Love in the Air: Lopez Island Series #2
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Trademark
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Love on the Air
Lopez Island Series #2
By Jamie E. Matthews
Copyright
Love in the Air
Lopez Island Series #2
Copyright © 2018 by Jamie E. Matthews
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without express written permission from the author, Jamie E. Matthews, AuthorJamieM@gmail.com.
The only exception is in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. While references may be made to actual places and events, the names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover design by Designs by Morningstar
Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted in the licensed material is a model.
Trademark
Trademark
Trademark and Copyright Acknowledgments
Jamie E. Matthews acknowledges the trademark status of the following trademarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
Google, Audi Roadster, BMW, Toyota, Cheerios, Frozen
Chapter 1
It was the bran muffin that did it. As Nell Stewart drove into the village, through the mist of spring rain, she debated on what she would have for breakfast if Hannah was out of her usual choice. After all, she’d been out of them the day before, and it threw Nell’s whole day off. Sure, the scone was good and all but—
Nell tightened her hands on the wheel. Really? A goddamn muffin had the power to ruin her day? What had her life become?
She’d walk into Hannah Bobanna’s and find Amy and Ben with that still-newlywed glow, Hannah and Tom joking around with the ease of a long-married couple, her landlords and friends Ryan and Zane playing with toddler Mellie. Probably even her own mom and Brooke, poring over wine choices for their upcoming summer wedding. And what would she have? A stupid bran muffin. If she was lucky.
Fuck this.
She pulled a u-turn—not an easy feat on the narrow roads of Lopez Island—and headed back past the guest house she rented from Ryan and Zane and on towards Davis Bay. Despite the gray skies and drizzle, odds were that she’d find Paul working on renovations for his newest rental cottage. The man was nothing if not predictable. Of course, it didn’t hurt that she’d known him for nearly 25 years.
Time to shake things up. She was about to rock Paul Timble’s world. She hoped. Nell sped up and wished she’d thought to chase her morning coffee with some scotch.
Sure enough, Paul’s truck sat in the driveway of the rental. Despite the chill in the morning air, Paul had already stripped off his shirt while he pried rotting siding from the front of the house. A baseball cap from University of Washington shielded his eyes from the rain, which left an interesting sheen over his arms, muscles defined from years of playing guitar and from his recent foray into renovating cottages. The little paunch he’d started to develop—a “dad bod” without the dad part, Amy had taken to teasing him—was nearly gone.
Nell’s blood didn’t heat up at the sight, but the true and steady affection—and love—she felt for him was the reason she’d daydreamed about this moment over the past year. She squared her shoulders when he looked up from his work and spotted her. Nell Stewart grabbed what she wanted with both hands—and it was time she womaned up and went after the one man who’d stayed in her life year after year. Fireworks, they wouldn’t last. A deep and sweet love, now that lasted a lifetime.
“Here for a workout?” Paul called as she got nearer. He pulled out the earbuds and clicked the music off his phone. “I can oblige.”
Nell eyed him as he pried another board off and tossed it into the pile, muscles rippling. Maybe she wasn’t overcome with lust, but she could still appreciate a sexy, sweaty man when she saw one.
“I bet you could,” she murmured, and smiled when he turned around.
“What?”
“Nothing.” Nell hesitated, not sure where to start, now that she was staring into his sweet, puppy dog brown eyes. On impulse, she stepped closer and ran a finger down his slightly crooked nose. “You’re looking good these days. Did I ever apologize for breaking your nose?”
“That’d be a big, fat ‘no,’” Paul laughed. “It was a hell of a way to introduce yourself.”
“How was I to know you sucked at baseball?” Nell smiled. “I was only 7; you were a manly 12. You got schooled by a little girl.”
Inwardly, she cringed. Way to get the guy hot for you, Nell.
“Aren’t you usually at Hannah’s?”
Nell threw up her hands. “Yes. My God, my life has gotten into a rut.”
“Bran muffin, tall Americano.”
“That’s exactly why I’m here. I’m tired of the same old, same old. I’ve decided it’s time to settle down.”
Paul stared at her for a minute, then threw his head back and laughed. “Right. That’s a good one.”
“For real.” Nell sighed when he cocked his head, just looked at her.
“I’m waiting for the punchline.”
“Don’t hold your breath, then.”
Paul frowned, then put a hand on the small of her back to guide her to the tiny front porch, out of the rain. “Wait. You’re serious?”
“Yes!” She blew out a breath, exasperated.
“It’s just, that’s so…not you.”
Nell tried to hold onto her patience. He had a point. “I’m tired of one night stands. I’m tired of flings.” She shrugged, her skin crawling a bit at having to divulge her feelings, even to her oldest friend. “Everything’s changing. Mom’s getting married…Amy’s married. Ryan and Zane have a kid. Life moves on. It’s time I grew up.”
“Do you think you need to grow up, or do you actually want it?”
“I watched Amy and Ben fall in love,” Nell said, referring to her friend’s fling-turned-true-love story last year. “I even warned her it would happen, and I knew she’d get her heart broken. I didn’t know Ben would come to his senses after they broke up and beg her to marry him.” She sighed a little. “You know I’m not into all that romantic…”
“Crap?” Paul suggested helpfully, and Nell resisted the urge to punch his arm.
“Stuff. And then my mom and Brooke…they’ve been together forever, but it’s so sweet to see them giddy planning the wedding.” She took a chance and eased a bit closer to him on the small porch, laid a hand on his arm. “I want that for myself. That sweetness. A partner. Maybe even kids.”
Paul shook his head. “I never thought I’d see the day. Little Nellie, all sappy and shit.”
This was not going how she planned, Nell thought. Little Nellie, my ass.
“You want those things,” she persisted.
“Sure. Always have.” He looked through the open door of the empty cottage, his face a bit wistful. The back door hung open and the bay gleamed under the gray sky. “Never thought Sean would beat me to it, with three kids already. I’m the oldest; I was supposed to be first.”
Nell rubbed his arm comfortingly. “It’s not a race,” she laughed, then moved her hand up to stroke his cheek.
“I know. I just…here I am heading on the downward slide to 40, and I don’t even have a girlfriend.” He sighed, patted her hand, kissed it absently before letting her go.
“So, we’re both single…and we’re both looking for the same thing.” Nell sidled still closer.
“For once, it looks that way. I’m sorry I made fun of you, sweetie. You’ll make some lucky guy really happy.” He smiled at her, flicked a finger down her nose. “Just make sure you don’t settle for some asshole, because then I’ll have to beat him up.”
“I have a guy in mind,” Nell admitted. They were almost the same height, so she was able to look right into his eyes.
“Really? Who-”
He stopped as Nell closed the distance between them, and wrapping her arms around his neck, pressed her lips to his. Paul’s mouth was soft, warm and just as sweet as she’d imagined. But when she arched toward him and rubbed her body seductively against him, he tensed, stilled, and gently put his hands on her shoulders, breaking contact. Shock filled his eyes.
“What…um.” He cleared his throat and disentangled her arms from around his neck. “Nell.”
“Paul.” Her heart pounded so hard in her chest that it hurt. “You’ve never thought about it? Never? You’re one of my closest friends. You know me like no one else does. We never fight; we make each other laugh.”
His brows drew together in an expression she could only describe as bewilderment. “Nell…I’m sorry. God. I just…never thought of you that way.”
“Well, think about it.” Nell launched herself at him again. Dammit, she’d made men beg, lose their breath, wrapped them around her little finger until they lost all sense and reason. She poured all her passion into the kiss, but he didn’t respond, and when he eased her back this time, to her horror, tears began to burn in her eyes.
“I love you, Paul.” She looked at him, tears swimming, her throat dry, head pounding. Her hands began to shake.
“Nell.” Paul laid his hands on her shoulders, then simply rested his forehead against hers. “Oh, sweetie, don’t do that. Jesus, don’t cry.” He pulled back, wiped her tears. “How long? How long have you felt this way?”
“A while.” Nell forced back the tears, stood up a bit straighter. “Just think about it. We’d be good together. I know we would.”
She searched his face, but all she saw was discomfort, and even worse, kindness. He looked down for a minute, then blew out a breath, met her eyes.
“I don’t have to think about it. You’re like family to me. You mean the world to me…but I just don’t feel the same way.”
In her head, she’d run this scene so many times, and she’d imagined that if he turned her down, that he’d just need some time to get used to the idea. She’d imagined seducing him, slowly, over the course of a week, maybe two, before he realized how perfect they were for each other. But now, standing on the tiny porch in the rain, while he watched her with concern and distress in those familiar brown eyes, it hurt worse than she’d imagined.
Before she could decide what to say or do, Adrian Perez’s pick up came barreling down the street, screeching to a halt in front of the house. Adrian ran out, leaving the truck running and the door open. His normally glossy black hair fell in disarray across his face and his shirt was on inside out.
“Nell, thank god. I was just on my way to the airport when I spotted you. My mom…” he stopped for a minute, but Nell was already on her way off the porch, closely followed by Paul. “There was a car accident. She’s in the hospital.”
“Where?” Nell ran to her car, grabbed her purse, and her go-kit from the trunk, which had enough clothes and toiletries for a few night’s stay.
“Seattle. Can you fly me?”
“We’ll take your car to the airport.” Nell was already sliding in the passenger seat, pulling out her cell to notify Pete, her back up pilot who lived close to the airport. She tossed her car keys through the window to Paul. “Drop my car off at my place. Hey, Pete. Emergency flight to Seattle. Can you get to the airport, start notifying the control tower, do the ground check? I’m on my way. Thanks.”
Paul jogged over, leaned in the window. “I’m so sorry, man. Call me when you get there, and let me know if you need anything.”
Nell met Paul’s eyes briefly, then looked away, buckled her seat belt. Adrian slammed the car into gear and peeled out, his knuckles white on the steering wheel.
“Thanks, Nell—” he began.
“Of course,” she interrupted him. “Concentrate on driving. Don’t you worry. I’ll get you to your mom.”
They sped off across the island. Nell looked into the side view mirror and saw Paul still standing there, watching them go.
She pulled out her cell again to rearrange her clients’ flights for the day, and didn’t look back again.
Chapter 2
Adrian Perez threw a handful of bills at the cab driver and raced into the entryway of the emergency room.
“Agata Perez,” he said to the woman at the front desk, his heart pounding, hands sweaty. “She was brought in an hour ago…”
“Adrian!”
He turned and sighed with relief at the sight of his sister-in-law, Olivia, walking briskly down the hall, cop shoes squeaking on the floor, her uniform crisp. She threw her arms around him, and he held on briefly before pulling away, tugging her down the hall.
“She’s going to be just fine,” she said even as he opened his mouth to ask, rubbing his arm in reassurance. “I’m sorry we gave you such a scare. Alex got the call from the officer on scene—there wasn’t a lot of info. We just finished talking with the doctor.”
Olivia ran a hand through her chin length brown curls and kept her hand on his arm, leading him to the elevator. “She’s been moved to a room upstairs so they can treat her. She got sideswiped, passenger side. The airbag deployed; she’s got some nasty bruises to her ribs, bad case of whiplash. Her car slammed into a lamp post, caving in the driver’s side door. Her arm is broken from the force of the impact, her hip severely bruised but the bones are intact. She was unconscious when EMS arrived, they think from pain and shock, but there’s no internal bleeding, no signs of anything more serious.”
Adrian let out a shaky sigh, met Olivia’s steady green eyes. “You’re sure? Nothing more you’re not telling me?”
Olivia smiled a little. “Honey, I’m a cop. I tell it like it is.”
She led him down the hall, nodding at the nurses’ desk as they walked by. “Now, she’s in quite a bit of pain, and her face is banged up from hitting the window. So I’m just warning you that she looks terrible. Alex nearly lost his mind when he saw her—we got here right as she was being wheeled in, covered in blood….” She shook her head, and Adrian caught the corners of her mouth trembling a bit.
Adrian reached over and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. She laid her head on his shoulder as they walked down the hall. “Mi hermana…big tough cop, being strong for your husband. Thanks for being here. I’m sorry I wasn’t.”
“Adrian.” Olivia shook her head. “No apologies. I’m amazed with how quickly you got here.”
She stopped about halfway down the hall. Adrian heard his brother’s voice through the slightly cracked door. Looking him up and down, his sister-in-law cracked a smile. “Your shirt’s inside out, your socks don’t match and my God, you didn’t even fix your hair.”
He looked down and sure enough, one sock was brown with tan stripes and the other black.While normally he’d indulge Olivia’s teasing about his superior sense
of style and zing her back about her lack of fashion sense, he was eager to see his mom.
“He didn’t fix his hair? Por dios, the world is surely ending!” Alex stuck his head out in the hallway, his smile slightly strained around the edges. Adrian felt a bit of the burden lift from his shoulders as he looked at his brother, which was like looking into a mirror slightly off kilter. Identical twins, the brothers even sported the same muscular physique, the differences being Adrian’s tattoo and their hair—Alex’s short in the back, longer over his forehead, Adrian’s longer strands usually pulled back at the nape of his neck with a leather thong.
Adrian grabbed his brother in a hug, and Alex held on tightly, murmuring, “She’s okay, Adri.” He slung an arm around Adrian’s shoulders and led him into the room.
“Mama, here he is, sailing in after all the drama, of course.” Alex winked at Adrian.
Adrian took in the sight of his mother, so fierce and fiery, lying still in the hospital bed, her beautiful face with the strong cheekbones pale and bruised. Despite standing a proud 5’8” she seemed to have shrunk under the blanket. Her deep brown eyes, a shade lighter than her sons’, met Adrian’s, and she held out the arm that wasn’t encased in a cast.
“Mi hijo, it’s okay. You didn’t have to fly over. You should be working!” she scolded him. But, when he sat down on the chair that was pulled up next to her bed and grabbed her hand, then leaned in and simply rested his forehead against hers, she closed her eyes and wrapped her good arm around him tightly.
“Scared me, mama,” he admitted, his throat tight.
“Scared me, too,” she said, holding on for another long moment, then pushing him away, laying her hand on his cheek. “I’m glad you’re here, even though you should be working on your exhibit.”
“Needed an excuse to get away,” he said lightly, scanning her face. He saw pain, fatigue, but he still saw the fire in her eyes that was her spirit, so he let out a breath of relief.