lips and in his eyes. “Let’s go have that coffee, okay?”

“You have to at least give me fifteen minutes to clean up,” she pleaded. “I refuse to be seen with you in public looking like this. I’ll meet you at Sally’s or wherever you’d like to go.”

He seemed hesitant. “You won’t chicken out?”

“My knees may be knocking together and I may be second-guessing myself, but I’m no coward. I’ll be there,” she promised.

Thomas nodded. “That’s good enough for me. Don’t take too long, okay? I think you look great just the way you are.”

She peered at him intently. “Are you going blind or something?”

He laughed. “Nope. I swear to you I’m seeing more clearly than I have in years.”

After he’d gone, Connie raced back to her house instead of to the office. It took a bit longer than the fifteen minutes she’d promised, but the way Thomas’s eyes lit up when she walked into Sally’s told her the extra time had been worth it.

“Your coffee’s cold,” he said. “I’ll order another cup.”

Connie doubted she’d have noticed if it was colder than ice because suddenly the temperature in Sally’s felt like a hundred and ten. She tried to recall one single date in her forty-plus years that had rattled her this badly. Maybe her first one with Sam years and years ago, but she doubted it.

Thomas was gazing at her intently. He leaned forward and confided, “I know we had dinner just a couple of weeks ago, but this feels more like a first date to me. I don’t think I was this nervous when I asked Mindy Jefferson to the eighth grade dance.”

Connie breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. I thought it was just me.”

“It’s going to get easier,” he promised her.

“You think so?”

His gaze held hers. “We’ll just have to keep practicing until it does.”

A smile spread across her face. “I like the way you think, Thomas O’Brien.”

He reached across the table and clasped her hand. “Ditto, Connie Collins.”

She found the warm, work-roughened texture of his hand comforting. His grasp felt like a man’s. There was strength and reassurance and confidence in his grip, all traits that had been in short supply in her life with Sam, a man so selfish he’d left because he’d hated sharing her time with his own daughter.

“Tell me about your ex-husband,” Thomas said, still holding her hand in his. “What happened?”

“He’s hardly worth talking about,” she said.

“Is he still around?”

“No, he moved away not long after the divorce. He and Jenny barely have any relationship at all. My brother’s been more of a dad to her than Sam ever was.”

“I’m sorry.”

“So am I. I don’t think I realized it was possible for anyone to not care about their own child. I probably should have paid more attention when he talked about not wanting kids, but I figured he was just scared.”

Thomas nodded. “I imagine most people are terrified before they take that step.”

“Would you be?”

Thomas looked startled by the question. “I used to think I wanted kids. Anybody being around my brothers and their families would envy them those connections. When I got divorced, though, I was glad there weren’t any children to be affected by it. I saw how awful it was for Mick’s kids when Megan left.”

“Jenny was too young to be affected that much by Sam taking off, but I know over the years she had questions and that she resented me for somehow allowing her dad to get away.”

“Did you ever fill her in on what a jerk he was?”

Connie smiled. “Of course not. On the off chance that he ever came back into her life, I didn’t want her to hate him.”

“That’s a pretty generous attitude under the circumstances,” Thomas said, his gaze warm. “It just proves what a remarkable woman you are.”

Connie felt herself blush. “I’m not remarkable.”

“Hey, I get to be the judge of that. You need to learn to take a compliment.”

“Usually the most personal compliments I get are customers at the nursery telling me I have a nice phone voice or that I’ve been very helpful.”

Thomas shook his head. “I have to tell you, you have just painted a very dark picture of the intelligence level of the men in Chesapeake Shores.”

She laughed, unable to disagree. “I think that’s a discussion best left for another time.”

He laughed with her. “I hate to do it, but I should probably get back to Annapolis,” he said. “I’ll see you next weekend at the fall festival?”

“Absolutely.”

They walked to her car. He held the door while she got in, then smiled down at her. “It was a good first date.”

“It was.”

He winked at her. “The next one will be even better.”

That wink set off a frisson of anticipation that rattled her even more than his earlier kiss. She had a feeling if this attraction got any more powerful, she was going to throw herself into his arms and cause a scene likely
to be talked about in Chesapeake Shores for years. She wondered what her daughter, who thought she was a stuffy prude, would think about that.

J
ess spent an hour cleaning out the attic at the inn, then lost interest. What she needed, she decided, was to do something even more physical, something that would burn some real energy, maybe help her to stop thinking about Will, about her pitiful lack of a social life.

Never much of an athlete, she wasn’t at all like her brothers. Almost the only sport that had ever appealed to her was kayaking. There was something soothing about paddling around on the water, and, from time to time, when the whitecaps kicked up on the bay, it could be strenuous and challenging, as well.

The inn kept a couple of kayaks on hand for use by the guests. Both were in their rack at the foot of the steps, their paddles locked in place beside them. Using her key, Jess took the more lightweight of the kayaks off the rack and lowered it into the calm water. It was a perfect afternoon, she thought, noting that quite a few people had had the same idea. Kayaks dotted the waterfront, along with way too many speedboats for her comfort.

Staying close to the shoreline to avoid the wake of the
larger, more aggressive boaters, she paddled hurriedly along, then took a turn to the left when she reached the narrow inlet leading to the more tranquil Moonlight Cove. There were fewer people on the water here and no powerboats. It was a small cove loved by locals because tourists hadn’t discovered it. It was also an ideal place to spot the occasional eagle or osprey sitting high atop the branches of the old oaks, cedars and weeping willows that shaded much of the shoreline.

And its tiny beach, not that far from Connor and Heather’s Driftwood Cottage, remained inaccessible by road. It had always been especially popular with teenagers looking for a secluded place to be alone.

She thought of the times she’d come here with one boyfriend or another, only to have Connor or Kevin come after her in their small motorboat to chase her back home before she did something utterly foolish. Though she’d protested their protectiveness vehemently at the time, claiming total humiliation, she now appreciated that they’d kept her from an impulsive mistake that could have ruined her life.

Today, though, the beach was deserted. She paddled close to shore, pulled the kayak up onto the sand, then went for a swim before tossing her towel on a tiny patch of warm sand and lying down to dry off in the last rays of the day’s sun.

Exhausted, she fell asleep almost immediately. When she awoke, darkness was falling rapidly as it seemed to do especially quickly on fall afternoons.

Muttering an expletive, she grabbed her towel, but when she turned toward where she’d left the kayak, she realized that it was gone, pulled back out to sea on the
tide. In the dusk, she could actually see it bobbing on the waves, which set off a few more curses.

Now what? She could probably swim out to retrieve it, but in the gathering darkness, she recognized that wasn’t smart. She had her cell phone, though, so she could call for help. Connor or even Kevin would probably come and rescue her. But they’d also lecture her from now till next Sunday about being irresponsible. She could probably even hike through the woods and get to Connor’s place, but the same issue would confront her if she appeared on his doorstep and explained what had happened. Besides, as close as Driftwood Cottage probably was if she walked directly there, it would be way too easy to get turned around in the woods after dark.

Almost without realizing she was doing it, she found Will’s number on her phone. His lectures would probably be only a shade more bearable than her brothers’, but she made the call before she could talk herself out of it.

“Jess?”

“Hi,” she said, relaxing at the sound of his voice.

“Where are you? I can barely hear you.”

“I’m on my cell. I’m at Moonlight Cove.”

“What on earth are you doing there at this hour? It’ll be dark any minute.”

“Believe me, I know that. I hate to bother you, but there’s a problem.”

“What kind of problem?” he asked, his tone suddenly crisp and efficient. “Tell me.”

“It seems my kayak has drifted away.”

“How the devil did that happen?” he asked, and she could practically see his perplexed expression.

“Is that really important right now?” she asked.

“No, I suppose it’s not. Give me a half hour.”

“Thanks, Will.”

“Where exactly are you? Do you have any kind of light you can flash, so I’ll be able to spot you?”

“I think if I turn on my cell phone and hold it up, you’ll be able to see that. And there’s a full moon rising, so that should help, too.”

“That’ll work. Don’t turn on the cell phone right away or the battery could die. Wait a half hour, okay? Give me time to get to your parents’ place and grab your brothers’ old fishing boat. It doesn’t have much of a motor, but it’ll get me there faster than my kayak would.”

“Thanks.”

He hesitated. “You okay, otherwise?”

“Other than feeling foolish, I’m fine.”

He laughed. “Foolish passes, trust me. I’ll see you soon.”

Even after she’d disconnected the call, Jess clutched the cell phone tightly. It made her feel less isolated.

No, she corrected herself. What had made her feel less isolated was hearing Will’s calm, reassuring voice, his immediate offer to come after her with no recriminations.

Of course, as nice as he’d been on the phone just now, she knew perfectly well he was likely to have quite a lot to say once he got here.

Will hadn’t panicked, at least not for Jess, when he’d heard her predicament. She was perfectly safe at Moonlight Cove.

No, what had flat-out terrified him was the thought of being there, alone, with her. He’d only gone there
a handful of times as a teen and never with Jess. He knew, though, that Connor and Kevin had dragged her home from more than a few romantic trysts, always in the nick of time, to hear them tell it. Will hadn’t really wanted the details. Just knowing she’d been off with some other boy had been enough to make a knot form in his stomach.

At least that hadn’t been the case today. She’d apparently gone there alone. He’d find her on the beach, in some skimpy bathing suit, no doubt, maybe even cold and shivering now that the sun had gone down. With that full moon she’d mentioned already rising, this rescue had danger written all over it. How much could one man be expected to handle before he lost control of himself?

Forcing himself not to dwell on what he might find when he got to Jess, he went to the O’Briens, stepped onto the dock and borrowed the small fishing boat that Connor and Kevin kept there. It was always gassed up and ready to go, and over the years he’d taken it out on plenty of occasions. Though he usually asked first, he figured tonight was one of those times when discretion was called for.

As he stepped into the boat, he wondered why it was Jess hadn’t called either of her brothers, but he could guess. A rescue by either of them would have come with a lecture she obviously didn’t want to hear.

Ten minutes later, he found the inlet to Moonlight Cove and made his way toward the beach, the boat’s little engine chugging along nicely. He figured the sound on the still, quiet night would alert her. Sure enough, he saw a flicker of light on the shore.

“Jess?” he called out.

“I’m here,” she said.

“I’d probably better not bring the boat too close to shore. Think you can swim out a bit?”

“Of course,” she said. “The moon’s plenty bright enough to light the way. I can see you from here. I guess it doesn’t matter if I leave the kayak paddles and my towel behind.”

“Hardly,” he said wryly.

“Thank goodness I thought to put my cell phone into a waterproof pouch,” she added. “At least I won’t ruin that swimming out to the boat.”

He could hear her splash into the water, then the quieter splash as she swam toward him. He kept talking to guide her, his gaze following her sure, steady progress.

When she reached the boat, he pulled her up, then wrapped her in the thick towel he’d brought along. “Here, take my shirt,” he said, when she was dry but shivering.

Even then, though, he could hear her teeth chatter, so he sighed, muttered a silent curse and pulled her into his arms. She stilled at the unexpected contact, then snuggled close.

“You’re so warm,” she murmured, her breath soft against his chest.

Warm? He felt like he was in the blasted desert. And his body was starting to react to having this almost naked woman—a woman he’d loved for an eternity—plastered against him. This was bad, he told himself. It was hell. He swallowed hard and amended, no, it was heaven.

“Um, Jess, not a good idea,” he said, setting her away from him and securing the thick towel more tightly
around her. “Take a seat. I’ll have you back at the inn in a few minutes.”

Thankfully, she didn’t cling or argue, because he wasn’t sure he could have maintained that noble stance for more than another heartbeat or two.

He steered the little fishing boat back out into the bay and along the shore until he spotted the inn’s dock. He pulled alongside it, secured the boat, then scrambled up on the dock and held out his hand for Jess.

She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight. “Thanks, Will. Do you want to come in for coffee or something? Maybe a glass of wine?”

He hesitated. “You should probably take a shower and get into something warm,” he said.

“That won’t take more than a minute,” she told him, her gaze still on his. “I really owe you for coming to my rescue. Maybe we could have that dinner we never got to have the other night. I think there’s more of Gail’s roasted chicken.”

He smiled. “You don’t have to bribe me with food and drink, you know.”

“I know. Actually I was hoping we could talk.”

He stilled. “Oh? About what?”

She looked away, clearly flustered. “You know, just this and that.”

“You’re going to have to give me more than that,” he said. “If this is going to be another of those conversations where you explain that we’re not dating, I’ll pass.”

Her laugh sounded forced. “Oh, I think I’ve learned my lesson on that one. I just miss talking to you about stuff.”

“Stuff?” he echoed. “When did we ever talk about stuff?”

“A long time ago, before things got so complicated.”

“You mean before I fell for you and you didn’t fall for me?”

Her chin jutted up stubbornly. “Okay, yes, back then.”

“Okay, one more question. Why did you call me tonight? I understand why you didn’t call one of your brothers, but why me?”

She looked vaguely rattled by the question. “You were the first person I thought of.”

“Any idea why?”

“Because I trust you,” she said simply. “And I wanted to make up for what happened the last time I saw you. I felt as if we lost something. I want it back.”

Intrigued despite himself by her sudden nostalgia for the old days, he decided to take a chance. Who knew what was going on in that unpredictable head of hers?

“Let’s go, then, before you catch pneumonia.”

When they entered the inn through the kitchen, Jess pointed him toward the refrigerator. “Help yourself. Make me a sandwich or something if you don’t mind. I’m starved. And feel free to raid the wine supply. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Will found a loaf of freshly baked whole grain bread, cut thick slices, lathered them with mustard and mayonnaise, then added thin slices of cheddar cheese, ham and tomato. He found a stash of homemade sweet potato chips, one of the inn’s specialties, and put them into a bowl. He’d just poured two glasses of wine when Jess returned.

Her cheeks were flushed, her damp hair tousled, but she looked terrific in a pair of faded jeans and some kind of fuzzy sweater that practically begged to be touched. She was barefoot, her nails painted an unexpectedly sexy shade of dare-me red. It contradicted her otherwise wholesome image. He thought that was one of the things that appealed to him most about her. She was such a mass of unpredictability and contradictions. No man could ever possibly be bored by her.

Of course, what he saw as charming unpredictability, too many others over the years had convinced her was a flaw caused by her attention deficit disorder. She’d become extraordinarily self-conscious and testy about what she viewed as a negative that she couldn’t overcome.

“You look about a thousand times better,” he said approvingly.

“And this sandwich looks amazing. Thank you. Want to take them into the lounge? We can build a fire, if you want. There’s no one around tonight, so we have the place to ourselves again. I love Sunday nights for just that reason. I have the run of the place.”

She met his gaze. “Remember when we were kids, how much we loved Sundays because all the tourists would leave by suppertime and the town would be ours again? There were no lines waiting for ice cream or snow cones and our favorite booths at Sally’s weren’t occupied by strangers.”

Will smiled. “I remember.” He tore his gaze away. “Why don’t you grab the sandwiches and I’ll bring the wine, the glasses and the chips? Should I bring dessert, too? There’s a decadent-looking cake in the fridge.”

“Bring the whole cake,” she said, grinning. “I did mention I’m starved, didn’t I?”

He laughed. “I’ll grab a couple of plates and forks, then.”

“Forget the plates. If it’s Gail’s double fudge cake, we’ll just finish it off. Or I will.”

Shaking his head, he looked her over. “For a skinny little thing, where do you put all this food?”

“Nervous energy,” she said, leading the way into the lounge with its overstuffed chairs arranged to face the fireplace.

“Thank goodness there’s wood,” she noted, heading toward it after she’d set down the sandwiches.

“Sit. I’ll get it,” Will said.

She regarded him skeptically. “Do you know how to build a fire? I thought you were the intellectual type.”

“I was also a Boy Scout, just like every other male kid in town.” He grinned. “Of course, I did flunk quite a few of the tests, so my collection of merit badges is pretty limited. I think it’s safe to let me light the fire, though.”

He made quick work of getting it started, then saw that instead of sitting in a chair, she’d settled on the floor. She patted the spot next to her. Will sat, but he studied her with a narrowed gaze.