Chapter Nine
CHAPTER NINE
Josie was up before Malcolm, the time change still not settled within her system. She was glad for the time alone to sit with a cup of coffee and try to calm herself. She needed to remember why she was here. Not to get tangled up with a handsome Brit, but to set up a reading retreat for Mari. A special place where people from all over the world could come to enjoy some time with wonderful books. She could hear Malcolm moving around in the guest room, when there was a knock on the houseboat door. She opened it to find two women who had to be his sisters standing on the deck.
“Hi, you must be Fiona and Alice,” she said with a smile. “I’m Josie. Come on inside.”
“It’s wonderful to meet you at last,” Fiona said. She was absolutely beautiful and dressed in casual clothes that looked as though they cost a fortune. Her jewelry was what Josie thought of as understated but expensive, and her watch looked very similar to one that Princess Diana had worn. “Mari’s been talking about you a lot. She’s so excited about her first reading retreat.”
As they stepped inside, Alice sniffed the air. “Mmm, coffee. Don’t suppose you’ve got any to spare?” Alice might look a bit like Fiona, but her style was completely different. It was obvious she worked with her hands, and if Josie hadn’t known she was a gardener, she’d have guessed. Her hands were free of jewelry, and she had a pair of gardening gloves stuffed in her pocket.
“Of course.” As Josie poured coffee for them and refilled her own mug while she was at it, Alice presented her with a bag of still-warm croissants.
“I stopped by the Elderflower Café on the way here. I can never resist their fresh croissants.”
Josie suddenly realized she was ravenous. “There’s butter and jam in the fridge,” she said, going to get them and putting them on the table. It was funny how comfortable she already felt with Malcolm’s sisters, and they hadn’t even really spoken with one another yet. It just felt so natural to get settled around the table with them, munch on the croissants, and drink coffee. Well, she and Alice were munching on the croissants, at any rate. Fiona said she wasn’t hungry and just sipped coffee.
“It’s so fantastic to meet you,” Alice said, clearly a bundle of energy. Even dressed in a long-sleeved Kew Gardens T-shirt and baggy jeans and work boots, she was beautiful. “When Mari told us that she was going to turn the cottages into a reading retreat, I thought that sounded like the coolest thing.”
“I agree,” Fiona said, her words far more measured. But she also had a lovely smile, and if she was less effervescent than her sister, she was no less beautiful for it. Although Josie couldn’t help but notice a hint of sadness behind her smile. Or maybe she was just imagining it because of what Malcolm had told her.
“I’m really excited about it,” Josie said. “And once we get these cottages sorted out, I know that Elderflower Island will be the perfect place for people to come and lose themselves in books.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to do that,” Fiona said in her soft voice. “Honestly, I can’t hardly remember the last book I was able to read all the way through.”
“Fiona entertains a lot,” Alice explained. “She and her husband, Lewis, lead very active social lives.”
There was an edge to Alice’s words, but no malice. Okay, maybe a little when she was talking about Fiona’s husband, but it was obvious that she loved her older sister very much.
“I still think you should come to one of my gatherings sometime,” Fiona said to Alice. “I’d love for you to meet some new people, instead of always talking to your plants.”
Alice laughed. “I love talking to my plants. They’re more interesting than some people. But thanks for the offer.”
“I’m putting together the party for Mari’s book launch in a few days. I hope you’ll be able to attend,” Fiona said to Josie.
“I wouldn’t miss it. I had a chance to see the book when we first met a couple of days ago. It’s a beautiful story that both children and adults are going to love.”
“I can’t believe she showed it to you first!” Alice said. “I’ve been dying to see it live and in the flesh. If I had time today after looking at the garden, I’d go by and see it, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to dash off pretty quickly. In fact, I really need to get over there now.” She turned toward the bedrooms and hollered, “Malcolm? Aren’t you beautiful enough yet?”
He stepped out, looking so good in a T-shirt and jeans that Josie’s breath actually left her. She was beyond glad that his sisters were present when she first had to face him, as she felt all the awkwardness of the kiss between them, as well as the way she’d bolted.
However, Malcolm showed no sign of even remembering their passion last night.
He said, “Good morning,” in a way that took in all three women, then he turned to Alice. “Look what the cat dragged in,” he teased. “And, Fiona, good to see you too.”
The siblings all smiled at one another.
“I just need to mainline a cup of coffee, and then I’m ready to go.” He smelled the air. “Someone brought croissants. Tell me there’s one left.”
Alice shook her head, then laughed. “Of course I made sure there was one for you. Do you think I want to deal with you being Mr. Cranky Pants all morning?” She turned to Josie. “Be warned. When he doesn’t eat, he’s not pleasant to be around.”
Josie enjoyed watching the three of them together. Fiona got up and poured a cup of coffee for Malcolm, then handed him a croissant on a plate. She was obviously very nurturing, and Josie hoped that what Malcolm had said about her husband’s being a jerk was just brotherly overprotectiveness. It didn’t seem fair that someone as nice as Fiona should have anything less than perfect love.
A few minutes later, they headed off to the cottages. Alice walked with her, while Fiona and Malcolm walked some distance behind them.
“Thank you so much for helping with this project,” Josie said to Alice.
“No, thank you. I’ve been dying to get my hands on the manor house gardens for years. I’m hoping that if I do a great job with them, the council might consider letting me get my hands on the walled garden.”
“I hope that happens for you. Malcolm says you work at Kew Gardens nearby. I haven’t had a chance to go yet, but of course I’ve read about it and seen pictures. That must be an amazing place to work.”
“It’s a dream job. I’m so lucky to be able to work in one of the greatest gardens in the world.” She gave Josie a little smile. “Of course I want more, though.”
Josie laughed. “Sounds reasonable to me.”
Alice looked dreamy as she said, “I just always loved the manor house grounds, even as a little kid. I would run around, and could see how they used to be, even before I had any training. I’ve actually been collecting old documents and books that talk about the gardens here, even if it’s just a passing reference or a single picture. When Mari said that the owner was allowing her to lease the cottages for reading retreats, I was hoping she would ask me to help. And now that all of you have taken me on board, I’m just bursting with ideas.”
As they were walking, she pulled some colorful drawings out of her bag. “Here is what the gardens originally looked like,” she said, pointing to what looked to be a photocopy from a book. “Wouldn’t it be fun to use the original garden design as a jumping-off point and incorporate areas that are inspired by books?”
“I love that,” Josie said. Gardens and reading and stories just seemed to go together.
“I was hoping you would. Here.” She pointed to one of the drawings. “We could create a seating area that merges into the secret garden. And then over in this section—” She pointed to another drawing. “—we could have a mystical area straight out of Alice in Wonderland, with oversized chairs and bright fabrics. Because when you get lost in a story, it’s always a bit like slipping down a rabbit hole into a new world.”
“Yes,” Josie agreed. “That’s exactly how I feel.”
When Josie almost stumbled over a large rock, Alice said, “Sorry, I should have waited until we got there to show you this. We can go over it once we’re there. I’m just so excited about the possibilities.”
“Oh, no, I’m glad you’re excited, and there’s no need to wait. I actually perfected walking while reading a long time ago. And I almost never trip.” They laughed together at that.
For the next few minutes, as they walked and talked, Alice showed her other ideas that she had for the gardens, all of them brilliant.
“I don’t know that I have the authority to tell you to go ahead and do everything on your plan,” Josie said, “but I want you to know you have two thumbs-up from me. It’s going to be absolutely incredible. And I really am thrilled that you’re involved with this project.”
Alice gave her a hug. “Me too. I feel like we’re friends already.” Alice glanced back at her brother and then, lowering her voice, said to Josie, “I hope it’s been okay staying with Malcolm. I understand he can’t get into his flat in the city for a while, so you’re stuck with him on the houseboat. But if it’s uncomfortable in any way, you know we can find you somewhere else to stay.”
Josie tried not to betray any reaction to the idea of sharing River Star with Malcolm—or not. If Josie blushed or giggled or got too serious, Alice might guess that something was up. She tried her darnedest to keep her response in the same tone as the rest of their conversation as she said, “Oh, it’s great having him right there. It’s made it easy for us to go over all the details for this big cleanup at the cottages.”
Alice looked a little more closely at her. “You know, the one thing that’s a little strange about it is that Malcolm has been glued to his office for as long as I can remember. It’s surprising that he is suddenly willing to take an extended vacation to do grunt work on Elderflower Island.”
“I’m not exactly sure what his motivations are,” Josie said carefully, “but it sounds like he already had a vacation planned, and this is how he wants to spend it. Mari is definitely lucky to have him on board.”
“She is,” Alice agreed, “but I still have to wonder about his huge change of heart. Honestly, this morning it’s like he’s a different person. He’s not normally so smiley and easygoing. Usually, you can’t tear him away from his phone or computer.” Alice gave her another little smile and nudged her arm as they walked. “I’m starting to think maybe he has a crush on you.”
Josie couldn’t help but give an awkward little laugh. Which felt like it gave the whole game away. “I doubt it. I don’t think I’m his type. He probably dates models and starlets in London.”
Alice rolled her eyes. “I hate all his girlfriends. They do tend to be models, and honestly, I know there are lots of women who model and are interesting and intelligent and kind. But he doesn’t pick those ones. It’s like he chooses someone who will look good on his arm and never challenge him. I don’t know why he thinks he has to live out some cliché of the-billionaire-and-the-supermodel.”
That nearly stopped Josie in her tracks. “Billionaire?”
“Oh yeah,” Alice confirmed. “He’s insanely rich. He’s always trying to get me to take his money to start my own garden center. And he’s offered to buy the old music hall on the island for Tom as a silent partner, and he’s offered to help Mari financially with the bookshop. But none of us feel right about taking his money. I know I don’t. He earned what he’s earned on his own. And I, for one, want the satisfaction of doing the same for myself.” She grinned. “We’ll all happily take his free labor, though.”
Still at little winded by this billionaire bombshell, Josie nodded and tried to gather herself together. “There is a great deal of satisfaction in building something from our dreams and turning them into reality. But at the same time, it’s also nice to let people lend a hand, especially if they’re well meaning. Malcolm has mentioned your love of gardening to me several times already, and I get the feeling he’d love to be a silent investor if you would consider it.”
Alice grew quiet for a moment, the longest period of silence since Josie had met her.
“I suppose you’re right. I could still have the pleasure of creating something magical while sharing that pleasure with somebody I really care about and who cares about me,” she said. “I’ll think about it.”
By this time, they’d reached the cottages. Josie focused on their future beauty while Alice only had eyes for the grounds. “These gardens. I still can’t believe I get to bring them back to life. I’ll take some measurements and more notes before I dash off in half an hour to get to work.”
“Do whatever you need to,” Josie said. “And anything you need, let me know, and I’ll try to make it happen.”
As Alice walked away, her spiral notebook already filling up with her notes, Josie joined Malcolm and Fiona. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to ignore you,” Josie said to Fiona.
“Don’t worry about it at all. I’m sure Alice was talking your ear off about the gardens.”
“Her ideas are brilliant,” Josie confirmed. “I told her I wasn’t sure I had complete authority over things and that she should also check with you and Mari, but she has two thumbs-up from me for everything. She’s planning to use the historical garden plan as the springboard and then create several special spaces that connect to gardens in popular books. It’s a brilliant idea and one that I haven’t seen anybody do before.”
“She’s very good at what she does,” Fiona confirmed. “I’ve recommended her to a couple of friends who needed gardens designed, and they’ve been extremely pleased.” She gave a small smile. “One of them has a hundred-acre estate in Scotland and tried to hire Alice to be her full-time gardener. But even though she kept escalating the salary, Alice wasn’t interested.”
“I had no idea she’s been turning down offers like that,” Malcolm said.
“She has her heart set on her own garden center somewhere nearby,” Fiona said.
“We really need to make that happen,” Malcolm said, more to himself than to the two of them.
Josie hoped the conversation she’d had with his sister had given her another perspective on letting him help her make her dreams come true.
“She’s shared her vision with me,” Fiona said, “and I think what she’d most like to do is to revitalize the walled garden at the old manor house and create a nursery with plants for sale. Perhaps even a restaurant onsite. But getting permission is difficult, of course, and then there’s the financial investment.”
“Oh, it would be incredible,” Josie said, gazing across at the manor house.
“If anybody can do it,” Malcolm said, “it’s Alice. At twenty-five, she’s the youngest head gardener at Kew.” He was so proud of his little sister, it was adorable.
Josie didn’t want to be drawn to this softer side of Malcolm, but she couldn’t help it. Time and time again over the last few days, he’d proved to be devoted to his family. He was close to his grandmother, wanted to help his siblings, obviously respected his parents. Now he was giving up his vacation to help create a reading retreat. Not the usual holiday plans for a billionaire.
Did that mean she should exclude him from her no-man-ever edict?
“I can’t wait to get inside these cottages,” Fiona said. “I studied historical furniture and textiles at university. I had thought to go into restoration at one time, but life had other plans.”
“You could still do that,” Malcolm said. “Lewis doesn’t need you around to take care of everything for him all the time. He can hire assistants for that.”
“No, I want to take care of him. He’s my husband. But it’s really nice to take a few hours occasionally to do something like this too.”
Josie had the key Mari had given her, and she unlocked the first of the cottages. “Here it is. Prepare yourself. It needs a lot of work. But I thought there might be some chairs and tables and perhaps even some embroidered wall hangings that might be salvageable.”
Fiona didn’t seem to be listening. She was already exclaiming over a chair.
“This is Georgian. It’s an absolute crime that it’s sitting here neglected.” She ran her hand over the curved back the way she might lovingly stroke a favorite pet. Then she peered closer at the needlework on the seat. “And if I’m not mistaken, this embroidery on the seat cover and back is more than a hundred years old.” She tipped the chair to study the underside. She glanced up, her eyes shining with excitement. “It could even be original. That would make it more than two hundred years old. I can’t believe this furniture has just been moldering away all these years.”
Josie glanced around. “It feels as though someone, sometime in the past, left in a hurry, and nobody’s been in until now.” She recalled the story of the family who’d lived here and the widow and her son who’d left, never to return. The cottages would be so much better once they’d given them some TLC and elbow grease.
Over the next hour, Fiona took copious notes on the furnishings and the handful of other embroidered pieces. When they had gone through all the rooms, she said, “I have a friend who sells secondhand curtains and rugs that have come out of grand homes. They’re gorgeous and a fraction of the price of buying new. And of course I’m happy to do whatever work might be necessary to get everything fitted in the space. It will just depend on how much time I can carve out—” Her phone rang, cutting her off. “Excuse me, I should get this. It’s Lewis.”
To Josie’s ear, she sounded a little nervous as she quickly took the call.
“Hello, darling.”
From Josie’s end, it sounded like Fiona’s husband was barking orders at her. There was no sweet greeting such as Fiona had given him, and the call was over before his wife could say more than, “Yes,” and “Certainly, I’ll take care of it immediately.” Fiona hung up and tucked her phone away in her bag. “I’m afraid I have to run. Lewis needs me to set up a cocktail party for a group of Norwegian businessmen in town for the night. If I leave now, I should just have enough time to get everything in order for it.”
“Can’t he have someone else do that, Fiona?” Malcolm asked. “Especially since he threw it at you at the last minute?”
“Oh no, I’m happy to do it,” Fiona said. She gave him and Josie a kiss on each cheek, and then she was off, her expensive perfume the only thing lingering behind.
Alice had waved through the window earlier as she’d headed to work, so it was just Josie and Malcolm again.
“God, her husband infuriates me,” Malcolm said. “All of us. I don’t know what she ever saw in him. The way he treats her…”
“She seems fairly happy, doesn’t she?”
“No. When we were kids, you should have seen her laugh. She was the wildest one of all of us. But as soon as she met Lewis, she let him turn her into a perfect society robot. Instead of rebelling, she gave in to his every whim. And the problem is, I’ve heard things about him. Bad things. Whispers in the business community.”
“You mentioned that yesterday.”
“What I didn’t mention is that I’m sure he has a mistress. At least one.”
“That’s horrible,” she managed. Her heart was hammering. It was all hitting too close to home.
“The woman he’s cheating with should be ashamed of herself. She’s just as disgusting as he is,” Malcolm said.
Josie felt her cheeks flame. “Maybe that woman doesn’t know he’s married.”
Malcolm scoffed at that. “How on earth could anyone not know that the guy they’re seeing is married?”
Josie voice was barely above a whisper as she said, “I didn’t.”
Malcolm gawked at her, clearly stunned by what she’d said. “You were with a married man?”
Her mouth had gone completely dry. This was why she hadn’t wanted to say anything to him about it. She hadn’t wanted him to judge her.
“I didn’t know,” she said in a hoarse voice. “I swear I didn’t know. I thought I was in love with a good man. He’d even started talking about marriage.” How her chest burned to even repeat those lying words. “And then one day, a woman showed up at my door, carrying their baby. She was his wife. So, yes, I think it’s possible that Lewis’s mistress doesn’t know he’s married.” She felt cold all over, just remembering. “If I could undo every moment I spent with him, believe me, I would. I never intended to hurt anyone. And I’ll never stop hating him for all the lies he told me. Every single word was a lie.”
Malcolm was silent for a long moment, and she knew that he was disgusted by her now.
“It wasn’t your fault, Josie. It was his fault. All of it.” His voice rumbled in his chest.
“I should have known. You’re right. I should’ve seen the signs.” The words of self-blame came from her throat before she could stop them. She couldn’t forgive herself. Not yet.
“No. You’ve made me see how judgmental I was being to a woman I know nothing about. How could you have known a man you trusted was lying to you? If he’s anything like Lewis, he’s a master of deception. Probably thrived on the lies. Maybe he got extra kicks knowing that you believed every single lie he told you. That’s what guys like that are all about. Who they can fool. Who they can cheat.”
“Then why was I ever even drawn to him? Because now I can look back and see what you’re seeing. What he was really like. Shouldn’t I have been able to cut through his lies?”
“Never underestimate the charm of a snake. Some of the most charming people I’ve ever met have had the blackest souls,” Malcolm said.
“ You’re charming,” Josie said.
He laughed suddenly. “I was like a bear with porcupine quills stuck in his paws when I picked you up at the airport. You call that charming?”
“Okay, so maybe you weren’t then, but you can be really charming. But I don’t get the sense that your soul is black.”
“In high school, my soul was pretty damn black. But that wasn’t the man my parents raised. And it’s not the man I want to look at in the mirror.” He reached out and took her hand in his. “I’m sorry you were treated so poorly by your scumbag ex. But you have to know it’s no reflection on you.”
“It’s nice of you to say that.”
“I’m not just saying it, Josie. I’ve spent two days with you, and what I know to be true after those two days is that you don’t have a mean, bad bone in your body.”
She didn’t know what to say. Didn’t know what to do when it seemed that at any moment he might kiss her again. And she wanted it.
Then he said, “Let’s see what absolutely has to be done to make the entrance look welcoming.”
He walked away to stand outside the smallest cottage. She was still trying to get her thoughts straight when all of a sudden, she heard a crack. One of the very heavy roof tiles made of slate was falling straight toward Malcolm’s head.
“Malcolm, watch out!” Moving fast, she tackled him, pushing him out of the way. Both of them tumbled into the dirt just beyond the stone steps of the cottage. The slate shattered, the chips of stone clipping the very edges of her pants and his.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “I didn’t mean to knock you over like that.”
“Thank you.” He put his hands on either side of her face. “That was quick thinking,” he said, his low voice rumbling all the way through her, his hard, muscled body warm and strong beneath her as she still lay atop him. “If you hadn’t acted so quickly, it could have gone a lot worse. Did it hit you?”
She shook her head, unable to move away from him, loving the feel of his hands on her skin. Her gaze dropped to his mouth. And then shifted back up to his eyes, which she swore were smoldering now.
“I’m all right,” she said.
They got up, and he said, “Right, first thing we’ll do is get the roof looked at and make sure nobody gets hit by a falling slate.” He glanced around. “Some of this rock wall is crumbling, and the stone steps could be made safer. I can do that. In fact, I’d enjoy it.”
* * *
Looking down at her, even while he mouthed inanities, Malcolm wanted to tear Josie’s ex apart with his bare hands. Teach him a lesson and make him pay for what he’d done to her, for the way he’d hurt her. But more than anything else, right now all he wanted was to kiss her again.
He couldn’t stop himself from leaning forward, giving her lots of time to pull away, but she didn’t. Instead, her eyes widened, and her lips parted in clear invitation. He leaned in slowly, breathing in her vanilla scent, watching her eyes flutter closed, and then his lips were on hers.
This warmth was more than simple lust. He pulled her hard against his body and deepened the kiss, hearing a little moan of pleasure in her throat as she threw her arms around him and kissed him back with everything she had. It was a long time before they pulled apart, and he felt shaken by the deep emotion he felt.
“Last night, I tried to convince myself kissing you wasn’t this good. But it is. So damn good I don’t ever want to stop.”
“I don’t want to stop either,” she said, her voice sounding no steadier than his. “But I need you to know I’m not ready for a relationship. Not ready for anything that could be even remotely serious. Not after what happened with my ex.”
“I’m not looking for a relationship either.”
What she just said should have been music to his ears. But all he could think was, Why not? Why not fall deeper, just this once? Because she was special. What was he waiting for? Why was he continuing to hold back?
At the same time, he couldn’t break his promise to her. “I vowed I wouldn’t hurt you again,” he reminded her.
She stared into his eyes for several long moments. Her curves pressed against his, her body warm and soft. Her lips were so kissable, he almost gave in and took them with his. But he needed to wait for what she was going to say. For the decision that he could tell she was trying to make.
“I’ve never done anything like this before. But I believe you. I believe you won’t hurt me again. And I want this. I want you. Eyes wide open. These two weeks only.”
He was so tempted, even though a part of him was saying this wasn’t right. That Josie deserved more than two weeks together in bed. More than being friends with benefits.
But in the end, he wanted her too much to say anything other than, “So we’ll just be friends? Really, really good friends?”
She nodded. “No messy emotions.” She suddenly looked shy as she said, “Just great—”
“—sex,” he finished for her.
“Yes,” she said, barely above a whisper. “Just great sex.”
He couldn’t hold back a smile, even as he shoved his concerns away. He’d be an absolute fool to turn Josie down.