7
As his cell vibrated, Matt swung into a space in the Grace Christian Church parking lot and pulled out his phone.
Kay.
“Hey there.” He set the brake. “I thought you’d sleep late after your long drive yesterday.”
“I did too. But an overdose of coffee and high-carb snacks during the trip nixed that plan. I figured you’d be up and wanted to give you a call before the day got rolling here. I was too distracted catching up with Cora and settling in last night to focus on our phone conversation, but you have my full attention today. How on earth did you find a new contractor mere hours after I left?”
“Correction. Potential contractor. TBD whether he ends up being a fit for the job. I’m meeting with him at noon. I’ll fill you in after we talk.”
Another car swung into a parking spot farther down the row, and he flicked a glance at it. Did a double take as Bev’s daughter opened the door and swung her legs out.
He homed in on them.
Nice.
Very nice.
Scowling, he yanked his gaze away.
Dana had only been gone for two years, and he loved her as much as he ever had. Why was he suddenly noticing women’s legs?
“Matt?”
He tuned back in to the conversation with his sister. “Sorry. I’m in the parking lot at church, and the activity is distracting.”
“Huh. The early service isn’t usually that busy.”
“The tourist season may be picking up.” He shifted away from Bev’s daughter. “What did I miss?”
“I said if your take on this outfit is positive, hire them. The B&B has been out of commission too long.”
And the lack of cash flow was worrying her.
Message received.
“I don’t want to burst your bubble, but it’s not an outfit. It’s a him. One guy. The project may be too big for a one-man show, or it could take too long.”
“Maybe he can bring in a few people to help if we sweeten the pot.”
“The budget we agreed on won’t accommodate much sweetening.”
She sighed. “I know, I know. I’ll let you decide how to handle this. I trust your judgment. But if he doesn’t work out, what then?”
“We go with plan B. Expand the search to Bandon or Coos Bay.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Hang on a sec.” A door closed in the background. “I think Cora’s stirring. I should go. You should too. The service starts in two minutes. Call me later with an update.”
“You got it. Give Cora my love. I’ll talk to her later when I call so I can wish her well on the surgery tomorrow.”
“She’ll appreciate that. Enjoy the service.”
Matt ended the call and scanned the walkway leading to the front door of the church.
Bev’s daughter was hurrying toward the entrance, as he should be. But it would be awkward to run into her if she’d decided not to follow up on the contact information Bev had no doubt passed on by now. Better to wait until she was inside to avoid an uncomfortable encounter.
Stowing his phone, he remained behind the wheel as she approached the door, the silky blouse she’d tucked into her slim skirt shimmering in the morning sun.
Quite a change from yesterday’s jeans and sweater.
The high heels that accentuated the curve of her calves were also a step up from the casual flats she’d sported at the B&B.
A tingle rippled through him, and he frowned.
Was that . . . attraction?
No. Impossible. Dana had been his one and only.
Besides, after all that happened over the past two years, he didn’t deserve another chance at love.
Spirits tanking, he checked his watch as Vienna slipped through the door. The service was either on the brink of getting underway or had already begun. Should he write off this trip to town and come back later for the second service to avoid any possibility of running into her, or control the situation by choosing a seat near the back and leaving the instant the first notes of the closing hymn sounded?
The latter was more logical. Who would detain him, anyway? He’d met only a couple of people in town, and they likely wouldn’t spot him in the back even if they were in the congregation. Why make two trips?
Controlling his reaction to Vienna, however, was a different matter altogether.
But he couldn’t afford to let unruly hormones undermine his commitment to help Kay, and Bev’s daughter was his preeminent resource for that.
So if she called him, he’d have to rein in his misbehaving testosterone and concentrate on correcting the bad first impression he’d made. Because he needed her professional savvy.
Even if he couldn’t quite erase the image of her killer legs and vivid blue eyes that was imprinted on his mind.
Was that Kay’s brother?
As Vienna paged through her hymnal in search of the next song, she gave the tall, shadowed man in Grace Christian’s very last pew a surreptitious survey.
“Well, look who’s here.”
At the quiet comment in her ear, she angled sideways to find her mom fixated on the same man. “Don’t stare.” Vienna nudged her.
“Why not? He isn’t paying any attention to us.”
The organ began the intro for the hymn, and she leaned closer to her mother. “That’s Matt Quinn, isn’t it?”
“None other.”
The congregation launched into the song, cutting off their conversation, but as Vienna joined the chorus, she risked a few more peeks at the dark-haired man clad in a tailored sport jacket that emphasized his broad shoulders.
Night and day from the disheveled guy who’d answered the door at the B&B yesterday.
No wonder Mom had been enamored with him. This well-groomed version of Matt Quinn reeked of respectability and, near as she could tell in the dimmer light at the back of the church, he was silver-screen handsome.
Too bad she hadn’t called him last night. It would have been easier to break the ice by phone rather than in person after their awkward encounter yesterday. On her cell, she could have mentioned the plumbing issue and made light of her spooked-deer escape without worrying about him seeing the hot spots of color that would probably bloom on her cheeks.
If she was lucky, though, he’d be long gone by the time she collected her purse, straightened the hymnals in the rack, draped her sweater around her shoulders, and employed whatever other delay tactics she could come up with after the service.
For the next thirty minutes, she tried hard to direct her attention to the sanctuary and the minister’s excellent sermon. Only when the organ launched into the final hymn did she venture another peek toward the back of church.
Kay’s brother was already slipping his hymnal into the slot on the pew in front of him, preparing to leave.
Yes!
Awkward in-person encounter averted.
“Vienna.” Mom leaned closer. “I have to leave or the coffee won’t be ready when the crowd descends. Why don’t you come with me? We can always use another pair of hands.”
“Um . . .” She checked on Matt out of the corner of her eye. He was still in his pew. “I’d, uh, like to stay until the end, if you don’t mind. Especially since the fog during my drive down from Bandon delayed me and I missed the opening.”
“Okay. Hang a left in the vestibule and follow the hungry horde to the fellowship hall when the service is over.” Mom slipped out of the pew and hustled up the side aisle.
Vienna continued singing as the minister exited via the center aisle, toward the vestibule, waiting until the last notes died away and the congregants began to follow in his wake to scope out the back of church.
Kay’s brother was gone.
She exhaled.
The coast was clear.
Nevertheless, she didn’t rush gathering up her belongings. Nor did she hurry toward the rear of the church. Hopefully he wouldn’t detour for coffee and doughnuts, but unless she’d read his body language wrong, he’d been anxious to leave.
Vienna fell in behind the crowd surging toward the exit, scanning the vestibule for Matt as she left the sanctuary behind.
All she had to do was find a spot in the fellowship hall and hang out until Mom was ready to leave for their breakfast date at the Myrtle. Which could be a while, given her mother’s propensity to chat up everyone she—
“Vienna! I’ve been watching for you.”
At Mom’s voice, she swung around.
Her mother was wedged beside one of the open doors that led to the sanctuary, Kay’s brother beside her.
Well, crud.
Short of being rude, she couldn’t ignore Mom’s summons.
Taking a deep breath, she wove through the crowd and joined them. “I thought you were making coffee.”
“One of the other volunteers offered to get it started while I welcomed Matt to our church. Let me introduce you two.”
As her mother did so, Matt extended his hand. “I think I owe you an apology for my less-than-gracious greeting at the B&B yesterday. Not to mention the foul smell.” He hiked up the corners of his mouth, and an endearing dimple dented his cheek.
Her gaze got stuck there for a moment before she pried it free and returned his firm clasp. “I’ll admit it wasn’t an auspicious meeting—on either of our parts. I don’t usually bolt.”
“And I don’t usually bite.”
Mom’s head oscillated between the two of them, an enigmatic glint sparking in her eyes. “Now that you two have met, I’ll leave you to talk. I don’t want to shirk my hostess duties. Feel free to come to the hall if you’d rather converse over doughnuts.”
With that, she trotted off at a brisk clip.
“I take it you were waylaid.” Vienna nodded toward her mother.
“We happened to emerge into the vestibule at the same time. Sorry to put you on the spot. I know Bev filled you in on my predicament, but don’t feel pressured to give me an answer now.”
“I was going to call you later this morning anyway and see if you wanted to get together to discuss the situation. I’m having breakfast with Mom after the social hour, but other than that, I’m available anytime.”
“Thank you. Any and all assistance and advice would be appreciated. Kay and I are both in over our heads, and an empty B&B isn’t tenable for long. The sooner we can get a meeting scheduled, the better.”
“In that case, do you want me to swing by today, after Mom and I have breakfast?”
He hesitated. “I don’t expect you to work on Sundays.”
She offered him a wry smile. “Trust me, that’s not a problem. Sunday work was par for the course in my previous job.”
“Then I accept. With gratitude. I’m meeting with a potential contractor at noon. Otherwise my day is wide open.”
“I expect my breakfast with Mom will wind down about eleven thirty, since she opens the shop at twelve on Sundays. Rather than go back to my room in Bandon, I’ll kill an hour or two in town. How long do you expect your meeting to last?”
Again, he hesitated. “I don’t want to monopolize your day, but you’re welcome to sit in on the meeting if you like. I’m going to give him a tour of the place, and you may find that useful for our discussion.”
“Yes, I would. In fact, unless you have other plans, why don’t I come as soon as Mom and I finish breakfast and you can fill me in on the non-cosmetic issues at the B&B? The more background I have, the easier it will be to come up with recommendations.”
“Makes sense. I’ll expect you around—”
“Good morning. Welcome to Grace Christian.”
Vienna turned.
“Reverend Paul Baker.” The minister moved toward them, his hand extended toward her. “I’m always delighted to welcome a new couple to our congregation—or are you just visiting our lovely town?”
Vienna sent Matt a sidelong glance as she took the man’s hand. His sudden ruddiness suggested he was as taken off guard by the reference as she was.
“Um . . . we’re not actually together. I’m Vienna Price, Bev’s daughter.”
“And I’m Matt Quinn, Kay Marshall’s brother.” He shook the minister’s hand too.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”
“Putting your foot in it as usual, I see.” A jovial-looking man carrying a few extra pounds and wearing a Roman collar bustled toward them, his comment booming across the vestibule that had mostly cleared out as congregants departed or moved on to doughnuts. “Morning, folks. Father Kevin Murphy. Happy to meet you.” He pumped both their hands.
The minister sent him a disgruntled look. “Father Murphy is the pastor at St. Francis church on the other side of town—where he should be on a Sunday morning. What are you doing here, anyway?”
“I came between Masses to collect the box of golf balls you owe me.” The padre directed his next comment to her and Matt. “The two of us have a standing golf date on Thursdays, and my clerical friend here has a terrible left hook nothing short of a miracle could cure. He’s always in the hock to me for the balls he borrows—and loses.”
“I could have given them to you Thursday. You just came over to eat our doughnuts.”
“Perish the thought.” The priest dismissed the accusation with a flick of his hand. “Our homemade ones are far superior to your store-bought offering.”
The minister offered him a smug smile. “But we have Danish too.”
Father Murphy blinked. “Since when?”
“Since this week.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were expanding your menu?”
“You eat too much high-cholesterol food as it is.”
“Not always. I gave up sweets for Lent. Healthy for the soul and the heart. I’ll have to sample your Danish before I leave.”
Based on the twitch in Matt’s lips, he was enjoying the good-natured banter between the two men of the cloth as much as she was.
“I’ll go with you.” The minister folded his arms.
“Don’t bother. I know the way.” The priest leaned closer to them and lowered his voice. “A word of advice. If you want real doughnuts, come visit us at St. Francis. Kay stops in on a regular basis.”
“What? Are you stealing my congregation now, along with my doughnuts?” The minister arched an eyebrow.
“Would I do that?” The padre’s expression was the picture of innocence.
“Is the pope Catholic?”
“Let’s leave the Holy Father out of this, shall we?” Father Murphy turned back to Matt. “Kay enjoys our meditation garden. She’s quite knowledgeable about flowers. We’ve had many a pleasant discussion amidst the flora.”
“I have to admit he does a wonderful job with that garden.” The minister patted him on the back. “You two should visit while you’re in town. It’s a little taste of heaven right here in Hope Harbor.”
“Thank you for that.” The priest gave a jaunty salute. “And I’ll second the invitation. Stop by anytime. All are welcome. Now, would you two like to walk over to the fellowship hall with me?”
“Thank you, but I have to get back to the B&B.” Matt pulled out his keys.
“I heard Kay was on a mission of mercy in Boise, God bless her.” The priest made the sign of the cross.
“Where did you hear that?” Reverend Baker stepped back into the conversation.
“I keep my ear to the ground.”
“Hmm. Better to live quietly and mind to your own affairs.”
The priest squinted at him. “Are you quoting Thessalonians to me?”
“Wonder of wonders.” The pastor steepled his fingers and raised his face heavenward. “He knows the source.”
“I am not debating Bible fluency with you again.” Father Murphy turned his back on him. “Vienna, can I interest you in a doughnut?”
“Or a Danish.” Reverend Baker leaned around his Catholic counterpart.
“Mom’s helping serve today, and I promised to join her. So yes. Either one would hit the spot. I’ll see you later, Matt.”
“No rush. Reverend Baker, Father Murphy, a pleasure to meet you both.” Kay’s brother strode toward the door across the empty vestibule.
“Pleasant young man.” The priest watched him push through the door, then swept a hand toward the hallway on the right. “Shall we?”
Vienna took the cue, and the clerics fell in on either side of her, launching into a spirited discussion of the most worthy sights for her to see during her visit.
But her mind wasn’t on the gardens at Shore Acres State Park or tea at the lavender farm, though both sounded appealing.
Instead, her thoughts were on the intimidating man who’d scared her off at the B&B yesterday but who she was suddenly eager to see again ASAP.