Author: Kristan Higgins

“How little?” Althea asked. The woman practically had dollar signs in her eyes. “Parker loves the city. Of course, she grew up there. You two should get together sometime! Parker, wouldn’t that be nice?”

James was suddenly aware his jaw was aching, he was clenching it so hard.

“Well,” Parker said, “I don’t get down there too often.”

“No, your mom’s right,” Collier said. “We should! But, Maggie, if you’d like to use it, feel free, anytime. It’s only three bedrooms, but I like it. Minimalist, a little Japanese flair. The view of the park is very nice.”

“That’s really sweet, Collier, and thank you,” Maggie said. “We’ll probably go away in the winter, when it’s not so busy around here. But we’ll keep your offer in mind.”

An older woman James recognized from Dewey’s came out with a platter of something. “Bananas Foster,” she said, setting the tray down with a clatter. She groped in her pocket for a match, and set fire to the dish, making Collier clap like a little kid.

“We supposed to eat that now?” Lavinia asked. The woman rolled her eyes and began serving the dish once the flames burned out. Rich people. Always looking for more ways to gild the lily.

“So, Jamie, I haven’t really had the chance to talk to you,” Maggie said. “Chantal says you’re a lawyer?”

“Yes,” James said. “I worked for Parker’s father.”

“May he rot in prison,” Althea added, sucking down the last of her martini. The cook put a plate of slimy, burned bananas in front of him. Nasty.

“I thought you were a carpenter,” Collier said.

“No. But I worked on a construction crew in college.” He met Collier’s eerie gaze.

“And are you and Parker dating?” Collier asked.

“Heavens, no!” Althea cried. “No, Parker’s completely unattached.”

Collier looked at Parker. “Is that right?” he asked with a small smile.

James stared at the tablecloth. Good question, Parker. You’ve been ogling me since I got here, you worship the Paragon…are you unattached?

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her glance at him, as if feeling his thoughts. He didn’t look up. “Well,” she said, “I’m a single mom. Not much time for dating.”

“Please. Nicholas is four years old,” Althea said. “He’s hardly aware of your comings and goings.”

“He’s five and a half,” James said.

“Thank you, James,” Parker murmured.

“You have to think of yourself first,” Collier said, folding his hands.

“Actually,” she said, “it’s the other way around. Child first, parent second. In most cases, anyway.”

Collier shook his head as if coming out of a daydream. “Anyway, Jim, with Harry Welles in jail, you must be looking for a job. Want me to ask around? I know a lot of people.”

As you’ve told us. “I’m fine on my own, but thanks,” he said. “It’s James, by the way.”

“So why did you retire from Microsoft?” Althea asked, pushing around her charred bananas.

“It’s hard to say,” Collier answered. “I guess I wanted to be more than Bill’s right hand. Not that he isn’t one of my closest friends, right? I mean, just last week, he and Melinda and the kids and I had the nicest time. Have you been to their place? It’s beautiful.”

“Well, it’s getting a little late,” Maggie said. “We’re getting married in two days, and we have a ton to do. Thanks so much for a wonderful night, Collier.”

“It’s always great to see you, Maggie,” Collier said. “Best wishes for a long and fruitful marriage. See you in a week or so. I’m sure you’ll make a beautiful bride.”

And off went the happy couple. The rest of the dinner guests weren’t so lucky. Althea insisted they stay longer, Vin was working on her third plate of bananas Foster, and Parker seemed to be having a fine time.

The thing was, the idiot known as Collier was the answer to all of Parker’s financial worries for several lifetimes at least. Richer than God. Richer, perhaps, than Harry had been. And with Althea pushing Parker like a broodmare…

“No, she was only in labor for a few hours. Born to be a mother.”

“True,” Parker said, smiling. “Want to see a picture? Not of childbirth, but of my son?” She pulled out her phone and handed it to Collier.

“Oh, he’s beautiful!” Collier exclaimed. “Wow. What a cute kid.” He slid his finger on the screen to view another shot. “Aw, man! Adorable. I love kids.”

Of course he did. The guy was flippin’ perfect. He and Parker should have a double wedding with Maggie and Malone.

“Parker, I’d love for you to stay here, at least for a few days,” Collier said now. “Really! Come on, let me show you the guest suite. Well, it’s one of three, actually. Your mom took the Osprey’s Nest, but the Loon and the Puffin are both available. They have Jacuzzis, too, if you like that sort of thing. Me, I like to start the day off with an early-morning swim, and man, that tub feels incredible when you get back.”

See? Perfect. The Paragon might’ve been taken, but here was another one, dying to hook up with her.

“That’s okay,” Parker said. “I’m fine—”

“Parker, don’t be silly!” Althea said. “Go see the suite! Go! They’re beautiful! And this is, in a way, your ancestral home.”

“At least see what you’re turning down,” Collier said. He stood up and took her hand. “Come on, it’s really pretty!”

Parker hesitated. James said nothing. “Okay,” she said. “Then I really have to go home.”

“That shack is not your home, dear,” Althea said. “This is much more what you’re used to. I’ll come, too.”

The three of them left the room.

“You want another drink, Vin?” James asked.

“Nah, I’m good.” She leaned back in her chair and cracked her knuckles. “You gonna sit on your ass, son, and let him take your girl?”

“She’s not my girl.”

“Seems like you’d like her to be.”

He gave her a dark look. She shrugged. “How’s the judge?” he asked.

“He’s still got it,” she answered. “Been a few decades, and things have all dropped a few inches, if you know what I’m saying, but he’s still got it.”

James couldn’t help laughing.

“How about you, sweetheart?” she asked. “What are your plans after this summer?”

Excellent question. “Not really sure, Vin. Gotta find a job.”

“Ayuh. It’s been nice having you back around. You sure were a sad sack back then.” She reached over and squeezed his hand. “I dated your uncle for a while, remember?”

“Uh…no.”

“Well, it was one of those fast-and-furious love affairs, you know? Burned out pretty fast. It was hot while it lasted, though.”

“That’s… Yeah. Okay.”

Lavinia sighed fondly. “Oh, good, here they come. I gotta get home and put some Bengay on my back.”

Althea, Collier and Parker came back into the dining room.

“You sure?” Collier was saying. “Tell me that bathroom didn’t tempt you.”

“It’s beautiful, Collier,” Parker said. “But I’m fine in the cottage. It’s very cute.”

“I think you’re being silly,” Althea said. “But do what you will! You always do. She’s got her own ideas, Collier.”

“Which I totally respect,” he said.

“I’ll drive these two back,” Lavinia announced cheerfully. “No need for you to get in the car again, Collier. And hey, thanks for inviting me. It was great to see the old place again.”

James offered Collier his hand. “Thanks for including me,” he said.

Collier squeezed hard and stared at him with his vivid eyes. “Absolutely, man.”

Ten minutes later, they were back at the cottage. Cute, Parker had called it. Right.

She was down on the dock with a glass of water, talking to her kid and the Paragon, while James stared at her, his hands jammed in his pockets, from the back porch, irritable as a hungover porcupine.

He was mad. Jealous and mad and an idiot.

Collier. What an ass. And Althea, pimping her daughter. And his own stupid self, sulking like a teenager. And Parker, constantly…just…whatever. She was sitting, dog at her side, feet in the water, her white dress glowing in the darkness. God forbid she decide that now was a good time for a midnight swim, because he’d have to go in after her, no matter how good she was. No one should go in the ocean in the dark, alone. Currents, tides, drowning. Daylight was bad enough. Seriously, who the hell swam in the ocean up here?

But knowing her, she’d do something like that. Midnight swim. Midnight skinny-dipping, even. Yep. She’d take that dress off and jump in, half to torture him, half because she was the type to jump in dark, freezing water and come up laughing. Right before some drunken Masshole mowed her down in a powerboat.

It could happen. Plus, it gave him the excuse he needed. He was halfway down the stairs before he’d even finished the thought.

At the sound of his footsteps, Parker stood up, Beauty, too, her tail wagging a little.

“Hey,” Parker said. “Entertaining night, didn’t you think?”

He only stopped walking when his arms were around her and his mouth was on hers. She made a surprised little squeak, but oh, God, her lips were so soft, and he kissed her hard, too hard, maybe, one hand sliding through her silky, cool hair, gripping the back of her head, a kiss that reached right in and clamped his heart in a fist…the taste of her, the smell of her, her softness melded against him. The kind of kiss that ruined a man.

Then he let her go, turned around and left her standing on the dock, one hand over her lips, her dog standing at her side.

CHAPTER TWENTY

PARKER WAS GONE when James woke up at the late hour of 6:38 a.m. the next morning. There was a note next to the coffeepot:

Early delivery @ flower shop, library thing at 10. If you go out, make sure you shut Beauty in my room, okay?

Nothing about last night, of course. Parker Harrington Welles was not the type to leave a note saying, Thanks for the kiss, it changed my entire perception of you, let’s get it on, shall we? or Never kiss me again, Thing One. Don’t even look at me. Nope. He’d bet his left nut she’d never bring it up again.

And look. He was stroking the words as if he was that idiot Romeo, the prince of poor planning, and little Miss Capulet had sent him a lock of hair. Totally whipped. With a hearty sigh, he started making breakfast.

Parker’s dog was watching him from the doorway of the bedroom. He had yet to convince the scared little thing he wasn’t about to kick her. “Want some bacon?” he said. She didn’t move. He dropped half a piece on the floor and glanced over at her. Beauty wagged her tail and licked her chops but didn’t move from her spot. Another female who wanted nothing to do with him.

Yep. Whipped.

Well. Nothing a little hard labor and some headbanger noise wouldn’t cure. He went outside, flipped the radio on to the metal station. “Dream On” by Aerosmith.

“Point taken,” James said.

The tin roof was on, the chimney repaired. Time for some deeply satisfying physical labor. Forget the nail gun for now. James picked up his hammer in one hand, a cedar shingle in the other and got to work.

Too bad his father couldn’t see the tidy job James had done. Of all four boys, James had always been the one most interested in their father’s work. The best at it, too. Tom was a general contractor, like their dad; Matt worked at a factory that made Adirondack chairs, and Pete did finish carpentry. If he’d thought there’d been a chance in hell they’d have come up here, James would’ve asked for the help. Sure. At the end of the day, they’d get a six-pack and take turns flirting with Parker, and his brothers would bust his stones over his crush until their father told them to knock it off, at which point Parker would give him a sweet smile as she passed, and Dad would agree that yes, James was pathetic, and the ribbing would start again.