Loe raamatut: «Seaside Romance»

Chapter One

“Oh, no.” Kneeling in front of the box she’d just opened full of stuffed animals, Lauren Foster groaned. “All these Easter bunnies are green.”

“That’s okay,” her friend Julia Stanton assured her without looking over. “I ordered lots of green ones.”

“This kind of green?” Lauren held up a little hopper that was completely adorable—except for the fact that he was the color of a lime highlighter.

Julia glanced down and shuddered. “Definitely not. There must be some kind of mix-up with the supplier. What does the shipping label say?”

Angling her head, Lauren read, “Toylane, 64 Main Street, Oakbridge, Maine.”

“That’s happened before. I guess I should have researched other toy stores in the area before picking the name Toyland,” she added with a light laugh.

“Since I’m watching the store while you and Nick are on your honeymoon, I should probably learn how to handle things like this. What do you want me to do?”

In reply, Julia extended a graceful hand sporting the most gorgeous diamond setting Lauren had ever seen. She’d been in Holiday Harbor with her old friend all weekend, and seeing that ring on her left hand still astounded Lauren. Just last month, she’d been trying on jewelry like that, living in a luxury apartment overlooking Central Park and shopping her way from one upscale boutique to another.

What a difference a week makes, she thought bitterly.

When she realized Julia was still waiting for the invoice, Lauren slid it from its clear sleeve and handed it over. “Sorry. Blanked out there for a minute.”

Julia gave her an understanding smile. “Running a toy store isn’t as easy as it looks, so you’re forgiven.”

Lauren congratulated herself on evading the real reason she was so distracted. She hadn’t told anyone why she left New York in such a hurry, and she wanted to keep it that way as long as humanly possible. Maybe forever.

When her text alert chimed, she glanced down to find a message from her mother.

Have a great day, sweetie—xo.

After texting back u 2, Lauren swiveled to look over at Julia. “I love my parents, but I wish they could remember I’m twenty-eight years old.”

Julia laughed. “My parents used to be like that, too.”

“How’d you get them to stop?”

“I came here and started my own business. Then I met Nick, and you know the rest.”

Her dreamy smile clearly said she’d found someone to love for the rest of her life, and Lauren was ashamed to admit she was envious. Not that she begrudged Julia her happiness, but she wanted some of it for herself. Sadly, she was further from it now than she’d ever been. Personally and professionally, her life was in pieces, and she had no idea how to put it back together.

Shoving her negative attitude aside, she focused on Julia. They’d known each other since college, and she was the kind of friend who didn’t ask Lauren why she needed to run away. Instead, she’d opened up her home and offered Lauren a job for as long as she wanted it.

“When you first sent me pictures of this place last summer,” she said while she opened a box holding a fleet of cars and trucks, “I thought you were nuts to move up here so far from civilization. Now I see why you like it so much.”

“It’s out of the way, that’s for sure, but that’s what I like most about it.” Looking away from the computer screen, she added a warm smile. “It’s been so much fun having you here. How long has it been?”

After a moment, Lauren replied, “Five years ago, Mom and I met you and your mother in Paris for Fashion Week.”

“Oh, I remember that. I still have the clothes I bought on that trip. They’re a little outdated, but they’re so beautiful I don’t have the heart to get rid of them.”

“If you just wait a few years, they’ll come back in style.”

They both laughed, and Julia said, “I should get in touch with this supplier to make sure the bunnies I actually ordered are on their way. I have the number in my office, so I’ll call from there. Can you handle customers alone for a few minutes?”

“Sure,” Lauren responded with more confidence than she felt. Then again, she thought, as she carried the box over to restock the vehicles section, these days she pretty much did everything with more bravado than she felt. When the rug got yanked out from under your life, you kept going as best you could.

The bells along the top of the entry door jingled, and she called out, “Be with you in a minute!”

“Take your time. I’m not in a hurry.”

The words weren’t the least bit threatening, but the unfamiliar male voice froze her midstep. Although her brain knew perfectly well she was protected behind the tall shelves, her heart thudded to a stop, and icy fear slithered up her spine. Pulling in a ragged breath, she reminded herself that no one but her parents knew she was in Northern Maine with Julia.

You’re safe now, a tiny voice in her mind whispered. Closing her eyes, she took another, calmer breath and braced herself to face her very first customer. She plastered a smile on her face and walked out from behind the shelves. “May I help you?”

He flashed her a bright grin that made her feel as if he’d been waiting all morning to meet her. “You must be Julia’s friend Lauren, from New York City. Last time I was in, she told me you were coming to help out with the shop.” Offering his hand, he added, “I’m Ben Thomas. Welcome to Holiday Harbor.”

The name sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t place it. Dressed in washed-out jeans and work boots, he stood a full head taller than her, and Lauren had to tilt her head up to get a full view of him. With windblown blond hair and a ruddy complexion, he looked like he’d just stepped off one of the fishing boats docked down at the wharf. Then it occurred to her where she knew that name from, and she looked down at the top of the antique glass-front case Julia used as a checkout stand. Like the rest of the wood in the shop, from display racks to molding, it was a rich, dark walnut, obviously hand-carved with care a long time ago.

A shiny brass nameplate mounted near the front of the cabinet read “Restored with pride by Ben Thomas,” and she tapped it with her fingertip. “Is this you?”

“Yeah. When Julia was gutting this place, we found it upstairs in a corner, in a dozen pieces and covered with—well, you get the picture.”

He smiled again, and she couldn’t help noticing that the faded blue T-shirt he wore paled in comparison to his eyes. The color of a flawless summer sky, they made her think of sunshine. There hadn’t been much of that for her recently, and even though she’d just met him, she sensed herself being drawn to the warmth he projected. As the pause continued, she realized he was expecting some kind of response from her.

Nodding, she said, “I think so.”

“Anyway, she had a vision for this place, wanted to restore it to the way it used to be. It was built as a general store, and I dug up old blueprints and photos to make sure we got it right. I thought using the original counter would be a nice way to keep the old character in her new shop. It took a while, and when I was done, she insisted I get credit for it. Thanks to her, I’ve gotten some jobs restoring antiques for other folks in town.”

A man who saw value in old, broken-down things and enjoyed resurrecting them, she thought with a little smile. It was quite a departure from the bulldoze-the-past mentality so many people had these days. “So you’re not just a contractor. You’re a craftsman.”

“I’d like to be. There’s tons of old places along the East Coast that need to be saved. Bringing them back to life would be the best job ever.”

“Why don’t you do it?”

Annoyance clouded his expression, but blew away as quickly as it had surfaced. “Thomas and Sons is just me and my dad these days. Kitchens and roofs aren’t my idea of exciting, but they pay the bills. Without me—”

He shrugged, but she got the drift. He was staying here, forgoing his own dreams to help his father. It was a sweet, considerate thing to do, and she smiled in spite of herself. “That’s really great of you, staying to make sure his business keeps running well.”

“That’s what family’s all about, but thanks.”

His gaze warmed with the kind of male admiration she used to crave, but now it sent her skittering back from the counter. Lauren had learned the hard way that people weren’t always what they seem. Sometimes their true natures were buried beneath layers of deception, and by the time you dug deep enough to discover the truth, it was almost impossible to claw your way back out.

Determined not to repeat her mistakes, Lauren resolved to be pleasant to Ben but keep a respectable distance. “So, what can I help you with?”

Either he didn’t notice her sudden backpedaling routine, or he didn’t care. Whatever the reason, he sailed along without skipping a beat. “Julia called to say the puzzles I ordered for my niece’s birthday are here. I came to add a card so she can ship them to Detroit for me.”

“Ben!” Hurrying out front, Julia set the phone on the counter near the register and embraced him with enthusiasm. “I haven’t seen you in ages. How are things?”

“Fine. How ’bout you?”

“Crazy, with Easter next week and the wedding a month away.” Laughing as if chaos was her normal mode, she added, “Your gift is in the back, wrapped and ready to go. You two chat while I get it.”

“I can—” Lauren’s protest was lost in a graceful pirouette that sent her friend toward the storeroom. Stranded with Ben, she did her best to shrug it off. “She’s the boss.”

“Yeah, that’s what her fiancé says, too.” He chuckled. “Never figured he’d let someone take over his life that way, but he seems really happy.”

“So does Julia,” Lauren said. Not long ago, she’d been adept at mingling and making small talk with people she’d just met. Now, though, it terrified her to even try. Just one more thing she had to overcome, she groused silently.

Apparently, her discomfort was pretty obvious, because Ben leaned across the counter with a sympathetic expression. “This map-dot town’s not exactly what you’re used to, huh?”

Thankful that he hadn’t guessed the true source of her shyness, she shook her head. “It’s nice, though. It was so pretty driving in past the lighthouse and seeing the village spread out over the coast that way. With all these old buildings and houses, it feels like it’s been here forever.”

“Founded on Christmas Day, 1820,” he confirmed. “That’s where the name came from, and some of the original families are still here. I imagine they’ll still be around a hundred years from now.”

She caught a hint of disapproval in his tone, and the light in his eyes dimmed slightly. “You make that sound like a bad thing.”

“When you stay in one place too long, you stagnate, like a pond. Life needs to move from one place to another like the tide, to keep things interesting.”

Just then, Julia returned with Ben’s package, wrapped in festive birthday paper and topped with a poufy pink bow.

“Looks great. Thanks.”

Taking it from her, he handed over his credit card and easily shifted to a conversation about her upcoming wedding. He politely included Lauren, but she was only half listening. Instead, her mind was churning around his very down-to-earth philosophy on how to avoid a stagnant life. Maybe that was what she needed, Lauren mused while she rang up his purchase. A fresh start, with a few waves for variety.

The problem was, while it sounded appealing, she knew she wasn’t ready for anything quite that ambitious yet. Right now, she needed a safe harbor. Eventually, once she regained all the parts of her she’d lost over the past year, she could think about venturing a little farther from shore.

A voice came from the phone, and Julia cradled it against her shoulder. “T-o-y-l-a-n-d,” she spelled in the perfect diction Lauren had always admired. “The label says, T-o-y-l-a-n-e. Yes, I’ll hold.”

Rolling her eyes, she smiled at him. “I hope your niece likes them.”

“Yeah, me, too.” He winked at Lauren as she returned his card. “You know how girls are. They say they want one thing when they really want something else.”

She knew he was joking, but the comment struck her the wrong way, and she glared up at him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Her scolding had no effect on him whatsoever, and he gave her a maddening grin. “My mistake.”

The other line rang, and Lauren picked up the handset. “Toyland, this is Lauren. May I help you?” After a moment, she said, “Okay. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Still on hold, Julia gave her a questioning look.

“The sandwich and cookie trays you ordered for the Easter egg coloring party are ready at the bakery. They’re taking up a lot of space in the cooler, so they’d like us to get them ASAP.”

“Oh, no! I forgot all about them. The first set of kids and their parents will be here in half an hour.” Julia cast a pleading look at Ben. “The platters aren’t heavy, but there’s three of them, and they’re huge. Could you possibly help us out?”

Us? Considering the inexplicable reaction she’d had to him earlier, Lauren knew she shouldn’t spend any more time with the friendly contractor than absolutely necessary. “I can manage, Julia. It’s not that far, so I’ll just make an extra trip.”

“No need for that,” he assured her with a you-can-count-on-me grin. “I’m always glad to lend a pretty lady a hand.”

His open admiration of her was both flattering and terrifying, and Lauren swallowed hard to get control of both emotions before she blurted out something inappropriate. “All right, thanks.”

Lame but safe, she decided as they headed for the door. Outside on the sidewalk, he paused between the two large display windows she’d rearranged that morning. “Very nice,” he approved with a nod. “If I was a kid, they’d make me want to go inside and see what else is in there.”

“That was the idea.”

Clearly surprised, he turned to look at her. “Wait, you did this?”

“The Stantons are in London,” she explained, “and they called early this morning to talk to Julia about the wedding. She likes to redo the windows every Monday but wasn’t going to have time. Since she was busy, I thought I’d take a shot at decorating.”

“Great job.”

His unexpected praise settled nicely over Lauren’s badly bruised ego, and she took a minute to admire her handiwork. One window held all manner of Easter things: baskets, stuffed animals and a sampling of the unique toys the shop kept in stock. The other window framed a miniature version of Holiday Harbor, complete with early nineteenth-century buildings and gardens. In the model town square, tiny children held even tinier baskets filled with packing pellets that resembled eggs.

Even in still life, it was so charming, Lauren easily understood why Julia had chosen to settle here. Maybe someday, she thought wistfully, she’d find a place like this where she could restart her life.

“You okay?” Ben asked, hauling her back to reality.

“Sure.” To prove it, she met his concerned gaze with a steady one of her own. With his solid frame and weathered appearance, he made her think of a tree sturdy enough to weather a good old-fashioned hurricane. Pushing the fanciful impression aside, she asked, “Why?”

“You sighed.” As if he’d just caught on, he gave her a wry grin. “You want to handle this errand yourself, don’t you? So Julia will know you can manage running the shop while she’s gone?”

That wasn’t quite it, but she’d just met him and confessing that he made her irrationally nervous didn’t seem like the right way to go. “No, it’s fine. Really,” she added with a smile to smooth out the creases in his forehead.

“If you’re sure.” When she nodded, he motioned her ahead of him. “Then ladies first.”

More than once, he’d referred to her as a lady. Not only that, she mused as she started walking, he actually made her feel like one. She couldn’t recall the last time someone had done that for her, and despite her lingering misgivings, she had to admit she liked it.

* * *

Lauren Foster was like a Thoroughbred, Ben quickly realized. Beautiful to look at but skittish as anything.

Dressed in conservative gray trousers and a navy blouse, she appeared to be ready for work in an office somewhere. When she turned her head to look across the street, he noticed the way her ponytail caught the sunlight in a cascade of honey-gold curls. It was an intriguing contradiction to the all-business outfit, more suited to a picnic than a job indoors.

Women usually took to him right away, so her standoffish manner baffled him. Then again, he amended as they strolled along, maybe it wasn’t him. The idea that someone in her past had done something to make her so timid riled his protective nature, and he had to remind himself it was none of his business. She was Julia’s friend, nothing more. Still, he wouldn’t mind getting to know her better, figure out what was going on behind those amazing blue eyes.

“Isn’t that the church in Julia’s model village?” Lauren asked, pointing to the old-fashioned white chapel tucked into the town square.

“The Safe Harbor Church. Pastor McHenry is Julia’s future father-in-law, and he’ll be doing the ceremony.”

“I couldn’t believe it when she told me Nick’s the son of a preacher. I’ve read his Kaleidoscope magazine online, and in his picture he looks more like the dark, dangerous type.”

“Oh, he is,” Ben assured her with a laugh. “Except with Julia. She doesn’t let him brood too much, which is why she’s perfect for him.”

“That’s nice.”

Ben sensed she was less than impressed by his buddy’s religious background, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt to nudge her a little. “Our pastor’s really great, and not intimidating at all. If you wanted to come to Sunday service with Julia, we’d be glad to have you.”

Lauren gave him a suspicious once-over. “You go to church?”

“I met Nick in Sunday school.” Recalling the early days of their friendship made him grin. They were both twenty-eight now, and they still rarely agreed on anything. “When we were kids, we got in a fight over the best way to build the walls of Jericho.”

“Weren’t those the ones that came down?” she teased.

That he’d finally gotten this very somber woman to lighten up a little made Ben feel like he’d scored a touchdown. “To be fair, God had a hand in that. It wasn’t the masons’ fault.”

“I guess.” Her brief moment of humor evaporated into a frown. “I appreciate the invitation, but religion’s really not my thing. We used to go when I was a kid, but now I’m more the sleep-till-noon-go-have-brunch kind of girl.”

Ben suspected she could use some of the warmth he always found in the old chapel, but he’d learned long ago that it’s impossible to convince someone of something they don’t half believe already. You could try, but in the end, you were just wasting your breath.

“That’s fine,” he said as he pulled open the door to the bakery. “If you change your mind, you know how to get there.”

Once inside, Lauren paused and took a deep breath. “Mmm...something smells delicious. What is it?”

“Carolina’s snickerdoodles, runner-up at the state fair last summer.”

“Carolina? Are they named for the state, or is that someone’s name?”

“Carolina and her sister Georgia are from Alabama, but they’ve been here ever since I can remember.” Affectionately known around town as the Bakery Sisters, they were two of Holiday Harbor’s favorite residents. “They came up for a vacation with their husbands and never left. Kinda like Julia.”

Lauren gave him an odd look. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

“Great minds and all that.” Her eyes narrowed, and he tried not to take her reaction personally. Judging by her rapidly shifting moods, something was going on with her, and he opted to cut her some slack. For better or worse, he’d had a lot of practice with that kind of thing. “If you wanna try the snickerdoodles, we should get ’em now. They won’t last long.”

“That would be great. If they were second place, I can’t imagine what came in first.”

“Mavis Freeman’s gingerbread. She’s our lighthouse keeper, and she wins every year.”

“I thought all those beacons were automated these days,” his guest commented as they joined the line.

“Not the Last Chance Lighthouse,” he informed her. “Mavis would strap herself to the tower if we tried to change anything out there.”

“Let me guess. It got its name because it’s the last chance a boat has to change course before it crashes on the rocks.”

Grinning, he pointed at her. “You got it.”

“There seems to be a story for everything in this town. It’s interesting.”

That was a nice way of putting it, he thought. Growing up, he’d enjoyed living in his quirky hometown, with its salty character and down-to-earth people. Now that he was getting older and still right where he’d started, the age-old traditions were starting to wear on him. Nothing ever changed here, and he knew the villagers inside and out. Maybe that was why Lauren had snared his attention so quickly. Tired of the same old, same old, he was dying to experience something new.

That was it, he decided, relieved to discover the reason for his fascination with her. She was pleasant company, but nothing more than that.

When they arrived at the counter, Georgia Bynes greeted them with a bright, grandmotherly smile. “There’s our favorite fix-it man. And you must be Lauren.” She reached across the counter to shake hands. “We’ve heard so much about you. It’s wonderful to finally meet you in person. Carolina—” she called out “—Julia’s friend is here!”

A slightly younger version of Georgia bustled through the swinging doors, wiping her hands on her flour-dusted apron before echoing her sister’s greeting. “Good to see you both. Your trays are ready, so I’ll just go get them.”

“Don’t bother,” Ben said, strolling over to the antique cooler that occupied half of the back wall. “I got ’em.”

While Lauren signed the delivery receipt, he slid the three trays free and closed the door with his boot. When she appeared behind him with her hands out, he was confused. “What?”

“I can carry at least one.”

“They’re all balanced and everything. If you just get the door, I’ll be fine.” She didn’t respond, but she didn’t drop her hands, either. After a brief standoff, he relented and let her take the top tray from him. “Stubborn, aren’t you?”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Not always.” Chuckling, he backed into the entry door to open it for her. “Guess it depends on the situation.”

She slanted him a curious look. “What kind of situation makes it bad?”

“Like if you insisted on going into a burning building to save your clothes, I’d have to stop you.”

That got him a derisive snort. “Do I look like a moron?”

“Not a bit,” he assured her, and was surprised to find he meant it. Normally, he took his time sizing up new people, but this enigmatic woman with the tentative smile had impressed him from the moment he met her. It wasn’t just her looks, either. Gorgeous as she was, he sensed there was a lot going on behind those forget-me-not eyes. Not all of it good, either. “I was just giving you an example of when being stubborn is bad. Which you asked me for, by the way.”

“Fair enough.” A few moments later, she said, “For the record, I’d only go into a burning building to save people or puppies.”

“How ’bout kittens?” he teased, getting a laugh for his trouble.

“Okay, anything breathing. Does that cover it for you?”

“Sure.”

Their trip back to Toyland went a lot quicker than the walk out, and he was sorry to see it end. Now that she’d opened up a little, he wished he could have a few more minutes to talk to her. Then again, he cautioned himself as they offloaded their goodies, that could only lead to trouble. He wasn’t a superficial guy, but experience had taught him to be extremely cautious about relationships. Getting too attached set you up for a lot of heartache when things didn’t work out. It was safer to keep some distance in case things went south.

Because, from what he’d seen so far, they always did. It was just a question of how long it took and how much it hurt when you hit bottom.