Finding Haven (10 page)

“I’m the new surfing instructor at Wave On.” He looked pleased with himself.

“You know, Travis, why don’t you wait inside for me and I’ll be in to discuss your
pay. I need to speak with Haven for a second.” The older gentleman urged the clerk
to leave the conversation.

Travis tossed a clipboard on the countertop and walked a few paces on the docks and
into the store.

The father turned. “Don’t stand there and tell me you’re not responsible for him leaving.”

“Dad, this is complete news to me, but Travis has a right to change jobs if he wants
to.”

“Of course he does, but he has worked here for five years, and all of a sudden, he
can’t stand it? How do you expect me to replace an employee like that? Do you have
any idea what you’ve done? Any idea at all?”

The tears were there welling in her eyes, even from fifteen feet away Evan could see
them. He also saw her biting her bottom lip. She didn’t seem like the type that would
cry, but the movie star wasn’t sure he had ever heard an exchange like this before.

“I can try to talk to him again. I’ll ask him to stay.” She was trying to smooth the
waters.

“No. I think you’ve done enough. In the meantime, you can take over his Thursday shift
and—”

“But, that’s my one day off!”

“Maybe after this you’ll learn to respect the boundaries at work.”

“You can’t be serious.” Evan watched as the girl balled her fists on the counter.
He didn’t know what was happening between the father and daughter, but it was messy.
He didn’t like the hurt that was on her face. She was being bullied, and he felt a
protective instinct kick in his belly. He wanted to help her.

“You’ve left me without a clerk. It’s almost the end of June. Where am I going to
find somebody now? All the students have jobs. No one is going to turn up at this
point in the summer. Travis was the best employee I had. Five years, Haven. He was
here
five
years.”

“Dad, I’ll find someone. Calm down.” She pressed the ends of her palms into her cheekbones.
Evan was impressed the tears didn’t fall.

“You think it’s that easy? You think we can replace a worker like Travis?” He paused
and shifted his gaze to a sailboat cruising past. “Fine. It’s your responsibility
now. You find someone who is decent and you can have your Thursdays back.” Evan heard
the deck boards creak under the man’s feet as he walked back into the store, muttering
something under his breath.

The coast was clear. Maybe he could rent that kayak now. That was all he wanted—take
one of those blue boats out on the water and glide across the surface. He sucked in
a deep breath and stepped one foot around the corner.

And right then, everything changed. He knew he wouldn’t be renting a kayak today.

T
HEY WERE
just like the lyrics, always popping up at the most inconvenient time. Haven brushed
the rolling tears off her cheeks, and searched the rental stand for something to wipe
her eyes. The only thing in her apron pocket was a scrap of paper.

“Dammit, where’s a tissue when I need it?” She pushed the reservation book to the
side. Everything looked blurry.

When she walked into work this morning, she knew Travis was acting fidgety. He got
that way when he was nervous. After five years at the store, she couldn’t believe
he would quit because of her, because of them. Sure, it was awkward and uncomfortable,
but they would have to deal with it and eventually enough time would pass when they
could work together again—at least that’s what she had convinced herself. Travis only
needed time. Why couldn’t he see that they were better as friends?

Then her father had to compound the problem. It took every ounce of strength she had
not to call him out on the affair. She still wasn’t sure what kept it from flying
out of her mouth. She wanted to hit him with it. She wanted him to know that she knew
about Betra and their relationship. However, even when the words were on the tip of
her tongue, her throat clamped shut and they wouldn’t come out. If she released those
words, it would somehow make the unthinkable a reality. Part of her wanted the affair
to be a misunderstanding or a bad dream she couldn’t shake.

She sighed, knowing that it was for the best she didn’t confront him. Her mother couldn’t
find out this way. For now, Haven would carry the burden of her father’s betrayal
a little longer.

She heard approaching footsteps and knew she needed to get it together. The corner
of the apron would have to do.

“Hi.” The customer who belonged to the footsteps stood in front of her. His voice
was deep.

She flattened the tear-stained apron against the tops of her thighs and pulled her
shoulders back.

“Hi. Can I help you?” Hopefully, he would rent a snorkel set and would be out of here
in two minutes. She needed a moment alone to regroup. Being blindsided by so much
emotion at once left her feeling off-balance.

“As a matter of fact, I was wondering if you have any job openings. I know it’s a
long-shot, but I’m here for the summer and could use a little extra spending money.”

Haven looked at the guy. He was vaguely familiar. She thought she remembered him from
a couple of weeks ago, but he didn’t have that beard and it was hard to remember all
of the customers who walked through the store’s doors.

“You heard all of that, didn’t you?” She didn’t believe him for a second. Her level
of embarrassment rose to an all-time high. She hoped he had only caught the end of
the disagreement between her and her father.

He adjusted his sunglasses to the top of his head. “All I heard is that you are in
charge of hiring, and I am here to be hired.” He smiled, and Haven tried to figure
out what the look was in his eyes. They were warm, soft, and a gray-green color that
blended in with the water on the horizon.

Yes, she definitely recognized that grin. He had been here before and forgotten a
case of beer.

“Do you have a name?” She took in the curious stranger. He had sandy brown hair that
probably hadn’t seen a cut in a few weeks. He reminded her a little of Pearce Hudson
on the Carolina football team. It was the height and the broad shoulders.

“Jay. What about you?” He searched her apron for a name tag.

“Haven. Haven Owen.” She pointed to the sign behind his head. “Part of the great Owen’s
General Store dynasty.”

“That seems like a pretty cool gig. You get to work out here all summer. Not a bad
view.”

She noticed his eyes were locked on her and not on the boats in the marina or the
waves out in the ocean. It made her neck warm, and she wondered if the color had risen
to her cheeks.

“What are you doing here this summer, Jay with-no-last-name? Do you have any retail
experience?” If he was truly interested in taking Travis’s position, the least she
could do was vet him a little.

He took his time with his words. Nothing about this guy said, “I’m in a hurry.” For
someone not from the island, he seemed at ease on the docks.

“I’m a writer. Spending the summer on Perry to—uh—write.” He shoved his hands in his
pockets.

Her eyes shot to his. “Writer? You’re an actual writer? What do you write? Books?
Are you a journalist?” Bubbles of adrenaline shot through her. “Any chance you write
music, because I’m a songwriter.” Haven knew she was pelting him with question with
no space between to answer, but this was exciting. An actual writer. It didn’t matter
if he wrote menus, he wrote.

“I—uh—I’m working on a book.” He gave her a cautious reply.

Haven tried to picture the scruffy, athletic-looking man buried behind a laptop, or
scribbling out words in a notebook. “I can’t believe this. A
writer.
But if you’re working on a book this summer, why do you want a job here?” She knew
this might mean he wasn’t a successful writer.

He shifted in his flip-flops. “Like I said, I need a little extra summer spending
cash, and it sounded like you needed some help. I can fill in for a few weeks until
you find someone more permanent. That way you can keep those Thursdays.”

Her stomach twisted. He might have heard the entire conversation. How mortifying.

“What about your last name? Would I know any of your books?” How cool would it be
if she had actually read something of his?

She could tell he was searching the boat slips behind her, but she didn’t know for
what.

“It’s Grady. Jay Grady. And it’s my first book, so you wouldn’t have heard of me.
I’m still an unknown.”

That didn’t matter to her. She was an unknown.

“That’s ok. All writers have to start somewhere. So what’s it about?”

“What’s what about?” He tilted his head.

Haven dropped her hands from her hips. “Your book. What’s the story?”

“Is this your standard job interview?” He cocked his eyebrow.

“Right. Sorry.” It was official. She was blushing now. The word “writer” had derailed
her line of questioning. She stopped for a second.

“But you haven’t even asked what the pay is or the job. Don’t you want to know what
the responsibilities are? Hours? That kind of thing?”

“I’ll take it. Doesn’t matter.”

“Doesn’t matter?”

“I mean, yeah it matters, but it’s temporary.” He leaned on the counter with his elbows
and winked. “Does this mean I got the job?”

This was the first job interview Haven had ever conducted, and she wasn’t sure this
was the typical protocol for hiring, but she wasn’t going to second-guess herself.
For some reason, a flirty writer with a shaggy beard, but undeniably cute smile had
appeared out of nowhere—of course he got the job.

“Yes, you’re hired.” She reached a hand toward him. “Welcome to Owen’s General Store.”

“All right. What day do you need me to start?” He shook her hand.

“Right now. Aprons are on the hooks in the employee hallway. Go grab one and meet
me back here. I’ll give you the tour. We can start training this morning.” After a
crappy morning, things had turned around rather quickly. The sickening pit that had
formed in her stomach when Travis quit had been replaced by something that was hard
to describe. It was like warm honey soothed her anxiousness every time he smiled.

“Right now? As in you want me to start working today?” His eyebrows arched.

“You do want the job, don’t you?” For someone who was persistent a minute ago, he
was certainly backpedaling.

“Yep. I’m on it. Going to get that apron right now.” He smiled, filling her with that
soothing feeling again.

She watched as he walked away, his shadow following his long frame on the pier. She
bit into her lip, wondering if hiring a total stranger off the docks was the best
decision. Something about him felt undeniably right, like the song she had written
last night—slow and easy. And with all the tension swirling in her life right now,
there was nothing she needed more.

W
HAT IN
the hell had he just done? He saw her crying, her auburn hair floating around her,
petite shoulders hunched as she fought the emotions and he couldn’t stop himself.
He had to swoop in and make her smile like one of the girls in his movies. Dammit.
He reached for the row of aprons on the hooks, as she had instructed, and slipped
one over his head. This wouldn’t have to last long. He was sure she could find a clerk
replacement in a few days. In the meantime, he would fill his time doing something
constructive, and if he were being honest, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to spend
that time around her.