Derek sat at in the courtyard of the coffee shop Wednesday afternoon, sipping his coffee as he thumbed through the listings Bree had sent him this morning. He was staying at the Cypress Inn and, although it was comfortable and surprisingly luxurious, he didn’t want to stay there indefinitely. It was fashioned like a grand Victorian manor, and that décor and theme carried through until you climbed up to the guest rooms. There you might be in any high-end hotel room, given the furnishings and ambiance. Still, it would never feel like home.
He had to pick a place that didn’t only suit him. His mother would need somewhere to stay until her own home was ready. From what he’d learned from Eli and Noah, it could be months before the first residents could move into the new section. Abby was on Mom-watch for now, but she was busy trying to make a place for herself in the competitive veterinarian business. Damn, but he’d like to see her move down here too.
Bree hadn’t seemed like she wanted to help him but she was the one Mr. Forbes had recommended. After their short conversation in the breakroom it was clear that he’d obviously surprised her when he’d asked her to grab dinner with him afterwards. He’d surprised himself too.
She was easy on the eyes, of course. Even in those conservative clothes she wore, her curves rocked a look just this side of sexy. He hadn’t missed the number of buttons undone, letting the V of her soft-looking shirt give him just a peek at what he guessed were some stellar tits.
She was taller than the Pixie girl, the one married to Noah Brady. Not quite as tall as Ben Chapman’s wife, though. He would bet that if he were to stand really close to Bree, toe to toe, she would fit nicely against him. Especially if he grabbed her beneath her round little ass and pulled her up onto her toes.
He gave himself a mental shake. Clicking a few of the choices to select, he sent them back to Bree. He wasn’t in Cypress looking to hook up, especially with a woman like her. He knew the type. Hell, he’d gotten involved with the type while traveling in those country-club circles. They were usually pretty staid and cold until you took them to bed a couple of times. Then they started wrangling for a ring.
His last entanglement had gone so far as to approach his father to get his help dragging Derek to the altar. If she’d looked past her surgery-perfect nose she would have seen that he had no relationship with his father, let alone any respect for the asshole’s opinion.
Mostly, he’d never dated much once he’d started at Chapman. Just a few casual drinks that led to a few casual nights. He sure as hell wasn’t going to date someone he worked with, not even someone as tempting as Bree. He’d rather get his rocks off with some nameless pickup at one of the bars over in St. Cloud than risk involving anyone at Cypress in his relationship drama.
“Hey, Derek.”
He looked up to see Eli walking toward him. “Hey, Eli. What’s up?”
“Just grabbing a drink and a treat from the bakery.”
Eli lifted his chin toward Sweet Escape, the bakery Derek knew his wife owned. The bright green paper bag he held was giving off the scent of lemon and something else Derek couldn’t identify.
“What’s in there?” he asked.
Eli winked. “Something Caro is trying out. Lemon lavender scones.”
Derek’s mouth watered. “Can I try one?”
Eli shook his head. “Nope. I’m her official Guinea pig.”
“Selfish bastard.”
“Such is my curse,” Eli teased. “She’s getting to where she doesn’t trust her sense of taste. Pregnant taste buds, or something like that.”
Eli’s wife was expecting, but Derek didn’t know more than that.
“How far along is she?”
Eli beamed a smile. “Just about half way.”
Derek nodded absently. It seemed like there were babies everywhere. He’d seen Ben and Tammy Chapman pushing a stroller just this morning. Jake Chapman had paraded around his and Claire’s little redheaded cherub yesterday at the close of business. Derek supposed they were cute, the babies. But he had little experience with kids and didn’t really miss it. Abby was three years younger than he was, so he couldn’t really remember her as an infant except in pictures. Maybe when Abby settled down Derek would rouse enthusiasm for being a doting uncle.
“Family looks good on you,” he said to Eli.
Eli visibly sobered as a seldom-seen serious expression crossed his face. “Thanks, man. You don’t know how good it feels. Believe me.”
Derek knew how hard it had been on Eli, bouncing around foster care since he was a little kid. He’d made that disclosure one night after a long day, but Derek hadn’t given up anything about his own family in return. His stomach clenched and his eyes pricked. Clearing his throat, he straightened.
“I wanted to talk to you more about the Active Adult property, Eli.”
Eli’s brows rose but he gave a slow nod. “About time you came clean.”
Derek laughed a little. “Hey, we talked a little bit about it yesterday.”
“Yeah, but you’re forgetting one thing. I was on that little reconnaissance mission with you last year.”
“Now I couldn’t care less about the impact of the development on Chapman. I’m solely interested as a potential buyer.”
“You? Ah.” Eli gave a sage nod. “Your mother.”
Derek’s face grew a little hot but he fought through his embarrassment. “I know I haven’t told you much, but she needs her own place. A new start, really. In a new place.”
Eli threw his arms out wide, his expression bright again. “Buddy, there’s no new place better than Cypress.”
“Here, here,” a musical voice intoned from a table just across the courtyard. Derek noticed an older woman seated beneath a tree dotted with pink flowers. She held up a glass in their direction. “I couldn’t say it better myself.”
“See?” Eli grinned. “Lettie agrees with me.”
So this was Lettie. Derek wasn’t sure how he’d missed her. She wore a bright yellow smock, green crocs and a big straw hat. Her smile was a bit sly and her eyes sparkled.
“And on that note, I’ll leave you to your interrogation.” Eli came to his feet and bowed in Lettie’s direction. “Ma’am.”
“Oh, go on with you,” the woman said with a grin.
Derek watched Eli walk towards the Sales Center and then came to his feet. He crossed the short distance to her table.
“Derek Stone, ma’am,” he said with a sharp nod. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
The woman’s blue eyes, peeking from beneath a fringe of silvery hair, sparkled. “Charlotte Fairfax, Derek Stone. Please, call me Lettie. You have even more of that Boston crispness than our Eli.”
“Eli has lived down here for some time.” Derek shrugged. “I think that would change a man.”
“On the surface, perhaps.” Lettie pushed away her glass of iced tea and folded her hands on top of what looked like flower catalogues. “It has been my experience that a person doesn’t change who he is at his core.”
“You might be right on that count.”
“Our Elijah, however? This life, the love and family he’s found here, might not be what he was born into but I suspect it fits him better than whatever it is he left behind in Boston.”
“I concede the point on that as well, Lettie.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What did you leave behind, dear Derek?”
His spine stiffened. This woman might ooze Southern charm, but she wasn’t going to get him to spill anything about his life.
“I left a job at Chapman Financial,” he gave in lame answer.
She gave a nod. “I believe there might be more to you than you appear.” She winked. “Not that you don’t present a fine specimen.”
He found a smile. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Lettie. But I have an appointment I have to keep.”
“With our dear Sabrina, yes.”
Sabrina? Bree. “Yes.”
“Go then, Derek Stone. Don’t keep her waiting.”
He bowed his head to her as Eli had, it seemed to be the proper thing to do anyway, and followed his friend’s lead to the Sales Center.
Lettie’s words still rattled around in his head, though. Eli definitely had a different life from the one he’d had in Boston. Was that really a possibility for him?
Shoving that thought aside, he focused on finding a place to start his new life. He’d worry about actually living it later.
***
Bree clicked closed the docs on her laptop and began shutting things down. It was nearly four o’clock but Rick had told her to take off a little bit early today since she was technically still working while showing Derek some properties. It had been Jessie’s turn in the model home, after Bree had sat there until lunch time. Bree had gone through the houses Derek had selected from the list she’d sent him and was ready to give him a different kind of tour.
“Off to show Boston some hot properties?” Ollie grinned as he settled his hip on the corner of her desk. “Or just some properties to hot Boston?”
Bree just shook her head at him. Except for Tammy and Eli, the sales people all shared a large workspace. Her desk wasn’t far from Ollie’s, or Jessie’s for that matter. There were no half-walls or cubicles, thank God. Just an open space where they could work when they weren’t out touring prospective homeowners or marooned in one of the models. The result was a comradery she hadn’t expected. She should have, though. Rick Chapman never did anything by accident.
“It’s just a house tour, Ollie. Nothing to get your panties in a twist over.”
Ollie chuckled. “Then it’s a good thing I’m not wearing any.”
Bree laughed. “TMI, brother.”
Ollie waved a hand. “Kidding. Ask Tammy. I only where boxer briefs.”
“Don’t drag me into this.” Tammy Chapman joined them, giving Oliver a playful shove. “And don’t pretend you keep me in the loop on your underwear choices.”
Bree shoved her laptop in her bag and tucked her phone in her purse. “I’ll leave you two to your quarrel, then. I have houses to show.”
Tammy placed a hand on Bree’s arm. “Don’t sweat it, Bree. Derek might have a big stick up his ass, but from what I remember about our illustrious boss Rick? He had one when he first came down here too.”
“Never mind,” Rick said from the hallway.
Tammy laughed and flicked her long dark hair back over one shoulder. “Tell me you were easygoing back then, Rick.”
Rick smiled at his sister-in-law but Ollie wore a comical look of fear.
Bree shook her head. “I’m not sweating anything. I showed Derek what I have and he told me what he likes.” She winced. “I know what that sounds like, Ollie.”
Tammy snorted. “Have a good tour, Bree.”
Bree nodded and headed out toward the lobby. She shouldn’t have been surprised, but she found him waiting for her when she approached the reception desk.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked in that clipped voice.
“All set.” She sounded a little bit nervous to herself, despite what she’d told Tammy and Oliver. “Let’s do this.”
His lips curved upward in one corner but he waved towards the front doors. “After you.”
They climbed into one of the charged and ready golf carts. She’d chosen a four-seater, since one of the other salespeople might get a larger group to tour sometime this afternoon and need one of the six-seaters. Derek slid his big body into the passenger seat as Bree stowed her bags behind the driver’s.
The golf cart was outfitted for touring guests, prospective residents and investors. It had comfortable leather seats, a jaunty green, white and burgundy striped awning, and big fat tires that made the ride smooth.
He took up more than the space allowed for a passenger, and draped his arm over the back of her seat. His fresh, spicy scent wrapped around her and she indulged in a deep breath.
“Onward, Sabrina,” he said.
“Bree,” she said quickly. “Only my mother and father call me Sabrina.”
He held up a hand. “Sorry. Lettie called you that today.”
She pulled away from the curb and steered towards the main lakeshore. “You met Lettie today, did you?”
He chuckled, but the rasping laugh seemed unusual for him. “Sure did. I guess I passed muster.”
“Passed muster? Hmm. I’ll just bet she put you through your paces.”
“She’s something, all right.”
He fell silent and she wondered just what their resident relationship sorceress thought of his fine self. She looked at him from the corner of her eye as they took a right turn. He’d ditched the tie she’d seen on him earlier, and his slate gray shirt had two buttons undone. He appeared a little more relaxed than she’d seen him previously, too. It could be the wind blowing his thick waves around, though.
“I thought you’d like to live near the lakeshore,” she said after they’d ridden for a while. “Do you like the setting of the inn?”
“Yes, I do. I believe Rick and Harmony Chapman live over in that village.”
She nodded. “Few homes come available there, but I sent you what I’ve found. There are more of the smaller homes available, which you saw from my list. Some of them are quite nice.”
He nodded and brushed his hair back from his forehead. “I defer to your judgment, Bree.”
“Then let’s start big and work our way down.”
She took his silence as agreement and they were soon parked in front of a home set on a corner with a wide wraparound porch that would afford a beautiful view of the main lakeshore. It was traditional in style but she knew that, like the other homes in Cypress, it was state-of-the-art at its guts. Residents were connected both through wire and wirelessly to communication, security and entertainment, and even in these homes outside the green neighborhood there was a healthy dose of environmentally-responsible materials used throughout.
Switching off the motor, she faced him. “What do you think?”
The expression on his face was inscrutable. She could see him taking in every inch of the house’s façade, and when he gave a small nod she supposed he liked it. What was there not to like? She knew from Jessie that the house had been empty for two months now, and that the current homeowner lived up on North Carolina.
“This is for rent or for sale?” He stepped out and stared up at the house. “Do you have that info?”
She swallowed down the sharp retort on her tongue and nodded. “The homeowner priced it for sale but will consider a rental.” She passed him and stepped up onto the vacant porch. As she unlocked the coded key box, she caught him staring across the street.
“You could fit several chairs out here,” she said. “Maybe a porch swing. This is northwest-facing, so you’ll have cross breezes throughout the day and a good view of the sunset.”
“It’s a nice view.”
Wow. That was an understatement. Their footsteps echoed through the house as they walked from one room to the next. It was a gorgeous home, with dark wood planking on the floors and a spacious open-concept living and kitchen area.
“One of these front rooms would make a great office. There’s also a guest room with full bath toward the back of the house that serves as a changing room should you put in a pool.”
Derek was quiet as she led him through a tour of the lovely home. She pointed out the bedrooms with their shared bathroom as well as the oversized master bedroom with attached bathroom which rivaled any you might find in a top-tier hotel. Aside from a few sounds of agreement, grunts really, he simply followed her through the second floor and nodded as she illustrated the home’s features.
They arrived where they’d started after just ten minutes. Derek stopped in the kitchen, one hand on the sparkling gray quartz countertop. Once again, he wore that shuttered expression. As he fisted one hand at his side, she found herself reaching out to touch his arm.
“Derek?”
He faced her, his dark eyes stormy. “Do what you have to. I’ll take it. Purchase, not rent. ”
Her mouth dropped open. “What?” She had to have heard him incorrectly. “You want this house? But we haven’t even looked at the others.”
“This one will do. It’s big enough and I like where it is.”
Bree’s mind worked. The house was priced well, but his quick decision seemed out of character with what she knew about his reputation for being meticulous.
“Are you sure?”
His eyes flashed at her. “Are you questioning me?”
She blew out a breath. “Hey, it’s not my place to question you. But why don’t you want to see the other houses?”
His jaw visibly tightened. “I’m not going to explain what it is. The place is right. That’s all.”
Recognition dawned on her. “You mean it feels right?”
His gaze slid away from hers. “Maybe.”
“Like home? I know it looks a lot like a New England Colonial. Is it like the home where you grew up?”
“It’s nothing like where I grew up,” he bit out.
She blinked and he cursed softly. “I’m sorry,” he said. “The house does remind me of New England. I think…I like it because of that. It will be a comfortable transition.”
“A transition?” Now she was completely confused. “Derek, what are you talking about?”
He swallowed audibly, his eyes shiny now. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lose it, especially in front of someone like you.”
“Someone like me?” Oh, he was such an irritating guy. “What is that supposed to mean?”
He ran his eyes over her. That chill was back again. “Privileged. Spoiled.”
Echoes of what she’d been pegged as for her whole life crashed through her. “Excuse me?” She fisted her hands at her sides. “You don’t even know me.”
“I know women like you.” His eyes raked over the front of her. “Hell, I’ve had women like you. You judge things, you judge people, by what they can give you. That’s their worth to you.”
Anger flared and before she could stop herself she raised her hand and slapped him across the face. Hard.
“Don’t you dare talk to me that way!”
He touched his cheek, his eyes closed tight. He murmured something she couldn’t catch before facing her again. “I’m sorry.”
Something in the tone of his voice, in the hurt she now saw in his eyes, drew her closer to him. Her anger left as quickly as it had come. “Derek?”
He wrapped her in his arms, his hold so tight she could hardly breathe. “I’m sorry, Bree.” He buried his face in the crook of her neck. “I’m so sorry.”
He pulled back and she looked up at him. She knew what was coming. Her pulse tripped and her breath quickened. Oh, my.
And then he kissed her.