Deliver the Moon Page 12

  She punched him in the arm. “You’re such a jerk.”

  “I’ve been called worse.”

  “Probably by me.”

  He grinned. “Probably.”

  “So what’s the plan once we dock?” she asked. “We should have a rendezvous spot where we can accidentally run into each other.”

  Gabe pulled a business card from his back pocket. “We’re all staying here.”

  “Smith House Bed & Breakfast,” she read. She peered up at him, eyes narrowed. “You already made reservations?” At his nod, she said, “Then what’s all that talk about getting lucky?”

  “You said you were worried about getting rooms. I said I had a feeling we’d get lucky.” He flicked the card in her fingers. “And there you go.”

  “Have I called you a jerk lately?”

  He checked his watch. “It’s been at least 45 seconds.”

  “Wait. How many rooms did you get?”

  He stared at her a moment before answering. “Three. One for you and Sarah, and one each for Arty and me. So don’t worry. If Sarah and Arty get back together—which, as you say, is the whole point of this trip—you and I will still have our own rooms.”

  “Good,” she said. “That’s good.”

  “I don’t want to share a room with you anyway.”

  Her eyes widened and her cheeks burned. “You don’t?” Oh, crap. That sounded really indignant, as if she were disappointed. She cleared her throat. “I mean, good. You shouldn’t.”

  “I don’t want to share a room with you,” he repeated, “because I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off you.”

  She blinked.

  He grinned.

  Damn him.

  The ferry whistle blew, announcing their imminent arrival in Port Townsend. Thank God.

  “I’ll see you at Smith House,” Gabe said. “Act surprised to see us.” She caught his grin as he turned and walked away.

  Ooh, she hated when he did things like that. Dropping bombshell comments without giving her a chance to bite back.

  I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off you.

  A thrill shot from her head to her toes and everywhere in between. She shook it off.

  She forced relaxing breaths of fresh sea air. She took in the beautiful sunlit waters and surrounding land. At least she was seeing a part of the state she’d been wanting to visit for years.

  Obviously, she and Gabe had opposite objectives for the weekend. He wanted these three days to convince her they were right for each other. She wanted the three days to convince herself they were not.

  Because like it or not, some doubts had crept into her mind about Evan, all having to do with Gabe. Three days together would be plenty of time. They’d be at each other’s throats, arguing like it was an art form—just like the last months of their marriage. Gabe would see she was right and would finally drop this ridiculous notion about fate. Then she would go running back to Evan and her career. She wasn’t going to let some wayward fantasies about her ex-husband jeopardize everything she’d worked so hard for these past few years—her bettered relationship with her parents, her relationship with Evan, her emotional stability, and her beloved job.

  She may have left her engagement ring in her jewelry box at home, but Evan was still the man for her. It just made the most sense.

  It did.

  ****

  Louisa and Sarah finished unpacking their bags at Smith House. Their room was in the main house. She’d inconspicuously learned from the proprietor when checking in that Gabe and Arty were staying in the bungalows off the courtyard.

  Sarah sat on the edge of one of the beds. “I’m afraid I’m not going to be very good company.”

  “I just thought it would be nice for both of us to get away.”

  Sarah shrugged. She hadn’t put on any makeup, her hair looked like it hadn’t been combed or washed in a couple of days, and she wore baggy gray sweats.

  Louisa sighed and put her hands on her hips. “Come on. Let’s get freshened up and go for a walk.”

  “I really don’t feel like doing anything, Louisa. Sorry.” She lay back on the bed.

  “Oh, no you don’t.” Louisa grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Let’s get outside. The fresh air will do us both good. I have a feeling this will be a very enlightening weekend. Just what you need.”

  Sarah didn’t look so sure but agreed to go.

  Twenty minutes later, they headed down to the courtyard. Gabe and Arty would have to pass through here if they went into town. Louisa had pulled her hair back with a navy and white polka-dotted scarf and had exchanged sandals for white canvas sneakers. And because it was a little cooler on this side of the water, she’d slipped a navy cotton blazer over her T-shirt. Sarah had run her fingers through her short hair and donned faded jeans and a ratty Mariners T-shirt. It wasn’t much of an improvement.

  Sarah lagged behind as they entered the quaint courtyard. “Louisa, I’m sorry. I can’t do this. This is all just too romantic.” She waved her hands at the rose-covered trellis, the darling bungalows lined up in a row, the brick pathways. “It reminds me of Arty.”

  Louisa grasped Sarah’s arm. “You can’t come all this way just to hang out in the room all day.” The couple would never get back together if they didn’t get together in the first place.

  Sarah pulled her arm from Louisa’s grip. “I’ll catch up with you later, okay?” Then she was gone.

  Louisa blew out a long breath. Now what? Gabe and Arty would be along any minute. They couldn’t find her out here alone. It would ruin the surprise.

  She glanced around the courtyard. A trellis separated the bungalows from a lush garden. The plentiful flowers brushed against her jeans as she followed the red brick path. An old-fashioned swing hung from a maple tree in the middle of a patch of wildflowers.

  She sat on the swing, keeping an eye on the bungalows through the foliage. Arty wouldn’t be able to see her unless he was looking for her, which he wouldn’t be. If she couldn’t catch Gabe’s eye when he came out, she’d have to leave a message at the front desk.

  Sighing with frustration, she absorbed the beauty around her, relaxation settling in as her feet set the swing swaying. Smith House didn’t have the water views Louisa might have wished for, but it had enough charm and character to make up for anything it might be lacking.

  Scents of lilac and honeysuckle wafted through the warm air. Sarah was right. This was very romantic here. She sighed, dreamily, picturing herself holding his hand, pausing while he picked a daisy and tucked it into her hair—

  Evan was the “he” in question, of course. In her little fantasy, she’d been holding Evan’s hand, and Evan had tucked a daisy into her hair. She ignored the little voice in the back of her head reminding her that Evan considered daisies a weed.

  The swing suddenly moved, having been pushed from behind. She gripped the ropes and turned her head. Gabe stood several feet behind her.

  “Where’s Arty?”

  Gabe cocked his head toward the bungalows. “Holed up inside. I tried everything to talk him out here, but…” He shrugged. “Where’s Sarah?”

  “Same thing. Great plan we had, eh?”

  He gave her another push. “Oh, I don’t know. We can have a good time together without them.”

  She didn’t need to have a good time with Gabe. No, no, no. She was still mad at him for all his fate talk and for screwing up her well-ordered life. Why did she keep forgetting that?

  “Gabriel, stop it. I’m hungry. Let’s go eat. Maybe they’ll be ready to come out of their cocoons when we get back.”

  He continued to push her.

  She tried to stay mad, but suddenly felt lazy and carefree, experiencing a lightness she hadn’t felt in ages as her insides churned with the thrill of going up and down, back and forth in midair. She arched her neck and let the wind kiss her face as she whooshed through it, with Gabe pushing her higher and higher. Forward through the air, her back arched in delight, then b
ackward again. Whenever she neared the peak of the back swing, his big hands gripped the sides of her hips and urged her up just a few more inches before guiding her again and again into the forward swing—

  Dammit! Why did even swinging on a silly swing have to be a sensual experience with him? Why couldn’t she just enjoy the simplicity of the act without turning it into sexual fantasy?

  She jumped from the wooden seat on the next forward swing, propelling herself into the garden. She took a few quick steps, hoping to regain her balance, but had to reach out with her hands to keep from falling face-first into a patch of day lilies.

  Gabe rushed to her side, helping her up. “For God’s sake, Louisa! Why did you do that?”

  Not meeting his eyes, she brushed sawdust and dirt off her jeans. “I didn’t come here to play. I’m hungry. I want to eat.” She reached into her purse for her sunglasses and shoved them onto her face. She hurried out of the garden and onto the quiet street.

  Gabe jogged up alongside her. “What happened back there? I thought you were having fun.”

  Her chin lifted, and she strode faster down the hill into town. “Like I said, I’m hungry.”

  “You’re mad at me.”

  She pushed her glasses higher onto her nose. “Why would I be mad? You didn’t do anything.”

  “You’re mad because you were actually having fun with me and it scared you.”

  She finally slowed her place. “Gabriel, you over-analyze everything. Why would it scare me to have fun with you?”

  “Because it would suggest that I’m right, that we’re meant for each other.”

  She harrumphed under her breath and flicked her ponytail behind her shoulder. “I had fun with my dog, too. Does that mean he and I were meant to be together forever?”

  Gabe chuckled. “I didn’t know you had a dog,” he said.

  “I don’t anymore. He ran away.”

  ****

  Even though it was early afternoon on a Friday, the streets of Port Townsend were already filling up with mingling tourists arriving for the holiday weekend. The Victorian seaport was nestled in a northern harbor of the Olympic Peninsula. It was the premier city on Puget Sound during the 1800s, but the advent of the steamship took the maritime interests away from Port Townsend and toward the then-tiny communities of Seattle and Tacoma. Only in the recent past had the town begun to thrive again, primarily as a mecca for tourists eager to admire the grandiose architecture of the business district and the spectacular Victorian mansions on the hills overlooking the town and harbor.

  The area was also home to a diverse artistic community, attracting artists from every medium with its many galleries, the majestic setting, and inspiring surroundings. It was because of the town’s cultural background that Gabe knew Louisa would love it. During their marriage, they’d often talked about driving over here, but somehow time got away from them, and they never came.

  Watching Louisa now as she took in the sights along Water Street from the sun glittering off Admiralty Inlet, to the magnificent houses on the hill, Gabe knew it had been worth the wait for her. Her eyes were wide as they passed quaint shops and galleries. She stopped in front of practically every window, keeping a running commentary on which places she wanted to return to after lunch.

  “Remember how we used to talk about moving out here?” he asked when she paused to admire some intricate Native American jewelry in one of the shop windows. “You’d read somewhere that Port Townsend was a haven for artists. We even dreamed of opening up a gallery. Remember?”

  The store window in front of them reflected her frown. “We had a lot of dreams, Gabriel.” Her voice was quiet, her tone clipped.

  Dammit. She’d just begun to relax and be herself around him when he had to open his big mouth and bring up the past.

  They moved away from the shop window and continued down the street, looking for a place to eat. He hoped the walk would improve Louisa’s mood. It didn’t.

  At the end of the block, they found a café that wasn’t too crowded. Once seated, Louisa propped the menu on the table, shielding her face from his view. After he figured out his order, Gabe rested his chin in his hand and tapped the back of the laminated plastic with his index finger. She lowered the menu just enough to peer over. Her eyebrows arched in question.

  “You’re not comfortable with this, are you?” he asked.

  “If by this you mean spending time alone with you after not seeing you for five years, thus making us strangers to each other, then no, I’m not comfortable with this.”

  “You think we feel like strangers, Lou? We’ve moved beyond that this past week and a half, don’t you think?”

  “No. I don’t.” She disappeared behind her menu again.

  He rubbed the space between his eyebrows then reached forward and pulled the menu down, holding it flat on the table with his palm. “Come on, Louisa. You know you don’t really feel that way.”

  “Look. I was just beginning to feel comfortable with you being back, thinking maybe we could be friends again. But then you brought up all that nonsense about fate and made that comment about sharing a room.” The apples of her cheeks flamed red.

  Ah, the shared room comment. He’d wondered if that had affected her. Apparently, it had. “We could never just be friends, Lou. You should realize that by now.”

  “Then I guess this weekend is a waste of time, because that’s all I hope to accomplish by Sunday. Before I go back to Evan.”

  Shit, she was stubborn. He nodded at her hand. “You’re not wearing your engagement ring.”

  A furious blush lit her face, and she quickly deposited her hands into her lap, out of his sight. “I, uh, didn’t think it was appropriate to wear it.” She reached for the menu.

  It paused halfway up her face when he asked, “What did you tell Evan about this weekend anyway?”

  “I told him the truth. I don’t like to have secrets between us.”

  “You told him the truth, and he still let you come with me?”

  “He didn’t let me do anything. Our relationship doesn’t work that way. He doesn’t want me to go into our marriage with any doubts or wondering about the past.”

  Gabe cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, wondering about the other man’s intelligence. Or lack thereof.

  She slapped the menu onto the table. “Insulting Evan isn’t going to make me come running to you.”

  He stared into her angry eyes and leaned forward onto his elbows. “I didn’t say a word about your fiancé.”

  “You don’t have to say it. But I know what you’re thinking.”

  “What am I thinking?”

  “You’re thinking that if you and I were an item, you wouldn’t want me running off with another man for the weekend.”

  “Yeah, I’m kind of funny that way,” he said, unable to hold back a chuckle.

  A grin tugged at her mouth. “Okay, I walked right into that one. But the thing is, Evan trusts me. He knows nothing is going on between you and me. And nothing will be.” Her humor disappeared again as she lifted her chin and stared down her nose.

  When she raised the damn menu again, he tried another tactic. “Look, Lou. We’re never going to get anything resolved between us if we continue to be at each other’s throats. The whole point of this weekend, besides getting Arty and Sarah back together, is to relax and get to know each other again. And I don’t see how can we do that if you keep hiding behind a menu.”

  The brightly colored laminate dropped to the table. Another hint of a smile curved her mouth. “I’m not hiding.”

  “You’re suddenly near-sighted?”

  She made a face and picked up her menu. He thought she was going to hide behind it again. Instead, she biffed him over the head.

  ****

  After lunch, Louisa and Gabe explored the downtown in greater detail. She dragged him into as many of the shops as he could stand. He, in turn, wanted to explore the galleries. By late afternoon, Louisa was physically and mentally spent. She
and Gabe seemed to have reached an unspoken truce, but it didn’t erase the undercurrent of tension. She knew exactly what he wanted to develop out of this weekend. He’d made his intentions very clear. And although she could barely admit it even to herself, that thought excited a part of her she’d forgotten existed.

  It also scared the hell out of her. She needed time to think. She couldn’t be rational or reasonable when she was with him. She needed to be alone.

  “Listen, Gabriel,” she said as they trudged up the hill toward Smith House. “I’m exhausted. I’m going to see how Sarah’s doing, maybe take a nap.”

  He held open the white-picket gate for her.

  She entered the yard with him right behind her. “We’ll meet you at six where we discussed. Act surprised to see us.” She gave a little laugh but knew it sounded forced.

  His eyes narrowed as he watched her, then he finally nodded. She marched up the veranda steps and into the big house.

  ****

  Louisa stared at the ceiling in her room, knowing there was no way she could nap. Her mind was going about a million miles an hour.

  Damn, Gabriel. He had a way of creeping into her every thought, day and night, and it frustrated the hell out of her. She was engaged to Evan! Okay, so they’d sort of separated, but it was only temporary.

  So what if she was still attracted to Gabe? So what if deep down inside, a traitorous little part of her was excited he wanted her back? So what if deep down inside, a sexy little part of her hoped this weekend turned into a love fest as Evan had suggested?

  Gabe might be exciting and just about the most attractive man she’d ever met, and maybe he had a way of turning her legs to jelly with just a glance, but she couldn’t depend on him.

  But Evan, well, there was a dependable man.

  As she laid there waiting for Sarah to return from wherever she’d disappeared to, she told herself dependable was good.

  It was.

  Chapter Eleven

  Louisa set down the book she hadn’t really been reading as Sarah came into the room.

  “You look horrible,” Louisa told her.

  “Gee, thanks.”