Island Hope (Wildflower B&B Romance Book 4) Read online

  He moved into the kitchen and found Alyssa at the stove stirring something in a pot. Had she prepared dinner already? “What’s this?”

  “Aunt Jill must have stopped in today. I found chili in the fridge along with a note.” She slid an unopened card across the brown, faux granite, Formica countertop.

  He opened the card and grinned.

  Happy birthday, big brother. Enjoy the chili. I used Mom’s recipe. I know it’s your favorite.

  In the craziness of the day, he’d forgotten that today was his thirty-sixth birthday. He glanced toward Alyssa who seemed oblivious to the fact. Weird. His daughter never forgot his birthday. Disappointment struck him. No, he wouldn’t let her oversight get him down. After all he’d forgotten too.

  He leaned over the stove and breathed in deeply. Tomatoes and the scent of warm spices made his stomach rumble. “Smells good.”

  “Mmm-hmm.” Alyssa tapped the wooden spoon on the side of the pot, then set the table. “What did you need to talk about?”

  They were going to do this now? He’d hoped to have a little food in his stomach first, but really, he was only procrastinating. “I received a temporary promotion today. I’m the acting manager at the resort until Piper returns to work after her baby is born.”

  Alyssa grinned. “That’s great, Dad. Congratulations.” She placed a pitcher of ice water in the center of the round, glass topped table in the alcove of the kitchen, then went back to the stove, removed the pot and placed it on a trivet.

  He sat and waited for Alyssa to do the same then prayed a blessing over the food. “It’s going to mean a lot more hours for me. I may not make it home for dinner every night, and I’ll probably need to work weekends.”

  Her hand stopped midair as she reached for the ladle. “Like how many?”

  He shrugged. “As many as needed. It’s going to take some time to teach someone to do what I did. Once I get someone trained then it’ll free up my time.” The hesitation on her face made him frown. “What are you worried about, kiddo? You’re practically an adult.”

  “Who can’t drive. You promised to teach me now that winter is over. I know I’m signed up for Driver’s Ed but I really wanted to get some hours in before the class starts.”

  The last thing he wanted was his fifteen-year-old daughter behind the wheel of a car, but he couldn’t shelter her forever. If she could wait a few more months, her driver’s training class would be over, it’d be summer, and Piper would have had her baby. Everything would be back to normal, or at least their version of normal. Jenna’s death had left a gaping hole in their lives emotionally. Alyssa missed her mom and he . . . he didn’t know how he felt anymore. He’d always love Jenna, but he finally felt ready to move on.

  He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. “That’s right. I did promise to teach you, but things have changed. I’m really sorry, but I don’t see how I’ll have time now until summer. You’ll still learn to drive in your driver’s training class.”

  “But you promised.” Her voice caught.

  He’d really messed up. Somehow he’d have to make this up to her. “I know, and I’m very sorry. Piper is in a bind, and I’m the only person who is able to step in and take over. Her baby’s life is at stake.”

  Alyssa’s eyes widened. “Really?”

  “Unfortunately, yes.” He ladled steaming chili into his bowl. He hated to disappoint his daughter, but what choice did he have? It’s not like he’d planned this.

  They ate the rest of the meal in silence then left the dishes in the sink and headed over to the B&B. He’d hang out there this evening with his laptop and get some work done. With the added responsibility of doing Piper’s job as well as his own, he’d not had time to do everything.

  Alyssa raced from her bedroom carrying a large bag that protruded on the sides.

  “What’s in there?”

  “Supplies. You know how the kids like it when I bring coloring books and stuff.”

  True, but he’d not seen her take so much before. He palmed his keys and headed out to his black pickup. Then it hit him. He grinned and dangled the keys in the air. “You want to drive?”

  “Really?” Her face lit.

  “A promise is a promise.”

  She dropped the bag and gave him a bear hug. “Thank you.”

  He chuckled and hugged her back. “You’re welcome.”

  She let go, picked up the bag and took the keys from him. “This is the best day ever! First I get a boyfriend, and now I get to drive.”

  Whoa! A boyfriend? She hadn’t even mentioned liking someone. A boyfriend and driving all in the same day—ugh. What happened to his little girl? She was suddenly almost grown. If only there was a way to stop time. He stifled a groan and climbed into the passenger seat. Ten minutes later, they pulled up to the B&B. Alyssa put the truck into park.

  She turned to him. “How’d I do?”

  “Not bad.” She was a natural behind the wheel. Good thing too because since learning she had a boyfriend, his brain had been useless.

  “I’ve been watching you drive so it was easy.” She hopped out. “Come on, Dad. We were supposed to be here five minutes ago.”

  “We? I hope you don’t expect me to help babysit.”

  She pressed her lips together. They climbed the stairs of the old Victorian house. Hanging baskets overflowing with spring flowers hung from the covered porch. A light clicked on beside the entrance. He pulled open the screen then pushed the door.

  “Surprise!”

  He jumped back, nearly knocking Alyssa off her feet.

  The small crowd burst into a birthday song. He ambled into the dining room to the left of the entrance where his friends stood and looked around at their smiling faces. His gaze stopped at a new, but familiar face—Hope. She smiled and sang along with the rest of the group. Everyone clapped, and then Jill waved him over to the table.

  “You need to blow out your candles before the cake Zoe made is covered in wax.”

  He hadn’t even noticed the large round confection, covered in chocolate frosting—his favorite.

  “Make a wish,” Alyssa said.

  He’d stopped making wishes a long time ago, but this time a desire he hadn’t had in a long time stirred inside him. He blew out all thirty-six candles. “Thanks, everyone.”

  His sister sliced pieces, and before long, everyone was happily eating the melt-in-your mouth white cake with creamy chocolate frosting. He found Hope slinking up the stairs, presumably to her room. “What’s your hurry?”

  “No hurry.” She squared her shoulders as if daring him to dispute her claim.

  “There you are.” Alyssa slipped her arm around his. “Aunt Jill wants you to open presents.”

  “Presents?”

  “Well, really only one. We all chipped in.”

  He raised a brow toward Hope. “Help?”

  She laughed. “You’re on your own.” He was struck by how her face transformed when she smiled. Her hazel eyes even twinkled—beautiful. He shook off the direction of his thoughts and followed Alyssa back to the dining room where she pulled a large cube-shaped box from the bag she’d brought. How had she fit that thing in there? No wonder it had looked ready to burst.

  She handed it to him. A huge smile lit her face. Whatever it was, he would love it because his daughter took so much joy in presenting it to him.

  He tore the wrap off the box. His stomach dropped. This was not what he expected, and he couldn’t have been more surprised. It was the motorcycle helmet he’d been admiring for quite some time but didn’t buy due to the hefty price tag. He looked at his daughter, then his sister, and finally his friends. “Thank you, but this is too much.”

  “No way, buddy,” Jim, his workout partner from the gym, said. “But don’t expect this kind of treatment every year.”

  Everyone laughed.

  As it turned out, Alyssa didn’t really need to babysit, and the party soon ended.

  Nick, the owner of the B&B shook his hand
on the way out. “Happy birthday, Derrick.”

  “Thanks. And thanks for letting Jill and Alyssa do this here. I never suspected a thing.”

  Nick grinned. “That was the idea. Jill said she’s never been able to surprise you.”

  “True. This was a first. I should get out there before Alyssa takes off without me.”

  “She’s driving already?” Nick shook his head. “It doesn’t seem possible she’s that old.”

  “Kind of makes you feel old too, huh?” He winked and strode to the pickup where Alyssa sat patiently waiting behind the wheel. He climbed in and buckled up.

  “We sure surprised you, didn’t we, Dad?”

  “Yes, you did.”

  She backed up.

  “Stop!”

  She slammed on the brake. “What?”

  “You almost hit that boulder.” He pointed behind them.

  “Oops.” She adjusted the steering wheel and maneuvered out of the driveway. “So who was that cool girl you were talking to on the stairs?”

  Cool? “She’s from work. Piper hired her to do the electrical.”

  “Oh. Sounds like the two of you have a lot in common.” She glanced his way. “Did you notice the tattoos on her arms? I’ve never seen a lady with so many.”

  “Lots of people have tattoos.”

  “Yeah, but I’m pretty sure most women don’t have that much art on their arms.” She gripped the wheel tighter as the lights from an oncoming vehicle shone in their faces.

  His daughter exaggerated. Although Hope did have several tattoos on her arms, they weren’t covered. In fact, from the elbow down, she didn’t have even one.

  Alyssa had lived a sheltered life, but at least she had school on the mainland. There weren’t enough high school students on the island to justify a school of their own, so the teenagers were bussed to a high school off of Wildflower.

  She glanced his way again. “I was thinking—”

  “Eyes on the road.”

  “Sorry.” She focused forward. “We can talk later, but my boyfriend wants to take me out for dinner and a movie. Since there’s no theater on Wildflower we’d have to go to the mainland.”

  Alyssa knew good and well she wasn’t allowed to date until she turned sixteen, but right now was not the time to get into that discussion. “Do you know who invited Hope to my birthday party?”

  “I think all the guests at the B&B were invited. It was nice of her to come.”

  “Yeah.” Piper’s warning to not judge Hope by her appearance resurfaced in his mind. It seemed his boss might have been correct when she intimated there was more to Hope than met the eye. He thought about the birthday wish he’d made. Could Hope be the answer to his wish?

  ***

  Hope stared out her window at the B&B facing the Puget Sound. The ferry lights shone off in the distance. She’d been too busy to enjoy the sights since she’d arrived yesterday, but this weekend she hoped to go exploring.

  She cracked the window slightly, closed the curtain, then climbed into the luxurious bed. Although the room was a little too flowery for her tastes, the bed was as comfortable as any five-star hotel’s. Crickets chirped beyond her window, and the leaves rustling in the breeze soothed her frayed nerves. Today had been a Monday in every sense of the word.

  Derrick and his daughter surprised her. Although she wasn’t sure what she’d expected from them, their easy rapport wasn’t it. Maybe her own strained relationship with her parents as a teen had clouded her expectations.

  Her cell phone chimed. She pulled it from the nightstand and grinned after checking the caller ID. “Hey there, Piper.”

  “How was the party? Was he surprised?”

  She chuckled softly at the memory of Derrick almost knocking his daughter flat. “I’d say so.”

  “Yes! I wish I could have been there. Jill has had this in the works for weeks. I would have given anything to see the look on his face. He is impossible to surprise.”

  “I don’t know about that. He looked pretty shocked by me this morning.”

  “That’s different. I blindsided you both.”

  “At least you admit it.” Hope reached over and clicked on the bedside lamp. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m bored out of my mind already! I’m not used to doing nothing but reading.”

  “I could teach you to knit.”

  “Thanks, but no thanks. Been there done that. I’m supposed to be relaxing, not getting frustrated and raising my blood pressure over dropped stitches.”

  Hope chuckled softly. “Have it your way. I’ll stop by and visit on my way home from work tomorrow. Want me to bring you a few magazines?”

  “That sounds great. All we have here are gardening magazines.”

  “Don’t worry, my friend. I’ll hook you up with some great reading.” Piper wasn’t the first of her friends to have a baby, and she’d learned a few things from the others. Including which books and magazines they all enjoyed. She yawned.

  “I’m keeping you awake. Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. Where’s that husband of yours?” She was glad to have her friend readily available, but it wasn’t like Chase not to be nearby.

  “Sleeping. I’m out on the couch. I’m too restless to sleep.”

  “I’ll be praying for you, but I need some shut-eye.”

  “Thanks. Goodnight.”

  “’Night.” She laid the phone down and clicked off the light. Tomorrow should be interesting. Hopefully Mr. GQ wouldn’t get in her way or slow her down.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Hope plopped onto a bench facing the small lake at the resort and dug into the sack lunch Zoe handed to her on the way out of the B&B this morning. Piper had done a nice job designing the resort. Rustic, yet it had all the conveniences one would expect at a five-star resort.

  A wide, paved path meandered around the lake and looked like it might even venture into the woods on the other side. A couple walked hand in hand toward the boathouse where resort guests could rent paddleboats, canoes, and paddle boards. She’d always wanted to try a paddleboat. It seemed like such a silly and childish thing to do, but the child in her still wanted to.

  Yellow and red tulips bloomed in a nearby planter, and pink cherry blossoms scented the air with their sweet fragrance. Good thing she didn’t have allergies.

  “Afternoon.”

  She glanced to her right. “Hi, Derrick.” She ignored the quickening in her stomach. He looked the same as yesterday except today he wore a gray shirt and red tie with his black suit. She much preferred his t-shirt and jean look he had on last night.

  “Mind if I join you?”

  She scooted over giving him ample room. “Did you enjoy your party?”

  “I did. How are things going?”

  “Moving along as scheduled.” A sudden thought hit her. “Is it okay that I’m out here? I mean, I don’t see anyone else employed by the resort roaming around, eating.”

  “It’s fine. Generally, Piper prefers that the contractors stay out of sight, but I believe she’d make an exception for you.”

  She tilted her head in his direction. “Why’s that?” She didn’t like special treatment, and Piper knew it.

  “You aren’t exactly hard to look at.”

  She sat up straight. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means you’re not a dude with a scruffy face, hard hat and low riding jeans. You are put together, for the most part.”

  She raised a brow. “The most part?” One minute he sounded like he was complimenting her, and the next he was delivering an insult.

  His face matched the color of his tie. He was obviously flustered, but he did this to himself. Didn’t he realize as the acting manager that he needed to choose his words more carefully?

  He tilted his head and sighed. “I’m really messing this up. Please don’t be offended by my bumbling. I’m trying to say having you out in the public spaces of the resort would not bother the guests because you are attractive and not walki
ng around in dirty work clothes.”

  “Oh.” She looked down at her jeans and noted she’d inadvertently worn her nicest pair, along with a black, long sleeved Henley under a nice purple T-shirt she’d picked up at the resort gift shop this morning when she’d purchased the promised magazines for Piper. She’d forgotten to pack her uniform shirt when she came to the island and had to make do with regular clothes. Her cheeks heated. “Thank you. I let my crew do the dirty work.” She shot him a cheeky grin.

  “Mmm-hmm. Me too.” He pried the lid off a dish and spooned a bite of chili into his mouth.

  “Are you eating that cold?” Her stomach roiled at the thought.

  “No. There’s a microwave in the office. If you ever need to use it, you’re welcome to.”

  “More special treatment?”

  He nodded. “You’re the boss’s friend. Enjoy it.”

  Hope almost laughed. Piper was probably doing anything she could to make sure she stayed on the job. Well, she need not worry, because Hope needed this job more than she cared to admit, and was thankful she hadn’t followed through with her threat to quit. That would have been a huge mistake.

  She bit into the ham and cheese sandwich. Rather than question all the nice things Piper was making happen, she would enjoy the special treatment. And make sure Piper had nothing to worry about. Her friend worked hard and needed this time to take care of herself and her unborn child. “Did you ride to work today?”

  He grinned. “On a day like today? Need you ask?”

  She laughed. “How’s the new helmet?”

  “Perfect. How’d you know about that?”

  “Your friends were talking about it before you got to the party. They were pretty excited to give it to you.” It must be nice to have so many trusted people to count on. She allowed few people that privilege. After what happened with her mother, she lost her faith in the goodness of people.

  “Yeah? I felt like they overdid the gift, but knowing it made them so happy helps me feel better. Thanks.”