Chapter 9
Kean had spent the last twenty minutes fixing the porch railing of his brother’s cottage. Five days after the wedding, the happy couple had finally gone on their three-day honeymoon to a quiet inn only a four-hour drive north. Neither Adam nor Ellie had wanted a honeymoon, but everyone was convinced they deserved at least a few days away as a newlywed couple. Eventually, they’d compromised to take advantage of the Valentine’s Day weekend to go on a short getaway.
Kean had browsed the Internet for romantic weekend ideas and found the website of a cozy inn that offered oceanfront suites each with an outdoor spa tub, a fireplace, and a king-sized four-poster bed, ideal for couples who didn’t want to leave their rooms for hours on end. He didn’t really want to be privy to his brother’s sex life, but he could imagine that, after being celibate for nearly four years, he’d want to make the most of his time with his new wife, without worrying about his daughter walking in on them.
An ear-piercing shriek that sounded very much like Charli’s voice, followed by Sophie calling him, reached him in the back garden. His mother had assigned him babysitting duties today, so he’d thought he’d kill two birds with one stone and work on his brother’s railing. He’d left Sophie and Charli drawing with crayons and thought they’d be okay, but from what he’d learned so far, the woman got a little antsy around kids. Maybe leaving his precious niece under the crazy woman’s supervision hadn’t been such a great idea, after all.
He was inside in two long steps and let out a breath when he saw that Sophie was in fact all in one piece and there appeared to be no traces of blood anywhere on the kitchen floor.
“There’s a giant spider, wight there!” Sophie said, bouncing like a kangaroo, pointing her finger at the wall.
Kean smiled and opened his mouth to reassure Sophie he’d take care of it, but froze when his eyes landed on Charli. She was cowering behind a chair, as if that alone would protect her from a sudden attack from the eight-legged creature. So, the tough, badass wedding planner was afraid of a tiny creature, huh? That would make for some entertaining teasing.
“Don’t just stand there, get that thing off the wall!” Charli turned her killer glare on him and waved her hand frantically toward the spider. He chuckled, and she stomped her foot in irritation. “Do it, now!”
“Chill out, it’s just a spider. It’s not some kind of killer creature.” He took a newspaper from the table and approached the wall. Charli’s muffled eews right behind him made him smile. She could be cute when she wasn’t trying to be bossy and in charge of the world. He turned back to look at her and grinned. “You know, I’m pretty sure Wonder Woman wasn’t afraid of arachnids. So, since you keep acting like you’re her, you probably should—”
“Just shut up and kill that thing!”
Kean’s chuckle pulled another growl out of her. He lifted his hand but Sophie hugged his leg and stopped him.
“Don’t squish it, Uncle Kean!”
He frowned, tilting his head to the side. “What am I supposed to do? Invite it to leave?” Sophie nodded, her curls dancing around her face like crazed springs. “Ooh-kay, well…” He rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically, making her giggle. Then he cleared his throat and leaned his face closer to the wall. “Excuse me, Mr. Spider. I’m sorry to bother you, but would you mind if I took you outside? You’re scaring the ladies.”
Charli’s soft chuckle came from behind him, while Sophie giggled and clapped her hands. He carefully put the newspaper against the wall, and when the spider walked onto it, he lifted his hand up in the air and walked briskly outside into the back garden, with Sophie in tow shouting orders about where he should put the spider. When they finally agreed on the bush just outside Adam’s property, he shook the newspaper and the arachnid fell onto the green leaves, immediately running for cover from the crazy human who’d been talking to it just a minute before. And not just because Kean wanted to get a laugh out of his niece—but to get one out of the hot brunette, too. She was even hotter when she was all vulnerable and asking for help—something she didn’t seem to like doing very often. And he’d enjoyed being her knight in shining armor again.
Sophie ran inside, informing Charli, and practically all of the neighborhood too, that her uncle had freed the spider and that she shouldn’t worry anymore. When he walked back in, Charli was the image of composure, as if she hadn’t just been scared half to death by a thing that was barely bigger than a beer cap.
“Um, thanks,” she said, smoothing her pants with her hands in a way that made him think she did that often as a way of buying time. “I was afraid it might be poisonous, you know, that it might sting Sophie—”
“Yeah, right. We don’t live in Australia or in the Amazon rainforest. There aren’t poisonous tarantulas around here.” He crossed his arms and smiled smugly, just for the sake of annoying her. Sure, he could’ve let it go, but what fun would that have been? “But nice try.”
She glowered—no surprise there—and crossed her arms, taking her usual intimidating stance that never worked with him. In fact, she looked hot when she did it. “Well, I’m sorry if I don’t know all the different species of spiders by heart. I just saw what could be a potential threat and I worried it could hurt your niece.”
He chuckled, earning another glare—which only made him want to laugh harder. But he refrained. “Listen, just admit you were scared. It’s no big deal, really. Lauren hates lizards, Hannah used to be scared of crabs, my mom shrieks like a banshee if she sees the tiniest snake. I wouldn’t judge you if you said the spider gave you the creeps.”
She rolled her eyes and mumbled something unintelligible under her breath which, if he wasn’t mistaken, was in Spanish. Wow. That was sexy.
“Fine, okay. If I said I was scared, would you go back to doing your Bob the Builder thing in the back garden and stop annoying me?”
He smiled. He was starting to enjoy the Bob the Builder jokes she made at his expense. “Yep. Just say it, nice and fast. Rip off the Band-Aid.”
“I. Was. Scared.” She lifted her chin and stared straight at him. “There, you happy?”
He grinned and walked out of the kitchen, whistling as she once again mumbled something in Spanish. Yeah, he definitely enjoyed winding her up and, now, hearing her talk in Spanish. He knew nothing good could come out of this, but he couldn’t help himself. From the moment he’d tasted those luscious lips, he hadn’t been able to forget that amazing kiss. He wanted more, but he was smart enough to know that he shouldn’t act on his attraction if he didn’t want to get burned. But just like a moth drawn to a flame, he feared that, sooner or later, he’d cave and end up in ashes. He could only hope she’d leave before his resolution faltered.
* * *
“You writing a book or playing Angry Birds?”
The low voice behind her reverberated through Charli’s body as she sat at a corner table in Spring Delights, a week later. Ellie and Adam were back from their short honeymoon, and she’d needed to get away from the lovebirds for a while. She’d thought she’d take advantage of the bakery’s Wi-Fi to look for a job while treating herself to a scrumptious muffin in peace. And now, the last person she wanted to see was standing right in front of her.
Gee, she hated the way he made her feel. It was all because of that stupid dream. And now also because of the way he’d taken care of that spider. He’d been kind of cute when he’d taken the beast outside instead of squishing it, just to please his niece.
“Has nobody ever told you sneaking up on people is rude? And not that it’s any of your business, but I’m working. Shouldn’t you be doing that too? Don’t you have… I don’t know, something to build?”
He laughed as he pulled out a chair and straddled it. Then he brought his to-go cup to his lips and drank, keeping his eyes on her all the time.
“Perks of being the boss, I guess.”
Charli focused her attention back on her tablet. “Well, I was trying to get things done, so if you could go play the boss somewhere else, I’d appreciate it.”
He took another pull from his cup, showing no intention of leaving. “What did I do wrong? I’ve been your knight in shining armor more than once since you’ve arrived, but you keep treating me like the villain.”
She couldn’t exactly tell him that it was because of a stupid dream. At first she’d simply found him annoying. Now she couldn’t stop thinking about those lips. About the way he’d held her close to his strong body in her dream. About his delicious smell. It was quickly becoming a nightmare.
“Listen, it’s nothing personal. I’m just… I’ve got a lot of things on my mind right now. I’m not used to being idle; it’s as boring as it is frustrating.”
And the fact that I can’t look at you without remembering that mind-blowing kiss isn’t helping.
He chuckled. “Yeah, I know the feeling. Never been a lazy person myself.” He brought the cup to his lips again, and she forced her eyes to stare at her tablet. She would never look at his mouth again until the aftereffects of that stupid dream went away. “Well, I’m sure my mom and Jenna could use a bit of help here, if you’re getting bored. If you’re half as nice with other people as you are with me, we’re sure to have a full house every day.” He smiled smugly, and it was what she needed to push away the remnants of her dream. “Or maybe not.”
“I am nice, you know. In fact, my clients loved working with me,” she said, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes in what she hoped would look like a defiant stare.
“Then why are you always such a pain in my—”
“Kean.”
His mother appeared out of nowhere, carrying a mug of cinnamon cappuccino and a muffin, which she deposited in front of Charli, right next to her tablet. Charli frowned. “I didn’t—”
“I know, love. I just figured you’d need a refill.” She smiled as she rested her hand on the back of Kean’s chair and tilted her head toward him. “And I wanted to make sure he wasn’t bugging you. My husband and I did our best to teach our sons manners, but at the end of the day, they’re men.”
Charli chuckled. “Can’t expect miracles, can we?”
“Hello? I’m right here.” Kean waved his hand in the air. His mother laughed and patted his head softly. He rolled his eyes. “Okay, I guess this is my cue to leave. If you wanted me outta here, you could’ve just asked me to leave, Ma.”
“I would never kick my son out of my bakery.” She squeezed his shoulder and smiled. “But you’ll have to go to work at some point. And I don’t want you to scare customers away.”
“I wasn’t—”
“Yes, you actually were,” Charli said, grinning as she stared up at his mother. Enya chuckled and gave her the thumbs up. “But your mom’s treats are too good, so I stayed anyway.”
Kean let out a huff. “Fine. I’ll leave.” The legs of the wooden chair screeched on the floor as he stood up like a sulky teenager who’d just been reprimanded by his mother. Charli fought to keep a straight face as her lips twitched.
“Aw, sweetie. Don’t be mad. We were just messing with you.” His mother put her arms around him and pulled him in for a hug. He huffed again, and when she smacked a loud kiss on his cheek, he groaned.
“Gee, Mom! I’m outta here.” He freed himself from his mother’s grip and she chuckled. Then she looked at Charli and winked.
“He’s not a cuddler, my boy. He stopped being one when he was eight, though I still don’t know why.”
Kean moved away as she raised her arms as if to hug him again. He drank from his cup as he walked toward the door. Just before he opened it, he turned around sporting a cheeky grin that split his face in two.
“I’m still a cuddler, just not with my mom.”
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that!” she called after him. His laughter was slightly muffled by the door closing behind him.
Enya was still laughing as Charli fought visions of him snuggled in his big bed with a woman—someone who looked very much like her. Good grief, she needed to permanently delete that dream from her mind if she wanted to keep her sanity. And she needed to find a job and get the hell out of this town, putting as much distance as she could between herself and that annoyingly handsome man.
“He’s still a big boy. He wants to look all tough and badass, but he’s all mellow inside, like our chocolate muffins with a melted soft center.”
Oh, great. And now she was imagining him as a yummy chocolate muffin she wanted to take a bite of. She needed a shrink, someone who could give her those electric shock treatments they used in the past when someone was talking nonsense and was thought to be possessed by the devil. A nice, fast electrocution that would free her from those stupid images tormenting her.
“Charli, are you all right?”
Enya’s worried tone abruptly interrupted her musings. She blinked up at the woman who was now looking at her with a frown, her blue eyes searching Charli’s face like a mother would her child’s. She put on a smile and mentally kicked herself. Having dirty thoughts about him in front of his mother wasn’t exactly a great idea.
“Um, yeah. I’ve just remembered something I have to do today.”
Like, google shrink names, perhaps?
Holy guacamole, now she was having conversations in her mind. Just awesome. This town had to be haunted. Or maybe she’d been kidnapped by aliens while she was sleeping and they’d implanted some kind of microchip inside her brain so they could make her do things. Oh, gosh. What if they asked her to kill someone, or place a bomb somewhere or…
“You’d better drink that cappuccino now, before it gets cold. I’ll let you carry on with your job hunt.” Enya patted her shoulder, and Charli shook the stupid thoughts away. She smiled, a little more genuinely this time.
“Thanks for the refill.” She reached for her mug as Enya walked back toward the kitchen, and brought her focus back to her tablet. She had to get outta this town pronto, before it messed even further with her mind.
* * *
“Here you are!”
The chair next to Charli scraped on the tiled floor exactly ten minutes later, startling her out of her concentration. She resisted the urge to huff; couldn’t people understand she was busy and didn’t want to be disturbed? She looked up from her tablet just as Lauren plopped down on the chair, smiling brightly. Well, at least it was someone she liked.
“Ellie said I might find you here. I’ve got a biiiig favor to ask and she said you’d be happy to help.”
Charli frowned. She wasn’t sure she liked where this was going.
“I don’t know if Ellie told you about it, but we have a spring festival every year. This year we’re a little behind with the preparations because most of us worked on the arrangements for Ellie and Adam’s wedding, and we forgot about the festival for a while. Ellie said you’re staying a bit longer, so I thought perhaps you could bring in your expertise with event organization and help us out?” She batted her eyelashes, propping her chin on her hands. “Please?”
Although she wasn’t exactly used to organizing town festivals—scratch that, she’d never organized a festival—her genetic competitive side, the one that always pushed her to do better, to take on new challenges, and to face problems with her head held high, started stomping its hooves inside her brain, like an over-excited horse.
“I’m not sure I’m the right person for it. I mean, I’m not exactly qualified for—”
“Pfft, nonsense.” Lauren waved her hand in front of her face. “You did a great job with the wedding, and you did most of it from four hundred miles away. It’s not going to be a fancy event. We just need a little help with coordinating everything.”
Charli shrugged, staring at her half-empty mug. Truth be told, she missed the thrill of being in charge, of making sure everything was as it should be, of coordinating supplier deliveries, of last-minute emergencies that needed fixing before an event. She’d never liked being idle. These last three weeks had been a welcome reprieve from stress and a well-deserved vacation, but her creativity was starting to itch. She could still look for a job while showing these small-town folks what she was made of.
“How long do we have till the celebrations start?”
Lauren beamed. “The parade is on March twenty-first, so barely a month. But Ellie said you’re the best and I’m sure you can pull it off.”
Yes, she was the best—and she was going to prove to the whole world just how wrong Penelope had been when she gave that promotion to Lousy Pig.
“Okay. Let me pull up a blank document on my tablet so I can jot down notes while you tell me everything I need to know about this festival.” She took a sip of her lukewarm drink and smiled when Lauren clapped her hands, looking very much like her niece. “See if we can get an extra muffin from Enya or your mom. I’ve a feeling we’re going to need it. I know I am.”
Lauren nodded and shot out of her chair. The giddiness and adrenaline of starting a new project filled Charli, as ideas swirled in her mind.
Fasten your seat belts, Spring Harbor. Charlotte Wingate is going to shake up this festival like you’ve never seen.