Rose Harbor in Bloom (17 page)

“You look for ways to put me on edge,” she insisted.

“Do I?”

“You’re doing it right now, turning everything I say back at me in the form of another question.”

“Really?”

She glared at him. This was all one big game to him. “You just did it again.” Oh, how she’d enjoy wiping that silly grin off his face.

The waitress returned to take their dinner order. Oliver ordered the special, Copper River salmon, which Annie had recently learned was available only a few weeks each year and considered a delicacy. For her part she asked for a bowl of the clam chowder and a side salad.

Once the waitress wrote down their order, she left. Annie gripped hold of the water glass and averted her gaze, waiting for Oliver to comment on the kiss they’d shared earlier. Even now she couldn’t imagine how she’d let that happen. It embarrassed her to think about it. It humiliated her even more to admit how much she’d enjoyed it.

“Your grandparents are a hoot,” he commented instead, sipping his wine.

Looking up, Annie held his gaze. She couldn’t disagree with him more. “They fight like cats and dogs.”

“Of course they do.”

“Of course?” Annie couldn’t believe her ears. She’d been shocked at the way they quibbled over every little thing. If one closed the window, the other opened it. Their behavior was contrary to everything she remembered about them. If this was how they felt about each other, Annie marveled that they’d managed to stay married.

“Don’t you see?” Oliver asked.

“See what?” Annie demanded.

“Your grandparents are so comfortable with each other that they can say exactly what they feel. I find that amazing and wonderful.”

“Wonderful?” Annie echoed. She’d found it utterly disconcerting. Her childhood memories were full of the loving ways they’d
looked after each other, and her grandmother laughing at her grandfather’s jokes. They used to hold hands in church and share a hymnal. Now all they seemed to do was squabble.

“Annie, my dear, dear Annie,” he said gently, as if speaking to a child, “your grandparents love each other deeply.”

“How can you say that after what just happened?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“The tour we took them on of Cedar Cove.” Oliver had been in the same car as she; surely he’d heard the same thing she had. “My grandparents couldn’t find one thing they agreed on. Grandma insists Grandpa proposed on the waterfront, and he claims it was while they were at the movies.”

“Does it matter?”

“To them it does. You should have heard them when we got back to the inn. Grandpa went to the room and Grandma pouted in the living room. Honestly, Oliver, I’m afraid of what might happen at the renewal of vows. I’m afraid Grandma might say ‘I won’t’ instead of ‘I do.’ ”

Oliver appeared to have no such qualms and laughed softly.

“This isn’t funny.” Everything was one big joke to him. On the other hand, Annie was genuinely concerned.

“Everything will work out, Annie, so stop worrying.”

She wished it was that easy. “Do you mind if we change the subject?”

Oliver lowered his wineglass to the table. “Sure, no problem. Tell me about you and Lenny.”

Naturally he would suggest the topic she least wanted to discuss. “Lenny is off-limits.”

“O-k-a-y,” he said, dragging out the word. “Tell me about you.”

“I’d rather we talked about you,” Annie said, feeling good about turning the subject away from herself.

Oliver sat up straighter. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Annie didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of this sooner. Of course Oliver would want to talk about himself. And that suited her just fine. The less attention focused on her and her life, the better.

“What would you like to know?” he asked.

Annie’s mind whirled with possible ideas. “You mentioned earlier that you intend to travel to the South Pacific. How long do you plan to be away?”

“A year.”

Well, some people might be able to do that, but then there were others, far more responsible, who needed to work. Oliver always had been something of a free spirit.

“And what do you plan to do for a whole year?” She didn’t bother to hide her sarcasm.

“Travel.”

He made it sound as if that was understood. “I suppose you’re planning to hitchhike.” How bohemian of him. How predictable.

“Actually, I’ve reserved a van.”

Australia and New Zealand. Even as a kid she’d been fascinated by the two countries. While engaged to Lenny she’d suggested they honeymoon in New Zealand, but Lenny had quickly put the squash on that. He wanted a Caribbean cruise, and the difference in costs was dramatic enough for her to agree. But, oh, how she would have loved to see the South Pacific.

“You’re smiling,” Oliver said, cutting into her musings.

“I’ve always been curious about Australia and New Zealand,” she murmured, paying far more attention to him now. “What made you decide to travel there?”

“Same as you, I guess. Curiosity. I’ve been fascinated with that part of the world from the time I was a teenager.”

“Why now?”

“Why not?”

Fair question.

“I could put it off,” he elaborated, “but I’m young and single, and I thought if I don’t make this happen now it never will.”

“Are you traveling alone?”

“A couple of friends were going with me, but Alex can only afford to take three months and Steve has to go back after six, so we’re flying into New Zealand first and then heading over to the Cook Islands.”

Annie remembered reading about the islands. It was the natives from the Cook Islands who had settled New Zealand. She’d written a report on this island nation while in the eighth grade. Funny that she would remember that now. “From what I understand, the Cook Islands are fascinating,” she said, and was surprised to realize she’d spoken aloud. Amazingly beautiful black pearls were said to be found there.

“Come with us.”

Despite herself, Annie laughed. “Me and three guys. That would be awkward.”

“No, it wouldn’t,” Oliver countered. “You’d be with me and you’d love it.”

No doubt she would enjoy the traveling, but if she was headed down under, it wouldn’t be with Oliver. Annie was saved from having to answer by the waitress, who delivered their meal.

They were both quiet for several moments while they ate, although Annie’s head continued to spin. When they did pick up the conversation, Oliver did the majority of the talking. He talked more about the trip and how he’d planned and saved for years in order to make it a reality instead of a dream. Annie couldn’t help being impressed with the thoughtful care and planning he’d put into this venture. She’d been wrong to think this was a spur-of-the-moment decision and he was taking off on a whim.

Somehow they got sidetracked on politics. It was no surprise to learn they were diametrically opposed. She argued with him for
several minutes until it became apparent that he was enjoying egging her on.

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” she said, setting her spoon aside. Although she hadn’t been hungry when she’d ordered, she’d eaten everything. “Aren’t you?” she repeated. In all her life there’d never been a man she disagreed with more than Oliver Sutton.

In response, all he did was smile.

“You make me so mad, and you do it on purpose.” She couldn’t forgive that; nor was she willing to drop the subject. “Admit it!”

“Okay, you’re right. Guilty as charged.”

“Why?” It was probably a mistake to ask, but she couldn’t help herself.

“You won’t like the answer.”

“No doubt,” she muttered.

“The truth is, I love watching your eyes light up and sparkle,” he said. “You can’t hide how you feel, no matter how hard you try.”

Annie wasn’t amused.

“I enjoy sparring with you,” Oliver admitted. “You keep my wits sharpened.”

“I’m pleased you find me so entertaining.”

“I find you a lot more than entertaining, Annie,” he said, his voice soft and low.

She wanted to ask what he meant by that but didn’t because she was afraid of the answer. At some point during the evening she’d lowered her defenses and discovered she was enjoying spending time with him. The dinner she’d hoped would be over as quickly as possible went on for more than two hours. They walked back to the inn and detoured along the waterfront.

“You know who this reminds me of, don’t you?” he asked.

The night was chilly, and Annie wrapped her sweater more securely around her shoulders. In what she supposed was an effort to
warm her, Oliver wrapped his arm around her, bringing her next to his side. The action unsettled her, and she meant to move away but he was warm and she found a certain comfort in being close to him. Even when warning bells rang in her ears, she ignored the voices shouting
Caution!
and stayed as she was.

“Who does this remind you of?” she asked, echoing his question.

“Your grandparents.”

That had to be a poor attempt at a joke. “Oh, hardly.”

“They argue, too, don’t they?”

“Okay, I concede that point.”

“They’re about as different as two people can get.”

“Right again.”

“But they balance each other out.”

“Okay, okay, we are like my grandparents in certain ways. However,” she added, raising her index finger to punctuate her point, “and this is major, I’m not even close to falling in love with you, and I think I know how you feel about me and it isn’t anything near affection.”

“Don’t be so sure of yourself,” he countered.

Because she was highly amused, Annie laughed.

Her cell phone chirped, and Annie pulled it out of her purse. Sure enough, it was Lenny. Again. She didn’t answer him. Instead, she hit the ignore button and slid the phone back into place.

“Lenny?” Oliver asked, as they slowly walked in the direction of the inn.

“Yeah.”

“You’re still in love with him, aren’t you?”

Annie didn’t need to think about her answer. “No.” Her emphatic, one-word answer said it all.

“Then why haven’t you blocked his phone number?”

Again, his logic left her tongue-tied and unable to understand herself or how to explain it to anyone else.

“Are you hoping he will change your mind? Do you secretly want to marry him?”

“No way.” As far as she was concerned, their relationship was dead, with no chance of resurrecting it. She’d told Lenny, and she meant it, that the engagement was off. Forever. They were finished.

“If you’re sincere, then block his number.”

Oliver was right. She should have done this immediately after she broke the engagement. Reaching for her phone a second time in as many minutes, she clicked a handful of buttons and blocked Lenny’s calls to her from a variety of numbers.

“I don’t want him to change my mind, and I don’t love him,” she said when she’d finished. “It was my ego, I think. I wanted to know that he wouldn’t give me up easily. I guess I wanted to hear that he was miserable. He hurt me, and I wanted him to be hurt, too. That’s a weak excuse, and I find it fairly embarrassing to admit, but it’s the truth.” Why she felt the need to confess this in front of Oliver was another of life’s mysteries. Especially when at some future date he would very likely use this information against her.

“We’re all human,” Oliver assured her.

She glanced up at him. Once more there was a subtle shift in their relationship. Since the time she was a young teen until just that morning, she’d thought of him as someone to be avoided at all costs. She’d lowered her guard with him once before, and he’d used that blind trust she’d placed in him to humiliate her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“What makes you think anything is wrong?” she countered. Two could play the game of answering one question with another.

“Your shoulders just stiffened.”

“Did they?” She hoped this irritated him as much as it had her.

“Yes,” he said, and then surprised her by gripping both her shoulders and turning her so that she had no choice but to face him. “What are you thinking?”

“What makes you think I’ve got anything on my mind?”

“It’s that stupid kiss again, isn’t it?” he asked, frowning darkly.

She tried to back away, but he wouldn’t let her, his hands tightening slightly, keeping her in place.

“It might have been stupid to you,” she flared, “but it was my first kiss. At the time I thought myself madly in love with you, only to discover it was all one big joke to you.”

“It wasn’t a joke to me,” he said, calmly, smoothly.

“Oh, sure; you say that now, but you sang a different tune back then. If that’s the case, then why did you have everyone laughing at me? My brother taunted me for weeks afterward. It was one of the most humiliating moments of my life.” She’d been mortified.

Her brother and several of her cousins had caught them kissing. Instead of quieting the others, Oliver had pointed a finger at her and laughed, too. Not knowing what else to do, Annie had run into the house, covered her face with both hands, and broken down in tears.

“I’m sorry, Annie,” he said with such gentleness and contriteness that she forced her gaze to meet his. “It was my first kiss, too,” Oliver confessed.

“No, it wasn’t. You said …”

“I lied.”

“Why?” she asked with wide eyes.

“Because I was fourteen and sadly not very bright. I was embarrassed and afraid of being teased by my friends, but I was crazy about you.”

“And so you threw me under the bus.”

“Yes, and I’ve regretted it ever since. If nothing else comes of this weekend, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for being young and stupid and a complete jerk.”

Annie felt herself drowning in his eyes, which seemed to go deep and dark with sincerity. Slowly, she nodded.

“Thank you,” he said, and then right there on Harbor Street
under a streetlamp, Oliver kissed her for a second time that day. And for a second time she welcomed him into her arms.

Their first kiss as young teens had been all teeth and lips, but they’d both learned a great deal since then. Oliver’s kiss went through her like an electric charge. She felt it in every part of her body. Every cell seemed to hum with anticipation, seeking more, wanting more.