Tangled Love on Pelican Point (Island County Series Book 3) (2 page)

“We’ll no longer be the Three Musketeers,” he sighed.

“Since when have we ever been the Three Musketeers?” I scooted my legs underneath me. “I’ve never heard you call us that.”

“Not out loud. I’ve got to keep street cred. But seriously. It’s hard to believe she’s getting married so fast.”

“It’s not fast. It’s been a long time coming.” I adjusted my sweater over my leggings and let out a grunt. “I wonder what it’s like to fall in love like that.”

“You’re asking the wrong person.” Nick unzipped his sweatshirt. “It’s getting hot in here.”

I threw my head back in a fit of giggles as Nick began to overheat at the mere mention of a lasting relationship. It was something neither of us dabbled in.

“It’s not for everyone,” he continued, tossing his hoodie over the arm of the couch.

“I’m beginning to agree, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I’m perfectly content coming home to my one-bedroom apartment and decorating it how I see fit. And I can make popcorn for dinner and not even give it a second thought. I think the older I get, the more complicated love would be anyway.”

“Agreed.” Nick ran his hands over his face and whistled. “But I’m not sure everyone sees it as we do.”

I chuckled, already feeling the tension slip away.

Nick nodded. “I heard Cole’s brother is back on the island.”

“That would make sense, considering what’s about to go down. What’s the big deal?” I rested my head on the couch and wondered what it would be like to be a rock star.

Probably exhausting.

And absolutely fantastic.

Anthony Hill was Cole’s older brother, and he had recently hit it big in the music industry. He’d been back on the island off and on in recent months, but I’d never managed to cross paths with him, which was fine with me. He looked like trouble in the tabloids and one more headache I didn’t need.

I lifted my head back up and brought my eyes to Nick’s. I saw a glimmer of amusement pass through his gaze.

“What?” I asked. “I can tell you’re keeping something from me.”

“Like what?” Nick stood up and stretched. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but we should head on over.”

I shot up from the couch. “Spit it out. You wouldn’t have brought up Cole’s brother out of the blue.”

Nick smirked and rested his hands on my shoulders, staring into my eyes.

“Natalie wants to set you two up.”

I froze in place and stared at Nick in horror.

“That’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard.”

“It might not be the worst,” Nick said. “It could be fun.”

“Spoken like a true man. If it didn’t happen to be the biggest day of Natalie’s life, I think I’d seriously hurt her.”

“It’s not that big of a deal. He might not even show up.”

“Does Anthony know what Natalie’s up to?”

“I doubt it.” He sounded too nonchalant, which told me Anthony knew.

 I pulled out my phone and typed in Anthony’s name. Hundreds of images flashed on the screen, and I slid my phone in between Nick and me.

“Does that look like fun to you? It looks like my worst nightmare come to life. A self-absorbed rock star who has his pick of any and all women.”

“Actually, it doesn’t sound half—”

“You’re such a guy.” I pulled my phone away and sat back down on the couch, searching through the images. There was no denying how good-looking Anthony was, but I could also tell he managed to slip into every celebrity-filled event that involved a red carpet and flashing lights.

No, thank you. I liked quiet island living.

“So you’re telling me what I need is to leave one high-maintenance situation and jump into another?”

Nick held up his hands. “I’m not telling you anything. I’m just letting you know what your friend has up her sleeve. I thought with everything going on today, you’d like a heads-up.”

I kept mindlessly scanning the pictures of Anthony, and I let out a groan.

“Hopefully, he’ll bring one of his many groupie girlfriends.”

“He has one?” Nick asked, glancing over my shoulder.

“I’m sure one will be on hand, at least for the weekend.” I smiled.

“Hear me out.”

“Do I have to?” I teased.

“Maybe you guys will bump into each other today, or maybe you won’t. But why not just let things fall where they may?”

“Hey, speaking of . . . is Jewels back in town?” I was now in the kitchen, standing next to Nick and loading punch ingredients into a grocery bag.

“No clue. Why do you ask?”

Jewels was Natalie’s newly-divorced sister and the latest to arrive back on Fireweed.

“Maybe you’d like to try dating her. You know, no big deal. Maybe if you run into one another, you can just let things fall where they may—”

“Point taken,” Nick said. “Let’s get going before we’re the ones who ruin the surprise.”

I slid the bill under the stack of mail and glanced at Nick.

“Okay, but promise you won’t mention a word to Natalie about my dad or anything. This is her day, and I don’t want anything to take away from that.”

“You have my word, but Sophie?” he asked, going into the kitchen.

“Yeah?”

“Promise me if there’s anything you ever need, you’ll tell me. I can’t help if I don’t know.”

I took in a deep breath and nodded. “Deal.”

I grabbed the punch bowl, and Nick took the bag as we headed out the door to celebrate the best thing to happen in town since as long as I can remember.

“And thank you for letting me in on Natalie’s secret plan.”

“I’m sure you’d do the same.”

I grinned. “Hmm. Boy, I don’t know if I would.”

Nick shut the door to my apartment, and I glanced at the storm clouds ahead, hoping I could make it away from the party unscathed. I wasn’t sure of much in life, but I was certain of one thing. I had absolutely zero interest in a self-absorbed celebrity, even if he was the brother of the groom-to-be.

The crisp sea air kept me on task as my hands clung to the patio railing. No matter what, I was going to stay upright and alert for the rest of the evening. All I needed was some fresh air and peace and quiet. My eyes attempted to focus on the navy blue wrinkles of water that swept toward the rocky beach below, but the view didn’t help the nausea washing over me. I’d managed to sneak unnoticed onto the back patio of my best friend’s house while everyone remained inside celebrating with the newly-engaged couple, Natalie and Cole.

I let out a sigh and balanced my forehead on the railing, ignoring the splintery wood digging into my skin as I lolled my head back and forth. The flu had finally hit, and I was feeling every merciless second of it. I didn’t have time for this.

The doors behind me opened, and the air outside filled with the music—exactly what I’d been trying to avoid.

Noise of any kind.

I straightened up, looked out toward the water, and concentrated on the waves crashing against the rocks below in an attempt to center my breathing and appear like a normal human being to whoever came onto the deck. I didn’t want to look as contagious as I felt.

“You doing okay out here?” The man’s sultry voice exuded charisma that could only belong to one person.

Mr. Rock Star Extraordinaire.

I glanced behind me and took in Anthony Hill, the brother of the groom-to-be and music God to most others. There was a reason Anthony Hill made it to the top of the charts with his band, Crimson Strings. He fit the part effortlessly. Between his dark and brooding good looks and his perfectly sculpted body, he played the role of unattainable musician flawlessly. His broad shoulders filled his red plaid shirt, and his dark jeans wrapped around his lean thighs all too well.

He was impossible not to notice, even with the flu of the century swimming through my veins.

I ripped my eyes away from him and pretended I didn’t notice how attractive he was, but a faint smile touched his lips, and I knew I’d been caught.

He’d changed a lot since I’d last seen him running around the island in his teens. He was Cole’s older brother and didn’t really hang in the same circles as I did, but even way back then, he was hard to miss. Actually, both Hill brothers were easy on the eyes.

He studied me with a carefulness that made my heart flutter as he waited for my response, which I needed to quickly give so he’d go away and leave me to my misery.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Just needed some fresh air.” I turned back toward the water, feeling too wobbly to make much conversation. I really hoped someone would close the doors behind us, because the music made my head scream for mercy.

“I brought this out for you.” He handed me an unopened water bottle. “Start flushing it out of your system now.”

“Flush what out of my system?” I asked, taking the bottle from him. “It’s just the flu.”

I opened the cap and took a few sips of the cold liquid anyway, praying it wouldn’t come back to haunt me. I watched Anthony’s careful movements and easy way as he stood next to me. His chiseled features gave way to full lips and dark, smoldering eyes. His brown hair fell to the side, but when he caught me noticing, he brushed it back with his fingers and my cheeks reddened.

“Whoever made that punch is evil,” Anthony continued, ignoring my own assessment of the situation. He leaned against the railing, and I saw his muscular forearms flex as he held onto the wood. “I think they poured the entire liquor store into the bowl, and I should know.”

“The punch didn’t have alcohol.” I glanced back in his direction.

“I could smell it.” His grin deepened, and I knew it was time for me to go home.

He was far too good-looking for my own good, even with a stomach like mine that matched the rough seas surrounding us.

I shook my head. “There’s no way. I made the punch, and all I put in it was ginger ale, pineapple juice, sherbet, and fruit punch. That’s why I stuck to it. I have work tomorrow morning.”

“Well, someone poured a little happy juice in there while you weren’t looking.” His smile matched the one I’d seen on recent magazine covers, and it was even more intoxicating in person.

I groaned and rested my head on the railing again. “That explains it. I thought I’d caught the flu.”

“How many glasses did you have?” he asked. “I thought I saw you over there a lot.”

He noticed me?

“I lost count. Would you mind closing the door? The music is killing me.”

Anthony laughed. “Gladly.”

He made his way over to the doors and softly closed them, muffling the music by several decibels. “All better?”

I nodded. “That song is so depressing. I don’t know who sings it, but they’ve got a bad case of the blues.” I stood back up, and Anthony’s eyes locked on mine, sending an unexpected charge through me.

“What?” I asked, feeling him study me for no particular reason.

He balanced his elbows on the railing and leaned forward.

“Your honesty is refreshing.”

My brows furrowed, and I shook my head. I wasn’t clearheaded enough to know what he was talking about. I took another sip of water and noticed a group of women inside the house staring at Anthony.

What would it be like to always have people staring or whispering about you? I wanted to ask, but I didn’t know him well enough to pry.

Anthony followed my stare and shook his head.

 “You’re disappointing your admirers. You might want to go back inside so you don’t lose any fans.”

“I’m not worried about fans. I’m more interested in creating converts.” His gaze swept over my lips before he brought his eyes back to mine, and my breath caught. “Sorry about my brother’s choice in music. He likes to take any opportunity he can to use as a PR moment for my band.”

I shook my head in confusion before the pieces of the puzzle slowly started to fit together in my hazy mind. My heart dropped to my toes, realizing that I’d just asked the lead singer of Crimson Strings to please shut the door on his own music. Now I really was sick.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, jerking my gaze away. My stomach was getting worse by the second. “It’s a good song. It’s amazing. It’s totally me, not your music. I’m so—”

“No apologies necessary. I’m tired of hearing it myself, and I’ll gladly take a reprieve,” he interrupted.

I flung my head back and looked toward the heavily clouded sky.

Suck me up now, heavens.

It was definitely time for me to get back to the comfort of my apartment. This was why I stuck to taking care of my dad and working several jobs. It kept me out of trouble and out of awkward situations.

The doors flung open, and the music flooded the deck again. Thankfully, the song had changed, and the new singer to insult was nowhere to be found.

“There you are,” my best friend, Natalie, hollered. “I thought you might have slipped out without telling me.”

Natalie nearly floated over to me. I’d never seen her this happy, and it made me love the idea of
love.
I’d never experienced love before. I probably got close a time or two, but something always went drastically wrong right before that particular emotion coated the relationship in the sweetness others had tasted.

“So you finally bumped into Anthony,” she gushed.