Saving Simon (Tarnished Saints Series Book 5) (10 page)

“This is so small. I couldn’t possibly stay here,” she blurted out, not meaning to sound disrespectful, just looking for an excuse not to have to stay with him since he didn’t look like he was going to leave.

“This was home to Thomas and his six boys before he married Angel, so I don’t understand how you need more room,” Simon said with a look of disgust on his face.

“They all lived here?” She looked around in shock, wondering if it was the truth or just a story he was feeding her. “Well, I guess it’s alright then, but I feel bad throwing you out.” She said it more as a hint for him to leave, but he obviously didn’t take it that way.

“Then I’ll stay,” he told her with challenge in his eyes.

“You can’t do that, Simon, I’m sorry. It just wouldn’t be proper.”

“Fine,” he said, heading to the bedroom. “I’ll just get my things and go then.” He disappeared for a few minutes and then walked out of the bedroom with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder.

“Where are you going to spend the night?”

“Don’t worry, Princess, it won’t be with you. All I ask is that you let me borrow your car for tonight until I can get myself a set of wheels.”

She really didn’t want to lend him her BMW, but didn’t want to sound heartless after he’d just given up his cabin for her.

“I guess,” she said, knowing he still had her keys anyway. “Are you planning on driving somewhere to find a hotel?”

“The Taylor boys know how to survive without hotels and room service,” he said, glancing out of the corner of his eyes as he headed to the door. “Even my brother Zeb learned to live in a lake cabin, giving up his plush high-rise condo and hot tub.”

“Really?” She followed him to the door, finding it unbelievable that anyone would give up something like that to live in a cabin at a lake. She would never do that, as it sounded like a nightmare to her.

“Good night, Pippa,” he said, just standing there looking at her mouth instead of leaving.

She felt herself warm instantly from the way his eyes were devouring her. She knew he wanted to continue what they’d started on the cruise ship before her father interrupted them. He wanted to kiss her, and she couldn’t deny the fact she wanted it to. The silence between them seemed everlasting and when he took a step closer, and raised her chin with his hand, she felt her body already vibrating with anticipation.

Then her cell phone went off startling her, and she ran over to the couch and pulled it out of her purse, seeing the caller ID.

“It’s my father,” she said, looking up at him, subconsciously wetting her lips with her tongue. “I’ve got to take this call.”

“Of course you do,” he said, with disappointment dripping from his words.

“Simon, I . . .” Her phone continued ringing and she looked down at it, knowing her father would be angry if she didn’t answer. She also knew he wouldn’t stop calling until he’d reached her.

“Good night,” he said again, turning and heading out the door. He stopped only for a moment, looking over his shoulder slightly. “Don’t let the bedbugs bite,” he said, and then left her there alone.

Suddenly the cabin seemed dark and dirty and her eyes shot around the room as she answered the phone.

“Hello Daddy,” she said into the phone.

“Piper, it took you long enough to answer.”

“I’m sorry, someone was here, but they just left.”

“Oh, room service?” he asked.

“Yes, that’s what it was,” she said, not wanting her father to know the truth. She felt an emptiness within her and she wondered if she’d done the right thing by telling Simon he couldn’t stay. Then again, if he had stayed, she knew she’d end up doing something she might just regret in the morning.

Chapter 8

Glad to finally see the sunrise, Piper felt as if this had been one of the longest nights of her life. She wasn’t even sure if she’d slept a wink. After Simon’s little comment about bedbugs, she’d been reluctant to sleep in the bed at all. Even though it looked like it was clean enough, she didn’t want to take the chance. Instead, she sat on the couch all night dressed in a long sleeved shirt over her tank top and wearing her designer jeans as well as her shoes and socks.

Every creak of the old cabin had her thinking a bear was trying to get in, and in every shadow she swore she saw a spider. She only hoped Simon would come back with her car soon, because there was no doubt in her mind she was going to find a hotel somewhere for the rest of her stay.

If she could just get a hold of the marina’s invoices and books, she’d be able to do her job quicker. But until Mrs. Glover returned and negotiations were made for the final deal, she wasn’t going to be able to leave. Her father was very clear about that on the phone when he’d called last night. He told her to try to get a hold of the old woman and talk her into selling as cheaply and quickly as possible. Too bad Mrs. Glover didn’t own a cell phone. He’d also told her not to bother coming home until she’d done her job. He already had a buyer lined up, and if she understood him correctly, it was a big firm who wanted to put up a hotel at the lake and then hopefully even buy some lots and put up half-a-million dollar houses to sell as well.

Several hours went by, and still no Simon. She paced the kitchen, once again pulling open the cabinets and fridge, trying to muster up enough courage to make something out of the sparse ingredients she found or maybe at least make a pot of coffee.

But when she saw the old pots and pans and the fact the coffee pot wasn’t a single serving with pods like she was used to, but rather an old percolator that one puts right on the stove, she changed her mind altogether.

“Maybe some fresh air will help,” she said to herself, pulling open the door and walking to the porch. She saw a barn in the distance and heard the sound of a neighing horse. She also thought she heard chickens of all things. Did people living on a lake actually have horses and chickens?

Then the sound was overpowered by a noise that was coming out of a metal barn nearby. It sounded like someone pounding on metal and a man’s voice swearing if she wasn’t mistaken.

She carefully made her way over the uneven ground toward the metal pole barn and  poked her head inside.

“Hello?” she said, seeing the back end of a man with his head under the hood of an old car. He had wild music playing loudly on a portable radio plugged into the wall, and she knew he hadn’t heard her. She stepped in further, making her way to him and calling out again.

“Hello?” she said, and this time the man stood up, and she realized it was Simon’s brother, Thad. He had a wrench in his hand and grease smudges on his face. His spiked hair was a shade of blue this morning, and that almost made her laugh.

“Thad?” she asked. “What are you doing?”

He reached over and yanked the plug of the radio from the wall, and threw the wrench on a nearby desk.

“Wasting my time,” he grumbled, wiping his hands in a rag.

“How’s it going out here little brother?” Thomas entered the barn next taking a sip out of a travel mug. “Oh, good morning, Ms. Longstockings,” he said with a polite nod of his head.

“Thomas, my name isn’t Longstockings, it’s Westbrook.”

“It is?” he said. “Oh, I guess Gus got his gossip a little mixed up this time.”

“Yes, I guess so.”

By the grin on his face she got the impression he knew the truth and was just messing with her.

“How did you sleep last night?” he asked. “I hope the cabin was to your liking.”

“Thank you for your hospitality,” she told him, “but I think I’ll be finding a hotel to stay in tonight instead.”

“I see.” He exchanged a look with his brother, and she could almost hear their thoughts of her out loud. “Maybe it would have helped if I had asked you to join us for breakfast?”

“I don’t eat breakfast, but thank you.”

“Then how about some coffee?” He reached out, offering his mug of coffee to her. The smell of the rich aroma livened her senses. She loved coffee and drank it all day long. It was the only thing that got her thru the day. She felt her mouth salivating, but she didn’t want to take his coffee. He’d already drank from the cup. While that didn’t bother some people, it did bother her. She’d been raised to never eat or drink off of something that someone had already used because she could get sick. No, she just couldn’t do it.

“I’m fine, thank you. I’m just waiting for Simon to return with my car so I can get back to work.”

“What kind of work do you actually do?” asked Thad.

“Are you an accountant?” added Thomas.

“Well, not really. I work for my father. He owns Westbrook Enterprises. It’s a firm that goes into failing businesses to determine if they should close down or not.”

“So . . . you’re hear to close down the marina?” asked Thomas cautiously. “Cuz if you do that, it’ll be like driving a knife right into Simon’s heart.”

“Simon loves that place,” said Thad. “I was hoping he’d buy it and stay here instead of going back to the cruise ship like he ended up promising the captain.”

“Well, I’m not here to drive a knife into anyone’s heart,” she explained. “I’m just here to determine if the business can be saved or not.”

“Just give Simon time, and he’ll make something of that old place,” Thomas assured her.

“Simon’s been through a lot lately.” Thad looked very concerned. “That place puts the spark back in him that he lost when he left the Navy.”

“Why did he leave anyway?” she asked. “If he loved it so much I’d think he would have made a career out of it.”

“Well, we’re sure he would have if things had turned out differently,” said Thomas sounding like he and Thad were sharing some sort of secret.

“So . . . I get the feeling there is something about this whole thing you two are not telling me.”

Silence for a moment. Then Thomas changed the subject.

“Thad, were you able to fix the throttle on this jeep?”

“No. I couldn’t figure it out,” Thad admitted. “I don’t know how you do it. Fixing cars isn’t my thing.”

“What kind of work do you do?” Piper asked Thad curiously.

“I just moved back from the Caribbean and don’t have a job right now,” he told her. “But when I was there I made stained-glass windows and did odd jobs.

“That reminds me,” said Thomas, handing Thad the coffee. He picked up a screwdriver out of his toolbox and stuck his head under the hood. “Simon called and said he could use some help at the marina today. He wants you to bring Ms . . . Westbrook with you.”

“Why isn’t he here to get me like he promised?” asked Piper.

“All fixed,” said Thomas, slamming down the hood. “Thad, you’ve got yourself a car, and can pay me as soon as you get a real job.”

“Well, it sounds like I might have one now after all,” said Thad taking a swig of coffee before handing the coffee mug back to him. He eagerly jumped into the jeep and started it up. It backfired and then blew out some dirty smoke, and Piper held her hand to her mouth and stifled a cough. “Come on, Piper, I’m anxious to get to the marina.”

“We’re going in that?” she asked, not really wanting to step a foot inside the old dirty thing.

“We are unless you want to walk there.” Thad revved the engine and turned on the radio, getting a lot of static before he found a station that sounded like Spanish rap music to her. She remembered how far the drive was last night and all the backwoods roads they had to take to get here. She knew there was no way she could ever walk that far. She opened the door carefully and got inside.

“All right, let’s get to the marina so I can get my car back,” she said.

“There’s one stop you’ve got to make first,” Thomas told them.

“There is?” asked Thad. “Where?”

“Simon’s already there waiting for you, Thad. It’s long past time you go visit Ma.”

“We’re going to visit your mother?” she asked, not sure she wanted to meet the woman. Meeting so many people yesterday was already overwhelming, not to mention meeting the parents of someone you’ve kissed normally means it could turn into a serious relationship. While she liked the idea, she wasn’t sure a serious relationship between her and Simon was a good idea right now, because of her job and her father.

“It’ll only take a few minutes,” Thomas told her.

“I’m not really dressed for visiting. Maybe I’d better go back into the house and change.”

“No, Piper. It doesn’t matter what you wear,” Thad said with a sad look on his face.

“Well, unless your mother is blind she’s going to think I’m a vagabond dressed like this.”

“She won’t think anything of the sort,” Thad told her. “Ma is dead.”

Chapter 9

Simon pulled up to the Twelve Apostles Church at the same time Thad got there with Piper. They were riding in a jeep that looked like it needed not only a washing but painting as well. He figured Thomas had come to the rescue again, fixing their little brother up with a set of wheels. Thomas refurbished cars for a living and was always happy to help out his brothers any way he could.