Chapter 6
Chapter Six
P almer had hoped that, after strapping the dancing fridge to the brick wall and adjusting the motor belt, he would have time to visit with Sophia again. However, his brother called and told him that they had an emergency over at the Golden Oar restaurant.
When he arrived, all of the customers were standing out in the parking lot. Some were soaking wet.
“Sprinkler system’s on the fritz,” someone said as he walked by.
Shit. This was going to be a very long night. When he stepped through the front doors, his boots were immediately soaked as a rush of water hit him.
This was more than just the sprinklers.
“Son of a…” He heard his brother’s voice coming from near the back dining area.
“Parker?” he called out.
“Back here.”
Sure enough, one of the walls near the fireplace was gushing water.
“Help them get the paintings to safety.” Parker motioned to the employees rushing around and hauling the massive paintings off the walls.
Most of the colorful canvases had been painted by the grandmother of the owner, Iian Jordan. Some had been painted by his famous wife, Allison Jordan. Their art was highly sought after and probably cost more than the restaurant itself.
After he helped secure all of the paintings in a back room, he and Parker spent the next several hours fixing the broken water main while the employees worked quickly to clean up the water mess.
Fixing the water pipe had required them to open a giant hole in the restaurant’s wall, which meant, the place had to be shut down until they could fully clean up the water damage and patch and paint the spot. They would do that later that evening, when they were positive that the new pipe was holding secure.
When they were done, he was tired and completely soaked. Since it took a while for the drywall mud to dry, he arranged to arrive first thing in the morning to finish up with texture and paint.
By the time he stepped into the shower that evening, he was starved and too tired to think of anything but letting his head hit the pillow. However, when he stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist, Loki barked. It was the happy bark he got when there was a visitor he knew outside.
Thinking it was Parker, he went and opened the door, only to see Sophia standing there, her hand raised as if she was about to knock on the door again.
When she saw him, her eyebrows shot up and she slowly smiled.
“I didn’t know that I’d get a show if I dropped by.” She leaned against the doorframe.
He glanced down at his bare, wet chest. “I just showered,” he said and instantly realized he sounded stupid.
“Obviously,” she purred.
He took a deep breath to steady himself and give his brain time to engage. “Is there a reason you’re knocking on my door at”—he glanced back at the clock on the stove—“nine o’clock at night?”
“I wanted to thank you again for helping me out earlier.” She shifted slightly, as if uncomfortable. “I also heard about the mess over at the Golden Oar and knew that you probably didn’t have dinner.” She held up a bag. “I figured I’d drop off some quesadillas.” She took the bag back when he reached for it. “But if you’re busy…”
“Come in. I’ll put some pants on.” He snagged the bag from her and went inside while she gave Loki the attention he was begging for. “I’ll be just a minute.” He set the bag down on the counter and disappeared into his room. He slipped on some sweat shorts and a T-shirt and stepped back out, running his hands through his wet hair.
She was looking in his fridge and took out two sodas.
“Make yourself at home,” he joked as he took the offered drink. When they were both sitting down, he said, “Not that I’m complaining, but I’ll bet my brother didn’t get delivery tonight, and he worked just as hard as I did.”
She chuckled and turned slightly towards him. “I felt as if I owed you a little more of a thank-you and an explanation.”
He nodded. “No thanks needed. I am just thankful I was there. An explanation about…?” He took a bite of the still-warm food.
“Max,” she said after a long sigh.
His eyebrows shot up. “That man has it bad for you.”
Her head tilted. “What about you?”
He shrugged. “I don’t think he was that into me.” She slapped his shoulder playfully.
He set his drink down and turned slightly towards her. “What about you?”
“Max is…” She paused and he quickly wondered if she was going to continue or change the subject like he remembered her doing every time she was uncomfortable. “It’s complicated,” she finally finished after a very long heartbeat.
He went back to eating. “Tell me about school,” he said, deciding to switch up the conversation himself. “What was your favorite part?”
Her entire demeanor changed as she chatted about her classes. She seemed to love the computer programming and graphic design classes the best and went on and on about creating animated characters now that she could no longer use her cats. Then she showed him a short film she’d created using the school computer systems, and he realized just how talented she was. He’d watched hours and hours of the older stuff she’d created with her cats and could see how far she’d come since then.
“It’s a far cry from my secondhand camera.” She laughed as she looked down at her phone.
They had finished eating and were huddled around her cell phone, watching all the cartoon shorts she’d done.
“You have great talent for creating characters but also storytelling. I bet that not a lot of students in your class had that.”
“No. It’s why Max and I got along so great. Him being the storyteller and director that he is.”
“You really like him.” He hadn’t meant to say that out loud. Shit.
“He’s… not like the other writers and directors we worked with. I was only there for a little over a year, but some of them were so full of themselves, it was almost cliché.”
“Do you think he really moved to Pride because of you?” he asked, kicking himself. He wanted to change the subject. No. What he really wanted to do was kiss her. Damn.
“No. His mother and sisters live just outside of Portland. I think he wanted to be closer to them. His father passed away a few years back. His youngest sister… has health issues.” She shook her head.
He nodded. Okay, so maybe he misread the guy.
“His other sister is going through a divorce. She has a kid and the legal battle is… messy.” She shrugged. “He’s been trying to help out with that as well as his other sister’s medical bills.”
Yeah, he had misread the guy. The only thing worse than knowing his competition was famous, wealthy, and good-looking was knowing he was a good soul.
Palmer’s heart sank a little in his chest.
“Sounds like he has plenty of reasons to move to Pride,” he added softly.
Her eyes moved up to his. “Is it sort of strange?”
“What?”
“That at one point, all I could think about was being with him and yet…” She stopped.
“Yet?” he asked when she didn’t continue.
“Right now, all I can think about is how much I want you to kiss me.”
His sunken heart jumped, and he couldn’t hide the quick smile.
“I guess there’s something I can do about that.” He shifted closer until they were a breath away.
“Palmer?” Her hands moved to his shoulders, pulling him closer to her.
“I’ve been thinking about kissing you, too,” he admitted just before he laid his lips softly over hers.
“You make my heart skip.” She sighed as he shifted closer.
“You make mine stop altogether,” he admitted as he brought her to his lips. The kiss deepened and he marveled at the taste and soft feel of her. Her short nails slipped into his hair, holding him, begging him to never stop.
He knew that if he didn’t pull away now, he’d want to pick her up and carry her back to his room. He doubted either of them were prepared for that quick of a pace.
“Thanks for dinner. Again,” he said as he rested his forehead against hers.
“I’m glad I decided to bring it by.” She smiled at him. “Both for the benefit of seeing you in nothing but a towel and for this.”
He tilted his head. “Just so we’re clear, you aren’t interested in Max?”
She took a deep breath and shook her head. “No, right now I’m only interested in having you kiss me again like you just did. Soon.” She stood up suddenly and brushed a quick kiss across his lips. “But I’d better go. I hear you have another full day putting the Golden Oar back together tomorrow.”
He stood up and walked her to the door. “You’re going to see Max tomorrow?”
She nodded. “I really do want to see the inside of that lighthouse. I tried to break in to the place once. Right after we moved here.”
“Everyone’s tried to break into that place at least once.”
“You?”
He smiled. “More than once.”
“It would be awkward if I invited you tomorrow. But maybe I can convince him that if he has any work that needs to be done to the place…”
“Here.” He walked over and grabbed one of the business cards that his brother had printed up for him. “You can give him my card.”
She pocketed it and then sighed. “Night.”
“Night.” He kissed her again before watching her walk back to her car.
Loki whined when he shut the door as she drove away.
“I know, buddy. I miss her too.” He glanced around the small home and decided it was too empty. “How about a walk?”
Loki sprang into action, dancing around as he gathered his shoes, a jacket, and the leash. The chilly night air did wonders to clear his mind. At least until he saw the light from the lighthouse.
Why did the man have to move into his town? He didn’t doubt that Sophia wanted to be with him over Max. But he could tell that Max wasn’t a man who would step aside easily. He doubted he’d gotten so far in life by not always trying to win. The fear of Sophia changing her mind about wanting Max ate at him the entire walk. By the time they turned around and headed back down the beach towards home, snow was falling again.
He was completely chilled, and the moment he stepped inside, he peeled off his soaked clothes and took another hot shower to warm up.
The next morning, he had to call Parker and see if he could finish up at the Golden Oar without him, because he was running a fever and shaking uncontrollably.
“I’ll have Sara swing by with some soup for you today,” Parker suggested.
“No, don’t. I wouldn’t want to get her or the kids sick. I’ll order delivery from the store.”
He was freezing, so he cranked up a fire and then stood under the hot spray of the shower until his bones felt somewhat warm. He’d probably gotten sick from standing ankle deep in water the day before and then taking that long walk to clear Sophia’s kiss from his memory.
It was totally worth it, and he knew that he’d do it again if given the chance.
After the shower, he pulled on his warmest sweats and took his comforter into the living room. He lay on the sofa in front of the fireplace and watched the news until he fell asleep.
When he woke, he ordered a hot meal from the deli section of the grocery store and gobbled it down for lunch before crashing again.
He kept glancing over at the clock, knowing that Sophia would soon be heading over to the lighthouse to see Max, but his body pretty much shut down on him. He figured he needed the reprieve until the fever broke. He hoped that would happen soon so that he could get back to work and, most importantly, kiss Sophia again.