Authors: Terri Dulong

Tags: #Romance

Sunrise on Cedar Key (8 page)

BOOK: Sunrise on Cedar Key

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C
hloe's first weekend with us passed with relative calm. Aunt Maude and I took turns taking her around the island, showing her various things. To her credit, although Chloe didn't rave about the scenery or anything else, she didn't display any negativity.

But on Sunday afternoon when we were driving along Second Street to the grand opening at the bookshop, I dreaded having to introduce her to Lucas. Mostly I worried that she might catch on that I was attracted to him, which had the potential of bringing out her snarky side.

To my relief, that didn't happen. Actually, she was very pleasant to him, and she even used her knowledge of French to speak a few sentences.

Lucas laughed.
“TrÃ¨s bien,”
he told her.

Was that a smile that crossed her face?

She waved her hand in the air. “No, not very good at all, I'm afraid, but thank you. I've gotten rusty not using my French in so long.”

“Ah, but it does come back to you, no?”

Now it was bona fide laughter coming from my sister. “Yes, I suppose it does. So ... I'm looking for suspense or mystery novels. Where might I find those?”

Lucas directed her to the shelf. “And please help yourself to wine and cheese,” I heard him say before he joined me at the front of the shop.

“Your sister is very nice,” he said. “Where is Maude? Is she not coming?”

“Thank you.” I wanted to say,
It's your wonderful French charm that won her over.
“Yes, she'll be along shortly. The contractor stopped by to discuss something with her.”

“The workmen have finished the counter. Would you like to see it?”

I followed Lucas into the adjoining room.

“Oh, it looks great. They did a very nice job.”

“Yes, I think so too. The furniture will be delivered the end of this week, so it won't be much longer until the island will have a coffee cafÃ© once again.”

We both turned around to the sound of Chloe's voice.

“Oh, what's this?” she asked.

“Welcome to the coffee cafÃ©,” Lucas said, gesturing with his arm.

“What a great idea.” Chloe walked around the room nodding her head. Running her hand across the wood of the counter, she looked at me. “So I take it you won't be rebuilding your place? Or will the two of you be in competition?”

“No, I'm afraid my days of serving coffee are over, but Lucas was kind enough to question me about that before deciding to open his own coffee shop.”

Chloe's glance went from Lucas to me. “That
was
considerate.”

Did I detect a tad of snarkiness in her tone?

“Actually,” Lucas said, “I wanted to speak to you about that. I know you're busy helping your aunt and I hate to ask you for another favor, but I thought perhaps you might be able to give me a bit of assistance when I first openâteaching me how to operate the machines and make some of those fancy coffee drinks? I promise not to take too much of your time, and you certainly don't have to decide right now.”

I felt a smile spreading across my face. “I'd be happy to help you out, Lucas. Thanks for asking. Just let me know when you need me.”

Putting an end to any further discussion on the subject, Chloe held up three books in her hand. “Well, I think I'm all set for reading material. Will you ring me up?”

“Certainly,
madame,
” Lucas said, heading into the bookshop.

I waited while Chloe's purchase was completed.

“It was very nice meeting you, Lucas,” she said, extending her hand.

“EnchantÃ©,”
he told her, returning the handshake. “Grace, I will call you during the week? Perhaps when the furniture arrives, you could help me decide how to arrange it?”

“Sure. I'd like that,” I said, but not before catching the intense expression on my sister's face.

After Aunt Maude returned from the bookstore, she joined Chloe and me in the garden.

“I do believe Lucas will have a success with that bookshop,” she said, settling into a chair with her knitting. “The place was packed when I left.”

I reached into my bag and removed the pale yellow sweater I was knitting for Monica's new baby. “I'm not surprised. His bookstore in Brunswick does very well.”

“Oh, how pretty,” Chloe said, leaning across from her lounge to get a better look. “Who's that for?”

“My friend Monica's new baby. She's due in March. We're not sure yet if it's a boy or girl, so I thought yellow would be a safe color.”

“Is this her first?”

“Well, yeah, technically. But she has a ten-year-old stepdaughter, Clarissa JoâAdam's daughter from a previous marriage, and he has full custody.”

“Really?”

I heard the surprise in the question. “Yup, it's a bit of a long story, but the short version is that the ex was an unfit mother.”

“Well, then no doubt the child is much better off where she's at,” Chloe said matter of factly. “Speaking of children, don't you ever intend to settle down and have some of your own?”

Touchy subject and certainly one I didn't want to discuss with my sister.

“Oh, who knows.... I'm only thirty-six, and today that's still young enough to have a child. Many women aren't having their first until they're forty.”

“I suppose so,” she said, and continued knitting the socks she was working on. “And what about this Lucas? I take it you're romantically involved?”

Damn. Another touchy subject.

“Gosh, no, we're just friends. Why would you think that?”

“Well, first of all, you've never had a problem attracting the men, and second, from what I saw in the bookshop, I got the feeling you shared more than friendship.”

Never had a problem attracting the men? Since she left home at seventeen, how would she even know this? I could feel my annoyance notching up, but not wanting to start an argument, I said, “Nope. We're just friends. Aunt Maude knew him in Brunswick.”

“That's right. He owned the bookshop there. I always frequented Barnes and Noble, so I'm afraid I never did get over there.”

Figures,
I thought.
More chance of bumping into your snobby friends at the large chain.

Then out of the blue, my sister really surprised me by saying, “You know, Grace, you were the fortunate one. You had those early years with our parents and then had Aunt Maude to raise you. Maybe that accounts for the way you are now.”

Where the hell did this come from? And what did she mean by
the way you are now?

I turned around in the lounge to face her better. “Well, yeah, it was great that I had Aunt Maude, especially after Mom and Dad died, but you have many more memories of our parents than I do, Chloe. God, you were already twelve by the time I came along.”

“Exactly, so you really got the best of both worlds. When you were born our parents had more time to devote to parenthood, and when they died, Aunt Maude finished raising you.”

Was she serious?

“You've got to be kidding! They barely ever had time for me. They were constantly traveling for the business, and when they
were
home, they were so wrapped up in each other it was like I was invisible.” I neglected to add,
and if you had stuck around you would have known this.

“It didn't seem that way to me. I went off to college and I assumed you went with them on those buying trips to Europe, and being the only child left at home gave them all the time in the world to spend with you.”

Funny how we all perceive things differently. “Except that wasn't the case, Chloe. I got shipped across the street to Aunt Maude's house. Oh, don't get me wrong, I loved staying with her, but don't you think I knew I was far from the priority in their life?”

She remained silent, and I realized it might provoke anger on my sister's part, but I said, “Once you left home for college, you never looked back. God, you hardly even came home during summer vacation or holidays. You always had invitations from friends and you chose their company above ours. So I can see where you wouldn't know what really went on when I was growing up. And after you married Parker ... it was the same. You basically excluded us from your life. Hell, I barely know my two nephews. So get over it, Chloe. My childhood didn't imitate those fifties television shows either.”

“Well, I just thought ... then how come none of it seemed to bother you? Look at you, going through life, always getting what you want, always achieving whatever it is you set out to do, always being happy ...”

I glanced over at Aunt Maude, who had remained silent, head bowed over her knitting.

I shook my head. “Chloe,” I said, “you don't know me at all. Not at
all.
”

And to be honest, I wasn't sure that she wanted to.

Later that night, trying to drift off to sleep, I thought about the conversation with Chloe. I had managed to avert an argument because we brought an end to the discussion about our parents. But I hadn't stopped thinking about it.

I found it amazing that she saw my life so differently than the way it actually had been. She knew nothing about my relationship with Beau. Nothing about the guilt and the heartache I experienced falling in love with a married man. She had no way of knowing about the child I'd lost and how much I'd still love a child of my own. No, Chloe didn't know about other failed relationships with men or that all my life I only wanted to find that special personâthat one person who would love me above all else. Somebody I could be completely open with and know it wouldn't change his love at all.

My sister knew none of this, and yet ... it seemed she resented me. I had the feeling that in her own misery and disappointment with herself and her life, she had come to see
my
life in a fictional way. The way she wished it could have been for herâthe way it truly had not been for me.

Before I fell off to sleep I had the realization that that discussion with my sister had opened a door on our relationship. A door that led me to understand two thingsâI was now beginning to grasp the meaning of Chloe's behavior over the years, and the uncomfortable feeling that my sister had always wanted what
I
had.

B
y the time mid-October arrived, my aunt, Chloe, and I had managed to carve out an amicable routine of living together. The discussion concerning our parents had not been brought up again, and although I can't say my sister and I had grown any closer, we had managed to avoid confrontations.

Annie's whining caused me to turn over in bed and find her sitting on the floor staring up at me. Glancing at the digital clock, I saw that it was 5:48. A bluish light was filtering into my room telling me, along with Annie, it was time to begin my day.

“Good morning, girl,” I said, swinging my legs to the floor.

Walking over to press the button on the coffeemaker, I continued talking to her. “Let me hit the bathroom, throw on some clothes, and you and I are heading to City Park to watch the sun rise.”

Within ten minutes, fortified with a mug of coffee and Annie trotting along beside me, I headed down Second Street. Autumn had finally arrived, bringing the long-awaited cooler mornings, and I decided to spend a bit of time on the beach.

Walking toward the shore, I said a silent
thank you
that the beach area was totally deserted. Unclipping Annie's leash, I let her do her thing while I settled myself on the edge of the sand. I loved this time of day, when I could let my mind wander and sometimes even come up with all kinds of brilliant thoughts. I enjoyed planning my day, going over my to-do list and getting myself ready for the surprises that each new day usually brought.

Taking a sip of coffee, I recalled the delivery of furniture to the carriage house the day before. My plan for the morning was to get on the computer and do some research on those forums that my aunt had mentioned and then continue with the website design to advertise our knitting retreats, and then maybe I could ...

My thoughts were interrupted by Annie and another dog barking loudly. Damn. Somebody had arrived to intrude on my solitude.

I turned around to see Annie happily scampering with an adorable wheaten color Scottish terrier. And Lucas Trudeau laughing as he watched them.

“Good morning,” he hollered, and waved.

My first thought was,
Oh crap, here I am in grungy shorts, a stained T-shirt, no makeup on and barely awake.
But my second thought was,
Damn, he sure looks good first thing in the morning and an intrusion he's not.

“Hey,” I hollered back, noticing again how well this man wore a pair of jeans and how the bronze of his tan accentuated his good looks.

“Hope I'm not intruding,” he said, walking toward me and then settling himself on the sand. “Duncan and I try to come down here every morning to begin our day. Isn't it great? With the water and the sky and the sun?”

Wishing again that I was a bit more presentable, I ran a hand through my hair and was grateful that maybe my curls gave a casual rather than messy appearance. “It is. It's gorgeous here.”

“Did your furniture arrive yet for the carriage house?”

“Yes, yesterday, and it really looks great. Now I'll be busy setting up my office in the loft and finishing up the website design. How about you? Still on target to open the coffee shop this Friday?”

“Everything's on track, but it sounds like you'll be kept busy, and hey, if you don't have the time to stop by to help me with the machines, I'll certainly understand.”

“Oh, no, I love being busy, and besides, I'd really like to help you. I think it'll be fun.”

That killer smile crossed his face. “Good. Well, if you're free tomorrow morning maybe you could stop by and give me a quick course in coffee making.”

“Sounds like a ... plan.” I had to catch myself to not say
date.

Annie came bouncing over to me, tail wagging. Duncan was right behind her and I smiled. “Hey, girl, got your new friend with you?”

Lucas laughed. “She's a cutie.”

I put out my hand to let him sniff it. “You're such a handsome guy, Duncan.” Cuddling Annie to my chest, I said, “Yes, Mom approves.”

Lucas laughed. “It looks like these two really hit it off, doesn't it?”

“Annie's very dog friendly, and it seems your Duncan is too. How old is he?”

“Just turned four. And Annie?”

“Well, we're not real sure. She was a stray and showed up at the coffee shop a few months ago, but the vet thinks she's about a year old.”

“And you rescued her? That was a nice thing to do.”

I ruffled the top of her head and smiled. “Yeah, I couldn't not take her in. I think we were meant for each other.”

A look of wistfulness seemed to cross Lucas's face. “That's a wonderful thing when that happens.” He jumped up and glanced at his watch. “Well, we need to get going. It's almost seven.”

“Oh, us too,” I said, clipping on Annie's leash. And then I had a thought. “Would you like to come by later today and take a look at the carriage house? We're still in the process of arranging things, but it's really beginning to shape up.”

“Oh, I'd like that. Would after lunch be okay? Say around two? I'll close the bookshop for an hour.”

“Perfect,” I said.

“Duncan and I like walking downtown, so we'll head over to Dock Street now before heading home.”

“And I'll see you later today,” I said, before walking away.

After preparing myself a cup of tea I went outside to the carriage house. Standing on the flagstone walkway, I looked at the tabby structure and smiled. Sunlight glinted off the glass front. Our sign, done by a local artist, was suspended from a wrought iron bracket and hung to the side of the doorway. B
LUE
M
OON
K
NITTING
R
ETREATS
was etched into the wood, and below it was an outline of the island, with a ball of yarn and needles inside and a blue moon hovering above it. We had come up with the perfect logo for our new business.

Unlocking the door, I stepped inside. The workmen had done a great job with the paint and border print, the furniture my aunt and I had selected blended perfectly, and the huge posters hanging on the walls showing scrumptious colors and fibers of various yarns added a cozy feeling to the room.

“This is
trÃ¨s chic.
”

I turned around to the sound of Lucas's voice and smiled. “Do you like it?”

Walking inside, he nodded. “I do. Very much,” he said, as I saw his glance taking in the furniture and posters. “It will be ideal for a group of knitters. And that, up there?” he asked, pointing to the loft. “Will that be your office?”

“Yes. My computer and desk were also delivered yesterday. Come on, I'll show you,” I said, leading the way up the staircase.

We stood in the large room that overlooked the main room below. Lucas walked over to the oak railing and looked down.

“You have a wonderful space for your office. I'm sure you'll be very happy here.”

I walked over to the computer and booted it up. “I'll show you what I have done so far on our website,” I said, sitting in the professional-looking leather office chair my aunt insisted that I get. I pulled up the website and could feel Lucas leaning over my shoulder as I caught a whiff of sensual, spicy aftershave.

Fumbling with the keys, I said, “Here it is. I only have a bit more to complete and I'll be up and running live, which means hopefully the phone will start ringing with bookings.”

“I like it very much,” Lucas said, as the spicy scent seemed to get stronger and sent my thoughts racing to things not at all connected to websites.

“Thanks,” I said, pushing a bit on the chair to indicate I was standing up.

Lucas nodded his head. “Yes, your site has a very professional look to it. I have no doubt the business will be a huge success.”

“We're hoping it will be,” I said, heading to the staircase with Lucas right behind me. “Knitting is a very big ...” My words were cut off because about halfway down, I tripped and could feel myself being flung down the rest of the steps where I ended up in a heap on the floor.

“Mon Dieu!”
I heard Lucas exclaim as he raced down the remaining steps and knelt on the floor beside me, an arm around my shoulder. “Are you okay, Grace?”

I wasn't sure what had created the tears that blurred my visionâthe pain in my right ankle or the genuine concern in his voice.

Embarrassment canceled out the pain.
Talk about a klutz!
“Ah, I think I'm okay,” I managed to say. “How incredibly stupid of me.”

Before I knew what was happening, Lucas was removing my sneaker from my swollen foot. “Stay here,” he commanded. “I'll run inside and get some ice from Maude. Do you think we need to call nine one one?”

Oh, Lord, just what I needâan ambulance telling the entire island how klutzy I was
. “No, no ambulance. Really, I'm fine,” I said, making an attempt to stand up.

“Here, let me help you over to the sofa.”

Lucas reached under my arm and gently brought me to a standing position. “Are you able to put any pressure on that foot?”

I turned to say
I think so
and realized his face was inches from mine. The spicy scent seemed to invade all of my senses and for a brief moment pressure on my foot was the last thing I was thinking of.

I quickly regained my equilibrium and did as I was told. “Yes,” I told him. “I can put enough pressure to make it to the sofa.”

With Lucas's arm around meâand I won't lie, it felt mighty goodâI limped my way to the middle of the room.

“Okay,” he said, taking charge again. “Sit right there and I'll go get that ice.”

I watched him jog out the door and over to Aunt Maude's apartment. This wasn't good. And I'm not referring to the fall. I was beginning to feel way too attracted to Lucas Trudeau, and for the first time in ten years, the same type of feelings I'd had for Beau Hamilton were returningâand based on how that had ended, these feelings for Lucas had me concerned.

“Oh, my goodness,” I heard my aunt say, and looked up to see her scurrying inside the carriage house, ice pack in hand. “Oh, Gracie, dear. You poor thing.” She proceeded to kneel on the floor beside my swollen foot and apply the ice pack. “Are you sure we shouldn't call an ambulance? Are you in much pain?”

Actually, the pain was beginning to subside with the coldness of the ice. “No ambulance. I think I just twisted my ankle. I can't believe I fell down those stairs.”

“Well, most accidents happen at home,” my aunt said.

“What happened?”

The three of us turned to the sound of Chloe's voice.

“I'm afraid poor Gracie had a tumble down the stairs, but it seems to be just a twisted ankle, thank goodness.”

I didn't miss my sister's glance going from me to Lucas.

“Yeah,” I mumbled. “We were upstairs and I was showing Lucas my office and coming down ... well, I guess I missed a step or something.”

Lucas sat beside me on the sofa. “I'm just glad it wasn't anything more serious.”

“Well, the ice should help,” Chloe said, and then, as if dismissing the entire episode, she said, “It really looks great in here, doesn't it? I think it'll be the perfect place to gather those knitters. Speaking of which, did you finish up the website yet, Grace?”

So much for sisterly compassion. “Not quite. I planned to work on it this afternoon.”

“You'll do no such thing,” my aunt said. “You're not climbing those stairs again today. Lucas, maybe you'll be a dear and assist Gracie into my sitting room. We'll get you situated on the sofa in there.”

“Of course,” he said, standing up and once again putting an arm around me he managed to help me wobble my way out of the carriage house.

After I was situated on Aunt Maude's sofa, a cup of tea beside me, I realized that Lucas had closed the bookshop. “Oh, Lucas. You need to get back downtown to reopen your shop. I'm sorry I've kept you here so long.”

“No, no. It's not a problem. That's one of the benefits of owning your own business.” A smile crossed his face. “But it does look like you're in very capable hands now with Maude. Oh, and by the way, I'll certainly understand if you can't make it down there tomorrow to help me.”

As if,
I thought. “I'm sure my ankle will be fine by tomorrow. I'll be down after lunch, and thanks for all your help.”

“You take care of yourself, and just let me know if you can't make it.”

BOOK: Sunrise on Cedar Key

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