A smile spread across Paige’s face as the first hint of consciousness seeped into her mind. Without opening her eyes, she slid her hand across the cool sheets to find…
Nothing.
Her eyes popped open. Lucas was nowhere to be found.
She sat up in bed and the sheet pooled in her lap. Last night had been… Paige searched for the right word. Every adjective that came to mind sounded so clichéd—amazing, magical, life-affirming—yet that’s exactly how it felt. They’d spent hours lost in each other, and when they’d finally collapsed against the mattress, Lucas hadn’t run off. He’d stayed right where he was, holding her in his arms until they both fell asleep. It had felt natural. It had felt right. And not one ounce of her was afraid he would wake in the morning and catch sight of something that would send him running for his life.
So where was he now?
She looked through the large bay window. The sun was much higher than it was when she usually woke. Maybe Lucas wasn’t the type to sleep in, even if they had been up until nearly dawn. A sense of unease filled her belly as another thought crept, unwelcome, into her mind. What if the sunrise had brought a sobering regret? What if he wasn’t as ready to move on as he thought? Then again, maybe he just needed some time to process. This was all new to him. Not that Paige had any idea what “this” was exactly. It didn’t feel like a one-night stand. A vacation fling maybe? But weren’t they too old for that?
She hashed over the options as she got dressed, but ultimately Paige decided not to analyze the situation to death and instead just try to enjoy it for what it was. Whatever that might be. She hadn’t come to the island to fall for a hotter-than-hell innkeeper. And despite her assistant’s hopes to the contrary, she hadn’t even come looking for a fling. This trip was about celebrating her single life. Whatever she’d found with Lucas, she hadn’t been looking for it. And yet there she was. Which was why she decided that, for once in her life, she just needed to go with the flow.
By the time she reached the stairs, she was nearly convinced. That is, until she made it to the kitchen to find Lucas sitting at the island, hunched over his laptop with a distraught look on his face. Then every fear and insecurity came rushing back to her, along with the reminder of why she’d given up men in the first place.
Don’t assume the worst, she chanted to herself. Whatever had him so stressed out might have absolutely nothing to do with her or the night they’d just spent together. She was debating whether or not to ask, when he looked up from the screen.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey.” Well, that wasn’t awkward at all.
“Sorry you woke up alone. I couldn’t sleep, and once I’m up…”
“No, I totally get it.” Her teeth sank into her bottom lip.
Mind your own business, she heard Sammy McGuire say.
But Lucas looked so distraught…
“Everything alright?” The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted asking them. Don’t chase bad news, her grandmother always used to say. But instead of listening to her, or the cartoon version of her assistant, Paige had charged full speed ahead toward an answer she was, in all likelihood, not going to like.
“What? Oh yeah, fine,” he said, his focus returning to whatever was on his laptop screen. “Just have a lot on my mind.” An uncomfortable moment passed before he added, “Give me a second, and I’ll get breakfast started.”
Paige shoved her hands into the pockets of her sweatshirt. She’d opted for casual, dressing in a pair of yoga pants and her favorite Northwestern hoodie, but now she wanted nothing more than to be wearing her power suit and her favorite pair of impractical heels. She felt like she could conquer the world in that outfit. It was what she wore to her most important meetings. Her battle armor, so to speak. And in that moment, she could have really used a steel barrier between Lucas Croft and her fragile heart.
“You know what, I think I’ll take a rain check on breakfast, if that’s all right?”
Lucas’s eyes shot up to meet hers. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” She checked her wrist for a watch she wasn’t wearing. “It’s nearly lunchtime anyway. Plus, I really wanted to get out for…” What? She panicked, and the next words to come out of her mouth were possibly the most untrue she’d ever spoken. “…a run.”
“You’re going out for a run?” he repeated. “I didn’t realize you liked to jog.”
“Oh yeah, absolutely.” Not. “I love a good hard run. Haven’t been out on the pavement…” EVER. “…in a week. You know, with the storm and all.” She eased her way toward the back door. “And it will give me a chance to see a bit of the island.”
With that, she was out the door. What the hell had she been thinking? A run? For starters, she was wearing Keds. With no socks. But what was worse, she didn’t have on the industrial-strength bra she wore to the gym. And there she only read a book on a recumbent bike or watched Netflix on the elliptical. She didn’t actually run.
Paige looked down at her bosom. Hang on, girls.
Deciding that a beach run was not for beginners, she opted for the sidewalk. She made a valiant effort, keeping her strides long and her head up, until she was out of view of the inn. Then she slowed to a shuffle while supporting her boobs with her hands. Even that didn’t last long. Just as well. The folks she passed as she jogged were giving her and her “hand”-made support bra more than a few odd looks. She could just imagine the island gossip. Did you see that woman from Chicago fondling herself while she ran through town?
Paige stopped, bending at the waist as she tried to catch her breath. When she straightened, she realized she was right in front of the fire station. Convenient, she thought. At least the paramedics wouldn’t have far to go. But then she wiped the sweat from her eyes and, on closer inspection, realized the stone and brick building wasn’t a fire station at all, but rather a bookstore. In a fire station.
Blazing Books.
Sophie.
Paige rounded the corner in search of the front of the shop. The sign in the window read OPEN, so she pushed on the bright-red door. Inside was no ordinary bookstore. The character of the old firehouse remained, everything from the exposed brick walls to the high arched windows. There was even an old fire truck, or at least the front end, in the far corner.
A bell chimed as the door closed behind her, and a moment later, a woman slid down a brass pole in the middle of the store. She hit the floor with practiced ease and turned to greet her customer. When she realized who it was, Sophie’s face lit up.
“Hey, Paige!” she said. “Glad you decided to come by.” There was really no decision involved. She was more or less on the lam. But either way, she was glad her aimless run had brought her to Sophie’s door.
A small head poked out from behind the fire engine. “Is that my daddy’s Paige?” Maddie asked.
Paige had spent the last three years establishing her independence. She was her own woman, not an accessory for a man. Which was why she was so surprised when the use of the possessive adjective sent an unfamiliar warmth spiraling through her body. But she wasn’t Lucas’s Paige; she wasn’t Lucas’s anything. The warm sensation finally settled in her chest, where it turned into a far-more-familiar burn.
Maddie didn’t wait for an answer. Instead she skipped straight toward Paige. When she reached her, she threw her arms around her in a bear-cub hug.
“Did you come to visit Floppy, Stanley, and Stinky?” she asked with complete sincerity.
“Actually, I was just out for a jog, and then I saw the bookstore, so I thought I would come in and say hello.”
Sophie’s eyes drifted to Paige’s shoes. She didn’t say anything, but Paige knew she’d been busted.
“We’re having a tea party in the fire truck. Want some?” Maddie asked.
Paige looked to Sophie for guidance. Her questioning look was met with a smile and a nod.
“If you’re sure you have enough,” Paige said.
Maddie giggled. “It’s pretend tea, silly. There’s always enough.” She took Paige’s hand and led her to the rear of the truck. Only a partial frame remained, and that had been converted into an adorable playhouse. Inside were piles of pillows and a pint-size table and chair set. Maddie’s favorite toys occupied all but one chair, which left Paige to find a spot on the pillows. Just as well. Something told her the small wooden chairs wouldn’t hold a full-size human.
To Paige’s relief, Sophie joined them. Not that she minded being alone with Maddie, but she had no idea what the proper etiquette was for drinking invisible tea and eating imaginary cake. In the end, it turned out she didn’t need a guide. Maddie took care of that all on her own, giving instructions as she directed the tea party from beginning to end. Reminded Paige of herself at that age. Always in charge.
When they were done, Sophie turned her attention to her niece. “Maddie, why don’t you go find a book to take home with you while I give Paige a tour of the store.”
She waited until the little girl had gathered her toys and scampered off between the rows of books before addressing the elephant in the room. “Out for a jog in those shoes?” At least she hadn’t mentioned the bra situation. “Is everything okay?”
“I just…needed some air.”
Sophie’s eyes narrowed. “What did my butthead brother do now?”
“Nothing.”
His sister wasn’t buying it. “You’re not a very good liar.”
“It’s…complicated.” Jeez, she sounded like a Facebook status.
“Always is with him.” Sophie laughed. “I love my brother, but he’s a bit much sometimes. Always getting in his own head.” She folded her legs in front of her like a pretzel. Clearly she wasn’t as adverse to yoga as Paige was. “I keep telling him he needs to relax more and think less.”
“He’s been through a lot,” Paige said.
“He told you?”
Paige nodded. Sophie seemed a little surprised, but in a good way. Her entire body relaxed as though she’d been holding in a breath.
“Maybe he’s not as ready to move on as he thought he was,” Paige offered. “Last night was perfect but—”
“Today he’s acting moody and withdrawn?”
“A bit, yeah.” She didn’t want to criticize him to his sister, but fact was the change in him had been anything but little. Somewhere between falling asleep and making coffee, Lucas Croft had done a complete one-eighty.
“I wouldn’t be so quick to assume his mood has anything to do with you,” Sophie said, as though reading Paige’s mind. She looked over to where her niece was now reading a story to a very well-worn bunny. “Lucas has a lot on his plate right now with trying to restart the business.”
Paige knew from the first day’s eavesdropping that it was more than that. From what she’d heard, Lucas was in danger of losing the place. But that had been the case all along. What she saw this morning was something different. Something worse. “I don’t think that’s what was bothering him.”
“Did you ask him?”
Paige looked down at the teacup she still held clenched in her hand. Hearing Sophie ask something so obviously simple made her suddenly feel very foolish for hauling ass out of the house. “No.”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret, Paige,” she said, dropping her voice to a whisper. “My brother is crazy about you.”
Paige looked up. “What?”
Sophie grinned. “You heard me. I saw how he was with you. Can’t even remember the last time he had such a dopey look on his face.” She stood and pulled Paige to her feet. “Why don’t you jog back to the house and ask him what’s up?” She looped her arm through Paige’s as they walked arm in arm toward the door. “Just don’t tell him about the dopey-face part.”
Paige met Sophie’s grin with one of her own. “Your secret is safe with me.”