Home to Stay (13 page)

By noon on Sunday, Will had been to the coffee shop, the real estate office, and Lola’s art store, but no one needed her to work. This was why she needed a hobby. In the last three years she’d done nothing but work. That’s what she was used to doing. Who she was.

Growing up with a mother who never worked, cleaned house, or boiled water, let alone cooked a meal, had in some reverse-psychology way instilled a strong work ethic in Will’s brain. She’d made sure the bills were paid, food was in the house, and clean clothes were in the drawers. It wasn’t so much that her mother was lazy; she’d just been raised a certain way. When you’ve had servants from the day you were born, doing for yourself is as foreign as living on the moon.

Will considered going to Dempsey’s but knew Tom would only kick her out. Why they were so damn determined to make her take time off was a mystery. Beth was the pregnant stress ball, not Will. A week with a reporter breathing down her neck had made her a little tense, and whatever sparks were flying between her and Randy didn’t help, but they wouldn’t blame her for being wound too tight if they knew why these things bothered her.

Not that she could tell any of them.

“An extra pair of hands, willing and able,” Will yelled as she stepped through the open garage door of Sid’s under-construction business. The mechanic was perched on a tall ladder working on some kind of pulley contraption.

“Those hands are not wanted here,” Sid yelled back, keeping her eye on the task at hand. “I’m under direct orders not to let you work today.”

Tom had her blackballed? That was low.

“Come on,” Will whined. “I have to do something. Let me hold the ladder. Anything!”

Sid finally turned to face her. “What is wrong with you? Most people would love a day off. Hell, some people purposely take days off just to fart around.” She began to climb down. “It’s a nice day. Go sit in the park, or read on the sand.”

Didn’t Sid realize that sitting still, even with a book, wasn’t an option? Will needed to be doing something. Planning something.

Wait. The wedding. All those details Randy mentioned.

“Do you know if Randy is home?”

Sid’s eyes went wide. “Who are you?”

Will shook her head. “What?”

“The Will I know wouldn’t spend an entire day with my brother and then purposely go see him again the next day.” Sid pulled a large handkerchief from her back pocket and wiped her hands. “Did something happen yesterday? I told him to woo you, but I didn’t think he’d do it.”

“You what?” Woo her? Didn’t wooing lead to marriage? There would be no wooing. “Why would you do that?”

“Don’t get your knickers in a twist,” Sid said, holding up her hands. “He was asking some questions about you and I thought he might be interested. Since both of you could use some mattress dancing, I encouraged him.”

Mattress dancing? Where did she get this shit? “You know how I feel about your brother. Why do you think I’d want to be wooed by him?” Will couldn’t believe she’d used that word.

“I have no idea how you feel about my brother. He’s never done anything to deserve the cold shoulder you gave him for so long.” Sid shoved the handkerchief back in her pocket and advanced on Will. “You’ve been talking lately, even spent the entire day together, and I didn’t hear that anything horrible happened.”

“The day wasn’t bad,” Will admitted, reluctantly. “But that doesn’t mean—”

“Randy is a great guy,” Sid continued, cutting her off. “I found my happy with Lucas, and I want to see my brother find his happy, too.” One pointy finger poked Will’s chest. “You’d be lucky to have him.”

Blinking, Will rubbed the spot where Sid had poked. “That might be the sweetest, most girly thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

“You’ve insulted my brother. Don’t start insulting me.”

Will sighed. “You need to learn how to take a compliment.”

Sid tucked a wayward curl behind her ear. “Tell me my truck kicks ass, or my garage is killer. Those are compliments.”

Throwing an arm around her friend’s shoulders, Will said, “You have the most badass truck on this island. And this garage is going to rock.” Giving her a squeeze, she asked, “Better?”

Brown eyes the same color as Randy’s narrowed. “Are you hugging me?”

Will tensed. “Maybe.” She loosened her grip and put distance between them, not interested in another poke.

“Are you going to see Randy?” Sid asked.

“I have to do something, and he’s got the info I need to lock down the final details on Beth and Joe’s wedding.”

Sid walked behind the counter on the left side of the room and pulled out a large envelope. “Could you give him this?”

“Sure,” Will said, tucking the envelope under her arm. “Do I need to give him a message with it?”

“Nah.” Sid went back to the ladder. “But do me a favor.”

“What’s that?” Will asked, tilting her head back to follow Sid’s ascent.

The mechanic stopped halfway up and turned. “Make him open it while you’re there. I don’t want him to be alone when he sees it.”

That meant whatever was inside was either bad news or a sad memory. The thought of being Randy’s emotional support wasn’t something Will relished, but she’d do it for her friend. Both the one before her and the one she was going to see.

“Fine, I’ll do it. But I’ll need his address.”

CHAPTER 13

R
andy swept the mess onto the dustpan and emptied it into the garbage. That was the one negative about living on an island. Sand. The stuff was pervasive, and though he swept the wood floors daily, there was always more the next day.

Sunday was his day to clean the house and work on the business financials. He’d been at them all morning, taking a much-needed break to do the floors. When swinging a broom was more attractive than staring at financial reports, things were not looking good.

Someone knocked at his front door as Randy pulled the garbage bag fro
m the can in the kitchen. Odd, since he wasn’t expecting anyone. Even more odd when he spotted Will through the glass, waving from the other si
de.

“Hey there,” he said, pushing the screen door open. “Come on in.”

Randy hadn’t entertained a female in his house in longer than he could remember. At least one to whom he wasn’t related. Sid came
over often enough, usually to bust his chops and mooch his food. Though that cut back when Lucas moved in with her. From what Randy heard, the lawyer could turn out a gourmet meal with the best of them.

Will stepped into the foyer carrying a large envelope and a day planner. He closed the door and turned to find her standing wide eyed, staring into his living room. She looked great. Dark jeans that tapered into heavy black boots. Long dark waves draped across the shoulders of her denim jacket.

“You can go on in,” he said, feeling like a teenage boy staring at the hottest girl in school. A role he was too damned old to play. “Unless you aren’t here to stay.”

“Well…I…” She pointed to the open space beyond them. “Did I step through some kind of portal? Because there’s no way a house on Anchor looks like this.”

Contrary to most everyone else on the island, Randy didn’t go for the beach cottage look. He liked clean lines, limited decor, and solid, neutral colors. Sid often told him the place looked like a cross between a hospital and a museum, but he felt at home in the minimalist setting.

“You’re still on Anchor.” He felt like an idiot hovering in the entryway and needed something to do with his hands before he reached out to test the softness of her curls. “Can I take your jacket?”

Will sloughed off the denim while keeping her eyes on the living room. “This could be in a magazine. A very chic, modern design magazine.” She moved toward the metal-frame coffee table as Randy hung her jacket on a hook near the door. “It’s like Zen meets understated simplicity. Masculine without the sports pennants and oversized furniture.”

“Do you expect every man’s home to look like a frat house?” he asked, following her into the living room, trying to keep his eyes at shoulder height. He considered asking what kind of men she spent time with but remembered that was not a positive subject.

Will moved to the fireplace, running a finger along his newest acquisition—the statue from Lola’s that had reminded him of her. He’d actually swung over to buy it after Will had left the day before.

“This is beautiful,” she said, in hushed tones. “A touch of feminine curves in a room filled with hard lines.”

“It’s from Lola’s,” he explained, leaving out his impetus for buying it. He had yet to learn why she was there. No need to scare her away before they’d even sat down. “Not that I don’t appreciate the company, but is there a reason for this unexpected visit?”

“Oh.” Will turned, holding up the items she’d tucked beneath one arm. “I came to get those details you mentioned yesterday. The deck dimensions and stuff for the wedding.” She extended an envelope his way. “But first, Sid asked me to give you this. Tom insisted I take today off, and I’m not used to sitting still, so I’ve been all over the island trying to find someone who would let me work, with no takers,” she rambled. “Sid said no, too.”

“So that makes me your last option?” he asked, taking the envelope and dropping it onto the coffee table. “Flattering.” Though he was happy to even be on her list.

“She asked that I have you open that while I’m here,” Will said, shuffling her feet and looking everywhere but at Randy. “Said you’d need a friend around when you saw it.”

Sid’s request piqued his curiosity, but not as much as the implication that Will was willing to be the friend in this scenario. “Have you had lunch?” he asked. “I’ve got some chili I made last night ready to heat up.”

“I’m guessing it’s meat-free?”

He padded barefoot into the kitchen. “Yes, ma’am. And you’ll never miss it.”

Will took a seat at the island. “I’m game.” She dropped the planner on the counter, crossing her arms over it. “I didn’t even think to ask if I was interrupting something. I’d have called first, but Sid doesn’t have a phone in yet at the garage.”

Randy pulled a pan from the cupboard beside the stove, then stepped to the fridge to get the chili. “Paperwork. With two businesses, I usually spend my Sundays working the books. Adventures opens the Monday after the wedding, so I’m working on being ready when we open the doors.”

“You don’t sound very enthused about that.”

“I have tea and water. Which would you like?” he asked.

“Water is fine.” Will propped her chin on her palm. “You don’t like the financial side of running a business?”

“It’s not that I don’t like it,” he answered, sliding the bottle of water across the island. “The numbers haven’t been as easy to deal with lately.” That was the understatement of the year.

Her response was completely unexpected.

“I could take a look for you.” Will spun the cap off the water bottle. “Patty let me clean up the books for Dempsey’s while they were gone, and they’re looking much better now.”

His books were his business, but hadn’t he harassed her the day before for being too stubborn to accept help?

“Do you have some kind of background in accounting?” Randy asked, realizing the woman couldn’t have been a bartender her whole life. “Is that what you went to college for?”

A look of unease crossed her face. “I had a couple classes. Forget I asked.” She took a drink of the water, keeping her eyes averted. “I didn’t mean to butt into your business.”

Randy knew Dempsey’s had been in trouble enough to require an infusion of money from Lucas the fall before. If Will worked some kind of magic on their books, and Patty was pleased with it, then what did he have to lose?

“The program is open on the laptop,” he said, pointing toward a doorway on the other side of the living room. “First door on the right. I’ll heat this up and bring it in.”

Will sat up straight. “Really? I mean—”

“Really.” Randy pulled a bamboo spoon from the large utensil holder next to the stove. “Have a look. Maybe a second pair of eyes will see something I’m missing.”

If he didn’t know better, Randy would swear that was excitement in Will’s eyes. Since when did the prospect of financial reports and bank statements elicit excitement in anyone? And how could he get her to look at him with that same kind of enthusiasm?

“Great.” She hopped off the stool, snagging her water as she went. “Let’s see what we’ve got.”

Two hours later, Will was running on an adrenaline high from finding three key areas that would help Randy get control of his numbers. Few people understood why a child who grew up on the edge of society, living like a gypsy, would ever want to venture into accounting, but Will loved the clarity of it. Numbers didn’t lie. They weren’t ambiguous. And they rarely changed.

With accounting, you knew where you stood, but there was also a flexibility required to be really good. An ability to see things that might not be obvious to anyone else. With a mother who knew nothing about managing money, Will had found the need to be creative with numbers from an early age.

By establishing a career in accounting, she could put the kind of out-of-the-box thinking she’d been doing most of her life to work for other people. And she enjoyed solving intricate financial puzzles like the one she’d worked through with Randy.

“Where did you learn to do that?” he asked as they returned to the kitchen. He put their empty bowls into the dishwasher while Will took a seat and opened Beth’s planner on the island. “Your talents are being wasted behind a bar.”

Will enjoyed the compliment, but to answer the question would reveal too much about her past. “Let’s say I have a head for numbers.” Which was true. She always had. “And I like tending bar. There’s actually a good bit of math involved. Two ounces of this to one and a half of that, and then a splash of something else. These are serious calculations, and one ounce off can kill a drink.”

He closed the dishwasher, then wiped his hands on a towel. “I’d never thought of that, but I guess you’re right.”

“Okay, I helped you. Now it’s time for you to return the favor.” She pulled the pen from the leather loop along the side of the planner. “Maybe we should draw the wedding layout for the deck. Too bad we don’t have any graph paper.”

Randy held up a finger, then disappeared in the direction of the office. Will spun on her seat, staring once again at the open and spacious living room. The furnishings were minimal and screamed modern, but they also gave off a kind of welcoming warmth. Maybe it was the gray of the couch, or the thick black area rug under the contemporary coffee table.

What artwork did cover the walls, which wasn’t much, was simple, understated, and carried an Asian influence. A content-looking Buddha hovered on the coffee table. Will had never studied Eastern religions, but the serene and happy-looking fat man had always made her smile.

There was also the envelope Randy had yet to open. They could get to that after the wedding details were down. That way, she could leave as soon as she’d fulfilled her duty and been present when Randy saw whatever it was Sid sent over. As much as she’d enjoyed straightening out his books, she realized that every minute they spent together deepened their budding friendship.

In truth, Will was incredibly attracted to the big guy with the quick smile and gentle ways. Which meant she should be bolting for the door.

“Ask and ye shall receive,” Randy said, reaching the kitchen with graph paper in hand. He set it on the island, opened a drawer on the other side, and withdrew two pencils. “Now we’re ready. How about I draw up a rough version of what I see, then we can work out the details together?”

“Sounds good to me.” And it did.

She and Randy made a good team. He never pushed to be in charge. Never threw his weight around, so to speak. There were moments when he forced her to be open minded, or admit he had a point, but those encounters were over as quickly as they began, with no male ego victory dancing involved.

Randy swung around the island, taking the stool to her right, which worked out well since she was left-handed and he wrote with his right. They even fit together physically.

Time to put the brakes on that line of thinking and concentrate on the task at hand.

And then she got a whiff of Randy’s clean scent. It hadn’t distracted her nearly as much in the office, because she’d been engrossed in the numbers and he’d not been this close. Their shoulders were practically touching as he leaned over the paper. She could feel the heat from his body along her entire right side.

He’d drawn the seating area for the ceremony, as well as the tent positioning, before Will pulled her brain back to the graph paper.

“We don’t want the tent overpowering the ceremony, looming too close, so setting up a longer and slightly narrower one on the first level down will leave the top open for the actual ceremony.”

“Right,” Will said, watching his fingers as they lightly grasped the pencil and floated across the surface of the paper. The light touch was contradictory to his size and stature.

Would he be gentle in a more…intimate setting as well?

Holy cheese and crackers. What was wrong with her? Maybe he’d put something in the chili that sent her libido into overdrive. Could the right combination of vegetables do that? Hell if she knew, but as Randy was keeping this visit completely platonic, Will needed to remember to do the same.

Randy hadn’t slid in so much as a single innuendo. No sly looks beneath his lashes, or even a raised brow. Though they were practically thigh-to-thigh, he didn’t appear to be the least bit affected by their proximity.

Meaning she was in this state of heightened awareness alone. Lovely.

“The only problem might be the catering,” he said, leaning back from the paper. “They’ll have to haul everything down a level, so it increases the chance of dropped food.”

He looked at Will as if expecting an answer, but her mind was blank. Time to get her shit together. She put all her energy into examining the graph paper and saw an idea.

“What if we switch them?”

“Switch what?”

She pulled a blank piece of paper from the stack and began to draw. “What if we hold the ceremony closer to the water and put the tent on the larger top deck?” Will remembered from the day before that there were two ways down to the pier. “The guests can go from the parking lot, along the left walkway, and down toward the pier.”

“That might work,” Randy said, pondering her suggestion.