Tangled Love on Pelican Point (Island County Series Book 3) (9 page)

“So you have absolutely no desire to stay on Fireweed Island or to live here.” I reached for my bag as he pushed his wallet into his back pocket.

“Correct.” He nodded, wiping a crumb from the table. “And you have no desire to leave Fireweed Island.”

“Correct.”

“So we basically have no chance at having anything work between us.”

“Sounds like it.”

He helped me up from the table and slid his arm around my waist. I noticed a few of the customers smile at Anthony as we walked out of Norma’s.

“It would be really difficult to be attached to someone like you anyway.”

“Probably true.”

The cold evening air made me glad to be tucked securely next to Anthony as he led us to his car. Ever since the weekend storm, the temperatures had plummeted, and fall had snuggly tucked itself into our island life.

“I bet you’ll be glad to get back to the warm temperatures.”

“Balmy breezes are nothing to scoff at.” He tightened his arm, and I briefly let myself enjoy the moment.

“I think they’re overrated.”

“Have you ever been to California?” he asked.

“No.”

“Then you might be surprised.”

“Speaking of going places, have you noticed that everywhere you go, women are staring at you? And there’s always going to be someone out there who is more beautiful than whoever you wind up settling down with to distract you. I don’t envy that person.”

Anthony opened the passenger door, and I crawled into the front seat. He didn’t say a word until he climbed into the car and turned to look at me.

“I do notice, but I’m not interested. And beauty doesn’t hold relationships together. It never has and never will. At least not the kind of relationship I want someday. There will always be someone more talented than me, so the same could happen in reverse. It wouldn’t take much to have a beautiful woman be done with me the moment a record flops. And the way things are going, my next record could very well flop. If people base lasting relationships on things that are that superficial, the relationship is superficial. Beyond already living in a somewhat artificial world, a shallow relationship is nothing I want. It would be brittle and begging for obliteration.”

“So you’re above it all?” My brow arched in disbelief.

“I can say with certainty that in this instance, I’m above it all.” He winked and turned on the car while I was left pondering what in the world he meant. He was above it all because of me, or he was above it all in general? I didn’t believe either option anyway, but still. It made me wonder.

“I still think it would be extremely difficult to date a musician.”

“It probably would be extremely difficult. There’s the traveling, studio time, moodiness, you name it.” He turned onto the main road leading out of town to my apartment, and surprisingly, I didn’t want to be dropped off. I liked spending time with Anthony.

Actually, I probably liked spending time with Anthony because I knew he would be leaving town soon and there was no commitment in sight.

“So you’re working on your next album?”

“To everyone else in the world who asks? Yes. To you? No. I haven’t done much on it at all. I’m just not feeling the inspiration like before.” We pulled up to my apartment, and I really didn’t want to go in. “If you tell Cole or Natalie, I’ll take back those flowers.”

I laughed. “Lips are sealed. Promise.”

Anthony turned off the car and leaned his head back.

“So what do you think the issue is?”

“No clue.”

He slid his hands over his face and let out a sigh. “What is it about you?”

“Me?” I asked, turning in my seat to look at him. A slow smile crawled along his mouth, and my entire body tingled with anticipation as his eyes fell to my lips.

His hand slid to my knee and I lit up like a firecracker.

“Yes, you.”

I drew in a deep breath and waited for the impossible.

He removed his hand, and the playful look in his eyes went away as he glanced toward my apartment. “Don’t forget to let me know about doing my house.”

Everything that had been building up tonight vanished, but I knew it was for the best.

I nodded and opened the car door, letting myself out.

“Thanks for dinner and the stimulating conversation.” I tried not to show any of the disappointment that was zipping through me.

“I enjoyed it like I knew I would. Now get inside before we both do something we shouldn’t.” He flashed an irresistible smile and I obeyed, quickly shutting the door and making my way into the place I called home, where I finally let myself breathe again.

“I was worried you might not ever talk to me again,” Natalie said, giving me a quick hug in front of our library.

“Why wouldn’t I?” I dropped two library books back into the bin and pulled on the mammoth wooden doors leading to our book oasis.

“You know why. Don’t make me say it. I’ve felt so guilty for the last two days.”

I glanced behind my shoulder and saw the worried look in her eyes. Natalie’s hair was twisted into a loose bun, and several pieces of hair framed her face along with a red wool scarf. She looked so happy. Well, she always seemed happy, but since Cole returned in her life, there was something about her that almost glowed. But at this particular moment, worry lodged behind her gaze, and I reveled in it slightly.

“Well, you should. He showed up on my doorstep with a bouquet while I stood in bunny slippers and my ratty pajamas because I was expecting
YOU
to be behind that swinging door. I even had your favorite cheese ready for our girl talk.”

“I know, and I’m so sorry,” she repeated, glancing at the magazine rack.

“Looks like it. You know, you should at least finish your apology with full eye contact before getting distracted. Makes it more believable.” I grinned.

“I so rarely have to apologize.” She giggled and took the latest copy of
People
off the metal shelf. “I don’t know the ins and outs.”

“Well, I’ve recovered. Sort of.” I picked up a copy of
Cottage Living
and glanced at a few pages before bringing my eyes back to Natalie’s.

“He seemed to have a great time,” Natalie said, her brows wiggling.

“You’ve talked to him?” I motioned to the sitting area with the fireplace.

Our library had been remodeled recently, and it was gorgeous. The annual book drive and summer festival definitely had paid off over the last twenty years. Between the slate floors and exposed timbers, it was more like a mountain getaway than a library. I could stay here forever.

 “Well, I haven’t, but Cole seemed to think that his brother had lost his mind.”

I took a seat in one of the leather chairs and Natalie sat in the other one.

“What do you mean?” I asked, setting the magazine on my lap before unwrapping my green scarf from my neck and tucking it into my bag. I honestly didn’t think Anthony had given me much thought since he dropped me off a couple of nights ago. I hadn’t heard a word from him since.

“He said he’d never heard his brother quite that excited about much of anything beyond his music, but when Cole tried to ask for details, Anthony would stop and start each sentence with bits and pieces that never led to a complete thought.”

“What?”

“To Cole, it sounded like Anthony didn’t want to betray your confidence, so he wound up not saying much of anything . . . which makes me wonder.”

My brow arched.

“What have you told Anthony that you haven’t told me?”

“That’s what you got out of this whole thing?” I shook my head and opened the magazine. “I doubt I’ve told him anything I haven’t told you.”

Natalie didn’t believe me, and I didn’t blame her. I was a horrible liar.

“He’s leaving for LA tonight,” Natalie informed me.

I nodded. “I thought that was coming up soon.”

And I still hadn’t made my decision about staging his house. I looked up at Natalie and mulled over if I should tell her or not. Why was I so afraid to talk with her about what I wanted to do? She’d always been nothing but supportive and certainly knew a lot about how to run a small business. She was the perfect resource, and yet I never once told her what I’d been up to.

“I feel like you’re hiding something from me.” She set her magazine on the table in front of us.

“I kind of have been.” I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone.

She glanced around the sitting room. It was empty.

“Did you sleep with Anthony?” she whispered.

“No way.” I shook my head. Not that I would necessarily tell her if I had. I clicked on my Etsy store on my phone and leaned over, handing her the phone.

“What’s this?”

“My Etsy store.”

“You have an Etsy store? For how long?”

“I’ve had it for a few months, but it was called something different than what it is today.”

“Wow, Sophie. These are beautiful. Where are you sourcing these wooden signs?”

“I make them.”

Natalie’s eyes darted to mine. “You make these?”

I nodded. “I do custom orders too.”

“You have twenty-five reviews, and very few people leave reviews, so that tells me you’ve sold a lot more than twenty-five items, and it hasn’t been just a few months.”

I took in a deep breath and puckered my lips, debating what all to tell her.

“I’ve had the shop for almost a year. The reason I have so many reviews is because when I first opened my store, I sold a lot of four-inch signs with cutesy sayings. They sold well, but between the shipping and time it took me to make them, it wasn’t worth it.”

“I can’t believe you haven’t told me about this.” She kept sliding images, browsing through my store, and my heart beat wildly. “I love the name, Sophie Bristol Designs. It just sounds so upscale.”

“You should have seen my original shop name. It wasn’t until I told Anthony my shop name that I realized it could have sexual connotations, which explained the creepy emails I kept getting. Anyway, Anthony came up with the new one.”

Natalie narrowed her eyes as she studied me, handing back the phone. “You’ve fallen for him.”

“No way. I’m smarter than that. He lives in LA and I live on Fireweed. He’s a rock star, and I’m a housekeeper- server- floral assistant—.”

“Shop owner,” Natalie supplied. “I’m so proud of you. And I have got to place an order. I would love to offer these in my flower shop. I’m always looking for special handmade items, and I bet brides would love to order the custom signs you have.”

My palms turned sweaty at the thought.

“Really? You’re not just saying that because you’re my friend?”

“That’s not how I run a business.” She winked. “I wouldn’t offer customers something I didn’t think would sell or they wouldn’t like.”

“Wow. Are you serious?”

“Deadly. In fact, I have a newly engaged couple coming in for a wedding consultation on Saturday. I’d love to have an example to show them.”

My mind flashed to the lack of cash I had on hand to make any samples for her. I still hadn’t recovered from buying groceries for my dad and covering my stepmom’s bar tab. Not really, but close enough.

I let out a sigh and shook my head.

“I’m a little strapped with my dad’s latest bills, but I’d love to provide samples. I just won’t be able to make this deadline.”

“It is short notice.” Natalie sat back in the chair and tucked a leg under. “But I know they’d love what you have to offer. They’re going for that rustic charm. You know what I bet they’d love?”

I shook my head.

“This couple is sparing no expense. They’ve been trying to come up with a favor for their guests that’s unique, and I think what you have to offer would be perfect. Do you think you could do something like a black, wooden, two-inch square with gold writing that’s a magnet? And maybe on each one, the guest’s last name?”

“That would be easy, but it’s the little projects that are killers on time. They might not like what I’d have to charge to make it worthwhile.”

“Let me worry about that part. Come up with what you would need to make a profit, and I’ll talk to them.”

Excitement pulsed through me, and I wondered why in the world I didn’t tell her sooner.

“I’ll just show them some examples from your site, and we’ll go from there,” she continued.

“That’s so sweet of you.”

“Not sweet. Practical. This could be a match made in heaven.”

I held up my magazine and smiled. “So the other part of my maybe-someday dream is this.”

Her eyes ran over the cover and landed back on me.

“And Anthony asked me to stage his house,” I told her. The warmth from the fireplace was already making me overheat. Or maybe it was my nerves going crazy with worry. I’d done such a fabulous job keeping this part of my life secret that the thought of letting it all hang out there was terrifying. I wasn’t fond of the idea of failure, and on a public scale, it seemed even worse.

“Are you serious? That is huge, and it makes so much more sense than what Cole and I tried to come up with about his brother.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like I told you, Anthony was only coming up with half-sentences, and he kept bringing up his house and you in the same breath and then he’d stop himself.”