She could still feel the lingering tingle of his touch through her clothes and, as his music swept through her, she stretched out on her bed to savor the delicious sensation. His magnificent performance deserved a standing ovation, but should she ever attend one of his concerts, she didn’t know where she would find the strength to leave her seat.
The man overwhelmed her senses. She tried to convince herself it was a good thing, but it was awfully difficult to believe.
Griffin ran through the most difficult passages of half a dozen of his favorite pieces before he began to work on one of his own. The melody was haunting, and the variations were so intricate they challenged him as his usual repertoire no longer could.
When he glanced at his watch, it was past midnight. He was tired, but not nearly tired enough to welcome sleep. What he wanted was to lose himself in Darcy’s delicate beauty, but she was maddeningly disinclined to spend more than a minimal amount of time with him, and none of it in his bed.
He’d never been drawn to petite women, but Darcy had more attitude than an Amazon leather-clad biker chick. Their kind had never appealed to him, either, but he was convinced Darcy’s tough façade hid a touching vulnerability. He smiled whenever he thought of her, which was quite often.
That she apparently liked him not at all was merely a minor problem he was confident he would eventually overcome. It would be exactly like learning a new piece of music and, one day soon, he would master her just as easily.
Christy Joy took Twink to a babysitter on Saturdays, but that morning she was running behind schedule and rushed in the back door without a minute to spare before it was time to unlock the front. She took a deep breath and reminded herself how much she loved her colorful shop, but on stressful mornings like these, she feared it was taking too great a toll on her and her darling daughter.
The clerks always straightened up before they went home for the day, but Christy Joy stopped to refold a couple of sweaters before she opened the register. When the bell at the front door rang, she expected one of the clerks, but it was Jeremy Linden, a sport fishing boat captain, who had entered.
Jeremy removed his white cap and raked the sun-streaked tips of his light brown hair off his forehead. He stood just under six feet, but even dressed in a loose-fitting denim shirt and khaki pants, his slim build made him appear taller.
“Good morning, Christy Joy. Is Mary Beth coming in today?”
“Yes, she’ll be here in a minute. I see you have the latest Tom Clancy book. I think it’s wonderful that you and Mary Beth read so many bestsellers. I wish I had time to read something other than children’s books for Twink, but I’m afraid after our bedtime stories, I fall asleep nearly as quickly as she does.”
“You’re working too hard, but I guess it keeps you out of mischief.”
Christy Joy laughed as though straying into mischief were even a possibility. “Twink loves that little boat you gave her. It’s just the right size to float in our fountains. It was a very thoughtful gift.”
Shrugging off the compliment, Jeremy adjusted the fit of the Clancy book’s colorful paper jacket. “Twink’s an awful cute little girl.”
“Thank you. Like any mother, I’m very proud of her.”
Christy Joy did not know quite what to make of Jeremy Linden. He hired his boat out for charters, and he’d begun strolling through Defy the World Tomatoes even before they’d opened their doors to the public. From the day she and Darcy had leased the property, they’d welcomed whatever interest the townspeople had shown, but Jeremy had never come in to chat like the others. Instead, he’d simply wandered around taking everything in without ever offering an opinion.
She’d noticed him first because he was attractive, with the wind-toughened appearance of a man who spent his life at sea. Then, gradually, she’d become intrigued by his silence and had gone out of her way to speak with him just to see if he would respond. He always had, but more often with shy smiles and obliging nods than complete sentences.
While he apologized for not being able to use any of their merchandise on his boat, Christy Joy often saw him fondling their wares as though he were searching for a treasured keepsake. As with all their conversations, this one was punctuated with long pauses, but when Jeremy finally looked up at her, his green eyes sparkled brightly against
his deeply tanned skin. Reassured of his interest, she hoped he would stay a while.
“Our business is showing a steady increase,” she confided, “and with luck, we’ll have a terrific summer. But for now, I refuse to think beyond the end of August. How are things going for you?”
Jeremy inclined his head slightly. “Kinda slow, but sport fishing is always better in the summer. The gray whales begin their migration soon, and usually a few people happen along who want to go out and watch them. I can’t offer any guarantees that we’ll actually sight a whale, but that’s real easy money.”
Christy Joy had never found Jeremy in such a talkative mood, and she smiled to encourage him. “When I was in grade school, my class went whale watching. We only saw one whale, but it was so exciting. Do you suppose Twink is old enough to appreciate what a privilege it is to see a whale swimming free?”
Jeremy shifted his feet in an awkward shuffle, but then nodded. “Sure. Maybe someday when you’re not too busy, and I don’t have a charter, we can take Twink and go out and chase whales.”
Had his offer been spontaneous, Christy Joy would have been pleased, but she feared that he’d mistaken her question for a pointed demand. “Oh, Jeremy, please don’t misunderstand, I wasn’t fishing for an invitation.’
Amused by her breathless apology, as well as her choice of words, Jeremy couldn’t help but laugh. “If you want to fish too, that’s okay.” Mary Beth came through the door then, and, still chuckling, Jeremy turned away to walk with her back to the counter.
Christy Joy was uncertain how she’d gotten herself into such an awkward situation, but this was the first time she’d ever heard Jeremy laugh, and it was a very pleasant sound. Mary Beth was dating Wes Lundberg, a CPA with his own accounting firm, and regarded Jeremy as merely a friend, but Christy Joy still felt as though she’d overstepped her bounds.
She hoped Jeremy would soon have so many charters he’d forget all about providing lessons on marine life for Twink, but he gave her a jaunty salute as he left the shop, and she feared hers was an invitation he would remember. Of course, if she and Twink were to go out on Jeremy’s boat, it wouldn’t be a date. It would just be whale watching and nothing more.
Maybe they could take Twink’s preschool class, she thought for an instant, then realized it would be an even greater imposition than she’d already made. There were women who used their children’s needs as an excuse to spend time with a man, and probably an equal number of men who were attentive to a woman’s children as a means to impress her, but she would never be a party to either ploy.
Absolutely not. If Jeremy actually followed through on the trip, she would bring snacks and make certain they all had a wonderful time. It was the least she could do, but as she approached Mary Beth, she had the sinking feeling she’d done something wrong.
“Mary Beth, if things don’t work out for you and Wes, would you date Jeremy Linden?”