Sometimes in life you will meet a woman who just needs to be screwed with, and the longer she stared at me, it became one of those times. I couldn’t help myself. “It’s a Pepto-Bismol pink, but a little cuter. Like at the bakery.” I used my best Valley girl expression. That’s what everyone thought of West Coast women anyway. Right? We were preppy fake Barbie dolls with high-pitched voices.
Her mouth fell open, and she blinked super slow. “You can’t be serious. This building is a historical landmark.”
Pierce cleared his throat beside me, letting me know jig was up, and I hoped I hadn’t pissed him off too much. Either way, getting to see the expression on Morgan’s face was worth it.
I laughed, throwing my head back. “No, I love the blue, but I am concerned about the condition of this molding,” I said dropping my head and my voice, taking on a serious tone. I walked across the lobby to inspect the rail on one staircase.
Pierce joined me at my side and stared at the dark wood banister right alongside me.
“This doesn’t look original. The wood breaks right here on this line. Someone tried to patch it,” I said running my finger over the small divot in the wood.
Pierce smiled and straightened, turning back to see what Morgan would say.
“Well of course you have to understand, this building is over one hundred years old.”
Pierce nodded as if he agreed, but his eyes narrowed on her slowly. “Do you think the Historical Society would approve of such careless construction in previous renovations?”
Maybe the two of us wouldn’t make such a bad team after all.
13
Mari
Pierce and Oliver left me alone again for the day, and as the temperature slowly dropped in Pelican Bay, I itched to leave the house and explore the city on my own. It’s how I found myself walking Bayside Drive headed toward Main Street and the little bakery on the corner less than an hour after they vacated the premises for “important Kensington business.” Air quotes added by me to emphasize their ridiculousness.
I passed the large blue bed-and-breakfast and cast my gaze at the building as my steps slowed. The historical landmark wasn’t what brough me to Pelican Bay, but did solidify my stay for six months. What was so special about those walls Pierce planned to pay me two million dollars so he could buy it?
Regardless of his quest to take over the city by buying each piece of real estate, something didn’t add up in his story. There had to be more in play than him wanting to buy a historic B&B. From what I’d learned of Pierce, he seemed an altruistic man, but not that altruistic. He still had a business mindset, and I’d watched him as he made decisions. He was as cold and calculated as the men in San Francisco. For whatever reason it didn’t turn me on the way a powerful, strong, handsome man used to three years ago.
A breeze swept across the street off the ocean, and I took a deep breath noting how different cities smelled when they were on opposite sides of the country. The bell on the door of the bakery rang as I opened it and the two women behind the counter stopped chatting as they both watched me walk in.
“Can I get you anything?” the dark brunette-haired woman with Tabitha embroidered on her apron asked as I stepped up to the counter.
I scanned the racks and eventually selected a giant chocolate chip cookie. The heat from the case kept the chocolate warm and gooey. “Two of those, please.”
The second person in the shop, Anessa, opened the door and, with gloves, pulled out two cookies putting them on a delicate plate and passing them over to me after I paid.
“Pierce let you out by yourself today?” Tabitha inquired, settling herself on the edge of the counter as I picked a seat at a small table right across the way. The bakery was bright as light shone in from the many large windows and highlighted the vibrant colors used in the space. Pink was an overwhelming factor, but the tables and chairs were turquoise or shades of royal purple.
It was eclectic, yet came together to make the space feel homey. It was an area in town to sit down and enjoy a quick bite without feeling rushed to leave. The world needed more spaces like this.
I wouldn’t have rushed to leave if I hadn’t felt eyes from the workers trained on me as if they were trying to read my brain waves. And that wasn’t the only troubling thing. The question was odd. Did Pierce have a reputation for not letting women out of his home? I didn’t know if he had a basement. Maybe it hid his torture chamber with whips and chains. I nibbled on the cookie, a treat I never would’ve allowed myself in San Francisco and one I couldn’t find in Guatemala.
“Pierce and Oliver drove over to Clearwater for a tour of a manufacturing plant. I wanted to get out and stretch my legs.”
Both women smiled and their affection seemed genuine. “I’m glad you’re sticking around. The Labor Day parade will happen soon. It’s this annual thing with the townspeople. There’s a parade, and sometimes they bring in rides. It’s always fun,” Anessa said.
Tabitha jabbed her coworker in a friendly manner on the shoulder. “As long as nothing blows up, there are no kidnappings, and the leaf watchers choose to wait until after the holidays to show up for vacations.”
I skipped the explosions and kidnapping. “Leaf watchers?” I asked as it sounded like the safest of the three topics to discuss.
“Oh, you know,” Anessa said waving her hand in the air once. “Those people come from the South to see the trees change colors against the water. They clog up traffic and leave their trash around, but it does great things for the city. It’s a last push of tourism to get us to through the winter.”
The two of them chatted to themselves for a moment about how great sales were last year as I finished my first cookie.
“Can I ask you two a question?” I asked when a lull in their conversation happened.
Both of them turned back to me slowly. “Sure,” Tabitha answered first.
