If Ever I Fall (Rhode Island Romance #1) (9 page)

Veronica took both
Willa and Collette to the downstairs conference room for an interview.

“Willa, are you
happy with the kitchen design you’ve chosen?”

“Yes. It wasn’t an
easy decision. But Joe promised that he’d keep my aunt’s memory in that room. I
believe him.”

“It took some
convincing. What made you trust him?”

Willa looked
straight into the camera lens. “I can tell when someone is lying to me. Joe
doesn’t lie.”

“…and they
loved
her cookies,” Collette was saying, luring Willa back into the present.

“The way to a man’s
heart,” Audrey said knowingly. Then she snapped her fingers. “That reminds me.”
She turned to Willa. “The space next door will become vacant in two months.
Stella’s moving out. Her husband got relocated to South Carolina. The bakery
was just a hobby for her.”

Willa knitted her
brow. “So?”

“So, you make the
best damn cookies in the world, Willa Cochrane. You could open your own shop
and make a fortune. And here’s a space next door with all the equipment already
in place. It’s almost one hundred percent turnkey.”

Willa’s frown
deepened. What was Audrey getting at? When had Willa ever expressed interest in
opening a bakery? “What are talking about?”

“I’m talking about
your future, Willa. Your next great adventure. As soon as Stella told me she
was leaving, I had this crystal clear vision of you behind that counter, in
that kitchen baking and selling your delicious cookies.” Audrey’s voice was
prodding, but kind. “Just think of what an amazing and wonderful challenge
that
would be.”

Willa
thought about Audrey’s words once or twice as she finished clearing Pauline’s
house of the smaller items. She decided it was a crazy idea and that she wasn’t
going to think about it anymore. She baked for her own pleasure. She wasn’t
going to turn it into a career.

She called the
girls over on Saturday afternoon to go through some of her aunt’s
belongings—curio pieces, jewelry and china—that she thought they might like to
have. She packed away a few items for herself and stored them in the apartment.
The girls helped her lug everything else into the garage, to be sorted through
later for a future yard sale. On Sunday, Collette helped her carry the living
room armchair out to the end of the driveway, leaving it up for grabs for any
passersby. If someone didn’t pick it up by the next garbage day, Willa would
make an appointment with the recycling service.

On Monday, a half
dozen rugged-looking construction guys showed up to haul out all the furniture
and appliances. Shirley just “happened” to stop by on that day. She split her
time between staring out the apartment’s living room window and taking slow,
flirtatious strolls to and from Collette’s house. Finally, Willa baked up a
batch of cookies and asked Shirley if she’d mind bringing a plateful down to
the guys. Shirley said she wouldn’t mind at all.

On Tuesday, two huge
green dumpsters were delivered to Willa’s house and placed in the driveway.

Willa walked. She
baked. She watched her television shows. She took one more long soak in
Pauline’s bathtub, realizing it would be the last chance she’d have to enjoy
that luxury for at least five weeks.

On Tuesday night,
she did an internet search on both Tony and Joe Rossetti. Other than their
company website, they didn’t appear to have any other online presence. Veronica
had told Willa that an “integrated marketing campaign” would go into effect in
June, once they had more footage in the can. For now, there was a small blurb
on the company website, informing Willa to stay tuned for an exciting
announcement. On one of the pages she found a small photo of both brothers
leaning against a countertop in a kitchen somewhere. They were wearing jeans,
work boots, and tee-shirts that exposed their tan, sinewy arms. The camera had
captured them laughing, as if one of them had just told a joke. Joe’s teeth
were white and strong. His eyes crinkled at the corners. She printed out the
photo and slipped it between the pages of her baking journal.

On Wednesday
morning, she rose earlier than usual. The weather had been growing steadily
warmer, interspersed with the occasional April showers. There wasn’t a cloud in
the sky today. She threw on a pair of yoga pants and a gray sweatshirt and
laced up her walking shoes. She splashed some water on her face, pulled her
hair back in a ponytail, and headed out the door.

Ten minutes later
she was on the beach. The tide was low today, so she started on the south shore
and made her way along the small slip of beach below the grassy park area that
was only navigable when the tide was out. A few industrious sandpipers scurried
along the beach ahead of her, poking their beaks into the wet sand.

Willa walked around
to the north shore and back again, detouring for a stroll out the sandbar.
There were a few fishermen on the sandbar. She kept out of their way. When the
water began to overlap the banks, she stopped and gazed towards the lighthouse.
She folded her arms across her chest and took a deep breath.

She felt those
curious emotions again, as if she were on the precipice of discovering
something amazing and beautiful. She dwelt on Collette’s conviction that Joe
was interested in her. And maybe Tony was, too. Other than those few seconds in
their office when Tony had appeared puzzled, neither one of them seemed turned
off by the way she spoke or behaved. They seemed to genuinely like her.

Was that why she
felt so drawn to Joe? Just because he appeared to like her? Had she been so
deprived of any real human connection all these years that she’d fall for the
first man who didn’t look at her as though she’d recently escaped from an
insane asylum?

She released a
choking laugh that was tinged with bitterness. She needed to be careful. She
had to keep her guard up. Maybe both brothers were only playing to the cameras…

“Willa?”

She spun around.

Tony stood behind
her, holding a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee cup in each hand. He held one out to her.
“Coffee? I added a little bit of milk and sugar. Not sure what you like.”

She reached for the
cup. “That’s fine. Thank you.” She frowned. “How did you know I was out here?”

“Collette told me.
The crew’s setting up at the house. We have to get back there in a half hour.”
He grinned as he took in their surroundings. “I haven’t been out here in years.
Used to hang out on the beach with my friends back when I was in high school.
This place can get a little crazy on weekend nights.” He cocked his thumb back
towards the rocky perimeter of the park. “We’d build a fire right over there.
Drink beer. Listen to music. Never went swimming, though.”

“Why not?”

“You never know
what’s going to float down from Providence. I hear it’s much better than it
used to be. But they still shut down this beach sometimes when the water gets
too polluted.”

“And here I thought
it was such a pretty place.”

“It still is. Most
of the time.”

She turned back
towards the lighthouse, took a sip of her coffee. Tony came to stand beside
her. “A kid drowned out here last summer,” he said somberly. “Guess he thought
he could wade all the way to the lighthouse. He wasn’t a good swimmer. The
currents pulled him under before he could be rescued.”

Willa’s heart
clenched. “Collette told me to be careful. This is the farthest I walk out.”

“Good.” She felt
his gaze on her. “We wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you, Willa.”

She looked up at
him, startled by his tone. There was friendly, teasing warmth in it, but that
warmth coated a deeper layer that sounded serious and resolute.

“Why are you here?”
she asked abruptly.

“Here on the show?
Or here standing with you right now?”

She’d meant the
latter, but decided she’d like an answer to both questions.

He shrugged,
speaking before she could reply. “The other day when we were in the office, you
told Joe that you didn’t know us well enough to trust us. I wanted to fix
that.”

“I trust Joe.”

Tony took a long
sip of coffee, seeming to deliberate his next words. “Everyone trusts Joe,” he
eventually said, his tone serious. “That’s the kind of man he is. He’s one of
the good guys. Decent. A rock. He’s my hero.”

Willa turned to
look at him fully now. Tony kept his gaze narrowed on the lighthouse. His
cheeks were ruddy.

“He’s your big
brother,” she said pragmatically. “Don’t most younger brothers look at their
older brothers that way?”

He pivoted towards
her. Something softened in his expression. “The way you talk sometimes, Willa.
You sound like you’re reading out of a science book or something.” His attractive
mouth curved into a smile. “Must be the teacher in you.”

Her lips twisted in
grimace. “Yes. That must be it.”

“I always had
crushes on my female teachers,” he confided, his eyes twinkling.

She understood that
he was teasing her. She forced herself to relax. “That doesn’t surprise me.
Veronica said you’re a born flirt.”

He laughed,
unabashed. “I figured she’d warn you about me.” Then his face turned solemn
again. “But I’d never intentionally hurt you. Neither would Joe. That’s why I
wanted some time alone with you. Off camera. To tell you some things.”

“What things?”

He swallowed,
glanced away from her face and back again. “When I was twelve, our mom and dad died
in an accident. There was a fire in an old warehouse my dad had been converting
into offices. Joe was eighteen. He’d just started college. He quit school. Came
home to take care of me and our little sister, Sylvie. He made sure we didn’t
get put into foster care.”

She stared into his
face for several moments as her mind slowly assimilated his words. Shock and
sadness gripped her heart. “I’m so sorry,” she finally managed to say. “There
was no one else in your family to help?”

“No. Our
grandparents—our dad’s parents—were in a nursing home at that point. Our Uncle
Nick, my dad’s younger brother, is high up in the military. He helped as best
he could, but he’s been stationed overseas for years. My mom came out of the
foster system, so no family to speak of on her side. So, it was just the three
of us.” He paused. “And the Kelly’s.”

“The Kelly’s?”

“Our next-door
neighbors in North Providence. Tom and Diane and their daughter, Julia.”

Something seemed to
alter in his voice when he spoke Julia’s name. “They helped take care of you?”
she surmised.

“Yeah. Tom and
Diane were my parents’ best friends. They were all about the same age. Joe and Julia
were in the same class in school from kindergarten on. After my mom and dad…
After that, it was Julia who helped out the most. She was at the house every
day when Sylvie and I came home from school.”

“She didn’t go to
college?”

“No. She grew up in
a family business just like me and Joe. She finally purchased it from her
parents last month, actually. An event management business.”

She heard the pride
in his voice, and something more that she couldn’t decipher. “So… You and Julia
are…together?”

His eyebrows shot
upwards with surprise before quickly lowering over a more somber expression. “No.
Julia’s been in love with Joe since they were kids. They’ve dated off and on
over the years. Last Christmas, he finally asked her to marry him.”

At first, his revelation
didn’t sink in. Willa tipped her head to one side. She heard the bewilderment
in her voice as she sought confirmation. “Joe is getting married?”

“Yeah. They’re
getting married next year. In June. Julia has always wanted a June wedding.”
Tony’s voice was grim, his eyes probing Willa’s confused expression.

She slowly shook
her head. “But Veronica said—” She swallowed the rest of her words. Veronica
had said neither of the brothers was married. That didn’t mean they weren’t in relationships.
Yet, the way Joe had looked at her…

“Veronica doesn’t
know yet.”

Willa twisted away
from Tony’s searching look, forcing her gaze towards Providence in the
distance. She brought her fist to her mouth, bit into the knuckles. She wished
it were a windy morning. That would help to explain the way her eyes were watering.

It had been years
since she’d last cried about anything.

“So, I was right,”
Tony murmured behind her. “Christ, Willa. The last thing I wanted to do was
hurt you. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know what
you mean,” she said over her shoulder, glad for once that her tone was clipped
and flat.

“I’d have to be
blind not to have noticed the way my brother looks at you,” he persisted. “Hell,
I’ve been looking at you, too. But it’s different with him. In the office last
Friday, there was a moment when you two… Damn it, maybe I’m way off base here.
But, if I’m not, I felt you should know about Julia. I didn’t want you getting
your hopes up over something that can never happen.”

Willa quickly dried
her eyes with the sleeve of her sweatshirt and took a quivering breath. “I
think the person you should be talking to is your brother, not me.” She pulled
a calm mask over her face before swinging around to face Tony again. “What you’ve
seen is that I can be extremely awkward or anxious when I’m with groups of
people. That’s all. Your brother seems to get that. He was just being patient
and…nice.”

It was clear that
Tony didn’t believe her. His expression was troubled. “I
will
speak with
my brother. Julia deserves to be happy. After everything she’s done for us.
Marrying Joe has always been her dream.” He lowered his eyes, but not before
Willa caught the strange bitterness lurking in their depths.

“Yes. It sounds
like she’s already been a member of your family for years. Might as well make
it official.” She straightened her shoulders and pasted a smile on her face, a
smile that she felt wobble a little. “I’ll have to congratulate your brother
when I see him.” She started walking back towards the park.

Tony’s hand on her
arm stalled her. “Please hold off until I tell him that I talked with you,
okay? I hate going behind his back like this.”

She studied him,
noting his genuine concern when he spoke about his brother. “I’m an only child.
I don’t know what it’s like to have a brother or a sister. You really love him
a lot, don’t you.”

“Yeah, I do. He’s
sacrificed so much for me and Sylvie. It took me a while to realize that. I was
a real asshole—excuse my language—during my teens. I gave Joe a ton of grief.
But my Uncle Nick knocked some sense into me.” He made a sweeping gesture with
his hand. “That’s what this is all about. My way of thanking Joe, of paying him
back.”