Home to Stay (16 page)

“I always open on Tuesdays,” she said, exhaustion washing over her. “Which means I should probably get home.”

Randy rose, pulling her with him. “Then why don’t you let me make you dinner tomorrow night? I’ll regale you with stories about Sid as a child, and all you have to do is listen.”

With a jerky breath, Will was relieved to find the hiccups had subsided. “I’d like that. But Tuesdays are our girls’ night meetings at Opal’s place.”

“That’s right. I guess keeping this a secret means bowing out of Opal’s to have dinner with me wouldn’t work.”

She smiled. “That would be hard to explain.”

“Then how about Wednesday?” he asked.

His persistence was flattering. “I can do that.”

A car drove by but Will hardly noticed. Randy looked so happy in that moment, they could have been the only two people on the island.

“Then it’s a date,” he said, taking her hand in his as they walked down the stairs.

A date with Randy Navarro. Will waited for the unease to creep in, but it didn’t come. When they reached her van, he pulled her into his arms and dropped a warm but chaste kiss on her lips.

“I’ll be home tomorrow night,” he said. “If you don’t want to wait until Wednesday to see me again, you could always drop by.”

The words were filled with such boyish charm, Will couldn’t help but smile. “Do you have a favorite from Opal’s?” she asked.

“Hmm…I don’t splurge often, but it’s been a while since I had some of that chocolate torte she makes.” His smile grew wide. “I happen to know she uses a vegan recipe.”

“You’re so well-behaved, even with desserts?” Will admired his discipline.

“I’m trying to be well-behaved right now, but it’s harder when you look at me like that.”

Another car went by and Will realized someone they knew might see them, so she stepped back. “I’d better get home. I’ll see what I can do about that chocolate torte.”

Drifting backward toward his truck, Randy replied, “I’ll leave a light on.”

CHAPTER 16

S
id and Beth were both seated at Opal’s by the time Will arrived and had ordered her pie already. She’d been distracted all day, thinking about Randy and how good she felt whenever he was around. But it was more than a physical thing. His kindness wrapped around her like a warm blanket. His mere presence felt like a protective barrier between her and the rest of the world.

The world that had been one giant threat for way too long.

But then she had to remind herself that Randy didn’t know everything, and even if she revealed the rest, the threat was still there. Looming around the next corner.

“I hear Randy helped you close up last night,” Sid said in lieu of a hello. “Is there something you want to tell us?”

Will hedged by filling her mouth with rhubarb pie. Sid waited, undeterred.

“He remembered a detail about the deck at Adventures that we missed the day before.” She threw in a shrug for good measure and reloaded her fork. “Since he was there, we put him to work.”

“He couldn’t have called over with the detail?” Sid asked, removing the rest of the liner from her cupcake. “He had to stop by and tell you in person?”

Whether she was guessing right or not, Will couldn’t let Sid get her hopes up. She was not going to be Randy’s happy ending, and it was best if everyone understood that.

“I have no control over how your brother chose to tell me.” Changing the subject, Will turned to Beth. “We’ve got the layout for the deck all set. The ceremony will be closer to the water, with the tent set up on the top level, closer to the building. That gives us more room inside, cuts down on the travel distance for the food, and gets the DJ closer to the outlets.”

“Is that what you and Randy came up with on Sunday?” Sid asked. “
At his house
?”

The woman would not let this go. If Will didn’t know Sid’s heart was in the right place, she’d be getting royally pissed right now.

“Yes, I went to his house this weekend, which you know since you gave me the address.” Will set her fork on the plate and wiped her mouth. “If this is going to turn into an inquisition, I can take my pie and go.”

“Let’s calm down, ladies,” Beth said, joining the conversation for the first time. “We’re all on the same team here, and no one is going anywhere. Sid,” she said, turning on what Will considered a mom voice. “Will and Randy have been nice enough to help with the wedding. Stop harassing her because you’ve got the love bug and think everyone else should have it, too.”

Sid stabbed her cupcake but remained silent.

“Thank you,” Will said, happy to have an end to the questions. “The caterer asked if kaiser rolls were okay, but I told them no seeds, so they’re supplying plain dinner rolls.”

“That’s good.” Beth cut her carrot cake into pieces. “The last thing I want is seeds in my teeth as I visit with the guests.”

They passed the next several minutes in silence, something new for their little gathering. Sid was pouting, which wouldn’t normally bother Will, but there was something more worrisome on her face. A trace of hurt in her eyes.

Guilt weighed heavily on Will’s shoulders. What was she doing? Sneaking around. Lying to her best friends. For what? A short break from loneliness? Some sexual release? They hadn’t even had sex yet and the complications were mounting.

“Randy and I are becoming friends,” she said, breaking the silence. It wasn’t the entire truth, but it was something.

Sid stopped with the last bite of cupcake halfway to her lips. “You are?”

“We are.”

Her friends looked at each other, Sid seemingly speechless. That was something new.

“That’s great,” Beth said, her smile beaming as she exchanged an enthusiastic look with Sid.

“Now don’t
you
start,” Will said, dropping her fork again. “I like Randy. He’s a good guy, as Sid has always said. I know the two of you are lovesick and want everyone else to pair off and go all googly-eyed, too, but that’s not going to happen with me and Randy. You guys need to face that right now and stop this tag-team Cupid stuff.”

“But if you like him—” Sid started.

“Uh-uh,” Will said, holding up a hand to halt whatever was coming next. “Believing he’s a good guy and going all till-death-do-us-part are two different things. I’m flattered you think I could be the woman for him, but I’m not. Okay?”

Regardless of the fact she wanted to be, some things were impossible.

Sid’s shoulders dropped, but she looked less petulant. “It’s your loss.”

“I won’t argue with that,” Will said. Whoever ended up as Randy’s forever would be a very lucky woman. “Now, can we talk about something else? How’s the baby stuff? Any movement yet?”

The rest of the chat centered around Beth’s baby bump, which was nonexistent as of yet, and ideas for the nursery. The future parents were also torn over whether to find out the sex when they had the chance. Joe wanted to know, but Beth wanted to be surprised. Will had no doubt when the moment of truth arrived, Beth would cave and demand to know as well.

The women were heading home by eight, each with a dessert for the road. Will set the chocolate torte on her passenger seat, then stared out the windshield, debating whether to drop by Randy’s or not. She couldn’t help but feel like a hypocrite.

She’d had to make it clear that she and Randy would not be traipsing down the aisle together. Well, other than at Beth’s wedding, but not at their own. So why did she still feel guilty?

Pulling into Randy’s driveway a few minutes later, Will smiled at the fact he really had left a light on. The porch light beamed bright, casting a yellowish glow across the worn planks.

After three deep breaths and an extra minute to gather her courage, Will walked up and knocked on the door. Torte in hand, she mumbled, “A quick visit. Drop off the food, make a little small talk, then get out.”

Then Randy opened the door looking like sex on a stick and all thoughts of a short visit melted away.

Until he saw her standing in the glow of his porch light, Randy hadn’t believed she’d come. He’d hoped, but every time Will had a few hours away from him, she seemed to change her mind about them.

“We need to talk about us,” she said, once they’d reached his kitchen.

And here they went again.

“Nothing good ever follows a statement like that,” he said, sliding the torte into the fridge. “Let’s sit down on the couch.”

Hesitantly, Will nodded. Then she froze. Pointing into the sink, she asked, “What is that?”

Randy followed her gaze. “That’s a wine glass.”

“It has lipstick on it.”

He looked closer. “Yes, it does. I had company earlier.” Knowing what it looked like, and not interested in giving Will a reason to storm out, he explained. “Remember Kayla? My friend we met at the Thai restaurant over the weekend?”

“Yes,” Will said, lips tight.

“She and her
boyfriend
,” he emphasized the last word, “came down to see me today. Austen, the boyfriend, and I had tea while Kayla had a glass of wine.”

Will chewed the edge of her bottom lip. “Oh. That must have been nice.”

“We enjoyed catching up,” he said, escorting Will toward the couch. “I like Austen, so I’m happy for Kayla. She deserves a good guy.”

When they were seated on the L-shaped sofa, with more distance between them than he liked, Will said, “That’s nice. Every girl deserves a good guy, actually.”

“True,” he agreed. “Now you want to tell me why you look ready to crawl out of your skin?”

Will exhaled. “I need to make sure you know the limits here.”

“The limits?”

“This can never turn into anything permanent.” She said the words so quickly, he wasn’t sure he’d heard her right.

“Okay. Anything else?”

She looked disappointed he didn’t put up more of a fight. “So you’re good with that?” she asked, gnawing on her bottom lip again.

Randy considered his answer and opted to ask a question of his own. “Why exactly can’t whatever we start turn into something permanent?”

Will dropped focus to her shoes. “I thought you understood my situation.”

Scooting closer, he asked, “How can I understand if you won’t tell me exactly what your situation is? If someone is hunting you down, you have to know we’d never let him hurt you.” With more force he said, “
I
wouldn’t let him hurt you.”

Blue eyes locked with his. “That means more to me than you’ll ever know, but it’s even more reason you have to understand what I can give you, and what I can’t. I want you, Randy, but I don’t know how to have you and not screw everything up.”

Not the answer he was expecting. “What do you think you’re going to screw up?”

“You,” she said, hopping up to pace along the coffee table. “I can’t offer anything more than right now.”

“I’m not asking for more than that,” Randy said, lurching to his feet. He shouldn’t have pushed her so hard. “There are no guarantees in life. I know that better than anyone. But we’re staying in the now, remember? We’re not talking about a lifetime commitment here.”

“But that’s what you deserve. Sid is right, you’re a great guy, and you deserve someone who isn’t a basket case running from her past, unable to promise anything beyond next month or even next week.”

“We need to slow this down here.” Randy ran a hand through his hair, then stepped around the table to take Will’s hands. “I know our friends are planning weddings and having babies, but that doesn’t mean every date has to end with a proposal. Or start with one. I sure as hell don’t want you to disappear in a week, but I’m not sizing rings and picking out his and hers towels.”

“That’s good,” she said. “Because I did that once and it did not turn out well.”

“First of all, I’m not that guy. And second, there’s no pressure here.” He pulled her around the coffee table and back to the couch. “Tomorrow, you’re coming over for dinner. Two adults, sharing a meal. We tell some stories, enjoy a glass of wine, and you go home whenever you’re ready. We don’t have to think about anything beyond that.”

Her hands relaxed in his as her brow settled into less of a scowl. “I suck at this in-the-moment thing, don’t I?”

Randy nodded. “You could use some work at it, yeah.”

“Okay.” Will shook her head, sending dark waves dancing around her shoulders. “No more freaking out. I promise, the woman who shows up at your door tomorrow night will be sane and rational.”

“And I will feed her a fettuccine alfredo that will knock her socks off.”

“With chocolate torte for dessert?” Will asked.

“I think that can be arranged.” Randy grinned.

“Now that’s an offer I can’t refuse.”

Randy brushed a knuckle over her cheek. “Are we okay now?”

Will bobbed her head in the affirmative. “We are. Though I wouldn’t blame you for calling this off right now.”

Whether she believed him or not, Randy was certain they could overcome her past. Together. All she needed was time to see that she didn’t have to handle everything alone. Not anymore.

“Maybe I should let you taste the torte now,” he said. “To ensure you come back.”

“I
should
probably try it,” she said, a teasing light in her eye. “To make sure it’s as good as it sounds.”

Randy pulled her toward the kitchen. “Prepare for a life-changing experience, Ms. Parsons.”

Will laughed as he handed her a spoon. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

“Don’t be silly,” he said, opening the small plastic container. “I don’t share my torte with just anyone. Consider yourself special.”

He was rewarded with an attractive blush as they slid their spoons through the layers of chocolate. Will
was
special. And he was determined to make her see it.

With May inching over the horizon, warmer winds danced over Anchor as the days grew noticeably longer. Will was a ball of nerves as she showered and dressed for dinner with Randy. After much debate, she slipped on the matching bra and panties long relegated to the back of her underwear drawer.

The lace made her feel pretty, and the extra support for the girls provided a much-needed boost to her confidence. Not that sex with Randy was a definite part of this dinner, but a girl should always be prepared. It wasn’t as if there was a question whether they
would
have sex—it was more an issue of when. And if they didn’t dive in and do it soon, Will worried her libido might actually suffocate her in her sleep.