Chapter Five
Connor drove the speed limit to Emma’s house, trying his best to exude a calm aloofness he didn’t feel. At least not according to his heart, which beat like he’d run a marathon.
Abby sat in the seat next to him, a potted hydrangea in her lap, fidgeting with the hem of a short blue and white sundress. A sundress much like the style she’d worn when they dated. With its short length, it barely hit mid-thigh and revealed miles of long legs, ending with a pair of flip-flops because of her ankle injury.
How was he going to make it through the night without embarrassing himself with a hard-on? He’d been halfway there since picking her up.
“Thanks for bringing me this ankle brace,” Abby said. “My mom was going to drop one off for me later, but you beat her to it.”
“No problem. You’ll still need to ice and elevate it a few times a day, but it will help stabilize it.”
“Enough to climb a ladder?” she asked.
He cast her a sideways glance. “Not funny. Besides, with the painting done, there should be minimal ladder climbing necessary.”
“We’ll see,” she said in a sweet tone he remembered meant she’d do whatever she damn well pleased.
Connor parked in the driveway of Emma and Jason’s house. The seventy-five-year-old, four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath
Victorian home was dark gray and accented with pink trim. A wide set of stairs led up to a wraparound porch. A large picture window spanned the front of the right side of the house, with a bay window off one of the upstairs rooms.
It was a traditional home with a lot of history, which made it a wet dream for someone in the home renovation business. Jason had shared changes Emma wanted to make, and together the brothers kicked around a few ideas.
“This house is huge,” Abby said.
“It was Emma’s grandparents’. After her grandma passed away earlier this year, Emma’s mom gave the house to her.”
“Oh, right—I heard Anna is engaged to the mayor.”
“They moved into John’s house a few weeks ago.”
“A house is some gift.”
Connor turned off the truck and reached into the back seat for the pie he’d bought. He may have come from a dysfunctional family, but his mom had taught him to never show up empty-handed.
Moving quickly to the passenger side, he helped Abby down, his fingers grazing hers as he closed the door.
“Are you sure it’s okay for me to be here?” Abby asked, her forehead furrowed with worry.
“I texted Emma, and she said the more the merrier.”
Abby bit her lower lip. “I haven’t been the nicest person to Emma or the Erickson family.”
Connor recalled the protest Abby was part of a few weeks ago while they were filming Beach House Flippers. Emma’s family struck a deal with the town council for a land swap that would have allowed them to expand Erickson Fun Pier in exchange for property next to their arcade. Once built and covered with rides, including the new roller coaster, the added portion of the pier would have blocked the beach view from the stores on the opposite side of the boardwalk. Abby’s new business was one that would have been affected, and she, along with many others, had fought against the expansion.
“Because of the protest, we found a better solution that didn’t involve taking up beach space or blocking views,” Connor said.
“I know, but I should have voiced my concerns earlier. It wasn’t like I didn’t know about the plans. I just didn’t realize the full impact until construction started.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. We all make mistakes.”
“I’m the last person Emma and anyone in that house wants to see.”
“It’s all good. I promise.” Without meaning to, he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
She flinched but quickly recovered, pressing into him and placing a warm hand on his waist.
What the hell had he been thinking? Abby hadn’t given him any reason to think she was still into him. At least he hadn’t kissed her lips, which he wanted to do more than he wanted air.
“Come, let’s go.” He stepped back and gestured for her to walk in front of him. “Emma said they’ll be in the backyard.”
He led her to the side of the house toward a white picket fence that separated Emma’s property from Evan Carmichael’s. Evan and Jason were best friends and had put Connor and Jason up when they first returned to Pelican Bay for the pier renovation.
The sound of summer beach tunes drifted through the air as they opened the gate. As they got closer, they caught sight of a little girl shrieking while running across the yard.
“That’s Maddy’s girl, Dylan. She’s four and has all the adults wrapped around her little finger,” Connor explained.
“Including you?”
Dylan shrieked even louder when she spotted Connor. “Uncle Connor, you came!”
The toddler ran full speed at Connor. He started to kneel, but between holding the pie and feeling a bit off his game with Abby next to him, he wasn’t quick enough to prepare for the onslaught, and found himself flat on his ass.
Abby was speechless as Connor stumbled and fell when the girl launched herself at him before settling on his lap with her arms thrown around his neck.
“Hi, princess. How’s my favorite girl?” Connor asked, not at all bothered at having been tackled to the ground by a child.
“I’ll take that finger wrapping as a yes,” Abby said with a laugh, and fought to push aside feelings she’d long ago buried.
Or so she thought.
Do not go there.
Dylan placed a wet kiss on Connor’s cheek and turned to Abby. “Hi, I’m Dylan. Are you Uncle Connor’s girlfriend? Are you staying for dinner? We’re having burgers and hot dogs and pickles. I love pickles, do you?”
Abby’s eyes widened at the speed at which the girl fired questions at her.
Then, before Abby could even answer, the bundle of energy took off.
“Wow, what happened?” Abby said. “I feel like I got hit by a wave and just came up to the surface.”
Connor rose to his feet, dusting off his shorts. “Yeah, that’s Dylan. She asks more questions than a murder investigator.”
“Or so many questions you’ll think you’ve committed a crime,” Jason said, rounding the corner. “Hey, bro, Abby. Glad you could come.”
“Thanks for having me,” Abby said.
“Hope you’re hungry. There’s enough food for the entire block,” Jason said.
They made their way behind the house, where two men stood on the patio in front of a massive grill. Beyond them was an enclosed porch and a spacious yard overlooking the bay.
“Hey, man,” the tallest of the guys said, and did a handshake slash fist-bump thing with Connor.
“Hey, Ev. You remember Abby, right?” Connor said.
“Sure do.” He offered his hand to shake.
“And this is Emma’s brother, Tyler.”
Another tall, good-looking guy, a few years younger with short, dark blond hair, offered a hand.
“Hi, Abby.” Tyler turned, and she caught sight of a hearing aid in his left ear.
Although she’d never met him, Abby remembered he’d gotten injured when he tried saving Maddy during Hurricane Samantha. While Maddy suffered no physical injuries, Tyler had lost a portion of his hearing in one ear.
Connor held up the pie box. “We’ll bring this inside.”
Abby followed him inside the enclosed porch, which had a long table set for dinner. French doors led to the kitchen, where Emma and Maddy were mixing a frozen drink.
Emma had turned off the blender and poured the frozen concoction into a glass with a salted rim.
Maddy tasted it. “Perfection.”
“Hey, Abby, Connor,” Emma said, taking a step forward to hug Connor.
Abby stood awkwardly next to Connor, unsuccessfully trying not to feel like the odd one out. Most of the people here weren’t family, but they’d been friends since their teenage years and likely knew everything about each other.
Why had she let Connor convince her to come?
“This is for you.” Abby held out the purple and blue hydrangea.
“Thanks so much. It’s beautiful, and will make a perfect centerpiece for the table.” Emma accepted it and gave Abby a hug.
“Nice to see you, Abby. You like margaritas?” Maddy held a glass out to her.
“What’s not to like?” Abby said.
There was a cry, and Dylan came tearing through the house into the kitchen with a puppy on her heels.
“Aunt Emma, Sandy keeps licking me,” Dylan said.
“Because you keep teasing her with food,” Maddy said, and picked up the toddler.
“Who is this little lady?” Connor bent down to pet the puppy, who was loving every minute of his attention.
“This is the newest member of the family,” Emma said. “Meet Sandy.”
Abby bent down and joined in rubbing the dog’s belly. “A golden retriever, right?”
“Yes. Someone in town had puppies up for adoption, and Jace and I had been talking about getting one,” Emma said.
“It’s smart to get all the house breaking in before you renovate,” Connor said.
“Jace said the same thing,” Emma replied.
“Uncle Connor, can you come out and play with me and Sandy?” Dylan asked, wriggling to get out of her mother’s arms.
“Sure, sweetheart. Let’s go,” Connor said with a wink to Abby.
Maddy set down Dylan, who chased Sandy out the door. “Abby, stay and hang in here with us.”
Abby watched Connor trail after them. “She’s going to terrorize that poor puppy.”
“Most definitely,” Maddy said.
“Here’s to maybe five minutes of peace.” Emma clinked glasses with the girls.
“How’s the shop coming along?” Emma asked.
Abby sighed. “Renovations are slower than I hoped.” She pointed down to her bandaged ankle. “I had a minor mishap yesterday.”
“Oh no. What happened?” Maddy asked.
“I was running by the ocean and tripped. It’s only a sprain, but there’s a lot of work left to get ready for opening,” Abby said.
“It’s next week, if I remember,” Emma said. “Need help? I’d be glad to pitch in.”
“Me too,” Maddy added.
Wasn’t Natalie always busting her chops because Abby never felt comfortable asking for help?
“It’s nice of you to offer, but I’m sure you both have your own stuff to do.”
“It’s not a problem,” Emma replied.
“Besides, we’re dying to get a preview of your products,” Maddy said.
Maybe two more sets of hands plus more female perspectives would be useful.
“Sure. Thanks. Heads-up, things are a real mess,” Abby said.
Outside, there was a crash followed by the bark of a puppy and Dylan shrieking.
Maddy and Emma exchanged a glance and rolled their eyes.
“Good thing we’re used to working with chaos,” Emma said, and drained her margarita glass.