Love on Lavender Island (A Lavender Island Novel Book 2) (19 page)

He needed a new plan.

Of course, he’d like to finish the old plan first.

Maybe he’d see it through to its logical conclusion. He wanted her. She seemed to want him. They were both healthy, single adults. Her flushed skin and constant glances while they were watching the movie looked more than inviting.

So he’d take his cues from her. If she so much as leaned in and touched him in a provocative way, he’d go for it.

But then they were done. He’d let her know they couldn’t move it past that, and he was sure she’d be right on board. She had to see the stickiness of this situation, too.

“I saw your lady’s golf cart at your place again this morning,” MacGregor said, riding up behind him. “Did you work something out with her?”

Adam pulled back on Darcy’s reins. “What are you talking about?”

“You were going to talk her into selling to me.”

“I didn’t say that. I said she wasn’t interested.”

“Aw, you must have some influence, boy. You can talk her into it. I want both properties.”

“Mine’s not enough? You’ve got fifty acres here.”

“I have big plans. I don’t want neighbors.” MacGregor’s smile was probably meant to be reassuring, but it made Adam’s gut tighten. But he couldn’t worry about what was going to happen to the property. He wasn’t in a position to worry. He just had to sell as quickly as possible—preferably with the least amount of paperwork and the most amount of cash—and get the hell out of Dodge.

“I know you can talk her into it,” MacGregor added with a wink.

Adam was, under no circumstances, going to talk to Paige about MacGregor and the land exchange, except to warn her.

He turned as much as he could in the saddle to face MacGregor down. “I have no intention of talking Paige into anything, MacGregor. She does what she wants, and she has her mind made up already. I have nothing to do with her business deals.”

“How involved is the mother?”

Adam laughed. “Ginger? Well, she’s hell to negotiate with. But you can try.”

“Ah, the hellion female—my favorite kind. Well, that means I have two intriguing women to think about now. I’ll have to pay one or both a visit.” He gave a smarmy smile and took off at a gallop.

Adam adjusted his hat and wondered if he’d just gotten himself into another shit-storm.

But he definitely planned to protect Paige from that guy.

CHAPTER 18

“Mom? How are you?” Paige put the phone on speaker and laid it down on the table so she could talk to her mother while she mended the curtains. They’d come out pretty after the wash and air-dry—they looked almost exactly like the ones from the movie—and all they’d need was a little touch-up here and there to the hems.

“Darling,”
her mom said, “I’m fine. How is everything going there?”

“What did your doctor say about the EKG?”

“Oh, that’s fine, dear. Nothing to worry about. Tell me how things are going there.”

Paige let a breath of relief escape at the sound of her mother’s voice. At least she sounded well. She slid the curtains farther across the table and reached for her needle and thread.

“Are you resting?” Paige asked. “Are you taking time to lie down?”

“Paige, please—no more worrying. I can’t bear it. How is everything going? Did the gazebo arrive?”

“Yes, I have some builders lined up here to help me put it together.”

“Where did you find the builders?”

“They’re Adam’s ranch hands.”

“Ah. And how is young Mr. Mason?”

Paige dropped the thread. “Mom, why do you call him that?”

“It keeps a nice distance. I highly recommend it. So how is he?”

“Do we need to talk about him right now?”

“I’m wondering what he’s up to.”

Paige picked the thread up and tried to get it through the eye again. She needed to stay in control of this conversation. “Why not ask me more about Gram’s house, or the cabinets I’m refinishing, or the curtains I’m mending to look like the movie?”

“Because those things don’t concern me, darling. I know you’ve got that down pat. Adam concerns me.”

Paige gave a deep sigh.

“Has he tried to get you into bed?” her mom asked.

Paige bolted upright.

“I’m certain he’s doing that, and probably snaking his way into your heart,” her mom continued.

Paige cleared her throat.
Yes? He has?
Suddenly her conversation was taking on the tone of a confession, which wasn’t at all how she’d planned it to go. “Mom, I need to talk to you about a few other things, some new financial considerations that might—”

“Paige, he’s going to try to get you into bed. I’ve been talking to some people.”

“
People?
What people?”

“It makes no difference who. I’m just warning you that he’ll have no compunction whatsoever about—”

“What people are you talking to here?’

“Paige, darling, you’re missing the point. I’m saying that more than one silly woman has fallen for him—did you know the men up there call their conquests ‘summer women’? Adam won’t have any trouble fooling you into thinking he wants you. He’ll probably start by doing you a favor or two, just like his father, then telling you how beautiful you are, and it’ll go from there. Has he told you that yet? Or called you
magnificent
? Has he used that one on you?”

Paige’s head whirled. She tried to figure out where, precisely, this conversation had gotten off track and then batted aside the idea that, yes, Adam had done her a favor with the gazebo, but that’s not what that was about . . . was it? And, no, Adam hadn’t told her she was beautiful or magnificent, but if he did, she’d want to believe he meant those things. Wouldn’t he?

“Has he told you how special you are? How he’s never met anyone like you?”

“Mother, stop.”

“Has he said you’re different than the other women he’s known in his life? That you have that special something that’s been so elusive in his past?”

“I’m hanging up.”

“Paige, I’m just worried. Truly, are you okay? Is he being okay?”

Paige closed her eyes. God, how did this go so wrong? This was why she could not be the woman she wanted to be: she was a coward. Especially with her mom, who seemed to know her better than she knew herself. And now she was starting to see what her mom was talking about because she was letting little doubts enter her head about that gazebo.

“Everything’s going to be fine,” Paige said emphatically. “Adam is a nice guy. And he’s not being manipulative. And he’s not bothering me. However, he has his own real estate deal going on with MacGregor, and—”

“Oh, Paige. We can’t lose the land to MacGregor. You know he wants to raze the whole place and start over, and the area will look nothing like Dorothy wants it to. Does Adam know that MacGregor wants to do that?”

“
I
didn’t even know MacGregor wanted to do that. MacGregor is here now. He’s meeting with Adam this week, doing a dude ranch.”

“That’s a joke. He has no intention of keeping that dude ranch. Or the airport. Or even the orchard. I heard he wants to wreck everything and start over. Something high-tech. A bigger, flashier airport and some stores. A Starbucks was involved.”

“Wait, Mom. Where did you hear this?”

“I have my ways.”

“Seriously. How legitimate is this? Are these rumors or what?”

“Well, they’re rumors. But they’re from a reputable source.”

“Mom, we can’t start spreading rumors around.”

“Of course not. But we can take proactive steps upon what we see as reality. Trust me on this, Paige. Convince Adam to skirt that deal with MacGregor.”

“I’ll try.”

Her mom sighed. “I’m so proud of you, darling.”

Tears sprang to Paige’s eyes. She tried to focus on her needle and cleared her throat again to try to say something, but words would not come.
Proud of you, darling.
They were words Paige craved. “Thanks, Mom,” she managed to whisper.

“Call me tomorrow, okay?” her mom said quietly.

“Okay.” Paige hit the “Off” button quickly and turned toward the window, gazing at the beautiful meadow. Her hands were shaking.

Proud of you, darling.

She put her head in her hands. Her mom and her sisters were the most important people in her life. They were the only ones who ever came close to loving her unconditionally. And yet she always fell short. She would never be the prettiest sister or the skinniest or the most cosmopolitan. All her life she’d been the comical, fun
I Love Lucy
sister, but all she wanted was for someone to feel proud of her.

She stood and began pacing the room. And could her mom be right about Adam? He wouldn’t give her the gazebo to get into bed with her, would he? And, conversely, he wouldn’t seduce her just to make a different land deal for MacGregor, right? Maybe after her admission about crushing on him all those years, he’d decided to make his move and bend things his way. Had she been too impulsive? Had she been blinded by a beautiful man because of a sixteen-year crush? Did he only want to negotiate with her, and saw sleeping with her as an easy way to do so?

And what was this news about MacGregor wanting to modernize everything? Could Paige tell Adam that? It was only a rumor, and Adam said he hated rumors—as did she—but her mom was almost always right. Although Adam wouldn’t trust Ginger. If Paige was going to convince him, she’d have to convince him it was her own knowledge.

She got back to work on the curtains, mending what was in her control for now.

Later she’d talk to Adam.

For now she had a house to fix.

At three o’clock the doorbell rang. It sounded like a cow mooing.

Paige pushed herself out from under the bathroom cabinet, where she was investigating a possible leak, and decided she’d have to get a new doorbell immediately. Her next thought, about who could possibly be ringing her doorbell, set her pulse skittering.

She smoothed her hair back and raced down the stairs.

When she drew the door open, it was Amanda.

“Do you think you could still bring me to the harbor today?” Amanda asked.

“Where’s your dad?”

“I don’t know. He’s out doing ranch things. I think he went out to get the bison. He told me to tell you he was sending someone to take a look at things out here for you today at four.”

“He’s not coming himself?”

“I guess not.” Amanda looked a little sad. Maybe she felt as abandoned by him as Paige felt right now.

“Well, I guess I can take you. This might be the last day, though,” Paige said.

Amanda nodded and headed toward Paige’s golf cart.

As they angled down the hill, Paige working the brake in her expert way, she lifted the huge sun hat she had in the back and plopped it on her head. She’d put her hair in a bun and had worn her huge Jackie-O sunglasses—with the floppy-brimmed hat being the final touch.

“Why are you hiding every time you take me to the harbor?” Amanda asked.

Paige sighed. She hadn’t wanted to tell Amanda this part, hoping the girl would simply think she liked cowboy hats and shades. “If you must know, I’m hiding from my sisters.”

“Your sisters live here?”

“Yes.”

“How many?”

“Two. And their families.”

“Why are you hiding from them?”

“It’s kind of a long story.”

Amanda stared out at the horizon for a minute. “I thought you didn’t want to be seen with me.”

“What? Amanda, what are you talking about? Why wouldn’t I want to be seen with you?”

“I know my mom caused a lot of trouble here on the island. I thought no one liked her.”

“What?”
Paige pulled the cart over to the side of the road, suddenly not caring she might be spotted.

“Amanda, what’s giving you that impression?” She put her hand over Amanda’s, although the girl pulled away.

“My mom always told me she hated it here. And now that I’m here, I hear talk. I asked around down here by the harbor about Adam and my mom, and everyone has stories to tell. They talk about the fires and how much of a troublemaker Adam was then and how much trouble my mom was. I didn’t tell anyone who I was.” She suddenly lifted her hand. “I promise. I know Adam doesn’t want anyone to know.”

“What? Why wouldn’t Adam want anyone to know?”

“He hides me up there. I think he doesn’t want me down here. He doesn’t want anyone to know. He’s embarrassed about me, and my mom, and the whole thing.”

“Amanda.”
Paige turned more toward her in the cart. “First of all, some of the people of this island can be terrible gossips. That’s a given when you’re in a small town. Some people have a couple of details, and others have absolutely no idea what they’re talking about—they just repeat what they’ve misheard before, or they make stuff up to make themselves look better. You can’t take any of that seriously. Secondly, Adam is
not
hiding you up on the hill. And he is
not
embarrassed about you. He’s a loner—he was that way long before you arrived. Trust me. And he’s not a troublemaker anymore. He’s been running that ranch with his brother—your uncle—and his dad—your grandfather—since he was a kid, and he’s been working his butt off. And if he’s not commenting on silly rumors down here, it’s only because he doesn’t care about them. He is
not
embarrassed about you. He sincerely wants you to be happy. He’s scrambling to figure out how to make you happy, in fact.”

Amanda gave her a skeptical glance before returning her gaze to the Queen Anne’s lace growing on the side of the road. “I guess.”

Paige turned and started the cart again. “I know of what I speak.” Paige was surprised to hear her mom’s old expression leap from her lips.

As the Queen Anne’s lace flew by their cart the rest of the way to the sea-lion center, Amanda let out a long sigh. “If I had sisters, I think I’d never hide from them. I think I’d want to be with them all the time.”

Paige glanced at her. Amanda’s mind really jumped from one thing to another. “Having sisters is not all that it’s cracked up to be. Sometimes they’re a pain.”

“Easy for you to say, having them. I think they’d be like having built-in best friends. Someone you could always trust. I’m glad you’re not wearing a disguise because you’re embarrassed of me, but I wish you weren’t hiding from your sisters.”

Paige put her eyes back on the road. A ripple of shame wove through her. Amanda was right—she had two wonderful sisters she should appreciate. Not everyone was as lucky as she was. Maybe instead of cutting them out, she should trust them and welcome them into her plans?

They arrived at the top of the hill above the center. Amanda hopped out of the cart.

“Call me if you need a ride back,” Paige said.

Amanda nodded, then started running down the hill.

Young and old at the same time—sometimes Amanda had the wisdom of an elder and sometimes the naïveté of a child. Paige supposed she’d been the same way at fifteen.

And she also had a sneaking suspicion she’d be back at five.