Crushing on Love (The Bradens of Peaceful Harbor, Book Four) (32 page)
Read Crushing on Love (The Bradens of Peaceful Harbor, Book Four) Online
Authors: Melissa Foster
Tags: #Fiction, #Romance
“Hey, Pop. Is the electronic code to your shop still Mom’s birthday?” His father had been talking about retiring lately. The hardware store was meant to be the family legacy, passed down to one of his five children, only none of them wanted to take it over. Right this very moment, Matt had never been so glad that his father was in the hardware business. The Cape wasn’t big on chain stores. The closest Home Depot or Target was a good forty minutes away.
“Yes. What’s wrong?”
“I need a showerhead for Tony’s place.”
“Want me to run one up to you?”
Neil Lacroux would do anything for his children—even though they were all grown up. Matt knew he’d been lonely since their mother passed away unexpectedly from an aneurysm a few years ago, which was another reason he’d chosen to come back home during his sabbatical. He made a mental note to stop by the store and visit with him.
“I’ve got it, Pop. Sorry to bother you.”
The drive to Orleans took only a few minutes. Even though Matt had grown up on the Cape, it always took him a day or two to adjust to being out of the city. Slacks and button-downs were replaced with shorts and tank tops, people moved at a more relaxed pace, and no matter how far from the beach he was, sand was ever-present. Sand in the grass, sand on the floors, sand on the seat of his car—and he hadn’t even been to the beach yet.
He punched in the code to the security keypad, and the minute he was inside the dark store, he heard it.
Tap, tap, tap
. He froze, every neuron on high alert, and listened.
Tap, tap, tap, tap
, pause,
tap, tap, tap
. It was coming from his father’s office. His arms instinctively flexed, preparing for a fight. He moved swiftly and silently to the office door and listened to the incessant tapping.
Dad’s calculator?
He pushed the door open, and his body flooded with awareness at the sight of Mira sitting at the desk, her fingers flying over the calculator. Maybe this was his lucky night after all.
Her hand flew to her chest. “Matt…?” His name came out all breathy. “You scared me. I had no idea you were in town.”
Because I made a point of wanting to surprise you, although not exactly like this.
“Sorry about that, Sunshine. I just got in a little while ago. I came to get a showerhead.” He walked into the small office, taking in the ledger on the desk, illuminated by his father’s ancient single-bulb lamp, and the family photos thumbtacked to the wall. He noticed a new photograph front and center, a picture of Hagen holding a fishing rod with a little sunfish dangling from the line. He knew how much Mira and Hagen meant to his father, but seeing Hagen’s photo among their family’s brought the full impact home. He shifted his gaze to Mira, and as the shock of his arrival wore off, a beautiful smile spread across her face. There it was, the brightness that had hooked him all those months ago. The sweet look of innocence and rebellious I-can-take-on-the-world confidence in her gorgeous eyes. She had no idea what she did to him.
“Sunshine,” she whispered, and shook her head.
“You can’t deny the way you light up everything around you.” He’d given her the nickname last summer because she had such a positive outlook on life.
“You should see me before I have coffee in the mornings.”
I’d like that more than you know
.
“A showerhead? Let me show you where they are.” She pushed to her feet, nearly bumping into his chest in the close quarters. Her chestnut hair tumbled sexily over her shoulders as she stood before him, one hand perched over his chest, the other reaching up to touch his cheek. “What happened?”
Their attraction had been immediate and intense last summer and had only grown stronger with each subsequent visit—at least he knew it had for him. For months he’d buried any hope of exploring their connection beneath classes and research papers. Now, as she gazed into his eyes, all those heated memories came rushing back.
“I was assaulted by the old one.”
“Ouch.” She grimaced, and the spray of freckles on the bridge of her nose rose with the effort.
He hadn’t been able to get that cute mannerism out of his head when he’d gone back to Princeton, and damn, did he like seeing it again.
“You might need a stitch.” Her fingers lingered on his skin, warm and soft.
He covered her hand with his, pressing it to his cheek. “It’s nothing, really.”
She nibbled nervously on the corner of her mouth. “I’ll just…” She pointed out of the office, and her hand slid from beneath his. Her breasts brushed against his arm as she walked away, stirring more of that same dark attraction.
There was no shortage of women vying for Matt’s attention. From coeds to faculty, he could have his pick back in Princeton, and the choices were just as plentiful here at the Cape. But the only woman he saw when he closed his eyes at night was heading down aisle seven of his father’s hardware store.
“Where’s Hagen?” He told himself not to stare at her hips swaying seductively in a pair of skimpy cutoffs, but it was a tough reprimand to heed, considering she had gorgeous long legs—
the type of legs that would feel really good wrapped around my waist
.
In an effort to dissuade his dirty thoughts, he asked, “Why are you working so late? I thought you worked daytime hours.” He’d have to mention something to his father. Orleans was a safe town, but he didn’t like the idea of Mira working alone at night.
“Hagen is at a slumber party,” she said, as if that explained everything. She planted her hands on her hips as he looked over the showerhead selections. “If I sit around at the cottage I’ll just drive myself crazy worrying about whether he’s okay, or if he’ll get any sleep. It’s better that I’m distracted with work.”
“Is this your first night apart?” He grabbed a shower fixture, taking in her thoughtful expression.
“At almost seven? Goodness, no. I mean, we don’t spend many nights apart, but he’s not babied by any means. He’d never stand for that. You’ve met him. He’d probably read a book on how to escape from under Mommy’s thumb and devise a plan.” She sighed and stared absently over his shoulder, like she was reliving a memory. “It’s funny how things change. When he was a baby I couldn’t bear to part with him.” She shrugged. “But life can be crazy, and I think to be a good mother—especially a good single mother—you have to occasionally give yourself a break to rejuvenate. Hagen loves spending the night with my brothers and my friend Serena. I don’t usually worry when he’s with family, but when he’s with friends I worry. It’s silly, I know.”
“That’s not silly. It’s the mark of a loving mother.” He should know. His mother had been just as protective of him and his siblings.
She laughed and headed back toward the office. “You make it sound normal that I’ve got my nose stuck in a ledger all night because my son’s at a friend’s house.”
He laid two twenties on the desk for the showerhead.
She gave him a deadpan look. “Seriously? You know your father won’t accept your money.”
“Then use it to buy coffee for the store and don’t tell him.” He left the money on the desk. “I spend most nights grading papers and working on research, so I’m not really sure what
normal
is anymore. But if this is your one night of freedom, let’s go enjoy it.”
She squinted up at him. “Like a pity date?”
He laughed and grabbed her purse from the back of her chair. “Hardly. Like two friends hitting the town to figure out what normal people do on Friday nights.” Taking her hand, he said, “Let’s go, Sunshine. You can brighten up what was sure to be a very grim evening.”
—To continue reading—
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