Chapter 1 #2
How was it possible that only ten minutes had passed since she last looked at it?
Had someone hit a giant slow-motion button, grinding the movement of time to a slow crawl?
Although not possible, it sure as heck felt that way this afternoon.
And if only ten minutes had passed, then her grandfather and dad had just gone into their meeting with the Worm, aka Fredrick Waldman.
She’d never liked Fredrick—don’t even think about calling him Fred, because he’d correct you before you could inhale.
Although he didn’t live in Orchard Harbor, he spent a month there with his grandparents, one of the nicest and most well-liked couples in town, every summer growing up.
He’d also visited with his family during the holidays.
Back then, he’d been a spoiled punk who always had to get his way.
While he no longer spent weeks at a time in town, he came around often enough for Liv to know that although his looks had improved, his personality hadn’t.
Oh, who was she kidding? Fredrick might have been an awkward-looking child and teenager, but he’d turned into a demigod.
He could easily compete in the looks department with Hollywood’s hottest actors.
Unfortunately, Fredrick was a spoiled demigod who only cared about the person he saw in the mirror every morning.
That was why she turned him down every time he asked her out—something he’d done at least four times now, but who was counting?
And if the rumor were true, he would soon be throwing a wrench into not only her family’s business but also her life.
It’s just a rumor.
She’d told herself that more times than she could count over the past few days. She’d also reminded herself that rumors were a dime a dozen in Orchard Harbor, as her grandmother would say. Maybe if she kept telling herself both these things, they would prove true.
The sound of an oven timer, which happened to be her text message alert, pulled her out of her thoughts. Liv crossed her fingers and hoped the message was from her dad as she flipped the device over.
Unfortunately, it was her friend Emma and not her dad.
Emma: Can you talk?
At the moment, the restaurant was empty, and with the lunch rush over, she didn’t expect business to pick up again until dinner, at least not this time of year. In another two weeks or so, when tourist season really got underway, it would be a different story.
Liv: Yep.
No sooner had she sent the message than “Loving You” by Eclipse erupted from her phone.
“Have you heard anything yet?” Emma asked.
“I would’ve called you if I had.”
While it would affect Liv and her family significantly if the rumor that Fredrick planned to sell the building that housed the restaurant, her aunt’s bookstore, and Liv’s apartment proved true, Emma’s livelihood might not go unscathed, considering who was rumored to be interested in the property.
Liv had never formally met Rick Desmond, but the property developer had acquired numerous buildings up and down the East Coast for his company, which then promptly tore them down and built luxury condos, hotels, and spas.
If Fredrick was selling and Rick was interested, she knew without question the same would happen here, and Orchard Harbor would never be the same again.
“What time was the meeting?” Emma asked.
Liv reached for her iced tea as she checked the clock again. It looked as though the silly hands hadn’t moved. They must be stuck. Or maybe it needed new batteries. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d replaced them.
“Three.”
“Oh, I thought it was this morning,” Emma said.
While they all would’ve preferred an earlier time, Fredrick had insisted he couldn’t meet any earlier than three. Actually, they’d all gotten the impression he’d rather not meet at all, but after multiple messages with his executive assistant, he’d finally set something up.
“Do you think your dad will call you afterward or wait until he gets back?”
“I think it’ll depend on the news.”
“You’ll call me as soon as you hear something, right?” Emma asked.
“Emma, you know I will.”
Outside, a couple walking their dog stopped to read the menu by the restaurant’s door. While they did that, the dog—Liv suspected it was a Great Dane—peered inside at her, and she smiled. As a lifelong dog lover, they always brightened her day, no matter what else was going on.
“How was dinner with Brian’s parents last night?” Liv asked.
A conversation would help distract her, not to mention she was more than a little curious about her friend’s first meeting with Brian’s family.
“It was a little awkward at first.”
Liv listened while she watched the cars outside. Right now, traffic wasn’t too bad, but once Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer, rolled around, the cars and bikes on the road would triple. While great for business, it made getting around town unpleasant, to say the least.
A gray Ferrari pulled up to the curb. Ferraris and other luxury vehicles like them weren’t unusual once wealthy individuals descended on the town. Some owned vacation homes in the area, while others came to escape at the luxury spa that had opened two years earlier.
“By the time we finished our salads, it felt as though I’d known them forever.”
That sounded promising to Liv.
“Well, at least his parents and brother. I’m not sure about Brian’s sister and sister-in-law.”
Liv didn’t know Brian’s sister, but her own brother, Owen, used to complain about her and their sister, Faith, being overly critical of his girlfriends.
Who could blame them, though? Owen might drive them insane, but they had wanted the best for him.
They’d also wanted to avoid a repeat of his first short-lived marriage after college.
Thankfully, he’d met Jenny five years ago, and they’d all known she was the perfect person for him.
“I’m sure they’ll come around. How could they not?” Emma was one of the sweetest people Liv knew. “Do you have any plans this Saturday night?” Liv asked.
This Saturday night would be the first one she’d had off in a month. She’d like to do something besides clean her apartment or do laundry—two things she needed to tackle but would happily push to another day.
“I’m not sure yet. Brian mentioned camping this weekend if he can get Friday off.”
Emma only used rest stop bathrooms as an absolute last resort. How would she ever manage to make it through the whole weekend without indoor plumbing?
“Camping? As in you sleeping outside in a tent?”
“Are you nuts? No, Brian has a camper.”
Well, her friend’s willingness to camp made a lot more sense now.
Across the dining room, the door opened, and Liv was glad her butt was safely planted in a chair.
No one would disagree that the Worm was gorgeous, but the man who just walked in was pure male perfection—a full god she hadn’t seen in about a year, at least not in person.
Every other day, his face appeared on the internet or on a magazine cover, and she might have watched One Last Heist once or twice.
But who could blame her? Anderson Brady and Matt Sherbrooke starred in it.
She wasn’t the only person on planet Earth who’d watched it multiple times because of them.
Of course, it also helped that the plot was good.
“I’ll let you know as soon as Brian finds out.”
“Sounds good. A customer just came in. I’ll talk to you later.”
At one time, she’d waited tables three or four nights a week and every weekend.
These days, though, she spent more time in the kitchen or meeting with clients who needed an event catered.
But if Maggie, the waitress on right now, came out and saw who their newest customer was, she’d lose it.
Matt might be used to fans bothering him, but if Liv could ensure he enjoyed his lunch in peace, she’d do it.
Liv switched her cell phone to vibrate and put it into her pocket as she opened the door to the kitchen. “I’ll take care of the customer who just came in, Maggie.”
“Okay, thanks,” Maggie answered before she turned back toward Russ and resumed their conversation.
Lunch menus in hand, she crossed the dining room and ignored the butterflies that had taken up residence in her stomach. Seriously, she was too old to get butterflies just because she was around a handsome man.
“Hi, Matt. Just one today?”
Although she was a massive fan of his music, she’d known Matt too long to be starstruck around him. Unfortunately, his good looks still left her in need of a giant fan to cool herself off.
“Hey, Liv.” His lips formed the sexiest smile she’d ever seen. Honestly, it should be illegal for a person to have a smile like that. “Yeah, I’m alone.” Removing his baseball cap, he stuck it into the pocket of his jeans and raked his fingers through his dark hair.
She doubted he’d remain alone long. The man’s name was linked with a different woman’s every month.
Actually, not long ago, pictures of him with a pretty brunette had been all over social media.
In some, there had also been a baby. She didn’t know if it was true, but some magazines were claiming the baby was Matt’s secret love child.
To her knowledge, he had neither confirmed nor denied the rumor, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to ask him. Talk about invading someone’s privacy.
“Do you want to eat in here or outside?”
After several days of rain, the weather gods had decided to gift Maine with a perfect late-spring day. If she were a customer at Ocean View Grill, she’d sit outside and soak up the sunshine.
“Inside today.”
Somehow, she’d known he’d say that.
“Follow me.”
Unlike some celebrities, Matt didn’t intentionally call attention to himself. At least, he never did when he came to town.