Matt shuffled over on the seat and patted the space beside him, and Mia sat down. He slung a casual arm over her shoulders. “So, I’m not the only one getting your expertise, from the sound of it? Looks like my family is going to have you working for the rest of your holiday.”
A hint of color touched her cheeks. “Sorry. I can’t help myself. It’s been ages since I got to decorate or refurbish old things. Most of my time is spent buying or shipping goods from warehouse to store. If I’m not doing that, I’m chasing paperwork.” She screwed up her nose as if that thought upset her. “I miss the designing side of the business. That’s what started the whole empire. I’d lost sight of that.”
Matt pulled her into his side with a gentle squeeze. When she’d arrived on the island, he’d done his best to get her to relax, and now he could see how happy she was letting her creative side loose. First his attic and the nursery, now Hilary and Arlo’s place. It made her happy and if Mia was happy, so was he. This kind of hands-on work obviously agreed with her better than the type of work she did in the city, which tended to be more numbers orientated. Here, she was blossoming, and it was wonderful to see.
“Do whatever you want, Mia. It’s your life. You have to live it the best way you know how and be damned what everyone else wants.” He tipped up the bottle and drained it. “Can I get you a drink?”
“So long as I can sit out here with you guys, sure. Why not?”
Chapter 10
“You remember the way to Arlo and Hilary’s place? I can take you if you want.” Matt handed Mia a container with fresh muffins to share with his brother and girlfriend.
Mia took it and shook her head. “You’ve done more than enough for me, Matt. I can do this on my own. Besides you have your own business to run. Didn’t you say you have another guest coming in today?”
“Yeah but not until the lunchtime ferry.” He was torn between going with her and focusing on his business.
“I’ll be fine. If I get stuck, I’ll call you.” She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks for being so good to me. You’ve gone way above what I’d expect from a bed and breakfast establishment.”
His skin tingled and he couldn’t keep the stupid grin off his face. “You’re welcome. Now drive careful and take care. I’ll see you later today.” He followed her out the back door. “And if you need me, text me.”
Mia waved and headed to her car. Matt had already helped her load a box of family castoffs earlier because her theory was that everything old was new again and therefore shouldn’t be discarded. It’d been such a hit with April that Mia wanted to use more recycled Hope family items in Hilary and Arlo’s place. He doubted Arlo would disagree. His older brother was so laidback, he’d let the women do whatever they wanted with his house so long as he didn’t have to give them any input and it didn’t encroach on his oyster beds.
Matt stood at the back door watching as she drove away, a feeling of guilt creeping over him. What his father had told him about Mia’s company was starting to dig at him. He wished he didn’t know, but he couldn’t ignore it now. His biggest problem was whether or not to tell her, but that would mean breaking his father’s confidence and Matt didn’t want to do that. Nor did he want to keep a secret from Mia. He was enjoying her company and didn’t want to do anything to make it end.
Being on his own had never worried him before. With the influx of visitors changing on a daily basis, he’d always felt satisfied with his business. But this last week and a bit had been different. Matt knew it was Mia who’d changed things.
But would he be able to take it any further? That was the question rattling around in his brain. He’d never before wanted a single person like he wanted her. He always needed to be in a crowd, to have as many people as possible to want him so he felt useful. Wanted.
Of course he had issues. Losing his mom at an early age had been hard for him. His family didn’t call him Martha Stewart for nothing and secretly he was proud of the tag. If he was going to explore a proper relationship—god, that was a scary thought—he first had to change the way he thought. He had to meet his perfect woman as an equal partner, not a mothering bed and breakfast owner trying to soothe his own fears.
He grabbed the outside broom from beside the door and started to sweep the crushed white shells from the path of pavers that led from the back door to the garden and parking lot. It was just as well Mia was happy to go on her own to the fish farm because he needed to get into the vegetable garden before it got away from him. So easy to let that happen this time of year when everything was full of new growth with the hint of summer upon them.
The beans were flowering madly, their purple blooms swaying in the wind as they tried to attach to the pergola he grew them against. Tiny cherry tomatoes shone with red sweetness against the bright green basil helping keep the bugs at bay.
It was time to plant salad greens, which he usually brought from the farmers market. He also needed to make pesto out of the basil that was almost as tall as he was before it started to go to seed and turn bitter. So many things needed doing. He thought about his list
