Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
The minute his words left his mouth, Sullivan realized he should have better prepared Piper for this upcoming trip. Then looking at her face, it hit him.
She thought this would be the last time they saw one another. She confirmed that thought when she said, “I didn’t realize tonight would be our last night.”
The light had gone out of her eyes.
“It’s not,” he quickly assured her, seeing relief sweep across her face.
She had a beautiful face, one full of energy and liveliness, but she would be the worst poker player in the world because she telegraphed her every emotion on it.
He captured her wrist and pulled her from her chair, tugging so that she landed in his lap.
“I wouldn’t do that to you,” he assured her. “This is just the exploratory trip for my new project. I’ll be coming back in a few days. Tuesday.”
“Oh,” she said quietly, but he could still feel the tension filling her body.
“I’ll still be around when Zane comes,” he added. “I can’t wait for you to meet him.”
Mustering some of her usual spirit, Piper said, “I wonder if I can get stories out of him about what the two of you were up to as kids.”
“Nah. Zane would never break. Our code of silence is powerful. Besides, the statute of limitations ran out years ago on the mischief we created.”
His teasing words seemed to mollify her some, but then she said, “We both know you’ll be leaving soon. Even though you haven’t told me exactly when.”
“I’m not quite sure myself,” he said, not wanting to commit to an end date for his time in the Bay.
And with her…
“Why don’t we just walk away now?” she asked. “Make a clean break. We’ve enjoyed one another’s company.”
“Why sit around and be miserable with both of us still in the same place?” he countered. “I like being around you, Piper. I think it would be foolish for us to both be in the Bay and not see one another for as long as we can.”
Her gaze held his, and he saw tears shimmering her eyes.
“I need to protect myself, Sullivan,” she said quietly.
He threaded his fingers through hers. “Don’t say this is over,” he pleaded. “Not yet.”
She sat silent for a long moment, and he held his breath, waiting for the verdict.
It was true. He wasn’t ready to be done with her.
Already, he couldn’t think of returning to his life before he had come to this small, idyllic, seaside town.
He couldn’t imagine sleeping in a bed without Piper’s warmth next to him.
“All right. We can continue to see each other, but you need to give me fair warning when you’re leaving. Not a day or two. At least a week.”
“Deal,” he said, his hand wrapping around her nape to pull her down for a long kiss.
When he broke it, he said, “You still hungry?”
She shrugged. “Not really.”
“Then let’s put the cartons in the fridge. I want to make love to you before I go to Vancouver. I need to take a little piece of you with me.”
It didn’t take long to clean the kitchen. Sullivan took her hand in his and led her back to her bedroom. Slowly, he undressed her, marveling at every sweet curve on her body. He made love to her tenderly, savoring each moment, committing it to memory.
Afterward, she lay in his arms. He stroked her hair absently, wishing this night could go on forever. He needed to leave, though.
Pressing a kiss against her temple, he said, “I better go home and pack. I have an early flight in the morning.”
“I guess that means I can’t take you to the airport since I’ll be busy with the breakfast service.”
“My flight is at seven. I’ll connect in Dallas and then fly nonstop to Vancouver.”
“What will this resort be like?” she asked.
He was relieved, hearing her curiosity returning. Sullivan gave her what details had been provided to him and then said, “I’ll be sure to share the pictures I take with you. Vancouver is a beautiful place. I wish you could go with me and see it.”
She snorted. “You do remember that I have a job, cleaning shower stalls and feeding guests.”
“You do more than that and you know it,” he insisted, hating how she devalued herself.
“Even if I weren’t tied to the Bay Breeze, I wouldn’t be able to go with you.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t have a passport, Sullivan.”
Her admission threw him for a moment. A passport was just something he assumed everyone held.
Then he realized she came from a very small town and a middle-class family, one where both her parents earned public servant salaries.
Even he knew policemen and teachers were severely underpaid.
The kind of vacations her family had taken would be far different from the ones he had gone on with his parents and as a bachelor.
He had traveled to five different continents, both for work and pleasure.
“Maybe you need to put that on your bucket list,” he said lightly. “Once your time is done at the B&B, we could plan a trip abroad together.”
She drew away from him. “I’m not interested in making plans which we’ll never keep,” she said flatly.
“Who knows what’s in the future for us, Piper?”
“What’s in my future is not a part of yours,” she said, her tone sharp.
“You’ll go back to New York and all these projects you participate in, while I’ll be here in the Bay.
Even if I do find a job beyond managing the B&B, I wouldn’t have vacation time coming for another year.
I sure wouldn’t be pulling in the income to share expenses on some exotic trip to Europe or Asia.
Face it, Sullivan. We come from different worlds.
You’re sharing a little time with me in mine, but it’s impossible for me to ever become a part of yours. ”
“You wouldn’t have to worry about the cost. It would be on me,” he told her.
Her eyes grew wintry, and he knew he’d made a mistake saying he would pick up the tab. Piper was an independent, proud woman, and his words had definitely angered her.
“If you can’t understand why I couldn’t allow you to pay for a trip, then you really don’t know me as well as I thought you did, Sullivan. I think you better leave now.”
He longed to reach out. Touch her. Kiss away her fears and feelings of inadequacy. The look on her face told him not to dare attempt that.
“All right,” he said, climbing from the bed and quickly dressing.
She had pulled the sheet up, covering herself. Usually, Piper was so carefree, but her crossed arms and stubborn countenance told him not to push her at this point.
“I’ll text you when I get to Vancouver. Better yet, I’ll call you once I get settled in. When would be a good time to talk?” he asked, putting the ball into her court.
“I don’t know,” she said stiffly. “Maybe you should just concentrate on what you’re supposed to be doing in Vancouver and let me work on running the Bay Breeze.”
She was shutting down fast.
And he didn’t like it one bit.
Sullivan came around to her side of the bed and brushed a quick kiss against her soft lips. “Text or call me when you have a chance,” he told her.
She tossed back the covers and slipped into her robe, following him to the front door. Opening it, she waited for him to leave so she could lock up. He felt like it was a mistake, leaving on such a bad note, but he had no idea how to solve the problem between them.
“Goodnight, Piper.”
He stepped onto the porch and turned to look at her. She didn’t meet his eyes as she closed the door and locked it. The sound of the lock being thrown struck him hard. It seemed a metaphor for her locking him out of her life.
As he walked to his car, he thought he shouldn’t expect any more from her.
They had both gone into this relationship knowing it would be temporary.
Hell, he went into every relationship knowing it wouldn’t last. Yet Piper Roberts was tugging heavily on his heartstrings.
Sullivan decided this break of a few days would be good for both of them.
It would help him clear his head and turn his focus back to his career.
When he returned to Driftwood Bay, he would do so, keeping in mind that he wouldn’t be in the small town much longer.
Piper removed her phone from her pocket, pulling up her text messages.
She touched Sullivan’s name and read the last one he had sent.
It was from Saturday and told her that he’d landed in Vancouver on time.
That was the last contact between them. She hadn’t even responded to it, feeling guilty about that now.
The last few days, she’d no longer been Piper Roberts. Instead, she was playing the role of a small-town innkeeper. She greeted guests. Efficiently cleaned their rooms and cooked for them. Everything was done with a smile on her face as she went through these tasks.
Because being Piper meant that she’d have to live with the hurt filling her heart.
Today was Wednesday. Sullivan had said he was coming back on Tuesday.
She had replayed their conversation numerous times in her head and waffled back and forth on how she wanted to handle his remaining time in the Bay.
The smart half of her advised that she keep him out of her bed and life, only seeing him if he were present with one of her friends.
Her heart protested that decision, though, telling her she would be crazy not to soak up every moment she could with him before he stepped out of her life.
She fretted about him not contacting her to let her know he had returned from Canada. Maybe he’d gotten in so late last night that he thought she might already be asleep. Or worse—that he didn’t contact her because she hadn’t been responding.
She finished cleaning the Millers’ room.
They were the only current guests mid-week.
That would change once summer came. According to the bookings, from Memorial Day on, the Bay Breeze would be full every day through Labor Day weekend.
The Millers had proved to be very friendly and had even asked her to join them for breakfast the last two mornings.
She had done so this morning simply because she was so lonely.