Animal Prints: Sweet Small Town Contemporary Romance (Michigan Moonlight Book 1) (26 page)

“I did and I am, but that’s not it.”

“You finished my website?”

“Mostly, and I am happy with that, but still not it,” Ian answered. Gracie put two glasses of lemonade on the table. “Try again.”

“Something with your book?”
 

“Getting warmer.”

“The Veteran’s Administration has agreed to fund it?”

“On the right track.”

“There’s more?” Her eyebrow cocked up.

“I heard from my agent. He has a publisher who he calls “very interested” in the project, and he has a commitment from the VA for partial funding.”

“That’s exactly what you were hoping for!” She leaned forward and clutched his arm. “When did you find out?”

“I got a call from my agent right after you left for work this morning followed by one from my liaison with the VA. It’s a done deal. The book’s going to get published, and it’s going to get the distribution I want it to have.”

“I can’t believe you’re sitting there this calmly.”

“That’s why I rode the bike. It took the edge off. Romeo, Prospero, and I did a little happy dance together at the house. They officially think I’m nuts.”

Colette raised her lemonade to clink against his glass. “Which means you’re one of them! Congratulations, Ian. I can’t wait to see it when it’s done. What’s the time frame?”

“Tight, in a word. The VA wants the companion website to launch for Veteran’s Day this fall, which gives me just over three months. I have a lot of material that’s edited and ready to go, but I have more interviews to do and the entire framework of the site will have to be built. Fortunately, there’ll be an official web designer doing most of that, but my portion is still huge.”

“And the book?”

“January first deadline.”

“Wow! I guess you’ll be going on the road.”

“I told my agent I needed to be here for two more weeks. The kids are coming on Friday and I want to be here for the fundraiser.” Gracie put their meals on the table. “The interviews I have left should take about a month if I can schedule them close together. Then, the real work begins.”

“Where will you do that?” Colette kept her head down while she picked at the crust of her pastie. Her voice wavered slightly.

Ah, there it is. The first crack in her façade.
She’s already thinking I’m leaving and not coming back.
Not when he was this close to getting what he wanted. His book was a done deal, his relationship with Colette close if he could play it right.
“Wherever there’s a fast internet connection and plenty of room. I was thinking of renting office space here in town for the fall. Do you know of any that might be available?”

“Here?” Her blue eyes focused on his, a little hopeful.

“Yeah, here. Do we have to go through this again?”

“But things have changed.”

“How so? What’s changed?”

“Well…” she trailed off.

“Yes?”

“Your book…”

“You think I’m going to leave you for a book?” he said, more loudly than he meant to, shocked that she would even think that. “Nothing between us has changed except I’m going to be busy as hell for the next several months.” He waited for her to say something, but she looked away toward the crowded street.
 

He didn’t realize he was holding his breath until she spoke again. “There’s a loft over Lexy’s place, on the third floor.” She pointed above them. “Lex has her office on the second, but the top floor is empty. I’ll take you up there after lunch if you want to see it.”

“Yeah, it sounds perfect. Almost as perfect as this lunch.” Ian put another big mouthful of pastie in his mouth. “Too bad your sister is already taken. A woman who can cook like this…”

“Should I warn Nate that you’re going to make a move on his woman?”

“No, I’m partial to blue-eyed blondes.”
 

“With little to no curves.”

“You’ve got curves where it matters.” He tilted his head.

“I’d hate to have to fight my sister and Gracie for you.”

“Would you do that?”

“You bet.” She sliced through her pastie. “And I’d win.”

Colette checked in with Lexy in the kitchen before taking Ian up to the loft. Not surprisingly, Lexy was up to her elbows in flour and happily calling orders to her small army of assistants. Colette grabbed the key from Lexy’s office on the second floor and led Ian upstairs.
 

The space was one large room with the kitchen sitting along the south wall. Only an island separated it from the rest of the loft. Above the kitchen sink a large picture window looked south over the city, but the other three walls had floor to ceiling windows, flooding the loft with light and providing a spectacular view of the harbor and water beyond.

While Colette leaned against a wall, Ian stood in the center of the room, taking a slow turn to see every corner. He moved to the brick wall to walk the circumference of the room and stopped to look out each window. Then, he did what she had watched him do so often. He used his hands to frame up the interior. Colette supposed he was imagining how the space would photograph and how it could best be used.

“It’s perfect. It’s perfect to work in and for a photography studio. I wish you had told me this was up here before today. I haven’t seen anything else that could compare in town.”

“Have you been looking?” she said, surprised at his statement.

He nodded. “I talked to a realtor who showed me a few spaces, all too dark and cluttered, but this is exactly what I want. Does Lexy own the building?”

“Lexy and Nate. His father had a hardware store on the first floor when we were kids.”

“You think they’ll rent me this floor?”

“They’ll probably be glad to have a tenant. Gracie lived here for a while until she got back on her feet.”

“I don’t plan to live here, just work.”

“Where are you going to live?”
Please let it be with me,
she thought
, I don’t want to wake up alone ever again.

He stopped his inspection, returning to her. Placing his hands against the brick wall on either side of her head, he leaned in close until their faces almost touched. “Wherever you are.”

“You know where I’ll be.” She slid her hands up his arms, massaging the muscles in his biceps. No declarations of love had been made on either side, but for now there was a tacit understanding of some sort of commitment and a whole lot of heat.

“We can carpool to work. It’s more efficient that way.” When he kissed her, she was pressed between the hard surface of the brick wall behind her and his firm body in front. And there was no other place she wanted to be.

“Hey, thought I’d come up to see how you like the…” Lexy stopped at the top of the stairs. “I see you’re getting along just fine. I’ll go back down.” She turned on the steps.

“Stay, Lexy. It’s okay,” Colette said. “Ian wants to talk to you about renting the loft.”

“Nate would be delighted to have the space taken. He’s always on me about advertising it, but I don’t like the thought of just anyone up here. Do you want to live here?” Lexy looked back and forth between the two.

“No, I want to use it as a studio.”

“Great. When do you want it?”

“Now. I have to move my stuff out of the villa at Boyne in the next two weeks.”

“Electricity and water are included in the rent. With the ovens constantly running on the lower floors, you’ll never need heat. I have to ask Nate about the rent.”
 

The sound of Colette’s cell phone filtered from her purse. She dug it out and sneered at the caller ID. “It’s Northfield. Should I take it?”

“Brickner’s already called me twice today. I haven’t answered yet.”

“Might as well tell him no again.” Colette flipped the phone open. “Hello, Mr. Brickner.”
 

“Dr. Peterson,” he said with a slight note of derision that instantly irritated her. “I wanted to give you another opportunity to consider my offer.”

“I thought I had made my position clear. We aren’t selling,” she declared, hoping to end this conversation quickly.
 

“Just consider this for a moment…” He continued to speak as she listened, rolling her eyes at the ridiculousness of today’s appeal.
 

“Perhaps your employer would like to reveal his name or interest in our property.” She cut him off. “I might be more understanding then. So far I know that he’s an older man trying to build up a nice inheritance for his sons. Then why would he be willing to spend more on a property than it’s worth? I’m afraid that just doesn’t make any sense, Mr. Brickner. You’ll have to try a new tactic or do the sensible thing and accept our refusal.” She clicked the phone shut despite his attempts to continue speaking.

“The new song and dance is that he’s trying to create an inheritance for his kids?” Lexy asked.

“Sounds like a plea for sympathy to me. How do you even know the man has sons or gives a damn about them?” Ian’s tone struck her as bitter, which made sense given the recent fight with his father. His forehead was creased and mouth pursed, in anger, at the guy who was bothering her.

“Adrien’s doing some research to find out who actually owns Northfield. I’ll bet he finds something soon. He’s good at digging for information,” Lexy commented.

“I don’t know if that will help, but it might.” Colette shoved her phone back in her purse and shifted to a happier topic. “The heck with Northfield. Where are you and Nate going this weekend?”

“Just to the cottage on Grand Island. We haven’t been there alone since Jamie was a baby. I can’t thank you two enough for taking the kids. We’re going to leave on Friday morning. Is that okay with you?”

“Fine with me.” She looked at Ian, who had a wide-eyed, fearful expression. She tugged on his sleeve. “Ian? You okay?”

“Sure,” he snapped out of it. “My brother will be dropping off his kids on Friday morning as well. The more the merrier, I guess,” Ian said.

Lexy let out a loud burst of laughter. “Hope you still say that by Sunday evening.”

Chapter Sixteen

The knot in Ian’s gut was as tight as a fist by Friday morning. Not only would he and Colette be in charge of five kids, but Adrien Peterson, a man who was a researcher for a living, was digging around for information about Northfield. Adrien would find out the truth and Ian would be sunk in record time.
 

He’d almost told her over wine and pizza on the day of their fight, but he wanted more time with her. It was selfish but true. He should confess it all to Colette right now, but whenever he opened his mouth to speak, he found an excuse. First, it was the children’s weekend at the farm. After that, it would be the fundraiser. He certainly would be able to find another excuse after next weekend, but he was going to have to suck it up and tell her. Next Sunday, no matter what, he was going to lay it all on the line for Colette and plead for his life and her love.
 

Colette walked to Lexy’s to pick up Melissa, Jamie, and Connor while he watched anxiously for his brother’s car. Two and a half days with five kids and the love of his life. What could go wrong? The silver Audi turned into the drive at the same time Colette appeared in the cherry orchard with her charges. Even burdened with backpacks, Colette raced the children, making it to Ian’s side when Tom shut off the car and climbed out.