Chapter Two
Late the next morning, Anita hopped into her Mini and headed the mile and a half back to town. She needed groceries. She needed to get away from the house.
By the time she’d dragged in all her belongings from the car the night before and then carried the art supplies up the stairs to that amazing studio, she’d been exhausted. She’d given up dinner for sleep. She’d been too tired to change the sheets on the bed, so she’d curled up on top of the soft chenille bedspread and slept better than she had in months.
Today, she was shaking off the odd, conflicting emotions and moving on. No sense in dwelling on a past she couldn’t change or even understand. She saw the sign to Colburn and Sons Salvage on the way to the grocery store. Her heart raced when she thought about seeing Noah again.
The long concrete-block building was painted white, and a huge sign that said Showroom hung next to a wide door on the right. There were several cars parked in the lot, and half a dozen weathered metal whirligigs were displayed along the front. Noises rang from the other half of the building, saws and hammers, shouts and laughter.
When Anita stepped inside, she heard more laughter, this time from a long counter along the back wall. A wave of nostalgia or…loneliness swept over her.
Lonely? She wasn’t lonely. That was ridiculous. Her life was overrun by people at the university. She knew people all over the world. She could walk up to a stranger and strike up a conversation in three languages. She knew lots of people.
But how many were friends?
She strolled through the showroom, admiring the many repurposed items, tables and picture frames and decorative pieces. If she stopped in here every day for the entire month, she doubted she’d see everything that was for sale. There were even a couple of paintings hanging from ornate hooks.
Anita neared the back of the showroom. Two women stood behind the counter with Colburn and Sons Salvage T-shirts on. They were chatting with three other women who may or may not have come in to buy. They weren’t talking salvage, or vintage light fixtures, or ornate picture frames.
They were talking about her.
“I heard she’s going to sell Aggie’s house.” The comment came from one of the women behind the counter, a thirtysomething with bleached blond hair.
“What did you expect?” asked a short, stocky woman with jet-black hair on the customer side of the counter. “I never saw her visit her grandmother. Not once. Why would she want to keep the house?”
Everyone got into the conversation then.
“It’s got all that land,” commented an older woman with long salt-and-pepper hair. One of the customers.
Anita silently agreed it was a nice piece of land, great lake frontage. Money in the bank. She hoped. The offer Carter told her about had been so low it was insulting. Just because the house needed some work didn’t mean it wasn’t worth a whole lot more.
“But the house is so old.” The dark-haired woman again.
She hated to think of all that should be done before she could sell it. Would the money to renovate it be worth it in the end? Should she save herself the time and money and accept a lower asking price from a buyer who would want to do all that work themselves?
Maybe, but not that low.
“Old isn’t a bad thing,” the blond employee said.
It was a beautiful old house. Gorgeous moldings and intricate gingerbread and a mantel… Well, it must have been beautiful once. Anita stopped to admire an intricately carved wooden picture frame propped up against a long table, the finish gleaming.
“As long as she doesn’t tear it down, I’ll be happy.”
Tear it down? Who said that? Anita slowly approached the group, eavesdropping without remorse.
“Did Noah tell her not to tear it down?” That was the third customer, whose fuzzy snow-white hair danced around her head.
Why did they think she’d want to tear it down?
“Did Carter tell her to stay away from Ethan?” Fuzzy hair again.
Ethan? Who is Ethan?
“What did Noah and Carter say about her?” Salt and pepper this time.
“My boys had nothing but good things to say about her,” said the other woman behind the counter. She’d been quiet up until now. She was pleasantly plump, with a simple silver bob and an easy smile. She must be Noah and Carter’s mother. “I don’t know anything more than that.”
“What did they say about her?” fuzzy hair asked eagerly. “What does she look like?”
Anita stepped up to the counter. “About five foot seven. Mid-forties. Long dark hair. A tattoo of a phoenix on her back. Oh, but neither Noah nor Carter has seen that.” Yet, she resisted adding. She was beginning to hope Noah would see that and much more before long. After all, it was the second of July already.
All five women turned to her with wide eyes. She wanted to laugh, but she didn’t. She was going to be living here for the next thirty days, and they all knew Noah. If she was going to convince him that a one-month fling was a good idea, she wouldn’t want the town to be against her. After all, she had never visited her grandmother, and that, evidently, was a big strike against her.
“Ms. Delgado, isn’t it?” Noah’s mother asked. The three customers blushed and fled the building. Mrs. Colburn rounded the end of the counter and came out onto the floor to meet her. “I’m Donna Colburn. I’m so embarrassed to be caught talking about you. No, not that we got caught, but that we were gossiping in the first place. I want you to know that Carter didn’t divulge any information about you. He’s always proud of his professional ethics. He said you seemed very nice, and Noah mentioned he ran into you and said the same thing.”
Noah said I’m nice?
Nice didn’t come close to how he seemed to her. But then he wouldn’t have mentioned the awareness, the attraction, the tingles to his mother, would he?
“Anita.” She held out her hand. “Pleased to meet you. I’ve never lived in a small town, but I imagine that a new person is always going to cause some curiosity and speculation.”
“Unfortunately. Again, I apologize for gossiping. Is there something I can help you with today?”
“Just looking around. Noah told me about your operation and mentioned you had a showroom. What an interesting business. You have a wonderful selection of items.” She picked up a gorgeous carved wooden picture frame and studied it. “Is Noah in, by the way?” Smooth, Delgado, real smooth.
Donna Colburn’s brows pinched into a frown. “I’m sorry, he’s out right now. Do you want to leave a message?”
“No, that’s all right.” Anita had his number on the card in her pocket. “I’ll browse a little more.” In case he comes in. “Then I have to pick up some groceries.”
“Donna!” Someone shouted from the back.
“Excuse me a moment.” Mrs. Colburn rushed away, and the other woman, the blonde, took the opportunity to round the counter and approach.
Oh joy.
“I’m Noah’s cousin, Ginny.” Her curly hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail. “Are you really going to sell Aggie’s house?”
“I live and work in Philadelphia. I don’t need another house.” Anita had a feeling she’d be saying that a lot.
“The people around here love that house. It’s like a historical landmark.”
A landmark? “I did not know that.”
“Noah could help you fix it up. You know, he cares about history and the community, and he’s running for mayor.”
Another vote for Noah to fix the house. Strange. She set down the picture frame. They were all family. They probably recommended each other. “I heard that. He’s a busy guy. Do you think he’d have time to help me fix my house in between salvaging jobs and running for mayor?”
“Sure.”
When would he ever have time to have a fling with her?
A dark-haired man in jeans and a T-shirt appeared from the door to the back. Anita couldn’t stop from sending a quick glance his way. When she saw it wasn’t Noah, she let her gaze bounce around the room. “Do you know when Noah will be back?”
“He might be having an early lunch. Yeah, I think he might be meeting someone for lunch.”
Anita wasn’t one to beat around the bush. “A wife? A girlfriend?”
Ginny looked her up and down. “Oh, hon, you seem like a nice person, but I don’t think you’re Noah’s type.”
“He has a type?” The question burst out before she could stop it. What did that mean? She knew why he wasn’t her type, but why wasn’t she Noah’s? Was she too old? Too tall? Anita narrowed her eyes.
Noah’s cousin’s cheeks grew pink as if she knew she’d overstepped. “I’m sorry, but I’ve never known Noah to date a part-time resident.”
“I never said I wanted to date him.” A fling and dating didn’t have anything to do with one another.
Ginny’s expression told Anita she didn’t believe it. “Look, it’s none of my business, but Noah’s been through a lot in the last few years. His dad got sick, and then his wife took off and left him to raise his twin girls all on his own. He seems to be back on an even keel right now, but he sure doesn’t need some short-timer rocking his boat.”
Two thoughts warred for space in Anita’s brain in that moment. He has twin daughters was the first. The second was that she’d really like to rock Noah Colburn’s boat.
…
Noah recognized the little red convertible as soon as he pulled into the lot. He smiled to himself. Hell, he smiled out loud. What was Anita Delgado doing here? He and his crew had a long day yesterday, and by the time they were ready to leave the job site, Anita’s place had been dark and the guys were anxious to get home. Her stopping here this morning saved him from having to make up an excuse to stop by and talk to her about the house.
He hurried into the showroom and saw Anita talking with Ginny. His cousin was a sweetheart, but she’d made it her mission to fix him up. He’d told her more than once that he wasn’t interested in a relationship.
Was Anita divorced? Widowed? Married?
What does it matter?
Somehow it did.
He joined them over by the counter. Anita wore red shorts that showed a mouthwatering length of leg and a blouse covered with colorful polka dots that bared her shapely arms. Her flat sandals seemed to be only held on with a couple of sparkly straps. That thick, dark hair was pulled back again. Her long, slender neck was begging for a touch of his lips.
Noah swallowed. What is wrong with me?
She turned, and her gaze locked with his just like that. Her smile was the burst of sunshine he needed in his day. “Good morning.”
“Hi, Anita. I see you’ve met my cousin.”
“Yes. We’ve been chatting.”
Ginny’s cheeks were pink and made him suspicious of what that conversation had been all about. His cousin had always been one to butt in where it was none of her business. To Ginny, family was enough of a reason to make it her business. A customer carried a lamp up to the counter, and he nodded to Ginny. She frowned as if she didn’t want to leave them alone, but she left to take care of the customer.
Alone at last.
He shouldn’t even be thinking about Anita this way. But he still led her to the opposite side of the showroom, out of eavesdropping distance. He shouldn’t be thinking about how she would feel pressed up against him. Or how much he’d liked to taste her lips.
She took a step closer then, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she was imagining the same thing about him.
“So what do you think about the house?” He hoped his tone was light.
“It’s old. Most of it hasn’t been updated since… When was harvest gold the in color for kitchen appliances?”
Noah chuckled. “The seventies, I think. I doubt appliances made today would last that long.”
“True. The house seems solid though. The floors might slope a bit, but not enough to worry about.”
“Have you decided what you want done before you put it on the market?”
“The kitchen and the walls.”
“What’s wrong with the walls?” It had been years since he’d been inside the house.
“Horrible wallpaper. Horrible. It’s got to come off. And the exterior needs a good coat of paint at the very least and some of the gingerbread repaired. And landscaping, of course. And the mantel in the living room needs to be replaced.”
“We have a large selection of salvaged mantels out back. All sizes and finishes.”
Her eyes sparkled. “Great.”
“Would you like to look at them now?”
“Soon. I have to get groceries, and I’m sure you have work to do.”
He didn’t want her to go. “Do you like ice cream?” he blurted.
Her face lit up. He wanted to see her do that again. Over and over again. “Ice cream is my weakness. Rocky Road in a waffle cone. How about you?”
He let out a quick bark of a laugh. “I’ll go along with the waffle cone, but plain old strawberry ice cream for me.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
They grinned like fools at each other for a moment until Noah came to his senses. He cleared his throat. But he obviously hadn’t come to his senses, because he found himself asking, “Can I treat you to a scoop? You know it’s best to have something in your stomach before you go grocery shopping. There’s a great ice cream shop down the street.”
“I’d like that.”
“I’ll be back soon,” he shouted to Ginny and ignored her glare.
“So have you lived here your whole life?” she asked as they strolled down the street side by side.
“Live here. Work here.” Where else would he be?
“Where do you like to go when you travel?”
“Never traveled all that much. The business keeps me pretty busy.”
“I love to travel. I know I’m lucky I have the summers off.”
“My father had a stroke, and I’ve had to pick up the slack. I’m in the office most of the time.”
“And now you’re adding the mayor thing, right?” She made it sound as if he wanted to cement himself into this spot on the map. “Don’t you ever take a vacation?”
He bristled. “We took the girls to Disney one year. Stupid hot in Florida in the summer. Like a sauna.”
“We?”
“Sorry. Yeah. I’m divorced now, but when we took the twins to Florida, Charlene and I were still married. The girls are seventeen now, how the hell did that happen? They’re with their mother for the next few weeks. She decided she liked the sauna and moved to Tampa with her new boyfriend.” The girls had begged him for months to let them go once school ended. He missed them.
“I see. So you’re all alone here this summer?”
Now the tone of her voice was a little deeper, sexier. “Yes…”
They’d reached the Scoop, the ice cream shop in the center of the village. While they waited for their cones, she turned and faced him, standing so close he could almost feel her body pressed up against him.
“I haven’t had ice cream in quite a while. You know how to make me happy, salvage man.”
“Glad to please.” She had a way of making salvage sound sexy instead of filthy like the Bradford faction insinuated.
Heat washed over him. His ice cream was going to melt the moment he touched the cone. It took everything in him not to grab her and pull her up against him. This was beyond crazy. He had to step away, but he couldn’t move. Their eyes met again. His throat was dry, his heart thudding slow and loud.
“Here ya go,” the teenager behind the window called out. “Rocky Road and strawberry.”
Anita sighed, and when she stepped away from Noah, he wanted to growl in frustration. They sat at one of the small tables to the side.
Watching Anita eat an ice cream cone was one of the most erotic experiences Noah had ever had. She closed her eyes in simple pleasure as she used her tongue to lap up the sweet treat. Her tongue. Noah’s body hardened as he pictured her sassy red mouth on him. Her pink tongue flicking over him. He was brought back into the moment when she called out his name.
“You’re melting,” she said. He glanced down and cursed. She laughed, the sound like music in the air. “Let me help.”
Anita grasped his wrist, pulled his hand close, and licked the melted ice cream off the edge of the cone. He couldn’t pull his gaze off her. He could barely breathe. When he noticed her ice cream beginning to melt off the edge of her cone, he knew he had to return the favor.
“I haven’t had Rocky Road in a while.” Their eyes met as he caught the melting ice cream before it could dribble off the edge of her cone.
“I’m only here for the month of July,” she murmured.
He didn’t know what he’d thought. He’d certainly hoped for more time but had expected less. And what did he plan to do with that information, anyway? They’d met yesterday, he certainly couldn’t have expected forever with her. And now she’d confirmed she was taking off as soon as August rolled around. She planned to sell the house and get the hell out of Lakeside; that had been a given from the beginning. That was all he needed to know to shake off this craziness. This lust at first sight. He had to clear his head, forget about what might have been if his life were different.
Still, he replied, “That’s a shame.”
She sat back and took possession of her ice cream cone again. “I like you, Noah Colburn.”
Hell, for the first time in his life, he liked feeling crazy. “I like you, too.”
“Do you like red wine?”
He usually drank beer but… “Sure.”
“Come over to my place tonight? About seven? Stay and watch the sun set on the lake with me?”
And what would happen after the sun set? He couldn’t say anything other than, “I wouldn’t miss it.”
He told himself it would be the perfect opportunity to see what shape the house was in. He grinned, leaned in, and took another swipe at her ice cream cone. She laughed. He couldn’t wait until seven o’clock.
“Noah Colburn?”
He jerked away from Anita and saw Helen Bradford standing over them. Of course, Ethan Bradford’s wife would run into him licking a strange woman’s ice cream. Helen stood at the side of the ice cream shop in her pale-yellow linen dress, heels, and pearls. “Who is your friend?”
Anita leaned back in her seat and stretched out her long, bare legs. Bright-red polish that matched her shorts shone on her toenails.
“Helen Bradford. This is Anita Delgado. She’s Aggie Swanson’s granddaughter.”
“Oh, I’m glad to finally meet you. I’m so sorry for your loss. Agatha was an important part of our community.”
Anita glanced wide-eyed to Noah before turning to Helen and beaming her a smile. “I didn’t know my grandmother. But thank you.”
He could almost see the wheels turning in Helen Bradford’s brain. What story was she going to bring back to her husband? In an hour, she’d be playing political games and spinning stories about him sharing ice cream with a woman in short red shorts.
“What’s good today?” Helen’s glance bounced back and forth between the two of them.
“Rocky Road,” Anita told her. He could already recognize the mischievous look on her face. “Although Noah insists strawberry is the best.” She leaned in and took a long lick from Noah’s cone. “Nope, can’t beat Rocky Road.”
Helen pursed her lips, and Noah almost grinned. “I don’t know how you can eat chocolate ice cream and not drip all over you.” She glanced down at Anita’s legs. “Oh, look, there you go.”
Anita glanced down and laughed, then wiped the drips of chocolate off her bare thigh with her napkin. “Easily fixed. What flavor’s your favorite?”
“Oh, I don’t eat ice cream. All that fat. I saw Noah and wanted to say hello.” Helen beamed a fake smile and took a step away. “Noah, I assume we’ll see you at the next village meeting?”
“I’ll be there.”
“I’ll let Ethan know I saw you today.” She gave a long look to Anita and then to Noah. “Goodbye.”
They watched her walk away, her high heels unsteady on the gravel.
“I have the feeling I’ve come in in the middle of the movie,” Anita said.
Noah shook his head. What the hell did he get himself into? “I’ll tell you about it another time. I’m afraid I have to get back to work.”
She nodded and popped the rest of the cone in her mouth, then stood and took his arm. “Thank you for the ice cream. You’re my hero.”
He chuckled. He liked her too much already, and he didn’t know anything about her except she’d inherited the house of a grandmother she didn’t know. And that she liked Rocky Road ice cream. And that she made him laugh and made him want.
Tonight, he’d talk to her about letting him renovate her house. And if that meant he got to spend more time with her? All the better.