Becki Lindstrom stepped back from the white wooden gazebo to assess her work. Not quite right yet. One of the sets of twinkly white Christmas lights hung crookedly from the eaves. She pushed the ladder over to the string of lights and adjusted it. A warm breeze off the Gulf of Mexico blew a lock of her chestnut-brown hair into her face and she brushed it away to see better. There, now it’s perfect.
There was still so much to do for the Fortune’s Bay Winterfest. This was her first year as the town’s event coordinator, and she wanted to make sure this year’s celebration topped those of past years. In addition to her festival responsibilities, one of the visitors from last year had been enchanted by the holiday decorations and had asked to have their wedding in the Providence Park’s gazebo. The town’s Chamber of Commerce had seen dollar signs and eagerly accepted the request. Now, not only was her reputation on the line for Winterfest, but for a wedding too.
She stepped down from the top rung of the ladder, but instead of resting securely on a solid surface, her foot slid on the metal step and she toppled backward. Her arms flailed in the air, trying to gain a hold on the ladder, but the ground rose quickly below her. In her peripheral vision, she saw something brown fly through the air.
The ground wasn’t as unyielding as she’d expected. Stunned, she lay flat on her back, staring up at the cloudless blue sky. The fall had knocked the wind out of her, but after testing her limbs, she determined she was still in one piece.
“Are you okay?” a deep voice asked.
Awareness crept back into her consciousness. Shouldn’t a fall onto the hard dirt and grass below the gazebo have hurt worse? She turned her head to the side and encountered a man’s muscled torso. Her gaze slid upward and the man smiled at her.
“You didn’t have to throw yourself at me. I would have given you my number if you’d asked nicely.”
Heat blazed across her face and she scrambled to her feet and offered him a hand up. “I’m so sorry about that.”
He pushed himself off the ground and gave her another easy smile as he brushed off his khaki pants. “Don’t worry about it. Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine. Thank you for catching me. I’m not usually so klutzy.”
A red stain smeared across the bottom of his shirt made her eyes widen. “Is that blood?” She suddenly felt woozy. Her sister often teased her that she’d never be a doctor. Luckily, that wasn’t something she was remotely interested in.
He lifted his shirt tails to examine the red substance, revealing a tanned, muscled torso. Her stomach flip-flopped, and not from the sight of blood. She averted her eyes.
“Ketchup.” He jerked his thumb over to a bun-wrapped hotdog lying forlornly in the grass near where they’d landed. “I was eating my lunch when I saw you fall.”
Not blood, thank goodness. And that explained the brown UFO. “Sorry about the hotdog. Can I buy you another?”
“No, but you can let me buy you lunch.” He picked up the grass-covered hotdog and deposited it in the trash. “It’s the least you can do, since I saved your life and all,” he dead-panned.
He had a point. After bad past experiences dating tourists, she’d sworn to never get involved with another one. But she did owe him, and after all, this wasn’t really a date.
He gave her another heart-melting grin and her defenses crumbled.
She checked her watch. There were still decorations to hang, but her festival prep was running ahead of schedule. “I can do lunch. Let me get this stuff cleaned up and I’ll meet you at Joe’s Shell Shack. Let’s say twenty minutes from now?”
He squinted into the sun toward Main Street. “I’m not from around here; where is it?”
“It’s right over there, behind the bakery. Do you see the big pink cupcake?” She pointed toward the Vanilla Kisses bakery sign. He nodded.
“I see it. I’ll see you there in twenty minutes.” He sauntered off, whistling as he headed toward Joe’s.
She turned her attention back to the gazebo, which sat squarely in the middle of the town green. The white lights draped over the top of the gazebo’s lattice, creating a fairy wonderland atmosphere. They’d be even prettier in the dark.
She and her crew had constructed signs and placed them throughout the park to direct people to the various Winterfest activities. She’d grown up in the Northeast, and this would be a very different Christmas than she was used to. Normally, she’d awake on Christmas morning to snowdrifts. Here in Fortune’s Bay, Florida, Santa would be more likely sporting swim trunks than a fur-trimmed red coat. She raised her face to the sun. There was something to be said for not freezing in December, although she’d miss the snow a little.
She picked up the last of the lights and carried them across the street to her office in City Hall. The Chamber of Commerce had leased space from the city for their offices. It came in handy when she needed to get permits and only had to walk across the hall to obtain them.
In her workspace, she stowed the lights into one of many bins bearing the ‘Christmas lights’ label. Most of those bins were now empty, but about twenty more containers of decorations taunted her. It was going to be a long day. She glanced at the clock on the wall. There wouldn’t be much time for lunch with the handsome stranger. Hopefully he wasn’t a jerk like some of the other tourists she’d met.
* * *
When she arrived at Joe’s, the man wasn’t in the waiting area. Had she been stood up in that short of a timespan? Maybe her sister Laney was right when she called her an optimistic romantic.
“Hey, you made it,” a familiar voice called out. She turned and saw him standing in the doorway to the outdoor deck overlooking the water.
He smiled at her, crinkling the corners of his eyes. Now that she had her wits about her, she checked him out. He had short, sandy-blond hair and a strong jawline. Small lines near his mouth told her he liked to laugh, and he had piercing blue eyes that mesmerized her. She remembered her resolution to avoid dating tourists and took a deep breath. Don’t fall for this guy, no matter how nice he seems at first. They’re all the same.
She waved at him and walked over to the gate. He pushed it open for her.
“I’ve got us a table over here.” He gestured to a table for two along the railing. A blue umbrella covered the wrought iron table.
She took a seat and put the linen napkin on her lap. His chair rubbed against the wood as he scooted closer to the table.
“You know, in the excitement of things, I didn’t properly introduce myself.” He stretched his arm out across the table. “I’m James Macintosh, but everyone calls me Mac.”
“Becki Lindstrom. Nice to meet you, Mac.” She shook his hand.
The waitress appeared with two frosty glasses of water and set them on the table.
He slid one across the table to her and she gulped down half the glass. “Thanks.”
That was another weird thing about a Florida winter. Who’d expect to get dehydrated from the sun while hanging Christmas lights?
He regarded her with a twinkle in his eyes. “Hot out, isn’t it?”
“It is. Are you from around here?”
“Not exactly from here, but from Florida, yes. You?”
She laughed. “You can probably tell I’m not a native.” She drained the rest of the glass, leaving only ice in the bottom. “I’m originally from a small town outside Boston, but I’ve been here for a few months.”
“So enough to know what to order here?”
She smiled. “Yes, I’m familiar with their menu. My sister and I like to come here for happy hour. I recommend the conch fritters.”
He nodded. “Conch fritters it is.” The waitress came over and they ordered their food and drinks.
“So your sister lives here in town too?”
“She does. Actually, she went to college down in St. Petersburg and loved the weather so much that she stayed after graduation. She went back to school to get her Master’s degree and got a job as a librarian in Fortune’s Bay. I finally came down to Florida to visit her over the summer and I fell in love with the town. The events coordinator position for the town was open and I applied.” She paused her story while the waitress dropped off their drinks. “The rest is history. I moved down here as soon as I was hired.” She stared out at the ocean. The blue waves slapped against the sand rhythmically. Above them, the sun shone down, turning the beach to gold. “It’s like it’s summer here all year long.”
He laughed. “I guess it is. I’ve never known anything different.”
Becki sipped her Pepsi. She wanted to keep their conversation casual, and the Fortune’s Bay Treasure Hunt seemed a safe subject. “So what about you? What brings you to Fortune’s Bay? Were you here for the Treasure Hunt last week?”
“No, I’m afraid I missed it. I’ve heard about it from some of the other guests at the hotel I’m staying at. Sounds fascinating. I’d love to see it sometime.”
“It’s a blast. The hunt draws tourists from all over the state. I didn’t manage the event this year, but I’ll be in charge of planning the Treasure Hunt next year.”
He raised his eyebrows. “I’ve heard it’s huge. That will be quite a project. Have you been an events planner before?”
“Yes, I worked at an event planning firm back in Boston. Mostly weddings and corporate functions, but some local government events as well.”
The waitress set steaming plates of conch fritters down in front of each of them.
“Dig in.” Becki picked one up and took a bite. She wiped some grease off her fingers from the fried ball of seafood and looked up at him.
“These are good.” He finished chewing. “I can’t believe I’ve lived in Florida for most of my life and never tried them.”
She nodded, trying to think of something to steer the conversation away from anything personal. The more she was around Mac, the more she liked him. To avoid being disappointed by him, she needed to keep her distance. “So where are you staying in town?”
“At Fisher’s Hotel. It’s cozy, but nice. Do you know it?”
“I do. Bob Fisher is pretty active in the Chamber of Commerce, so I’ve met him at a few events.”
Mac’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket. He fired off a text and then slipped it back into his pocket.
“Work?” Becki asked, and then wished she hadn’t. It was none of her business.
He picked up his last conch fritter. “Nope, just something I need to take care of today.”
She nodded. “What do you do for work?” She crossed her fingers and hoped he wasn’t a playboy living off a trust fund. Working in a tourist town made a person jaded toward those who didn’t work for a living.
“I’m a freelance app developer.”
She raised her eyebrows and he laughed.
“Basically, I work for different companies all over the Southeast that need a phone app for their products.”
“Ah, so you travel a lot.” Another reason not to get involved with him.
“I do.” He frowned. “Sometimes I love it, but other times not so much. It tends to make having a personal life difficult.”
“I can see why.” She glanced at her watch. “Mac, I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go. I have so much left to do today.”
“Are you sure you can’t stay a little longer?” he wheedled. “That turtle sundae looks so good.” He motioned to the couple at the next table over, who were enjoying ice cream topped by a concoction of oozing caramel, hot fudge, and pecans.
It did look good, but she was starting to think of this as a date, and if she wanted to save herself from future pain, she needed to get out of there ASAP.
She shook her head. “Sorry, I have to have the park ready for the festival this weekend and the Chamber of Commerce let someone rent the gazebo for a wedding tomorrow.” She made a face. “There are still boxes of decorations to put up. I’m going to be out there until midnight at this rate.”
He nodded and signaled for the waitress to bring their check. She paused on the edge of her seat. Here it was, that awkward, ‘who is going to pay’ moment.
The waitress brought over the check and Mac reached for it. He scanned the bill and pulled out his credit card.
“I should buy you lunch.” She plucked a credit card out of her wallet and held it up. “After all, you’re the one who saved my life.”
“Don’t worry about it. I had a great time with you. And think, you saved me from eating a food cart hotdog alone.” He scrunched up his face in disgust.
She laughed. “Well, in that case, you probably owe me a few more meals. That hotdog didn’t look too appetizing.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. Would he think she was hinting for another date? She busied herself with picking up her purse to avoid making eye contact with him.
They stood and he followed her out. As they walked toward the patio gate, a server carrying a full tray brushed past them, and she stumbled trying to get out of his way. Mac hooked his hand around her waist to keep her from falling. Heat radiated from his fingers, warming her more than the summer sun.
“Thanks. You saved me again,” she joked.
He grinned. “Maybe I should stick with you the rest of the day, just in case you fall off a cliff or something.”
“There aren’t many cliffs around here, so I think I’m good.” Her heart pounded. He wasn’t serious about spending the day with her, was he?
He noticed her hesitation. “No, really, I have nothing better to do. It seems like you’ve got a lot on your plate and I’d love to help.”
She thought back to the twenty additional boxes of decorations. There was a lot to do and she could use the help, especially some muscle to lift the boxes.
“Are you sure? I mean, this is your vacation and all.”
“It’s not really a vacation. I have some commitments tomorrow, but I’ve got today free, so put me to work.”
“Okay then.” She pointed to City Hall. “My office is over there.”
* * *
Mac raised his eyebrows at the wall of decoration boxes.
“Whoa. You weren’t exaggerating about there being a lot to do.”
She put her hands on his shoulders and turned him to face the other wall. “Those too.”
His jaw dropped. “You were going to do this all yourself?”
She shrugged. “It’s my job. Do you still want to help?”
“I never run from a challenge.” He rubbed his hands together. “Let’s get started.”
She selected a few boxes and they carried them out to the park.
“The wedding florists will decorate the trees and the area surrounding the gazebo, but I’d like to make sure the rest of the park looks festive too.” She scanned the park and pointed to a tree on the edge of the grass. “Maybe some sort of decoration over there?”
They moved the boxes over to the tree and set them down on the grass. Mac rummaged through the bin and pulled out a neon-pink plastic flamingo.
“Like this one?”
She scowled at him, but her lips quivered in her attempt to hold the expression. She failed and burst out laughing. “I was thinking of something a little more tasteful. Maybe a wreath or a red-and-white-striped candy cane.”
“Oh.” His face fell in mock disappointment. “But think of what the bride would say if she saw the flamingo.”
“Yeah, and I’d probably get fired.” She selected a large wreath. “Hand me that hook, would you?”
He handed her the metal hook, which she used to hang the wreath from a low tree branch.
“It’s awfully low,” he observed.
“No more ladders for me today.”
“Good point.” They both laughed.
Together, they decorated the rest of Main Street. When they were finished, she plunked down on a bench. He sat down next to her.
“Looks good. I don’t think you’re going to get fired.”
It did look nice. They’d put wreaths on every lightpost, creating a charming and festive holiday atmosphere. The glow from the street lamps shone softly on the sidewalk. People walked along the sidewalks, some pointing at the holiday decorations. There may not be snow, but she’d come pretty close to creating a Victorian Christmas.
Her heart filled with pride. This was why she loved being an event planner. When people appreciated her hard work, it made it all worthwhile.
“What time is it anyways?” Mac craned his neck around to view the tall clock tower on the town hall. He whistled. “Eight o’clock already? How did it get late so fast?”
Her stomach dropped. They’d been having so much fun that she hadn’t noticed the time.
“Did you need to be somewhere? I knew this would take a while, but I didn’t think it would take this long.” If Mac hadn’t been there to help out, it really would have taken her until midnight to finish.
“Nope, I’m fine. Hungry though.” He grinned at her. “Might I talk you into having dinner with me?”
Dinner? She stared at him. Even though she’d tried to not let him get close to her, she’d somehow managed to spend the whole day with a man she’d just met. But he didn’t seem like the other tourists she’d dated or the horror stories she’d heard from other locals. Maybe, just maybe, he was different.
“You know, I am feeling hungry. How about pizza at Mama’s Kitchen?”
“You read my mind.” He held out his hand. “Shall we?”
Instead of releasing her hand, he wrapped his fingers around her palm while they walked down the street to the pizzeria. Her hand tingled with the giddy feeling of attraction, and she felt like a teenager again, going on her first date.
When they entered the restaurant, several people she knew greeted her. Although she’d only been in town since summer, her job duties had given her the opportunity to meet many of the locals. She waved at them, but didn’t leave Mac’s side.
The waiter seated them at a booth in the corner. She slid along the cracked faux leather bench and grabbed the menu. “What kind of pizza do you like?”
“This is going to sound weird, but I really like pepperoni and anchovies.” He looked at her as if daring her to object.
She grinned. “Well, you’re not going to believe this, but that’s one of my favorite combinations. Laney says I’m nuts though.”
“Yeah, well, she doesn’t know what she’s missing.” He smiled wide, revealing one crooked tooth she hadn’t noticed before in his gorgeous smile. Thank goodness he wasn’t completely perfect.
The waiter took their order. They both laughed when he cringed at their request for anchovies. She felt like she’d known Mac for her whole life. She reminded herself again that he was only in town for vacation and he’d eventually go back to his regular life. There was no point in getting wrapped up in him.
When they finished their pizza, the busboy was mopping the floor in the lobby. Change clanged in the cash register as the cashier counted the till. Mac and Becki exchanged glances.
“I think it’s time to go.” She looked around the restaurant. While they were chatting, all the other customers had left. They’d already paid their bill, so they hurried out of the restaurant.
“I’ve never closed down a restaurant before.” She stopped in front of the beauty salon. “I had a great time with you today.”
“Me too,” he said. “Can I walk you home?”
She thought about it for a moment. This guy had been a stranger to her that morning. Did she really want to let him know where she lived? She looked into his eyes. There was nothing there but honesty.
“Sure, I’d like that. I live a few blocks that way.” She pointed in the general direction of her cottage.
He looped his arm through hers and they walked toward her house. She snuck a peek at him. His eyes were downcast.
“Is something wrong?”
He sighed. “No, I was just thinking how great it was to meet you and wishing we had more time together.”
A thrill shot through her. He wanted to spend more time with her. Then, her mood soured. “How long are you planning on being in Fortune’s Bay?”
“A little over a week, but I have some commitments for most of the week.” He smiled at her. “I’d love to see you again though.”
She halted in front of her house. “This is me.”
He walked her to the front door and waited for her to unlock it.
She opened the door and hesitated. Was he going to kiss her good-night?
As if he’d read her mind, he put his hands on her upper arms and leaned down, kissing her softly. She closed her eyes, put her hands around his waist, and deepened the kiss. After a minute, they broke apart and their eyes locked.
“Wow,” she whispered.
“Yeah. No kidding.”
He stepped back. “So about that second date—are you free on Saturday night?”
Her mind spun. The festival started Saturday, but technically, she wasn’t needed after the last event at 4 p.m. “That sounds great. Maybe around six?”
“I’ll pick you up here at six then.” He kissed her again, leaving her breathless and wanting more. He smiled guiltily. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”
“I didn’t mind.” She stepped inside the house. “I’ll see you on Saturday.”
He nodded, waved good-night to her, and walked back toward town.
She closed the door and flung herself on the loveseat in the living room. A huge smile spread across her face. She’d royally broken her vow to stay away from tourists, but she didn’t care. Mac was trustworthy, and even though his time in town was limited, she intended to give him a chance and see where their relationship could go.
* * *
The next morning, Becki tried to push thoughts of Mac out of her head. With the wedding in the town park that evening and Winterfest starting the next day, she still had a lot to do. By lunch, however, a movie reel of memories of their day together wouldn’t stop playing in her mind. She went over every moment she’d spent with him. Was he really as nice as he seemed? Had she found the one honest guy out there?
Her gaze slid to the boxes of brochures in the corner of her office. One of her duties, when not planning town events, was to populate the hotels with brochures from local businesses. If one of the hotels she visited just happened to be Fisher’s Hotel, it was all part of her job, right? But, she had a date planned with Mac for the next day—what would he think if she showed up at his hotel?
Her pulse quickened at the thought of seeing Mac again and her mind was made up. She grabbed an armful of brochures and walked over to the row of hotels overlooking the ocean. Fisher’s Hotel was in the middle of the group, so she distributed brochures to the nearest hotel first. Soon, she stood in front of his hotel. She took a deep breath. Chances were, she wouldn’t see him anyways.
She entered the lobby, greeted the front desk agent, and stocked the brochure rack. After straightening all of the advertisements in their slots, she slowly walked out of the lobby, pausing in front of the entrance to the hotel rooms. Fisher’s Hotel was one of the older hotels in town, with exterior corridors surrounded by an eye-level concrete wall. A locked gate in the wall allowed entry only to hotel guests.
An older couple noticed her eyeing the rooms.
“Did you forget your key, dear?” The elderly woman pointed at Becki’s purse. “We could open the gate for you.”
Becki blushed. “No, no. I’m fine. Thank you, though.”
They strolled off toward town. She leaned against the wall. She’d hoped to engineer a ‘chance’ meeting with Mac, but this was starting to feel too stalker-ish.
From inside the gates, she heard a child begging their parents to go swimming. A man answered. “Not today, honey.”
She froze. The man sounded just like Mac. She peeked over the edge of the fence. The man turned and she caught his profile. It was Mac. She crept over to the clear plastic gate and peered through it. As she watched, a beautiful woman with long, black hair came out of the hotel room and joined the man and child.
“Daddy will take you swimming after the wedding.” The woman placed her hand on Mac’s arm and gave it a squeeze before re-entering the hotel room.
Becki quickly edged back behind the solid concrete wall before he saw her. Her heart raced as what she’d seen sunk in. He had a wife and child. They must be in town for the wedding that evening. He’d probably had a free day and decided to pick up a townie on a lark. She’d thought he was different, but he was just like all the rest of them. Tears pooled in the corner of her eyes.
She jogged away, not stopping until she was out of view from the hotel. How had she been so stupid? One thing was for certain, she was never going to open herself up to any tourist ever again. It just wasn’t worth it.
She threw herself into her work, finishing her To Do list in record time. It was almost six o’clock, but she didn’t want to go home to an empty house. She picked her phone off her desk and dialed her sister.
“Hey, Laney, it’s me.”
“What’s wrong?” Laney asked immediately. Becki held out the phone. How had her sister immediately known something was wrong?
“Nothing.” Okay, so her tone was a little glum. She tried to put more life into it. “I was hoping you were up for going out tonight?”
“I’m at work, but I can go in about an hour. At Joe’s?”
She definitely didn’t want to go to Joe’s. “No, let’s try that new place up the street—Della’s. I hear their appetizer menu is awesome. I’ll meet you at work and we can walk over together.”
“See you soon.”
They ended their call and Becki leaned back in her chair. It was hard to believe Mac had only been in her life for a day and he’d already caused her this much grief. Well, she was going to have a fun night out with her sister and do her best to forget about him.
* * *
Becki avoided the park like the plague. The wedding was scheduled for six o’clock in the gazebo, and with Mac attending, she didn’t want to be anywhere near the ceremony site when guests started to arrive.
When she entered the library, Laney was behind the Information Desk helping a patron. She smiled and nodded to let her sister know she’d seen her. While she waited, Becki perused the romance shelves, hoping they had the new book from her favorite author.
“It’s not in yet.” Laney came up behind her.
She whirled around and blushed. “How’d you know what I was looking for?”
Her sister laughed. “Come on, you’re a sucker for a good romance novel, and you’ve checked out every book in that series. I already put you on the wait-list for it, so you’ll be first in line when it comes out.”
“Thanks.” Sometimes it paid to have a librarian for a sister.
Laney cocked her head to the side. “Aren’t you up to your eyeballs in prep for the Winterfest? I was surprised to hear from you.”
“I finished early.” She winced at the sharpness in her voice.
“Okay then.” Laney gave her a dubious look. “Let me grab my purse and we can go.”
Word had gotten out about Della’s, a restaurant that had just opened a few weeks prior, and they had to wait for a table. After they were seated and had ordered, Laney took a sip from her glass of wine and then set it down, staring directly into Becki’s eyes.
“Spill.”
Becki squirmed. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve got something on your mind. Just tell me and get it over with.”
She sighed. “Fine. So I met this really nice guy yesterday, or at least I thought he was a nice guy.”
Laney groaned. “You didn’t go out with a tourist again, did you?”
“Maybe?”
“And it didn’t end well, right? Didn’t you learn from your experience with that guy you met in August? Or the one in October?”
“I thought it would be different this time.” She fiddled with the empty appetizer plate in front of her. “I fell off a ladder in the park and he caught me before I hit the ground. The least I could do to repay him was to join him for lunch. And then it snowballed into an all-day kind of thing…”
Her sister looked down at the table and tapped her forehead with her palm before looking back up at her. “Really?”
“I tried to keep him at arm’s-length, but then he offered to help me and he was so nice.” She felt Laney’s eyes drilling holes into her skull.
“Okay, then what happened that shattered your impression of Mr. Perfect?”
“I happened to be at his hotel, restocking the brochures today, and I saw him with a woman and child. The little girl called him Daddy.”
“Wow.” Laney leaned back in her chair. “So he’s married. Who sneaks out to cheat when your wife and child are along on the trip? That’s a new low.”
“Tell me about it.” Becki chugged the beer the waitress had placed in front of her. “I hope I never see him again.”
“No. You’ve got to tell him you know. Don’t let him get away with this.” Laney placed her hands on the table in front of her and stared at her sister.
“I just want to drop it. Seeing him again isn’t going to help anything.” Plus, she didn’t know if she could get through a conversation with Mac without crying. How had she been so idiotic as to believe his lies?
“Well, I still think you should confront him. What he did is so not cool.”
“Please drop it,” Becki pleaded. “I’ve got enough going on with Winterfest. I don’t have time to dwell on this. I’ve learned my lesson. No more tourists, never ever.” She shuddered.
Her older sister took pity on her. “Okay, no more talking about that loser.” Her voice brightened. “Hey, did I tell you about the new book we got in about the history of Fortune’s Bay? One of the professors over at the university in Coral Gables wrote a book about our town. I managed to nab a copy of it before the treasure hunters got here last week.”
Becki grinned. “Sounds fascinating. Tell me more.” Her sister could talk for hours about local history and folklore. This topic would ensure there would be no more discussion about Mac and that suited her just fine. All she wanted to do was drown her sorrows in another glass of beer, eat delicious munchies, and forget Mac ever existed. He’d said he planned to stay in town for a week, but who knew if that was another lie? If he was in town for the wedding going on in the park that evening, he’d be gone soon enough.
* * *
By the time she and her sister left the restaurant, Becki had almost forgotten Mac. At least she tried to convince herself she had. While regaling her with tales of Fortune Bay’s illustrious history, Laney had reminded her of the town legend of the ghost of a maiden named Destiny, still awaiting her Irish lover all these years later. Rumor was Destiny liked to amuse herself by meddling in the love lives of anyone who stepped foot in town. Becki was starting to think Destiny had it out for her.
When she got to her front door, she knew, without a shadow of doubt, that Destiny hated her. On the porch steps, leaning against a railing was Mac. His eyes were closed and a bouquet of flowers lay next to him. A pang of sadness ran through her. The flowers were her favorite—velvety, red roses. She shook her head to clear her mind.
“What are you doing here?” she asked sharply from the concrete path.
Mac’s eyes flew open. “What time is it?”
“I don’t know? Ten? Eleven? How long have you been here?” Not that she cared.
“Since nine, I think? I really wanted to see you tonight, so I came over here, but your lights were off. I figured I’d wait until you got home.”
Anger surged through her veins. How did he have the nerve to attend a wedding with his wife and then come here afterward? Her intention to forget about Mac had been shattered by his presence at her house. Maybe she should take Laney’s advice and confront him about his lies. It might make her feel better about the whole thing if she could watch him squirm a little.
In a level voice, she asked, “Where’s your wife?”
He managed to look bewildered. “What are you talking about?”
She sighed. He didn’t even have the good grace to act apologetic.
“I was at your hotel this morning.” She hastily added, “To drop off some brochures in the hotel lobby.” She stared directly into his eyes. There didn’t appear to be any guile in them. Mac was good at lying. “I saw you with your wife and daughter.”
Recognition dawned on his face and he smiled.
“Oh, that. I can explain.”
She stuck her key in the lock. The tumblers clicked into placed and she pushed the door open. “I don’t want to hear it. And I don’t want to ever see you again, got it?”
His smile faded and he started to speak, but she slammed the door in his face.
She made it to the sofa before tears streamed down her face. Telling him off hadn’t been nearly as satisfying as she’d expected. How had things gone so wrong? Last night, she’d sat here and dreamed of a future with Mac. Was it really only a day later that she was here hoping she’d never see him again?
She heard the gate squeak as he closed it. At least he was gone now. With any luck, she’d be able to avoid him for the rest of his stay in Fortune’s Bay.
* * *
The next day was the official start of Winterfest, and Becki’s alarm went off at five o’clock to ensure she’d be in to work early. She stumbled out of bed and threw on some clothes before heading out. Luckily, the bakery was open and she snagged a cup of coffee to jolt her awake. She sipped the coffee as soon as she had the cup in her hands, not caring that the hot liquid slightly burned her tongue.
She was the first to arrive at the Chamber of Commerce offices, but her coworkers weren’t far behind. The office buzzed with chatter about the day’s events. She spent the first few hours making sure everyone she’d lined up to man the different booths and events was present and ready to work. At five minutes to the official start time for Winterfest—nine o’clock—she sent everyone out to their stations.
From years of experience in event planning, she knew things would invariably go wrong. This event wasn’t any different. Dealing with missing prizes, a lack of extension cords, and plugged toilets, among other things, took up most of her day. Before she knew it, it was after five and the main attractions for Winterfest were winding down for the night. A few booths would stay open and they’d show a family movie on an inflatable screen in the park, but she’d delegated that task to someone else. All she wanted to do was get home and rest her aching feet.
As she walked through the park on the way back to her cottage, she checked out the Winterfest booths to ensure they’d been properly closed up for the evening. Everything looked secure and although the event had physically and emotionally drained her, she knew it had been successful. Even though her love life was in the doldrums, her organizational skills and attention to detail had paid off, demonstrating she was the right candidate for the town’s event planning position. She knew some people hadn’t been pleased that an outsider had been hired for the job, but she hoped she’d proved them wrong.
A small piece of white paper, tucked into the roots of a tree, caught her eye. The maintenance crew had scoured the park for litter several times throughout the day, but they must have missed it. She picked up the object, which turned out to be a seed packet from the wedding the night before. She turned it over, revealing a photo of the bride and groom, smiling happily out at her. The bride had long dark hair and seemed familiar although she couldn’t quite place her at first. Then, it hit her.
The bride was Mac’s wife. She examined the photo more carefully. That wasn’t Mac smiling next to the woman. What was going on here? Had she been wrong about what she’d seen at the hotel? The little girl had called him Daddy and he’d come out of the woman’s room. What other explanation could there be?
She pulled out her phone and dialed the Parks Department director.
“Hey, Lee, it’s Becki. Sorry to bother you, but I had a quick question.”
“Sure, no problem. What’s up?”
“You know the wedding in the park last night?”
“Of course. I stopped by to check in with the happy couple to make sure everything was okay with the venue. Is something wrong?”
“No, no. Do you happen to remember the name of the bride and groom?”
“I do. Alison Macintosh and Jason Reles. From what I overheard, I think it was a second marriage for her. Her daughter and ex-husband were talking to them when I arrived.”
“Oh, great. Thanks.”
“Anything else? Is there something you need me to do tonight?”
“Nope, that’s all.” She hung up before he could ask any more questions.
Now she was even more unsure about Mac. Was the little girl’s mother his ex? But why hadn’t he mentioned his daughter or said something about his ex-wife when she’d told him about the wedding scheduled for the park’s gazebo?
She found herself in front of her cottage before she knew it. Part of her hoped that Mac would magically be waiting on her porch when she got there. Although she knew that would be highly unlikely, it still hurt to remember how his face had fallen when she shut the door on him as he tried to explain. Maybe if she’d let him talk, he would have told her about his daughter and ex-wife.
This relationship failure was all on her. She’d made him out to be a cheater like the other tourists she’d dated, but that didn’t appear to be true. She knew he’d planned to stay in town tonight because that was when they were supposed to have their second date, but who knew if he’d be around tomorrow? The thought of going to his hotel to apologize flashed through her mind, but at this point, she didn’t know if he’d give her a second chance.
All night, she tossed and turned, wondering what she should do. By morning, she’d decided it best to not pursue things with Mac. He was a visitor and wouldn’t be here much longer. What was the point in trying to make things up with him?
As she dressed, pangs of doubt twisted through her chest. Their day together had been special and she’d really hoped things would go somewhere. Was she a naive romantic to believe that fairy-tale romances could actually happen in real life? She stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked awful. Worrying about her mistakes with Mac had really messed her up. She applied cream under her eyes to hide the lack of sleep and left for another long day at work.
* * *
Her work kept her tied to the phone all morning, so by lunchtime, she itched to go outside and get some fresh air. She grabbed a salad from a grab-and-go place and took it down to the beach. Watching the waves crash upon the shore always helped to bring her peace and clarity.
She set her empty plastic salad bowl on the bench next to her and hugged her knees to her chest. Although she’d tried to not think of Mac, it wasn’t working. He’d been so nice, so sweet, and one of the handsomest men she’d ever met. She closed her eyes and remembered the magical kiss they’d shared on her front porch. She had a feeling she’d be comparing all other men to him for a long time.
“Bet you can’t catch me,” a little girl’s voice cried out. Becki’s eyes popped open. A blonde girl, about eight years old, ran full speed toward the water and the bench Becki sat on. As she neared the bench, the girl tripped and fell splat on the concrete sidewalk. Instantly, the girl started crying. On instinct, Becki rushed over to console her. She knelt next to the girl and patted her back. “It’s okay, you’ll be fine.”
“Molly,” a man’s voice shouted. “Are you okay?”
“Daddy, it hurts.” Tears streamed down the girl’s face and she hugged her knee in to her body.
When she said ‘Daddy’, Becki recognized the girl as Mac’s daughter. She was about to stand when she saw the blood dripping down Molly’s leg. She tried to back away toward the bench.
It’s just a little blood. Nothing to freak out about, she told herself.
Her vision started to haze over.
“Are you okay?” Molly stared wide-eyed at her.
She tried to reassure the girl, but the world was spinning. The last thing she heard was Mac’s voice. “She’s going down.”
She awoke to see Mac and Molly peering down at her. A quick glance at Molly showed the girl’s leg patched up with a bandage. Thank goodness.
“Are you alright?” Mac asked. “I managed to catch you before you hit your head, but you were out for a couple minutes.”
She pushed herself up to a sitting position. “I’m fine.” She looked at Mac. “Thanks.”
He held out his hand, pulling her up to standing. “Thanks for helping Molly. I appreciate it.”
“No problem. Sorry about having to catch me again.” Her pulse raced. Was this her chance to talk to him? Should she tell him she’d made a big mistake?
“Don’t even worry about it. Well, Molly and I should be going now. We’ve got sandcastles to build.” He and his daughter started to walk away.
“Mac, wait,” Becki called out. She jogged over to them.
He raised his eyebrows. “Did I forget something?”
“No. I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about accusing you of, uh…” She cast a glance at Molly, who was listening attentively.
Mac put his hand on Molly’s shoulder and pointed to the beach. “Go ahead and play in the sand right over there. I’ll be with you in a minute.”
Molly scampered off, leaving the two of them staring awkwardly at each other.
Becki took a deep breath. “I know it was your ex-wife who got married in the park. I saw the two of you together with Molly at your hotel on Friday morning, and I made a wrong assumption.”
“That’s what I tried to tell you.” He sighed. “My ex wanted her wedding in Fortune’s Bay and I got here a day earlier than them. That’s when I met you. I never lied to you.”
“But you didn’t say anything about your ex and Molly being here. Or anything at all about Molly.”
He looked over at his daughter playing happily in the sand. “I’d only met you that day. I didn’t think it was time yet to tell you I had a child. It tends to scare some women off. Molly is very important to me, and I wanted to find out if we had a connection before I introduced her to the mix.”
She felt his eyes on her face.
“Are you still mad?”
“No.” She sighed. “I get why you didn’t tell me about her. Honestly, I’ve never dated anyone with a child before, but she seems like a great kid.” She put her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry I was so rude to you.”
He nodded. “You’re forgiven. Do you want to hang out with us today? We could use a third person to help make a giant sandcastle. Molly has big plans.”
“I can’t.” She stared wistfully at the beach. “It’s the second day of Winterfest and I have a ton to do.”
“Maybe tomorrow?”
“Are you still going to be here?”
“Molly and I are staying at the hotel for the whole week. When her mom gets home from her honeymoon next weekend, I’ll take her back to Tampa.”
“So you’ll only be here another week,” she said slowly. He’d be gone soon. Was it worth trying to salvage their budding relationship?
He cocked his head to the side and a smile formed on his lips. “I was thinking about staying a little longer. My job’s pretty flexible and I’m starting to really like this town.” He moved closer to her and brushed strands of her hair back from her face. “And there are certain people I’d like to get to know better here.”
His touch sent a delicious shiver throughout her body.
“I think I’d like that.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and tilted her head up. Their lips met and joy flooded through her.
She’d finally met an honest tourist. Laney would never believe it.
* * *