I practically pictured a woman in full dress descending the steps, her skirts swaying around her feet. I had a basic understanding of history and realized that New England period dresses wouldn’t resemble the same fashions they wore in the South of our country, but it didn’t stop me from picturing a fullGone with the Windexperience as I stood in front of the tall blue building. It felt as if time stopped at those doors.
“Are you ready?” Pierce asked, grabbing my hand and squeezing it in a comfortable gesture.
It was time for me to leave the mansion and the comforts of Oliver and begin my official duties as Pierce’s fiancée. This would be the last meeting he’d have at the bed-and-breakfast before he signed the final paperwork to buy the building. His bid ended up being more than double anyone else in the town and he assured me he offered more than a fair price for the building.
“What exactly can I do to help?” He’d given me a general idea of what we were here for but nothing specific. He’d only returned from New York last night, and we hadn’t had much time to spend with one another in the short time I’d been in Pelican Bay.
I spent more time with his cousin than with my future husband, and unfortunately the more time passed, the more I grew okay with the situation. Pierce had a handsome look to him, but he was just a pretty thing to look at when you wanted the view. The man spent all day working and wrapped up in life in his small town. Oliver lit up the room with his smile. I often grinned like a lunatic when he came into a space. I looked for him whenever he wasn’t with me.
Pierce’s foot rested on the first step, and he turned back to look at me with a cocky grin. “How hard would you hit me if I said your job is to smile and look attractive?” he asked with a certain glint in his eye. I realized it’d been a joke, but it didn’t stop me from bristling.
I ran a large family company in San Francisco and just because my life situation looked slightly different now didn’t mean I lost my business sense. It hurt to think Pierce could be one of those men who didn’t value a woman’s input.
“Hard,” I replied with no nonsense in my answer. Pierce knew my experience. I hoped he hadn’t forgotten all that because today I wore one of his higher-priced outfits and a pair of heels? “I ran negotiations for my family’s union shop for three years before I left for Guatemala.”
Pierce laughed and tugged on my hands. “I was kidding, Mari. I’m sorry. It was a terrible joke on my part.”
My lips still formed a straight line as I scowled in his direction. “Apology accepted.” I may have at one point been a badass businesswoman, but I also had training to be a proper lady. What would my mother say if she heard I didn’t accept a sincere apology?
“This is actually just a walk-through, so honestly if you were a little…” he paused biting his lips together as he stared at me, looking worried as he searched for the right word, “discerning and mentioned a few faults you see, it would be helpful. But try and point them out nicely.”
I followed him up a few steps until we hit the top of the porch. “You want me to point out to the building’s problems… Nicely?”
He nodded. “If possible.”
“No problem. Tact is my middle name,” I lied. I’d always been voted the most likely to tell it like it was in high school. People actually considered the personality trait a negative thing. Who wouldn’t want a friend who would tell you the truth? I considered it an excellent quality, but most of the world disagreed.
Just because most women and men could not handle a strong personality didn’t mean I was wrong or needed to change. My parents raised me to be an opinionated woman. It was possibly one area they hadn’t gone wrong in my upbringing, at least in my opinion.
Pierce put his hand out to open the front door of the bed-and-breakfast, but it swung wide open before he had the chance. On the other side stood a tall blonde with flowing hair which reached her shoulders and sat perfectly straight. Her shoes put her at directly Pierce’s height and she smiled at me with straight perfectly white teeth. I hesitated and almost took a step back because I recognized that smile. I used one like it before a meeting.
No wonder people found me intimidating.
“Pierce,” she addressed my future husband by his first name, and if I had any feelings for the man, I would have bristled.
“Morgan, this is my fiancée, Mari.”
Morgan took my hand and shook it. “I’ve heard about your future wife. Will you be helping with the redesign?” she asked.
I’d tried to be a better person since losing everything after San Francisco, but immediately I didn’t like the woman. Something about her set me on edge. She’d been too… friendly… perky… smiley. Early judgments could be wrong, but I pegged her properly.
Or maybe it was the fact I didn’t want to answer her question. I couldn’t do so without another lie. I wouldn’t be here long enough to help Pierce with the renovations on the bed-and-breakfast. At least not to see it through to completion.
Instead of being honest, I smiled right back and shook her hand firmly. “Yes,” more lies plopped onto my stack. “I can’t wait to get started as soon as Snookie can purchase the building.”
Pierce jerked his whole body at the ridiculous nickname.
The realtor led us inside and we stopped in a large parlor with a thick wooden desk for reservations off to one side. Signs with arrows pointing one direction to the dining room and a large stately staircase for guests to find rooms upstairs.
Morgan rounded on Pierce and me, her smile becoming more of a sneer. I knew there was something I didn’t like about her. “Hopefully you will both remember the guidelines set out by the historical society. Paint colors must be approved in advance as well as any large improvements.”
Wasn’t she supposed to be on team Pierce? And did she think we were morons? Obviously, any historic home had certain rules to follow during renovations.
I shouldn’t have, but sometimes I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. “Oh no, Snookie, does this mean we can’t paint the outside the Rousing Blush Pink color I liked?” I asked, turning to Pierce with distress in my words.
Pierce flipped his head to one side and bit his bottom lip, giving me an expression I couldn’t quite read but was fairly certain indicated I needed to shut the hell up or else.
Morgan took a physical step back as if I’d reached out and tried to slap her. She recovered quickly, but she wasn’t great at hiding initial reactions. “I’ve never heard of that color. It sounds bright.”
