LEVI STEELE FELT like hell, and he had his older brother Archer to thank for it.
He usually slept like a bear when he went home to Silver Island to visit his parents. Being with his family and the friends he’d known forever gave him a sense of peace and reminded him of his childhood, when the worst thing he’d had to worry about was his twin older brothers, Jack, who went by the nickname Jock, and Archer, pranking him. Their pranks were wicked, but he’d take one of those any day over the way Archer had messed with his head last night, suggesting he make a move on Tara Osten, his eight-year-old daughter Joey’s beautiful blond aunt. If that wasn’t enough to annoy him, Archer had spent the rest of the night citing his observations about Tara smiling flirtatiously at Levi.
Levi had known Tara forever. She’d been an adorably pudgy, introverted kid and had grown into a beautiful, funny, confident woman who had earned a phenomenal reputation for her photography on and off the island, and she somehow still managed to exude the allure of the girl next door. She had an innate sweetness and innocent blue eyes that had always made Levi want to protect her. He didn’t know if she was innocent or not, and yeah, he’d wondered about it from time to time, but he’d been quick to lock that shit down. She was Joey’s birth mother Amelia’s sister, for Pete’s sake, and he knew better than to get tangled up in that hornet’s nest. But now that Archer had opened his damn mouth, Levi couldn’t stop picking apart his brother’s comments. When Joey was born, Levi had purposefully closed off his heart to women, and now he wondered if it had skewed his perception. Had Tara flirted with him, and he’d somehow missed it? A zing of something hot and dark spiked inside him.
Jesus, do I want her to flirt with me?
Fucking Archer.
He went to get dressed for a run, remembering how Tara, at fifteen, had been instantly smitten with his little bundle of joy. He’d been nineteen and living with his parents when he’d found out Amelia was pregnant and twenty when Joey was born. Tara had shown up every day after school and first thing in the morning during the summer to spend time with her. Joey had suffered from colic as an infant and had loved napping in Tara’s arms, holding her aunt’s long blond hair in her tiny fist. She’d cried when anyone had tried to take her from Tara. Levi could still picture his honey-haired little girl at two, toddling after Tara, and Tara scooping her up, nuzzling her cherubic cheeks, sending Joey into fits of giggles. He was convinced Tara had gotten a double dose of maternal genes, since her older sister seemed to have gotten none.
Amelia was a year older than Levi, and they’d never dated, but they’d had sex once when Amelia was home from college for a weekend. Two months later he’d found out she was pregnant via text. The message would forever be ingrained in his mind. I’m pregnant. It’s yours. I’m having it, and unless you want it, I’m putting it up for adoption.
Her use of the word it still turned his stomach.
He pulled on his sweatpants. He’d never forget how the world had stood still while he’d processed that text. He’d been trying to figure out what to do with his life while working construction. He loved working with his hands and hadn’t had an interest in going to college like Jock, who’d dreamed of becoming a screenwriter and had since written two novels, or had aspirations of working at their family’s winery like Archer. But from the moment Levi had read that text, he’d known that whatever career he chose would come second to caring for his baby.
He’d thought he knew what he was signing up for as a single father, but he couldn’t have been more wrong. Between working to afford diapers, formula, and everything else a tiny human needed, while getting almost no sleep and worrying over every little thing, he’d felt like a zombie in the Twilight Zone. Thank goodness for his family, friends, Tara, and after a while, for her family, too. He finally understood what his mother and grandmother had meant when they’d said, It takes a village…
He put on sneakers, hoping running would stir up enough endorphins to overshadow the shitty night’s sleep he’d endured and the shitstorm of mental chaos Archer had induced. Archer had never been good at understanding or dealing with emotions until his now-fiancée, Indi Oliver, had worked her magic. He’d changed a lot, but he obviously still needed help, because the more Levi thought about it, the more he realized he’d never seen Tara flirt with anyone. She was a consistent and important part of their lives, and Joey was lucky to have her. Hell, they both were, and he didn’t need to screw that up. Archer knew they had an easy friendship, which meant she smiled at him often, and for the life of him, Levi couldn’t figure out why his brother would twist it into something more.
He gazed out the window, and as if the answer had risen with the sun, he realized his pain-in-the-ass brother was intentionally screwing with his head. The bastard was pranking him.
Levi cursed and scrubbed a hand down his face, annoyed that he let his brother get to him. He inserted his phone into his armband and put the armband on, trying to push away his annoyance as he pocketed his earbuds and followed the scent of freshly brewed coffee downstairs, but frustration pecked at him like a crow to roadkill.
He heard two of his sisters talking as he came down the hall. Last night was the grand opening of Indi’s cosmetic boutique, and their whole family had shown up to support her. While Jock, Archer, and their youngest sister, Jules, lived on the island, Levi lived in Harborside, Massachusetts, his twin sister, Leni, lived in New York City, and their oldest sister, Sutton, lived in Port Hudson, which was in Upstate New York.
He found Joey sitting at the kitchen table in her pajamas with his mother and Leni. Sutton stood at the counter pouring a cup of coffee. “Morning, ladies.”
He kissed the top of Joey’s head, giving her shoulder a squeeze, and met his mother’s smiling eyes. Shelley Steele was a big, beautiful woman with a vivacious personality. She had long auburn hair, bangs that gave her a youthful look, and a heart of gold, which his father wholly and completely owned. His parents had taught him more about patience, parenting, and love than he could have ever asked for.
“Look what the cat dragged in.” Sutton, a tall, sassy, and tenacious blond television reporter, carried her coffee to the table, exchanging a secretive glance with Leni.
“Grandma made blueberry pancakes.” Joey tilted her adorable freckled face up to look at him with a mouthful of food. She had Amelia’s fair skin and cinnamon hair, but thankfully, she’d inherited Levi’s love of life and big heart. “You look funny, Dad.”
“Maybe because you’re looking at me upside down.” He ruffled her hair and went to get a glass of water.
“Or maybe because you look like crap.” Leni sipped her coffee, her auburn hair framing her snarky expression. “What happened to you last night?”
“What happened to you last night?” he countered, their age-old banter coming as easily as his own name.
“What did you hear?” Leni asked coyly.
He filled his glass with water, staring her down. “What did you hear?” If Archer said anything to her or anyone else about Tara, Levi was going to kill him. The last thing Tara needed was to deal with unfounded gossip.
“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Leni’s lips curved slyly.
“Okay, you two,” their mother interrupted with a shake of her head. “Sheesh, it’s like you’re teenagers all over again.”
Joey giggled.
Levi leaned against the counter drinking his water, sharing a chuckle with his sisters. It was all in fun. They were each other’s confidants. His twin was the most sarcastic of his siblings, but she was also the most practical and level-headed, making decisions with her brain rather than her heart. He was fairly certain he was the only one who knew why she no longer opened her heart to men, and he’d take that secret to his grave. Just as he knew she protected his secrets.
Leni was the first person he’d called when he’d gotten that text from Amelia. She’d been at college in New York City, and when he’d told her he wanted to keep the baby, she’d come home. They’d talked all night, and Leni had done what she did best. She’d made lists—dozens of them—and had forced Levi to think of everything good and bad that could possibly come from being a single parent. Even at nineteen, she’d been far more practical, and smarter, than most people their age. She’d helped him forecast budgets for raising a kid from birth to college, which had freaked him out, but then she’d helped him feel less lost and more in control. She’d believed he’d be a great father, and in the years since, when things got tough, she was always there to say, I know you can do this.
His mother studied him with a furrowed brow. “Actually, honey, you do look a little rough around the edges. Did you and the boys go out and have too much to drink last night?”
“I haven’t had too much to drink in years. I just didn’t sleep well.” The conception of his daughter had knocked the urge to drink himself into oblivion to the curb. Back then he’d thought hangovers were hell, but they had nothing on Archer’s ability to screw with his head.
“I’m sorry to hear you didn’t sleep well,” his mother said. “Joey said you have a big afternoon planned with the Venting Vixens.”
When Joey was an infant, Levi had met a group of moms that got together on weekends to commiserate and hang out, and he’d dubbed them the Venting Vixens. They’d been his sanity saviors the first year after Joey was born. They understood his fatigue and frustrations and how, at times, he felt as though he’d lost his own identity. When he and Joey were in town, they still got together with some of them and their children.
“You’re not going to cancel, are you, Dad?” Joey asked.
“No way, sweets. I know how much you’re looking forward to showing them your new skateboarding tricks.” His daughter had gone through a long princess stage, but she’d moved on to skateboarding. He loved that she followed her passions, and he did everything he could to support them, including hooking her up with skateboarding lessons.
“Don’t forget my new Dark Knights stuff Uncle Brent gave me,” Joey exclaimed.
“It’s all in your bag and ready to go.” Levi and his twin older cousins Jesse and Brent, who also lived in Harborside, were members of the Dark Knights motorcycle club. Joey had grown up around bikers, and all the guys looked out for her and treated her like she was their own daughter. She was so close to them, she called most of them her uncles. Jesse and Brent owned a surf shop and restaurant, and Brent had been skateboarding since he was a kid. He’d been training Joey for the past year, and he’d given her a helmet and pads with the Dark Knights emblem on them to wear to her first tournament, which was just a few weeks away. It was a big one, the fifteenth annual for their town, and Joey was determined to win a trophy.
“I’m glad you’re making time to see the Vixens,” his mother said. “I was talking with Grace Chabot the other day, and she told me her daughter is still single.” Her brows waggled.
“Where are all the hot-single-dad groups?” Sutton asked.
“You won’t find them on this island,” Leni droned.
Levi put his glass in the dishwasher. “It’s not like that with this group.”
“But it could be,” his mother said. “You have so much love to give, honey. All our kids do, but not as easily as you used to. Don’t you remember how you were before Joey was born? You had lots of girlfriends, and you were always loving on them and spoiling them, and every one of them added something special to your life.”
He couldn’t imagine trying to fit a woman into their busy lives, much less splitting his attention between his daughter and anyone else. He wasn’t about to slight Joey. Her mother did enough of that.
“He didn’t just have a lot of girlfriends,” Leni chimed in. “Levi was a hot commodity in high school. All the girls wanted him.”
He’d had all kinds of game, but becoming a father at twenty had given him different types of moves. Like the ability to change a diaper while holding a bottle in a baby’s mouth and juggle his precious peanut and all of her accoutrements on two hours of sleep.
“He’s still got game,” Sutton said, as if he weren’t standing right there.
“Can we not analyze my dating abilities? My life is fine as it is.” When he needed to find a little relief, he did it when Joey was otherwise occupied, and that relief had become far less important in the last few years than it was when he was younger.
“Oh, honey.” His mother got up from the table and carried her plate to the sink. She looked pretty in a rust sweater and jeans. “Is it so bad that I’d like to see you happy, with a woman to share your life with? Someone Joey can look up to and talk to?”
“You’re not getting any younger,” Sutton pointed out with a glimmer of better you than me in her eyes. “You might want to hook a bride before you lose your hair or all those muscles.”
“We have Tara,” Joey piped in.
“Tara’s not ours in that way, peanut,” Levi said.
“But she wishes she were.” Leni smirked and speared a piece of pancake with her fork, popping it into her mouth.
“No, she doesn’t. Why would you say that?” Levi glowered at her. “What did Archer tell you?”
Leni raised a brow. “What did he tell you?”
“Nothing. Forget it,” Levi grumbled.
“Aw, come on. Now I have to know what Archer said,” Sutton urged. “Was it about Mouse?”
His protective urges flared at the nickname Amelia had given Tara when she was a little girl and would hide in the pantry at parties, nibbling on snacks to avoid her mother’s nitpicking. Even though her sister had started it by saying Tara looked like a cute little mouse, and his sister and their friends used the nickname affectionately, and Tara didn’t seem to mind it, the nickname reminded him of the insecure little girl he’d found in that pantry too many times—and the condescending way Amelia had said it to him after they’d had sex. Now every time you look at that pudgy little Mouse, you’ll think of me. He had no idea why she’d brought up Tara, and he’d never asked, but when he’d gone home that night, he’d felt used, as if he were a pawn in some type of twisted game, which made no sense, since Tara had been only fourteen years old. He didn’t regret having Joey, and he wouldn’t want to imagine his life without her, but he sure as hell regretted getting goaded into having sex with Amelia. The woman’s heart was colder than an iceberg.
“Why isn’t Tara ours like that, Dad?” Joey asked. “We always have fun when Tara stays with us.”
“Yeah, Dad,” Sutton taunted.
Leni put her elbows on the table and folded her hands, resting her chin on them with an expectant expression. “Do tell.”
There was nothing worse than the combined annoyance of sisters. He focused on his daughter, who looked innocently confused. “Joey, Tara and I are just friends. You know that.”
“I know,” Joey said. “You’re really good friends. You laugh a lot when you’re together, and you always say she’s your favorite dance partner.”
His daughter had a memory like an elephant. He and Tara had been dancing together for years at events on the island. She was a great dancer, and she saved him from having to dance with single women who were just looking to hook up. He steered clear of anything that could loop him into being part of the island grapevine. “You’re right, Joey, but what Grandma meant was that she’d like to see me dating someone, like a girlfriend.”
“And falling in love, expanding your family together.” His mother sighed dreamily. “Jock is married, and Jules and Grant are picking a wedding date, and now Archer and Indi are engaged. Can you blame me for wanting all our kids to be as happy as your father and I are?”
Levi was amazed that after raising six kids and working together at their family winery for decades, his parents still acted like newlyweds. They were always holding hands, touching, and kissing, making love look easy and appealing. But Levi had closed that door long ago to focus on his daughter.
“Sutton’s older than me,” Levi pointed out. “She should be next in your matchmaking lineup.” He grinned at his sister.
“Sutton’s not getting married until after she bags her hot boss,” Leni said.
Sutton rolled her eyes. “A body bag, maybe.” She’d been less than qualified for her reporting job when her company had promoted her, and her boss had been trying to get her fired ever since.
“What’s a body bag?” Joey asked.
“It’s what you put arrogant bosses in when they piss you off,” Sutton said.
Levi knew he should explain that his sister was kidding, but it was better to let that topic go than open a door for his sisters to add their even more confusing two cents.
“Sutton is still finding her way in her career, but your company has grown by leaps and bounds,” his mother pointed out.
Levi’s business, Husbands for Hire, was a franchise, originally started by a group of Dark Knights in another state. HFH was a handyman business, and Levi enjoyed helping people, but after taking on several employees, he’d expanded and now spent his time on larger projects and doing what he was most passionate about, buying houses in various states of disrepair and turning them into unique properties.
“How about Leni?” Levi suggested. “She’s single.”
“Yeah, right,” Leni said sarcastically.
“She’s married to her work right now. You know that,” his mother said. “You’re settled and doing well, and the right woman could add a lot to yours and Joey’s lives.”
She looked so hopeful, it almost made him wonder what he was waiting for.
“You could date Tara,” Joey suggested.
His sisters tried to stifle their laughs, their eyes darting to him.
“No, peanut. As I said, Tara is just a friend.”
“A friend who stays at your house all the time,” Leni pointed out.
“I heard she’ll be staying with you for two weeks over spring break to watch Joey,” Sutton added. “That’s a long time.”
“And not at all unusual,” Leni said in a tone that implied it made it even more curious.
They were relentless. He narrowed his eyes, but his sisters simply ignored him.
“That’s right, she usually covers Joey’s school breaks, doesn’t she?” Sutton arched a brow.
“Yes, and I love it,” Joey exclaimed. “My break starts right after the spring dance. I can’t wait.”
Leni glanced at him. “I bet Daddy secretly can’t wait, either.”
He glowered at her. He had to get out of there before he blew up. “Hey, Jo, I’m going for my run, okay? Be good for Grandma.”
“Okay!” Joey turned back to her aunts. “Dad’s starting a big project, and Tara said…”
Levi went out the kitchen door before his sisters started in on him again. He tipped his face up toward the sun, trying once again to tamp down his frustration. That felt like a never-ending battle today.
He put on his playlist and set out on his run. He’d always been a runner, and between that and the hard physical labor he did, he stayed in fairly good shape. He ran past his family’s vineyard, Top of the Island, and through the neighborhood streets he’d biked as a kid, catching glimpses of the ocean in the distance. He waved to families washing cars and kids playing in their yards. A run was usually enough to clear his head, but even with the peaceful sights and the Strokes playing in his ears, his mother’s comments still echoed in his head. Ever since Jock had fallen in love with his now-wife, Daphne, and her toddler, Hadley, and they moved to the island, Levi had noticed a flicker of Maybe one day nearly every time he saw them. But he never allowed himself to linger in those thoughts.
But now that he was thinking about it, Tara came to mind. Fucking Archer and our nosy sisters. He tried to push those thoughts away, running faster.
His phone chimed, and he withdrew it from his armband, seeing a group text from Leni sent to all their siblings, Daphne, and Indi, who happened to be Leni’s best friend. He opened and read it. Archer, what did you say to Levi last night about Tara?
“Damn it, Leni.”
Two more text bubbles popped up. The first from Jules, the original queen of group texts. Oh! Me likey! Levi and Tara would be so cute together. I’ve got LOTS of ideas to help them along. Freaking Jules and her matchmaking. Levi read the next text from Jock. Isn’t it a little early for group texts? Archer and Indi are probably busy. He added a winking emoji. Another text from Leni rolled in. We can wait seven seconds. Sutton, Jules, and Daphne sent laughing emojis, and Archer replied, I asked him when he was going to make a move on Tara. She’s into him big-time. I’m turning off my phone for AN HOUR or TWO.
Fuming, Levi muted the group text and cranked the music. He put his phone back in his armband and sprinted up the hill, wishing he could mute the voices in his head.
800 GABLE PLACE.
Even the address was unique. Only three houses boasted such an elegant street name. There were plenty of other pretty street names on the island, but to Tara, none felt quite as special or substantial as Gable Place.
She stood on the curb across the street, admiring the house that had captured her heart six years ago, when she was on her first paid photography assignment. She’d been only eighteen years old and thrilled to have been hired to photograph the most interesting houses on the island. It was no surprise that 800 Gable Place was not on that list. She’d gotten lost in the older section of town and had stumbled upon the house, which had gables on all four sides, two large picture windows flanking a small porch, and a red front door with black shutters, just like the carriage house out back.
The house had been in such bad shape, most people probably wouldn’t have given it a second glance, and the years since had not been kind to the hidden gem. The white paint was dingy and chipped, the porch railings were missing balusters, one of the shutters on the gable windows was broken, and the other hung like a crooked tooth. Branches from an enormous, and quite gorgeous, tree shaded half the roof, which was missing shingles and covered in moss. Gutters hung in precarious positions, and one of the front windows must have had a massive crack, because duct tape ran like lightning from top to bottom. The property also looked like it had been forgotten, with long patchy grass, unkempt bushes, and a broken, weather-beaten picket fence that looked like it belonged in front of a haunted house. But for a girl who had been overweight for more than half her life and judged by her appearance first—and often last—Tara knew looks could lie as easily as people did. She judged beauty by the way people and objects made her feel, and that practice had never failed her.
Except on rare occasions when she looked in the mirror.
But that wasn’t something she wanted to think about on that unusually warm, sunny April morning. She focused on the warm, welcoming feeling she got around that house, and her thoughts strolled down a hopeful path she’d toyed with too many times to count and had finally decided to try putting away for good three months ago, with a New Year’s resolution. She’d always imagined living there with the man she’d been crazy about since she was eight years old, Levi Steele, the most loyal, kindhearted guy she’d ever known, and his adorably spunky, sports-loving daughter, Joey. She pictured filling the house with scents of freshly baked cookies and the warmth of family traditions and covering the walls with pictures of family and friends, bringing every room to life with colors, textures, and cozy furniture big enough for the three of them to cuddle on. She could see Joey skateboarding on the sidewalk and playing ball in the yard with Levi, the three of them going for family walks and eating meals together, and after Joey was safely tucked into bed, she imagined loving Levi the way he deserved to be loved and being loved by him the way she’d always dreamed he would love her—with everything he had.
The blare of a car horn startled her out of her fantasy, and she dropped the flyers she was holding. The car pulled up beside her, and Georgia Smythe, a friend of her mother’s and the owner of a cute clothing shop in town, rolled down the passenger window and peered over from the driver’s seat, her brown hair framing her friendly face.
“Hi, Tara. Everything okay?”
“Yes, thank you. I must’ve been daydreaming.” She felt ridiculous, fantasizing about a man, and a life, she could never have. It didn’t matter that her older sister, Amelia, had chosen a career over being a mother to Joey instead of trying to do both, or that she only saw Joey a few times a year. Amelia was still Joey’s mother, and that made Levi Steele off-limits.
“Be careful, honey,” Mrs. Smythe said. “I wouldn’t want you getting hurt.”
And there it was, the reason those fantasies could no longer be indulged in and why she was committed to sticking to her New Year’s resolution and moving on from that childhood dream. Buying a house was a good first step, and there was no harm in hoping to connect with a guy who was as wonderful as Levi, was there? A man with a similar love for family, sense of humor, and lips she wanted to kiss and lick and suck and disappear into? A man who could obliterate thoughts of him?
She realized Mrs. Smythe was still waiting for a response and shook her head to clear her thoughts. “I will, thanks.”
“Okay, sweetheart. Enjoy your day.”
As Tara watched Mrs. Smythe drive away, she thought about how far she’d come. She’d spent the last few years knowing she needed to stop fantasizing about Levi and had put all her energy into making a name for herself as Silver Island’s go-to photographer. Her reputation had spread so quickly on and off the island, to Cape Cod, Harborside, and other nearby coastal areas, she’d never slowed down to think about a name for her business. It was a good thing she liked her given name, because Tara Osten, Photographer had become her brand.
If only working hard could have distracted her from thinking about Levi, too, but thoughts of him and Joey were as constant as the air she breathed. She’d added that to her things she must accept list, like her sister’s inability to parent and their mother’s nitpicking.
She touched the round silver charm with a heart cut out of the center on her leather bracelet, thinking of Joey and Levi. She’d given Joey the bracelet that had the silver heart charm that fit inside it. No matter how far apart we are, we’re always close at heart. Unlike Amelia, and to some extent, their mother, Levi and Joey were a big part of her life, and they were going to be on her mind. There was no escaping it, and she didn’t want to stop thinking of them. That was why she’d finally decided that enough was enough, and a resolution was in order. Resolutions were better than goals. They were firm decisions, meant to be kept. As long as she kept her thoughts about Levi in line, she’d be fine.
Except for those late-night fantasies. Which are now out of the question, she reminded herself.
She turned at the sound of heavy footfalls, and as if she’d conjured him, Levi was running up the hill, wearing a black tank top, gray sweatpants, and a sheen of sweat that made his skin glisten enticingly. She might not judge on looks alone, but that didn’t mean she didn’t appreciate the tall, broad-chested God of a man with tattoos covering his left arm from shoulder to wrist. As he neared, a sexy smile curved his lips. She was a goner for two things on Levi Steele: his black leather biker boots and that smile. She mentally added sweatpants to that list, immediately chastising herself for it.
“Hey, blondie,” he said, barely breathing hard. His short brown hair was damp at the temples, dark eyes glittering in the sun. They were his superpower. With a single glance, he could stop trouble in its tracks or weaken the strongest of knees.
“Hey—” was all she got out before getting distracted as he took off his tank top and used it to wipe the sweat from his face, baring his muscular chest and ripped abs for her to admire. Or rather, lust over. Was there a sign over her head that read, Take me to the Land of Temptation?
“You a’right?”
Her gaze shot up to his cocky grin. Ugh. Her runaway hormones were going to be the death of her. She needed to find a fantasy replacement. Stat. “I’m fine, but you’d better put your tank top back on so you don’t cause an accident. You know how the women on this island are. They see a shirtless guy and lose their minds.”
“Man, I must be getting old if I have to take my shirt off to get women’s attention.”
She rolled her eyes.
“What’re you doing up here? Decorating the street?”
Shoot. She’d forgotten about the flyers scattered at her feet. “You know me, always trying to make things a little prettier.” Levi worked hard to make a good home for Joey, and he spent loads of time with her. But while they had a yard full of gardens and birdbaths, and one of the coolest houses Tara had ever seen, with secret hiding places, a multitude of cozy nooks, and sliding barn doors, all of which Levi had created with his own two hands, he had little time to tend to the gardens, much less think about sprucing it up inside every now and again. When Tara stayed with them, which was fairly often, she and Joey gardened, picked flowers to bring inside, and found other ways to try to freshen things up.
She crouched to pick up the flyers, and he knelt to help her. His musky scent was not doing her any favors. “It’s okay, I’ve got it.”
He looked at her like she was being silly and continued gathering flyers. His gaze fell to her chest, making her breathe a little harder. “You always wear that necklace, don’t you?”
She touched the gold necklace he and Joey had given her last Christmas with an aquamarine infinite heart charm. “I never take it off.”
“I like that,” he said thoughtfully, and looked at the flyers as they pushed to their feet. “Are you taking pictures for Charmaine again?” Charmaine Luxe was a local real estate agent.
“No. I was around the corner and stopped to look at that white house. It’s my favorite house on the island.”
“Really?” His brows knitted. “What do you like about it?”
“Everything. I love the gables and the big windows. The whole house gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling, like it’s just waiting for a family to bring it to life, and it’s got that great carriage house out back, which would be perfect for a photography studio. I’m sure you think I’m crazy because you see all its flaws. But I see a diamond in the rough.”
“T, how can you think that about a guy who renovates and flips houses for a living?”
“I don’t know. I figured you’d see its faults before you recognized its beauty.”
He arched a brow. “And here I thought you knew me.”
She stayed with them so often to babysit Joey and when she was working with local photography clients, she knew things she probably shouldn’t. Like if he got up in the middle of the night, she’d hear him walk into Joey’s room to check on her, and when Joey cried, she could see his daughter’s anguish mirrored in his eyes. When Joey laughed, he looked at her like it was the most glorious sound he’d ever heard every single time. She also knew that sometimes she’d find him on the back porch off the kitchen staring absently out at the water with the loneliest expression. One she’d never seen when he was on the island with his family. But she kept those things to herself and said, “I do know you.”
“I’m starting to question that.” He bumped her with his shoulder. “Seriously, have you ever known me to judge a book by its cover?”
My gorgeous sister had an attitude bigger than the Grand Canyon and you wham-bam-thank-you-ma’amed her, so…
She couldn’t say that, either, so she went with, “No. You’re right. I was just being silly.” She’d always wondered about the night her sister had gotten pregnant. News traveled fast on the island grapevine. Even at fourteen she’d known that Levi wasn’t one of those guys who had slept around. But Levi had screwed Amelia at the height of her bitchiness. Amelia was more tolerable now, but she was still selfish, and Tara had never been able to figure out why he’d done it. Especially since her sister had always made it known that she never wanted to get tied down with any guy, and Levi had had other girlfriends who had each lasted a while. Tara had been a little jealous of those girlfriends, but when he’d hooked up with Amelia, her teenage heart had been crushed. Her bestie, Bellamy Silver, had told her that nineteen-year-old guys think with their dicks. As Tara grew up and had her own experiences with guys, she realized most of them thought with that particular appendage, but she’d always believed Levi was different. His banging Amelia should have been enough to stop her from crushing on him, but if she’d learned one thing over the years, it was that where Levi and Joey were concerned, her head and her heart were not connected. Now that she was trying to let her head take charge, she was much better off.
“I’m going to have to start taking you to see some of my projects before I get my hands on them.”
“That sounds fun.” She liked watching him work. Not as much as she was sure she’d like to have his hands on her, but she couldn’t afford to fantasize about playing in a sandbox that didn’t exist.
“Great. We’ll do it.” His expression turned serious, and he raked a hand through his hair. “Listen, I know Joey put you on the spot yesterday about staying with us over spring break, so if you want to back out of watching her, she’ll understand.”
“She didn’t put me on the spot. I’m excited to spend time with Joey and watch her win the skateboard tournament. Besides, you know as well as I do, if I didn’t spend spring break with you guys every year, your gardens would turn into jungles.”
“That’s true. I’m glad you’re not backing out. I like having you around.”
Her hopeful heart quickened at his words and the way he was looking at her more intently than usual.
“I mean, we like having you around,” he corrected himself.
“Right. Of course.” With her hopes deflated, her mind dragged her stupid heart back to her second resolution: to stop spending long periods of time at Levi’s house. She really needed to do something about that after spring break.
“So, what’s up with these?” He waved the real estate flyers.
“Nothing really. I just started looking at houses. That’s why I’m up here. I was checking out the neighborhoods, so I don’t waste Charmaine’s time.”
Surprise rose in his eyes. “You’re looking at buying a house and I’m the last to know? Way to knock me off my pedestal.”
“You’re not the last. You’re actually the first.”
He rolled his shoulders back. “That’s more like it. But a house is a big commitment.”
“I know, but it’s time to spread my wings. The photography studio I rent is going on the market next month, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to find another, so I need a backup plan. I’m hoping to find a house with room for a studio.”
“And you can afford to buy?”
Her services were in such high demand, she’d tripled her rates in the last three years. “I’ve never paid rent, so my money is just piling up in the bank, and real estate is a great investment. Besides, living with my parents is a little stifling.”
“You mean your mother,” he said knowingly. “She’s a tough one. I don’t know how you’ve lasted this long.”
He knew her mother nitpicked about everything from food to clothing. But he also knew her mother wasn’t malicious. She was just particular, and Tara would like to believe that her mother simply didn’t realize how the things she said affected others. She’d always been one of Tara’s biggest supporters when it came to her love of photography. When Tara was younger, her mother would seek out photography exhibits and take her on day trips to see them in Boston, New York, and other places that weren’t too far away. Sure, that had meant dressing and acting in ways her mother deemed appropriate, but her mother had made efforts no one else had, and that was special.
“I’ve been too busy to think about it. But now that my professional life is on track, I can start focusing on my personal life, and I can’t really do that living with my parents.”
His jaw tightened. “No, I guess not. Who’s going with you to check out the houses?”
She’d been thinking about asking Jules and Bellamy to go with her but hadn’t gotten around to it. “Charmaine.”
“No, I mean to look at the structures and make sure there’s nothing wrong with them. Isn’t your father or one of your brothers going to help you?”
“My father and Robert are so busy, I don’t want to bother them, and Carey is helping Drake with one of his stores for the next few weeks.” She was close to both of her older brothers. Robert was the manager of the island’s wildlife refuge, and Carey helped his friend Drake Savage run his music shops along the East Coast and sold vinyl records and other musical paraphernalia at flea markets and other outdoor venues. He was a vagabond, and his schedule was anything but consistent.
“When are you going?”
“Next Saturday. Charmaine has a few new listings coming up on other parts of the island, so I figured I’d wait and see them all at once.”
“Great. I’ll go with you.”
The prospect of looking at houses with Levi was as nerve-racking as it was exciting. “Are you coming back next weekend?”
“I am now,” he said happily.
“You don’t have to come back just to help me look at houses.” But, yes, please!
“I want to. Houses are my jam, and Joey will be thrilled to see her grandparents and Hadley again.” Jock had adopted Hadley when he and Daphne were married, and Joey adored her cousin.
“Are you sure you don’t mind? I know how busy you are.”
“I’m never too busy to help you.” He set that sexy smile on her again.
It would be so easy to twist that thoughtfulness into something more…
“You’re giving up two weeks to spend with us. I think I can handle checking out a few houses with you.”
That made it easier. He was merely repaying a favor. Not that she needed to be repaid, but she could use his expertise when evaluating the properties. “Okay, if you really don’t mind. Thanks.”
“Great. What time is your first appointment?”
“Ten.”
“I’ll take an early ferry and pick you up at your parents’ house. Does that work?”
“Yes, perfectly.”
“I look forward to it. I guess I’d better get back to my run. Will I see you tonight at Rock Bottom?”
There had been a small celebration last night at Indi’s boutique for Archer and Indi’s engagement, which had included family and friends. Tonight’s parent-and-kid-free celebration was hosted by Wells Silver, one of Bellamy’s older brothers, at his restaurant, Rock Bottom Bar and Grill, one of the hottest night spots on the island.
“Yes. I’m going with Jules and Bellamy. It should be a lot of fun.”
“Awesome, and it’s a date.”
Did she miss something? “A date?”
“To look at houses together.”
“Oh, right. Yes. Sorry, my mind is on a hundred things.”
“Busy day ahead?”
“Yes.” But that’s not what had me sidetracked. “I’m taking pictures at the annual police and fire department car wash.”
“Taking pictures of shirtless guys?” He arched a brow. “Think you can handle it without losing your mind?”
She gave him a deadpan look. “Ha ha.”
“Hey, that was your warning, not mine.”
“It wasn’t meant for me. You’re shirtless and I’m doing just fine, aren’t I?”
“Yes, you are, and that doesn’t bode well for my ego.” He winked. “I’ll see you tonight.” He took a few steps and glanced over his shoulder, holding up his tank top. “Guess I’d better put this on so I don’t cause any accidents.” He put on his tank top and jogged down the road.
“Your ego is fully intact,” she called after him. My heart, on the other hand, is a work in progress.