“I know. I recognized you.” He gave her an even bigger smile, slightly lopsided which made her heart flutter in a way she hadn’t experienced before, and stepped forward, his hand taking hers. “I’m Matt Hope, the owner of this fine establishment. Welcome to Hope Island.”
She shook his hand, slightly shaken by the way his warm palm engulfed hers, and she looked out over the ocean trying to regain her composure. “It’s rather breathtaking, isn’t it?”
He stood beside her, hands tucked into the pockets of his faded blue jeans. “We think so.” He gave a satisfied sigh and grinned down at her. “But I was born and raised here, so I can’t think of any better place to live.”
How could he look so pleased with his lot in life stuck out here in the ocean, so far away from the real world? Not being able to see the mainland gave her the jitters. The ferry tooted its horn as it pulled away from the wharf and Mia felt the connection with the mainland snap—an almost painful experience.
“Don’t you get sick of the quiet?” All she could hear were the bees in the abundant gardens, the faint laugh of a child somewhere in the distance, and the soft crash of waves on the beach interspersed with the occasional cry of the seagulls.
He burst out laughing. “Are you kidding? Every time I go to the mainland, all I want to do is high tail it back here.” Matt smiled, deepening the dimples in his cheeks. “The pace over there is too fast for me. Give me island life any day.”
She could imagine herself slowly withering away and dying in a place this desolate. “We’re totally opposite then. I can’t imagine living somewhere like this for more than a few days.”
“Give the island a chance. It might surprise you.”
I’m sure it will, but I doubt it’ll be in a good way. She opened the trunk of her car and Matt hurried forward to take her suitcase. Mia grabbed her laptop case and followed him up the path.
* * *
“You’re going to love it once you get used to the island way of life. Seriously, it’s wonderful once you give yourself permission to enjoy it.”
She stared at him with doubt in her eyes. Now he had to prove he was right. “Come on in and I’ll make you some coffee and then I can show you to your room.” He held the kitchen door open for her and put the suitcase down on the polished wooden floors just inside the door. He pointed to the old glass and timber door to his right. “Mudroom and laundry through there. You can leave anything dirty or wet in there for me to take care of. Plus you’ll find sun hats, umbrellas, and coats for guests use in there too.” He moved over to his big kitchen island and waved a hand around the room.
“You’re welcome to help yourself to anything in here; make yourself at home.” Matt was immensely proud of the kitchen. It was the hub of his business as far as he was concerned and the room that he’d spent the most money on restoring and updating before he opened the doors to business. “Coffee?”
“Sure, why not.” She wandered around, touching items, picking up the odd one. “I recognize some of these things.” Mia held a little iron pig, one of Matt’s favorites.
“So you should. I’ve bought lots of things from your business.” And hopefully he’d buy a lot more in the future if her holiday worked out the way it was supposed to.
A shadow crossed over her face. “What’s your connection to my uncle?”
“My father, Atticus Hope, who you’ll meet at some point, came down and told me you were coming to stay for a month. He’s friends with your uncle. Apparently they’ve known each other through business for years and are quite friendly. Dad suggested my place because it’s a bit quiet this time of year and I have room available. That’s about all I know or need to know.”
She nodded and put the ornament down, moved to another shelf, and rearranged a couple of items.
“Cream and sugar?” Matt put her cup on the solid wooden island.
“No, thanks. Black is perfect.”
“Great. Can I get you anything else? A muffin maybe. I have blueberry ones I made fresh this morning.”
She smiled and tilted her head. “You really are the man behind the business, aren’t you? When you walked out, I was surprised. I was expecting someone older.”
He grinned and Mia blushed. “You mean a tweed-wearing lady with a houseful of cats? Sorry if I didn’t meet your expectations.” He made himself a coffee, pulled down a cake tin, and perched on one of the stools. While watching her explore his kitchen, he opened the tin and put out a couple of muffins on a small stone slab plate before pushing it over to her cup.
“Sorry. That’s sexist and judgmental. I didn’t mean it to be. I was surprised, more than anything, to see a young person greeting me.”
He shrugged. Lots of people were surprised he was the owner of the business. Even more surprised when he showed off his expertise in the kitchen. “That’s okay. I’m used to it. Doesn’t bother me.”
She came to the shelf of shells he’d collected over the years and touched them as if to rearrange them but changed her mind. Mia smiled and walked over to sit beside him.
She sipped her coffee. “That’s good coffee. Thanks, I needed this caffeine hit.”
Ah, thank goodness. His coffee had lived up to her expectations – a key to a relaxing trip, especially when you were a CEO, he imagined. “What’s it like, being the brains of Morgan’s Homewares?”
Mia screwed up her mouth, the freckles on her nose meeting until she relaxed. “Exciting. Busy. Sometimes downright scary. But it’s been an amazing adventure.”
Matt could only imagine. “What made you get into it? There must
