Wind Chime Café (A Wind Chime Novel) (29 page)

Annie picked at a string dangling off the corner of the blanket. “A few months after they started dating, he asked us to move in with him. He had a small house with a chili pepper garden in a neighborhood close to downtown. There were lots of kids my age on the street. He taught me how to ride a bike, helped me with my homework at night, even cleared out a place in his shop so I could make wind chimes while he worked on restoring a vintage truck his grandfather had left him.”

“Why did you leave?”

“My mother decided it was time.” Annie twisted the string around her finger. “She’d heard that some of her friends were opening a studio in San Francisco and she wanted to join them.”

“Did he try to stop her?”

Annie shook her head. “We left one night when he was asleep, like we always did. Without saying goodbye.”

Will was quiet for a long time, letting that soak in. “Were there a lot of different men in your mother’s life when you were growing up?”

Annie nodded. “None of the others ever wanted anything to do with me. Jeff was the first man my mother fell for who was really nice, who was really good to
both
of us. It was hard not to get attached to him.” Annie looked back up at the wind chime of red clay rings and turquoise stones. “Jeff was the closest I ever got to having a father.”

“Have you ever thought about looking him up?”

Annie shook her head, unwinding the string from around her finger. “I’m sure he’s moved on by now. He’s probably found a new family.” She lifted a shoulder. “He doesn’t need me walking back into his life and reopening that old wound. My mother broke his heart that night. I know she did, because she broke mine, too.”

Will turned her around slowly to face him. “Is that why you didn’t want me to take Taylor out on the boat earlier? Because you’re afraid she’s going to get attached to me?”

“Yes.”

He studied her face for a long time, like he wanted to say something. But what could he say? They both knew he was leaving in less than two weeks. Even if he came back to the island from time to time to visit, she wouldn’t put Taylor through the confusing situation of never really knowing if Will was going to be there for them or not.

Easing out of his arms, she took a deep breath. “I should probably head in. I still have a few things to do on the computer before I can call it a night.”

Will nodded, but she could see he was struggling again, like he wanted to say something but didn’t know how to get the words out. He stood slowly, helping her to her feet. “Annie,” he began when they were standing. “I…”

He looked down at her, those dark eyes swimming with emotions as he brushed the hair back from her face and leaned down, touching his warm lips to hers again.

When he pulled back, she waited for him to say something.

Instead, he patted his leg to wake Riley and turned, walking down the steps with the dog on his heels.

Annie stood on the porch, watching him and Riley walk away until they were only shadows in the night. Until there was nothing but darkness and the whisper of falling leaves hitting the sidewalk.

I
f I didn’t know better,” Colin shouted over the whirr of the power saw, “I’d say you were looking to settle down with this woman.”

Will pulled up a moldy floorboard from the back porch, tossing it into the yard. “I’m not looking to settle down.”

Colin guided the two-by-four into the blade. Sawdust sprayed onto the grass. “Crazier things have happened.”

Not to him, Will thought, working a rusted nail free with the sharp edge of a hammer. Besides, Annie had made it clear the night before that she wanted to let things cool down between them. He understood now why she was so protective of Taylor where he was concerned. It wasn’t because she didn’t trust him; it was because she was afraid of her daughter getting attached to him.

The last thing he wanted was to hurt Annie or Taylor when he left. He couldn’t stand the thought of not being able to see them, of not being able to spend time with them during the rest of his stay on the island, but he respected that Annie was only trying to do what was best for her daughter.

Taylor had been through enough this year.

“What does she have to say about it?” Colin asked.

“About what?”

“About you being a SEAL, jackass.”

“I haven’t asked her.”

“Why not?”

Will tore a broken porch rail off the banister and threw it into the pile. “Because it doesn’t matter. We’re just having fun until I head back to San Diego.”

Colin powered down the saw. “Fun?”

“That’s right.”

“You practically bit my head off when I tried to talk to her that first night at Rusty’s.”

“That’s because I know you,” Will countered. “You can’t be trusted.”

Colin smiled. “All I’m saying is that for someone who’s planning to cut things off soon, you’re acting pretty possessive.”

Will fished out a tennis ball hidden beneath the porch steps. He tossed it across the yard for Riley, who was lolling in the grass beside a juniper bush.

Colin dug a tape measure out of his pocket and walked over to the porch. “You’re not going to be able to keep other men away from her after you leave.”

Will ripped up another rotted floorboard. “She’ll be free to do whatever she wants once I’m gone.”

“But she’s not free to do whatever she wants now?”

“No.”

“Does she know that?”

Will glanced up. “I’m starting to regret my decision to invite you down here.”

Colin smiled again as he stretched the tape across the steps, measuring the width of the boards. “Take it from someone who’s not on the teams anymore. There’s more to life than being a SEAL. If you like this woman, don’t screw it up.”

If you like this woman?
Will looked out at the yard, where Riley was chewing on the tennis ball he’d thrown for her.
Like
didn’t even begin to describe how he felt about Annie now. Hell, he’d spent most of last night lying awake, wondering if he could transfer to the base in Virginia Beach so he could be closer to her.

But would it be fair to ask her to wait for him? It could be six months to a year before he could see her again. And what if something happened to him when he was overseas? What if he never came back at all? He knew what it was like to lose the people he loved most in the world. He wouldn’t do that to Annie, or to Taylor.

No, he wouldn’t ask her to wait for him. But he would come back the next time he was on leave. Ryan had said he could use always use more volunteers, and he wanted to get involved with some of the work Colin was doing at Walter Reed.

If Annie
happened
to still be single when he came back from time to time…

What was he thinking? Annie wasn’t going to stay single. As soon as he left, men would be lining up to ask her out. She’d said she wouldn’t date until things settled down for her and Taylor on the island. But Taylor was starting to make friends. Business at the café was starting to pick up. Soon, there’d be no reason why she shouldn’t accept a few casual invitations to dinner.

Yanking up another floorboard, he threw the splintered wood into the yard. When the phone in the house started to ring, he ignored it and picked up the hammer to pry out a row of rusted nails.

Colin jotted down the measurements of the steps, walking back to the power saw. He glanced up when the phone continued to ring. “Aren’t you going to get that?”

“No.”

“It’s been ringing all morning.”

“I know.”

“Don’t you want to know who it is?”

“I know who it is,” Will said. “It’s the guy from the resort company. He’s left over a dozen messages.”

Colin picked up another two-by-four, laying it across the sawhorse. “Maybe you should pick up the phone and hear him out.”

Will shook his head. “I’m not giving up on finding another buyer yet.”

Colin paused, his hand on the power switch. “I think the only reason you’re putting off selling this house is to have more time with Annie.”

Will turned to face him. “I’m not selling this house because I don’t want to turn my family home over to a corporation who cares more about its bottom line than this island.”

Colin studied him from across the yard. “What are you going to do if you can’t find another buyer?”

“I’ll find one.” Will turned back around, and the power saw roared to life. Taking out his frustration on a band of rusted nails, he pried each one up with the hammer and dropped them into a pile at his feet.

He had to find another buyer. There was no way he was going to sell out to Morningstar now, not after hearing about all the projects Ryan was working on to save the Bay. These waters were being threatened by years of neglect and bad decisions by the people who lived on its shores. This land was his responsibility. He owed it to his friends and the rest of the islanders to preserve it. He would find a buyer who agreed to maintain the land around the inn as a sanctuary, or he wouldn’t let the place go.

Ripping out the last of the nails, he caught a movement in the yard out of the corner of his eye. Lowering the hammer, he turned to face the man rounding the side of the house and heading toward him.

He had blond hair, a lanky build, and the confident stride of a man who was used to walking into situations where he hadn’t been invited. He wore a charcoal suit and a blue tie, and when he took off his sunglasses, there was something vaguely familiar about his face.

“Mr. Dozier?”

Will stepped over the pile of rotted boards as Colin powered down the saw. “Can I help you?”

The man held out his hand, his smooth, cultured voice carrying a hint of a Southern accent. “I’m Blake Hadley. You didn’t return any of my calls, so I thought I’d drop by.”

Will made no move to shake his hand. “I didn’t return your calls because we have nothing to talk about.”

Undeterred, Blake dropped his hand back to his side and wandered over to the porch, eyeing the gaping hole where the steps used to be. “I understand from your realtor that you have some concerns.”

“That’s right.”

“I’d like to address them.”

Ten years of
working in special operations had sharpened Will’s instincts to a razor’s edge. When something didn’t feel right, there was usually a reason for it. And something definitely didn’t feel right about this situation.

Sitting across from Blake at the kitchen table, Will took the binder the other man handed him, opening it skeptically. “You want to turn this place into an eco-resort?”

Blake nodded. “One of the main reasons we acquired Morningstar was to move into the eco-resort business. Morningstar has built a solid reputation as a luxury resort company, but we want to rebrand them as the premier eco-friendly resort company in the country.”

Will flipped through the pages in the binder. The pictures of the eco-resorts Blake had included as models looked like small-scale, family-run inns. They didn’t look anything like the massive hotels surrounded by manicured gardens and golf courses that he’d seen on Morningstar’s website.

“The natural environment is the main draw,” Blake explained, sitting back. “We’ve seen a significant increase in environmentally conscious travelers over the past few years. There’s a growing trend to get back to nature, especially among the baby boomers—basically hippies who have a lot of money now.” Blake laughed. “They want to stay in a nice place, but they want to learn about local conservation efforts and give back while they’re there.”