Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Zane’s offer stunned Piper.
And for a brief moment, she was tempted to say yes.
If she did so, she could remain in the Bay.
Be with her family and friends. Yet she had too many memories now of herself with Sullivan here.
Each day would be a painful reminder of the time they had shared together.
It would be better to make a clean break with her hometown and the memories.
Start a new life, hopefully in New York and if not, return to life on the road.
“Thank you, Zane. That’s a lovely offer, but I think I’m going to have to pass.”
“Why?” Layne demanded. “You have more talent in your pinky than most singers do in their entire bodies, Piper Roberts. This is the opportunity you’ve been looking for.”
She would never be able to explain why she couldn’t accept the offer to entertain at Tidewater, much less why she would be leaving the Bay.
Looking to Zane again, she asked, “What about the other performers who are scheduled to work here?”
He shrugged. “No one holds a candle to your voice, Piper. I can always find another place for them. Or if you’d like to work somewhere else, Wagner Enterprises has places all over the world. Name where you want to go. I’ll make that happen.”
“I appreciate you wishing to give me a job, Zane, but my answer is no. I have plans of my own, but thank you again for the offer.”
Before Layne—or anyone else could argue with her—she looked to Sullivan. “Come on, Prepster. Let’s go.”
Piper didn’t try to decipher the enigmatic look on his face. She just needed to get out of here.
They left the club and went to the bank of elevators, riding to their floor in silence. As they stepped from the elevator, however, Sullivan stopped her in the corridor.
“Why wouldn’t you accept Zane’s offer?” he asked. “It’s a great one. To sing here or anywhere else around the world? You could do a lot worse, Piper.”
“Well, I would have to get a passport to take advantage of that, and I hear it takes a long time for the application to go through these days,” she said lightly.
Seeing the questioning look in his eyes, she grew more serious.
“I have plans for myself, Sullivan. Singing at Tidewater isn’t the direction I want to take. ”
He didn’t question her answer. He merely took her hand in his and led her back to their suite, for which she was grateful.
Once they were safely inside, he yanked her to him, kissing her hard.
Passion flared between them, a white-hot heat pouring through her.
She tore at his shirt, not wanting to take time unbuttoning each button.
Instead, she jerked it wide open, buttons flying everywhere.
Her lips went to that hard chest, and she drank her fill of him, her hands gliding across it and around to his back, stroking the sleek muscles there.
Hunger gleamed in his eyes, and he made quick work of her clothing, and soon they stumbled to the bed, tumbling onto it.
The next hour was defined by passion and frenzy.
They couldn’t seem to get enough of one another.
He brought her to orgasm, first with his fingers and then his mouth and tongue, and Piper was soaring on waves of adrenaline and pleasure.
When he finally thrust inside her, she relished the feel of him deep within her.
He pumped harder and harder, and she raked her nails against his back, wanting to claim him as hers for all time.
Just as her orgasm erupted, he gave a hoarse cry of his own, their bodies shuddering together, melded as one, the feeling part pleasure and part pain.
He collapsed against her, and she welcomed his weight, thinking she might never have a man in her bed again after this perfect coupling.
At least not one she loved as she did Sullivan Shepherd.
Piper kept those words of love to herself, burying them deep into her heart.
Sullivan rolled to his side, turning her so that he could spoon with her.
This was a night memories had been made, and she enjoyed the feel of him against the length of her, his strong arms possessively holding her close to him.
She fell asleep, basking in his warmth, knowing this was the best man she had ever known
And the best night of her life.
When she awoke, it was to find his lips nibbling her nape. Piper turned and kissed him, long and deep, and Sullivan made slow, tender love to her. Afterward, they showered, and she remarked on how fluffy the towels were.
“Zane will want to know that detail,” he said, seeming quieter than usual.
Piper thought he was already withdrawing, protecting himself, the same as she was trying to do.
They dressed in shorts and T-shirts and went to breakfast, joining their friends.
Layne eyed her speculatively, but Piper shook her head slightly, not wanting to get into anything right now.
Layne could be like a dog with a bone, and she wasn’t going to easily let go of this idea of Piper performing at Tidewater.
She would have to discuss this with both her friends because eventually she would need to inform them of her plans to leave the Bay and head to New York.
“What’s on the agenda for you two today?” Keaton asked. “Layne and I might try out the bikes.”
Carson said, “If you don’t mind, Mila and I will join you. It would be a great way to see all the island.”
Sullivan looked to her. “I think we’re going to go have a tennis lesson,” he told the others.
They finished eating, and he took her hand in his, leading her down to the courts.
“You think I need to take up a preppy sport?” she asked teasingly, ready to infuse less seriousness into their remaining time at Tidewater.
“Tennis isn’t just for the rich. Besides, you look athletic to me. Must be all that Zumba-ing you do.”
Barry Blaise, the tennis pro, greeted them, and Sullivan told him they were here for a lesson.
“For Piper,” he clarified. “I already play tennis.”
“I know nothing about tennis. Or pickleball,” she said.
“You look to be in great shape, Miss Roberts,” the tennis pro said. “Tennis won’t be too taxing for you.”
“I do regular workouts, but I’ve never picked up a racket before.”
“Then I’ll go over a few basics with you. Not so many that it seems as if you’re in school, but I want to give you a good handle on how you can use your forehand and backhand. If I turned you loose without any instruction, you might already have some bad habits that I’d have to break.”
Sullivan took a seat while Barry walked her through how to hold and handle her racket. He demonstrated how to serve and then had Piper do so.
After a few dozen serves, he said, “You’re a natural at this.”
“It actually is pretty fun,” she admitted. “Then again, I’m a competitive person.”
“Let’s do some volleying together,” Barry suggested, going to the other side of the net.
He indicated for Piper to serve to him and returned it, coaching her as she hit each shot.
“Okay, we’ve done enough back and forth, keeping the ball bouncing. Let’s see if you can start aiming your shots toward the lines so that I have to really work for it.”
After a few more volleys, she found she could place shots fairly well, causing the tennis pro to gallop across the court to different spots. Then he started testing her, doing the same, and Piper found she responded well.
Barry called a halt. “You have a good grasp of play, and I can see you have the strategy down. Why don’t we let you and Mr. Shepherd play some now?”
“Go easy on me, Prepster,” she said, grinning at her new opponent.
They played several games, with Piper actually winning two of them. She was beginning to tire, though, after so much running around, and Sullivan picked up on that, motioning for her to meet him at the net.
When she did, he awarded her with a kiss.
“You did really well, Miss Roberts. I hope this is something you’ll keep up. And maybe think of me whenever you play.”
The happiness in the moment fled, much as a balloon quickly deflating.
They returned their rackets and balls to Barry, who had sat watching them, calling out advice to Piper as they played.
“For a rookie, you did very well, Miss Roberts.”
“Piper, please.”
The tennis pro shook his head. “If I see you in town, you’ll be Piper. Here at Tidewater, I’m conditioned to show guests respect.”
“I hope we do run into one another, Barry. Are you living in the Bay?”
“Actually, my wife and I are living with her parents, along with our two small kids. She grew up in the Bay. Cindy Kelly. I don’t know if you remember her.”
Piper smiled. “I think Cindy was in my brother Don’s graduating class.”
“We came to her high school reunion two years ago.”
“Yep. That was Don’s class. He never comes back for stuff like that, though.”
“Cindy was hoping one day we could actually live in the Bay. According to her, it’s the only place to raise kids. We’re saving up to buy a house, but there’s not much local inventory right now.”
“I might be able to help you,” Sullivan interacted. “I drew up some house plans for Carson Andrews, the basketball coach at the high school, and his wife. If you can find a piece of land to buy, I’d be happy to draft blueprints for you.”
“That would be great, Mr. Shepherd.”
“Sullivan.” He took out his wallet and handed Barry a card. “Just email me. Give me an idea of some of things you’d like to see in a house. The number of bedrooms and bathrooms. That kind of thing.”
Barry accepted the card and slipped it into his pocket. “How much will this cost?”
“Not a thing,” Sullivan said, making Piper’s heart swell at the generous offer, knowing Sullivan’s time was very valuable.
“I’m heading back to New York on Monday, but I’ll squeeze in a design around my workload once I hear from you.
We can even FaceTime about it. In fact, that might be better.
Get you and Cindy on a call before I start work.
Women always seem to know exactly what they want when it comes to a house. ”
“This is fantastic!” Barry said. “Cindy is going to go crazy when I tell her. I can’t thank you enough.”
Sullivan asked for the card back and wrote his cell number on it, then the two men arranged a time when Barry would be home and Sullivan was free so they could FaceTime.
As they left the tennis courts, Piper said, “That was very sweet of you.”
“I met him before on the ferry when he was coming to interview for the job. He seemed like a truly nice guy and said his wife would be happy if they could come to live in the Bay and be close to her parents.”
They spent of the rest of the day being lazy, trying out the three pools, arranging to meet the others at the Asian fusion restaurant at five o’clock. The last ferry to the mainland was at seven, and they needed to be on it.
They both showered when they returned to their room, washing off their sunscreen and then packing. Dinner was a boisterous affair. Zane joined them and collected their email addresses, saying they would each receive an in-depth survey tomorrow regarding their stay at Tidewater.
“Remember, don’t sugarcoat anything. I want to know the nitty-gritty details of what we did right or wrong. If you have any ideas on how to improve something, I’d love to hear them.”
Everyone thanked him for the opportunity to visit Tidewater free of charge, and then they were taken back to the ferry in golf carts. Once they got into Sullivan’s car, they were both subdued. Piper did ask him for his mailing address, though.
“Not that I’m some great letter writer, but I just wanted to add you to my address book.”
He gave her the address, and she couldn’t help but wonder how expensive his New York apartment was, especially knowing it overlooked Central Park.
When they pulled up to the Bay Breeze, he lifted her suitcase from the trunk and escorted her up the porch stairs.
“Want to come in? she asked, already knowing what his response would be.
He looked at her a long moment before responding. “I think ending things at Tidewater was a high note, Piper. I have an early flight tomorrow. I’m going to just go home now. Say goodbye to Neville and Nellie. Finish packing.”
“I understand,” she said quietly, her throat growing thick with unshed tears.
Sullivan leaned in and brushed his lips softly against hers in a sweet, farewell kiss. Then she watched him return to his car and drive out of sight—and out of her life.
She unlocked the front door and found her mom sitting in the common room, reading.
“Hey, sweetie. How was your weekend?”
“Spectacular. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. Maybe I could come over and have dinner with you and Dad.”
“We’d like that. I’ll make chicken spaghetti. I know it’s a favorite of yours.”
“Thanks. How did things go here at the Bay Breeze?”
“Thanks to your very specific notes, everything went swimmingly.”
Mom briefed her on who’d checked in and out and kissed Piper’s cheek. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow night then, honey. What time do you want dinner?”
“I’ll text you when the last guest checks in. Two different parties are due to arrive. Let’s just aim to eat at six-thirty.”
“Will do,” Mom said. “Goodnight.”
Piper rolled her suitcase to the bedroom and flipped on the light. Immediately, she noticed a new piece of furniture in the room. It was a bookcase.
She knew exactly who had made it.
Moving to the other side of the room, she ran her fingers along the spines of the different titles gracing the shelves, seeing all of them were romances.
Some she recognized as the biggest names in the industry.
Others were names she was unfamiliar with.
An envelope with her name scrawled across it sat on top of the bookcase, and she opened it, her heart in her throat.
Piper –
I wanted to do something for you that would have meaning as we parted ways.
The only thing I could think of was making this bookcase for you.
I know how much you like to read romance.
Since I know nothing about it, I got online and ordered a bunch of books which are popular, including several of those Regencies you love.
I also read blurbs from authors not on the bestseller list, so I threw in a few authors who haven’t quite been discovered yet, hoping you might enjoy the stories they told.
I crafted this bookcase with love for you, Piper. Meeting you has been the highlight of my life. If you ever need anything, please reach out to me.
Sullivan
Tears poured down her cheeks now, and Piper sobbed audibly as she ran her hands along the smooth wood. This was the most thoughtful gift she had ever received. What hurt the most—beyond Sullivan leaving her—was that she would have to leave it behind when she left the Bay.