Pieces Of Us Read online

“Yep. We’re going to the beach after that. I figure you need another surf lesson.”

  “Getting touched all over by a hot instructor? Count me in.” She bit into the sandwich, a pickle escaping from the end and falling onto her plate. A sensation of flavors exploded on her tongue. Spicy pastrami mixed with sweet, juicy tomatoes and creamy mayonnaise, making her sigh out loud as she swallowed it down. “God, that’s good.”

  “Thanks.” He picked up the stray pickle and lifted it to her mouth, feeding it to her. “I’m hoping you’ll make a lot of mistakes. I kind of like touching you myself.”

  “People will talk,” she said, finishing off the first half of her sandwich. Her stomach growled with appreciation.

  “Does that worry you?” he asked, his eyes soft as they caught hers.

  She ran a tongue along her lip, considering his question. “I guess it doesn’t, or I wouldn’t have danced with you tonight. Or kissed you.” She bit down a smile. “All your friends are so kind and non-judgmental. They genuinely care about your happiness, and I guess they care about mine, too.”

  “They do. And they like you a lot. They think we’re crazy for making this a casual thing.”

  “Oh.” She blinked. “And what do you think?”

  He wiped his hands on a napkin and reached out to cup her cheek. “I think you’re the best thing that’s happened to me in a long while. And I’ll take whatever you want to give.”

  Her chest tightened. “What if I want more?” she asked, her voice low, remembering her thoughts as she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror.

  “Then I’ll grab it with greedy hands. I know it’s still early between us, and you’ve been through a lot.” He leaned forward to brush his lips against hers. “But I’d like to take you out for dinner without worrying about people talking. I’d like to kiss you in your office when I’ve come back from a long day on the water. I want people to look at you and know that you’re taken. By me. And I know that makes me sound like a caveman, so I’m gonna shut up.” He shook his head, grinning.

  His words made her skin tingle like crazy. “You want me to tattoo your name on my ass?”

  He laughed. “I don’t want anybody looking at your ass except me.”

  She traced her finger around the rim of her glass. “And when I go back to New York? What happens then?”

  “We’ll worry about that later.”

  He made it sound so easy. And maybe it was. Maybe she was anticipating problems where there weren’t any to be seen. Yeah, people – well, Carla – might talk, but within a few days they’d be old news.

  Could she push down her worries? Just let the tide take her where it wanted, and then swim home afterward?

  Maybe she could. At the very least, she wanted to try.

  “Okay. Let’s go surfing tomorrow.” She smiled. “Well, today.”

  “And if I want to kiss you because you look all cute spluttering up water?”

  She grinned and shook her head. “Then have at it. Saltwater and all.”

  He winked. “That sounds good to me. Now let’s get back to bed and get some sleep. We’re gonna need all the rest we can get.”

  * * *

  “I really need to sleep at my place tonight,” Autumn told him as they carried their surf boards back up the beach. “I have laundry to do and I want to take a long, hot shower to get the sand out of my hair.” She wrinkled her nose at the tightness of her skin. That’s what spending more time submerged in the ocean than surfing on top of it gave you. Her hair felt like straw on a hot summer’s day, all stiff and sticking everywhere.

  “You could always do laundry at my place.” Griff took the board from her and rinsed it beneath the beach shower, then placed his own head under, sending spray all over his tanned skin. Droplets clung to his hair like they were planning to make a home there, making him sparkle in the sunlight.

  “Yeah, and I also need sleep.” She stretched her arms over her head to work out the kinks in her muscles. “I don’t get a whole lot of that at your place.”

  “Blame my hormones.” He grinned at her. “Parts of me wake up at six a.m. sharp every day.”

  “And those parts seem to really like waking up my parts,” she said, smiling back at him. His good mood was infectious. He’d kept her laughing all day.

  “Okay. Stay home if you insist. But if you hear someone knocking on your window just before dawn you’ll know it’s me getting lonely.” He ran his hand through his hair, slicking it back from his face.

  “You don’t strike me as the type of guy who gets lonely.”

  “I didn’t think I was the sort of guy who could get used to waking up next to the same woman every day. But it turns out I am.”

  She put her palm on his warm, damp chest, splaying out her fingers. “And I’m glad you are,” she said, her voice low. His heart beat strong against her hand, making her breath catch in her throat. When she looked up, he was staring down at her with those dark, needy eyes. It sent a thrill straight through her.

  “You know what we said about public displays of affection?” he asked her.

  “They’re okay, right?” She brushed her thumb against his tight nipple, making him gasp.

  “I think I feel one coming on now.” He leaned down to brush his lips against hers, his hand cupping the back of her head. She flicked his nipple again and he groaned. “You need to stop doing that,” he murmured against her mouth. “Or I’ll take you home and tie you to my bed so you can’t leave.”

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” She kissed him back, rolling onto the balls of her feet and looping her arms around his neck.

  “It was a threat, not a promise.”

  “Tomayto-tomahto.” She smiled against his lips.

  A sharp trill came from a phone. She pulled away from him with a sigh. “Saved by the bell.”

  “You or me?”

  “I’m not sure yet.” She reached down to pull her phone from her purse, her brows pinching together when she saw it was her father calling. “It’s my dad. I need to take this.”

  “Sure. I’ll put the boards in the truck.”

  She flashed him a grateful look then swiped her finger across the screen, steeling herself for the conversation ahead. “Dad, hi.”

  “Autumn.” His voice was clipped. “How is California?”

  “Hot.” She looked over at Griff who was lifting the boards into the flatbed. He hadn’t put a shirt on yet, and she could see every muscle in his back rippling. “And busy. I haven’t had a moment to myself.”

  “When are you putting the pier back on the market?”

  He didn’t waste any time, did he? Autumn sighed, tracing circles in the sand with her pointed toes.

  “I’m not putting it on the market. I’m going to do some upgrades and make it profitable first.”

  “I looked at the financials. It’s going to take a long time to make that monstrosity profitable,” her dad said gruffly. “You’d make more money by selling it at a loss and reinvesting.”

  She frowned. “How did you see the financials?”

  “I know people, Autumn.”

  She felt like a child again, being chided for telling untruths. “Well I don’t want to sell it. I have plans.”

  “So Lydia tells me. Something about a charity day and weddings.” Her dad sighed. “Aren’t you bored of being in California? Don’t you want to come home where you belong?”

  No, she really didn’t. The thought of it made her stomach twist. “I’ll come home when I’m ready.” She sat on the wall that separated the beach from the boardwalk, and looked out at the ocean. It was a perfect blue, dotted with heads bobbing up and down, and the white of surfboards as they caught the waves. The beach itself was just as busy, full of families and teenagers. At the water’s edge, somebody had set up a volleyball net, and there was a ferocious game taking place, the ball whizzing over the net at a fast speed.

  “Lydia mentioned something about a man you’d made friends with.” Her father cleared
her throat. “Who is he?”

  Thanks, sis. Autumn sighed. She knew it wasn’t Lydia’s fault. Her sister couldn’t keep a secret to save her life. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she lied. There was no way she was going to tell her father about Griff. He’d be calling a private investigator in a heartbeat, and running a full background check before the sun went down.

  “You don’t?”

  “No. There is no guy here. I’m just working hard on the pier, that’s all.” She glanced over at the truck. There was no sign of Griff. “Speaking of guys, why have you been talking to Josh?”

  “I haven’t.”

  “Yes you have. Lydia said she saw him in your office.”

  Her dad chuckled. “Well we both know Lydia has her head in the clouds.”

  That was it! The laugh. The one that he always did when he lied. Ugh, it was aggravating.

  “Well that’s good, because I see no reason for you to be talking to my ex-husband.”

  “I have a call on my other line,” her dad said abruptly. “I’ll speak to you next week. Maybe you could send through the details of the charity day to Annabelle for me. I’d like to make a donation.”

  “That’s very kind of you.”

  “Oh and Autumn?”

  “Yes?”

  “Think about what I said. You need to come home to where you belong.”

  “Bye, Daddy.” She ended the call and shoved her phone back in her bag, grabbing her t-shirt and shorts to pull on over her swimsuit. When she turned around, Griff was standing right next to her, twirling his truck keys around his finger.

  “You shocked me.” She put her hand to her chest.

  “Sorry.” He grinned sheepishly. “You want to grab some ice cream before I take you home? I’ll need the sugar to get through the night without you.”

  “Ice cream sounds great.” She slid her arm through his. “And I’m pretty sure you’ll be fine tonight.”

  18

  “These are amazing,” Autumn looked up at Frank Megassey from the black and white photographs spread out on her desk. He’d brought a whole album of them over for their meeting. They showed the history of the pier in photographic detail, stretching from the day it opened in 1899, all the way to present day.

  She was fascinated by the sepia images of women wearing long dresses, holding classy umbrellas over their heads as they strolled on the wooden structure. Men wearing bow ties and straw boaters played at stands to try to win prizes for their sweethearts. And at the end there was a fleet of fishing boats, their daily catch captured on shiny paper, buckets filled with fish for the local community to eat.

  There was no Delmonico’s in the first photographs. No whale-watching boat, either. But the pier was full of life, nevertheless. A central part of the Angel Sands’ society.

  “I have a lot of old photographs of the town,” Frank told her. “My wife tells me I should build a museum to show them all off.”

  “You should.” She smiled at him. “People are fascinated by things like this.” She ran the pad of her thumb along her bottom lip. “Do you think I could borrow some for the charity day?”

  Frank blinked. “Sure. What will you use them for?”

  “I don’t know yet. Maybe I’ll blow them up and frame them. Or have some actors in clothes like these,” she said, pointing to the Victorian ladies smiling into the camera. “I just like them.”

  “Then they’re yours. They belong with the pier, anyway. And I could talk to the Angel Sands Amateur Dramatic Society about volunteering their time.” He gave her a big smile. “I’m the president. I’m sure they’ll help us out.”

  She had a feeling he had a finger in a whole lot of pies.

  “I’ll give them back afterward,” Autumn told him. “It’s a loan, not a gift.”

  He shook his head. “Not at all. I want you to have them. It’s nice to see how much you appreciate them.”

  “I’ve always been fascinated by old photographs,” she admitted. “They tell such amazing stories. I like to imagine what the people in them were thinking, what they were planning to do after the photograph was taken.” She laughed and shook her head. “You probably think I’m crazy.”

  “No. I know exactly what you mean. That’s why I like them, too.” He smiled at her as he stood from the rickety guest chair in her office. “Well, I shall leave you to it. No doubt you have a lot of work to do.”

  “Thank you for stopping by.” She walked him to the door.

  “It was good to talk through the plans for the day. Let me know if you need anything else.” He lifted a hand to say goodbye, then walked out of the door and down the pier. Autumn closed the door behind him and walked back to her desk, looking at the photographs once more.

  The door behind her clicked, and she looked up to see Carla walk into the office, her long, dark hair swept up into a bun, her pretty face enhanced with a sweep of blush and a slick of red lipstick.

  “I thought you were Frank for a minute,” Autumn said, trying to ignore the tugging at her gut.

  “I knocked, but you didn’t answer.”

  Autumn turned and leaned her back against the desk. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes.” She nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. “I just wanted to tell you that my dad will be donating a percentage of earning to the animal shelter on the charity day. He wants to do his part.”

  “That’s very kind of him.” Her chest loosened. “I really appreciate that.”

  “He loves animals.” Carla shrugged. “And the restaurant is completely booked up for the day. We should make a good profit.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.” Autumn gave her a genuine smile. “I hoped it would. I think together we can make this place work well.”

  “Okay. Well I should get back to the restaurant.” Carla pressed her lips together, lingering at the door.

  “Sure, thanks for coming over. I really appreciate it.”

  Carla tapped her fingers on the door handle, then turned back to Autumn. “Is it true what I hear about you and Griff?”

  Autumn’s stomach dropped. “It depends on what you’ve been hearing.”

  “Are you dating?” Carla’s brow furrowed as she asked. For a moment, Autumn felt bad for her.

  “We are,” she said softly. “But it’s a fairly new thing.”

  “You remember what I said about him, right?”

  “I do.” Autumn nodded. “But you don’t have to worry about me. I’m a big girl.”

  “That’s what I thought.” Carla smiled sadly. “But I still ended up with a broken heart.”

  God, this was awkward. And a good reminder of why it was so stupid to date where you worked, even if it was way too late for her and Griff. He pulled her in every time she looked at him. Made her heart skip like a kid whenever he was close.

  No wonder Carla was upset. If Autumn were in her position, she would be, too.

  “I’m sorry,” Autumn said softly.

  “It’s okay. And I should go. Dad will be wondering where I am.” Carla’s smile was tight. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

  “Sure.”

  Autumn watched as Carla walked out of her office, then stared at the closed wooden door, her eyes tracing the knots and lines in the grain.

  Her relationship – or whatever it was – with Griff was starting to feel like a bubble. One she had to carefully guard from the people wanting to burst it.

  Her father. Carla. Maybe even Josh. Everyone seemed to want to break her fragile happiness.

  She was determined not to let them.

  * * *

  Mike was finishing sweeping the deck when Griff’s phone rang. He pulled his cell from his jeans pocket and blinked when he saw the caller.

  “Dad?” he said, lifting the phone to his ear. “Is everything okay?”

  For a minute, just one small minute, he thought his dad might be calling to wish him a belated happy birthday.

  “Yeah, I’m good,” his dad said gruffly. “We’re
having some work done on the bathroom, and your mom’s sent me to the hardware store. Just trying to work out what kind of damn cabinet she won’t hate.”

  Griff swallowed down a laugh. He could only imagine her response if his dad got the wrong one.

  “Anyway,” his dad continued. “I only have a couple of minutes, but I wanted to ask a favor.”

  “What kind of favor?”

  “It’s Sam. His boat’s a mess and he needs to take it over to the marina. I’m hoping you can help him.”

  Sam was one of his dad’s old friends. The same one they visited in Silver Sands not long ago.

  “Ah, yeah, sure. When does he want to go?”

  “Tonight. It’ll only take a couple of hours. You can do it, can’t you?”

  Griff glanced at his watch. The marina was about three hours up the coast, add into that the time it’ll take them to drive back again and that was his evening gone.

  “Yeah, sure, I can help. I’ll give him a call.”

  “That’s great. I gotta go. Your mom sends her love.”

  Griff opened his mouth to say goodbye, but his dad had already hung up. It was the first time they’d spoken in months and he hadn’t even bothered to say it.

  After all this time, Griff was used to that.

  * * *

  “What’s with the long face?” Ally asked as Autumn leaned on the Déjà Brew counter and watched her expertly work the coffee machine.

  “Ah nothing. Just feeling overworked.”

  Ally passed her the steaming mug, and Autumn took it gratefully.

  “I know how that feels. I’ve been working since five. Two of our staff are off with that bug going around. And Nate’s in Seattle for some meetings, which means I’m pretty much working for four.” She tipped her head to the side. “I know! We should have a girl’s night to decompress. Maybe we can head to the mall first for a little bit of retail therapy, then go to the Mexican restaurant nearby.” She grinned. “I’ll call Ember and the girls. What do you say?”

  Autumn grinned. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been on a girls’ night out. “That sounds good. I need some new shoes.”