Chapter 9
Lucas waited for Ella at the same spot with a blanket and a bag of black jelly beans that he had to order online and pay an exorbitant amount in shipping, but he didn’t mind.
The moon hung bright in the sky, shinning down onto the water’s surface, making it look like a trail of glitter.
The lighthouse jutted above the water, and the waves crashed around the piece of earth it sat upon. The sound was soothing, making Lucas forget about the stresses of saving Joe’s business. He thought owning and managing a start-up was stressful, but as stressful as it was, he kept it neatly packed away with the business side of his brain. He didn’t make his relationships with his employees personal. He focused on what was best for the business and had no problem letting go of the dead weight that didn’t help propel him toward his success.
Now he couldn’t help thinking that he had gone about it all wrong. Yes, his business was successful and ran like a well-oiled machine, and yes, he liked his employees, at least for the most part, but they weren’t a big happy family like Joe was with his employees. Unless he counted Brian and Leo but they were on the same level as him and he had a personal relationship with them before the company started.
He didn’t even know if his office manager was married, no less had kids. He didn’t ask, because honestly, he always thought it was none of his business, and it would just get in the way of the end goal. Now he couldn’t help but wonder.
“Look at you high-jacking my spot,” Ella’s voice came from behind him, and he turned just as she fell to her knees in front of him.
“I hear this is the best place in town.”
“It is.”
Her mouth dropped open then lifted into a beautiful smile that brightened her entire face. “Are those what I think they are?” she asked, pointing to the bag.
“Little beans of happiness all for you,” he said.
She threw herself into his arms and kissed him. He had to fight the urge to flip her beneath him, show her just how much he wanted her. He had meant what he’d said to her about waiting. He didn’t want to cheapen what they had by jumping into things too quickly, but now looking at her, long brown hair, styled in soft curls and eye makeup that brought out the black specks in her eyes, he was kicking himself.
He wanted her more than he ever wanted anything before, and waiting was pure torture. Still, it was important they took it slow. He wanted to be someone she could remember with a smile and not recall with sickening regret.
She ran a hand through his hair. “You seem tense. You okay?”
He rested back on his elbows, glancing out to the infinite body of water. “My grandfather’s problems aren’t an easy fix like I thought they would be.”
Ella lounged beside him, taking the bag of jelly beans with her. “I’m sorry.”
“I want to help him, but I don’t know what to do at this point. I feel like a total failure.”
“You’re not a failure,” Ella said, and bless her heart for trying, but those were just words. Anybody could say them; it wouldn’t change the truth.
“Thanks, but I still feel like one.”
She rolled onto her stomach, propping her chin on her hand and looking up at him with those big beautiful eyes. She held out a jelly bean, and he took it from her hand with his teeth.
“Why do I have a feeling this goes much deeper than that?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s not just about helping Joe; it’s about proving to him you can like maybe it could help make up for all those years you weren’t in his life.”
“Do you have a psychology degree I don’t know about?”
She laughed. “Definitely not. We might have only known each other for a really short time, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know you. You’re like me. You wear your heart on your sleeve; you just have a better way of hiding it than I do.”
“I don’t, though,” Lucas said. “At least not until I came here.”
Ella smiled, and it was the perfect combination of adorable and sexy. “Willow Cove has that effect on people.”
Lucas laughed. “No kidding.”
“So what’s the problem?” she asked, and while he probably should hesitate in telling her, he trusted her.
“Joe’s broke. He hasn’t turned a profit in over four years, and I have a few options that’ll get him through this season, but as far as long term, I don’t have any answers.”
“I had no idea,” Ella said.
“No one does as far as I can tell. Not even his own employees.” He ran a hand through his hair and let out a breath. “Joe doesn’t have much. The restaurant is his life. And now I have to find a way to save it.”
“What about a fundraiser? The town would surely chip in. We look out for one another. Feud or not, I’d be happy to help. We could do a raffle and have the local businesses donate or we could see about setting up an event to help raise money.”
Lucas shook his head. “Joe’s too proud. He would never ask for help or want people to know he needed it. I don’t think he’d ever forgive me if I let his secret out. I shouldn’t even be telling you, granddaughter of his sworn enemy. So please, can you keep this between us?”
“Of course. I would never say anything.”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Thank you.”
She nuzzled into his side, and he loved how perfectly she fit there. “We’ll figure it out,” she said.
We. He liked the sound of that. But how much longer could they go on like this? They were adults for fucks sake, and they were sneaking around like teenagers. He could admit it was fun, but he wanted to tell the world how much he adored this beautiful woman in his arms. He wanted to hold her hand as they strolled through the pier, share an ice cream sundae at Scoops, and kiss her whenever he had the urge. It was pure torture seeing her every day across the street in those sexy as hell dresses and tiny shorts.
He wanted to scream from the rooftops that Ella Moretti was his girl, and he didn’t give a damn what anyone thought. But this wasn’t his town, and it wasn’t his place to make that stand. Not if it could hurt Ella in anyway. Though he hoped her fears were merely inconsequential and that her family wouldn’t make her choose. Because he knew if it came down to it, she would choose them, and he would lose her forever.
***
Ella could feel the tension rolling off of Lucas, and she wanted to do something to help clear his mind. “Come on,” she said, holding her hand out to him. He looked at it for a second before glancing up at her.
“Where are we going?”
“Take my hand and find out.”
He slipped his much bigger hand into hers, and with all her might, she pulled back, helping him to his feet. She stumbled slightly but was steadied by his strong hand wrapping around her waist and holding her in place.
Unable to resist his adorable smirk, she lifted up on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his. She liked that she could kiss him whenever she wanted… at least out here on the beach away from the prying eyes of the rest of the town. She didn’t think she’d ever be able to do so anywhere else in Willow Cove without World War III erupting.
It wasn’t just her family either. Lucas’ grandfather had called her family delinquents. Not that he was completely wrong, but his words had been hurtful. Not that he seemed to care. Neither side could see beyond their hatred of each other; they were blinded by this stupid feud that Ella wished she could find a way to finally bring to an end.
“Grab the blanket,” she said with a sassy wink. If they couldn’t be together in the outside world then she was going to make the time they did have together as memorable as possible.
He tilted his head, and she spun away and started to walk. The cool air of late spring wrapped around her as she moved farther down the beach. Lucas caught up with her seconds later, the blanket draped over his arm. “Are you going to tell me another depressing story?” he asked.
She laughed. “You mean another romantic story?”
“If that’s what you want to call it.”
“No more stories. I want to show you something.”
“I’m intrigued,” he said.
“You should be.”
She ran her hands up and down her arms, fighting a chill caused by a cold breeze. Lucas draped the blanket over her shoulders. He rubbed her arms and leaned down near her ear. His warm breath sent a trail of goosebumps down her neck. “Better?” he asked.
“Yes, thank you.”
“You smell nice,” he said, his nose lingering near her neck.
“It’s probably my soap. It’s homemade.”
“You make soap?” he asked.
“Definitely not. My friend Krissy, the one who owns Scoops, she also makes and sells homemade soaps and lip balms. That’s her real passion. So the ice cream shop works out perfectly since it’s only open for the season. The rest of the time she can focus on her other business.”
“She makes it from scratch?”
“Yup, all organic. She even has a line made with beer.”
“Beer?” Lucas exclaimed. “Now that’s something I wouldn’t mind trying.”
“You can pick it up at Mind, Body, and Soul and a few other places in town.” Krissy did most of her sales in her online store, but many of the local shops were happy to let her set up a display. Being able to add the tag “locally made” helped draw the tourists in.
“What about you?” Lucas asked.
“What about me?”
“What’s your passion? Is it working at your family restaurant?”
Ella went quiet for a moment. “No,” she said with a sad laugh. “I mean I love my family and the restaurant, of course, but it’s not my passion. It’s my grandfather’s and my brother Enzo’s. I gave up my passion when my grandma died to help my grandfather get back on his feet.”
“How long ago was that?”
“Six years.”
Lucas eyed her curiously. “That’s a long time.”
“Who can put a timeframe on healing?”
“You can’t, but you also can’t let life pass you by because one day you’re going to look back and wonder, and you don’t want that.”
“I’ve kind of accepted it for now.”
“What were you going to school for?” he asked.
“Interior design. I love working with people and transforming their spaces into a representation of who they are. A well-designed room can tell you a lot about a person.”
“Really?”
“Tell me what your place is like back in California.”
“I have a couch, a desk, a TV, a couple stools at the island in my kitchen. That’s about it.”
“You lean on the side of practical. You don’t care about what the space looks like as long as it’s functional. You probably don’t spend a lot of time there, so creating an atmosphere isn’t much of a concern either. Am I close?”
“I never actually heard it put into words before, but yes. You hit the nail right on the head.”
“See.”
“So why step away from it? You can still work at the restaurant, help your family and do interior design on the side. Just like your friend with the ice cream shop.”
“I do. My brother Marco let me decorate his place. Enzo said come fall I can take a stab at his place. And I helped Krissy with hers.”
“Did you charge them?”
“Of course not! I would never charge family. Besides, I’m not doing it to make money. I enjoy it and I want my family to live in a space that best evokes who they are.”
“You’re selling yourself short. You could totally charge for your services. Make a business out of it.”
“I never even finished my degree.”
“A designer doesn’t need a piece of paper to prove their talent. They just need to show what they’re capable of. You should take pictures of your brother’s place and Krissy’s and start a portfolio. It couldn’t hurt. Then one day in the future, if you decide you want to pursue a career, you’ll already have the foundation to get you started. You can build a website, get business cards made, and hand them out around town.”
She laughed. “You are such a business man.”
“Sorry. Sometimes I can’t turn it off.”
“It’s okay. It’s kind of adorable actually.”
“Is it now?” he asked, moving closer to her. He framed the sides of her face with the tips of his fingers and lowered his mouth to hers. His lips moved against hers and the tip of his tongue slid past her teeth.
Every nerve ending in her body sparked to life as he deepened the kiss. She relished in his warm embrace, the tender thrust of his tongue, and the sweet caress of his hand on her cheek.
He pulled back, resting his head against hers. “You make me lose control.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Depends.”
“On what?” she asked, blinking up at him and meeting his dark blue gaze.
“What you think.”
She gave him a wicked smiled. “In that case it’s a very, very good thing.”