Worth Fighting For (Hope Harbor Book 4) Read online

  Mia pulled her hair tie out and let her pale blonde hair fall around her shoulders. “Coffee is fine, thanks.”

  He gaped at her. “Coffee? Is that it?”

  She paused, hands on her hips and her lips tightening. “It’s what I always have.”

  “Come on. You’ll make me feel like a lousy host if I don’t get to make you a proper breakfast. Anything—your choice.” She might be craving a caffeine hit, but for complete mental alertness, surely she needed to eat something substantial. Well, it was up to him to make sure she was fed right. “Might I suggest something a bit more filling than just coffee. Your body will thank me for it.” Matt knew how to feed people; it was what he did. Maybe he’d do better to avoid lecturing her though. Get her over to his way of thinking by tempting her rather than telling her.

  “I’ll have you know that my body is fine as it is. Just coffee. Thank you.” She brushed past him and walked up the stairs. The door to her room shut loudly.

  Way to go, Matt. That’s how you impress a pretty girl. Criticize her diet. Foolish man. He slipped into his room behind the kitchen and stripped off his sweaty shirt and shorts. He had to step back and let her do her own thing. He wasn’t her mother, for goodness sake.

  Matt continued to berate himself while he stood under the shower spray. By the time he climbed out, dried off, and pulled on clean clothes, he was determined to undo the damage he’d done to her.

  The coffee machine was humming along and he poured himself a mug to sip while he made breakfast—for himself, at least. He still put out granola, fresh fruit and yogurt just in case Mia changed her mind. Then he made his usual bacon and egg muffin. He needed the protein to get through the day.

  Footsteps pounded down the stairs. He waited to gauge her mood, wondering if she’d forgiven him for haranguing her.

  * * *

  She’d been short with him earlier when all he did was try to do his job, though it had sounded like a lecture. Making sure his guests were fed and happy was how a person ran a successful B&B. That little bit of effort got a business good reviews and return customers—everyone knew that. Now she had to apologize or the next month would drag on more than it needed to. Mia walked into the kitchen.

  Matt stood at the stove, a spatula in his hand, his hair pulled back into a bun with a bright red elastic band. Short damp tendrils of hair hugged the back of his neck and she watched his easy movements for a second or two before finding her voice.

  “Something smells good,” she said.

  “Bacon and scrambled egg. My standby breakfast on a muffin.” He turned and smiled at her over his shoulder, dimples on display. At least he didn’t hold a grudge, unlike herself—she could carry one forever. Or so it seemed right now. She needed to move on and see his kindness for what it was: an attempt to keep her happy as a client of his business. Time to eat humble pie and stop being so paranoid about someone taking over her life. After that early morning run, she’d earned something decent to eat.

  Her stomach rumbled as the sound of sizzling bacon buzzed through the kitchen. “Can I be a pain and change my mind?”

  “Sure thing. It just so happens that I always cook too much. Bad habit I can’t seem to shake. I blame my large family because there was no such thing as cooking for one at our house.”

  “Is there anything I can do? Set the table? Anything other than let you do all the work.” Normally she’d be at her office by now, not twiddling her thumbs and scraping for something to occupy her time. This was going to take some getting used to.

  “Sure thing. Cutlery is in that drawer.” He nodded toward the built-in wooden hutch with multiple sets of drawers on the opposite wall. It had age on its side and the patina of worn paint Mia loved. She imagined how good it would look with some of her bespoke handles she’d just commissioned from Turkey. The blue and white ones would look amazing against the distressed paint and worn timber and the flecks of blue in the artwork on the walls.

  “Do you want to sit at the breakfast table or the island?”

  Matt looked up from the stove. “Wherever you like. We could go outside if you want. Garden is nice this time of year or we could go on the front porch and watch the ferry come in.”

  The idea of watching the ferry didn’t appeal to her considering she couldn’t be on it when it turned around and headed back to Seattle. Mia chose the garden and wandered out to set the cutlery on the blue and white mosaic table as Matt plated up their breakfast. When he brought it outside, she was exploring the vegetable garden. The ground was damp underfoot and the straw mulch gave off a musty tang that wasn’t unpleasant, more earthy and rich. She ran her hand over the rosemary bush and inhaled the old fashioned but familiar scent. Lemon grass grew tall and rich in one corner. The thin grass like leaves felt like sandpaper on her fingers.

  Layered over the garden was the faint smell of the ocean, salty and fresh. The smells coming from his plants made her want to take the time to enjoy it. Strolling leisurely in a garden had never been on her radar before. She touched a tiny purple flower with a white throat and bent to sniff its fragrance.

  “That’s borage. Be careful of the bees; they love it.”

  “So do I. It’s gorgeous.” She brushed her fingers over the almost fluffy green leaves.

  “The blooms are nice for decorating salads. Tastes like cucumber. Try a bit.”

  Mia picked a flower and sat it on her tongue, letting her taste buds savor it. There was a hint of freshness about it. She bit down on it and there it was, that flavor Matt had mentioned.

  “Wow. I like it.” She saw a bright orange flower which made her feel happy with its deep color and gazed at the beans growing over the antique white archway, which looked as though it’d been in the garden forever. A butterfly landed on the purple flower and Mia watched it gather the pollen before fluttering to another bloom. How had she not had time for this before? She was fascinated.

  “How on earth do you have time to do this?”

  He put the plates down and leaned one hand on the white picket fence. “I only putter in this garden. A local family does the mowing for me and keeps the main gardens under control. I stick to what I can do well and leave the rest to someone else. Back in a moment.” He hurried inside and she wandered back to the table. She leaned over her plate and took a sniff of her breakfast. Matt had set it out so prettily, she could easily imagine herself in a restaurant. The bacon and egg muffin was positioned to one side of the plate with three small dots of ketchup and a sprig of greenery. Mia guessed it to be pea sprigs because of the curls at the end of the stem. She had linens with that very pattern.

  She had to admit her breakfast smelled so good her mouth was watering. Normally food this early made her stomach want to heave, but the bacon made her change her mind. Maybe her problem was the early coffee, not the food.

  “Here you go.” Matt put down two glasses of orange juice and pulled out his seat and sat down. He picked up his muffin, dipped it in the sauce and took a bite, closing his eyes as he chewed. Mia had never seen anyone so wrapped up in their food before. It was almost seductive watching him.

  She followed suit and nibbled at her muffin. It was surprisingly good. Soon she was finished and licking her fingers.

  “Good?”

  Mia laughed. “You can say I told you so. I don’t mind.”

  Matt shook his head.

  “That was really good.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m sorry if I came across as bossy, but I’m not used to my clients not eating. Makes me feel like I’m not doing my job if I don’t feed you.”

  Mia smiled. “Thank you for being so kind when I was snappy with you. I’m finding it very hard to get out of my routine. I’m sure my four weeks here will go much faster if I embrace it for what it is: a chance to unwind and start fresh.”

  He sat back and wiped his mouth with the napkin. “If there’s anything I can do to help, just holler. Pretty sure I can suggest a few things to keep you amused.” He took a sip of his orange ju
ice.

  She straightened her knife and fork, then glanced up at him. “The fact is, the board of directors ordered me to take a holiday. They think I’ve been working too hard so I arrived here less than impressed and you got the sharp end of my tongue. It wasn’t directed at you personally.”

  “Wow. No wonder you were unhappy. But no offense taken. As I said earlier, anything I can do to help, holler. What are your plans today?”

  Mia shrugged. She hadn’t got that far yet. She was still slightly stunned she was here. “No idea. I’m feeling a bit lost. By now I’d be at the office, on my third or fourth cup of coffee and buried under paper or glued to my computer screen.”

  “A suggestion then. Why don’t you go for a walk down to the harbor and have a look around? Explore what the town has to offer so you know what you can do. You might find something you like. Then, if you want lunch, I’ll put something together and you can kick back with a book on the front porch and enjoy the sunshine. We’re expecting a storm later in the week, so we may have to lock down for a few days. I’d hate for you to get cabin fever.”

  “That’s a good idea. Let me help you with this and I’ll find some suitable footwear and a hat.” Mia gathered her own plate and followed Matt into the kitchen where he loaded everything in the dishwasher.

  Within half an hour, she was down at the harbor, sunglasses and hat on, looking like a tourist. If only she didn’t feel so out of place. It’d been too long since she’d taken the time to wander around aimlessly anywhere. The only memory she had of being somewhere like this was when she was about six years old and went to a festival with a friend. They’d giggled and rode the Ferris wheel for hours until their stomachs ached from laughter. There were no Ferris wheels in sight of Hope Harbor, but she was experiencing a case of butterflies nonetheless. Perhaps it’s the sexy man who wants to look after me for the next four weeks.

  Mia was the last person who needed looking after, but the thought of letting him care for her was tempting.

  Chapter 4

  Matt was halfway through mopping the floors when his cell phone rang. He pulled it from his back pocket and, after seeing his father’s smiling face, hit the answer button. “Hey, Dad.”

  “How is she, Matt?”

  He leaned on his mop and tucked his cell on his shoulder, doing the final sweep of the floor. “Nice lady. Seemed very cool and professional when she arrived, but I expected that from what I’ve seen online. She’s starting to relax a bit more now.”

  “Just be gentle with her, son. I spoke to Ryan this morning and of course he’s worried about her. Said she hasn’t taken any time off and he thinks it’s going to be hard on her, so she may take it out on you. She’s just not used to doing nothing. Might make her a bit anxious and hard to deal with, so I thought you should be warned.”

  “Not a problem.”

  “To tell you the truth, the board made her take the time away from the company. Just thought you should know in case she has some down moments.”

  “I got that. She told me why she’s here, but thanks anyway. I sent her for a to burn off some energy. Guess after the way she rushes around at work, being on the island might take a bit of getting used to.”

  “That’s where you come in, son. Couldn’t think of a better person to slow her down and put her into relaxation mode than you.”

  Matt put his mop in the bucket, leaned against his kitchen counter, and smiled. “I sent her down to the harbor to look around while I did my chores. Had the feeling she’d be ordering me around if I didn’t.” Not that he didn’t like having her here. It was just that she came across as a born organizer and he had his own way of doing things—same as the next person.

  “You should bring her up for dinner one night. I’ll get Gigi to arrange something. Maybe get the rest of the family together. What do you say?”

  His father was always bringing the siblings together. It was one of the reasons Matt chose to stay on the island. He liked the closeness of family. Maybe that would be good for Mia too. “Might be nice. I was wondering if I should take her out to Arlo’s and introduce her to Hilary. I think they’d get on well. Both city girls and both driven.”

  His dad chuckled. “I like your way of thinking. Some of Hilary’s calm might rub off on Mia. Pretty sure Ryan would appreciate that, son.”

  “Yeah. I’ll call them and set up a morning to meet for coffee. I’d like to see her relax and Hilary would love the company.”

  “Right, I’ll leave you to it and call her uncle back. Just wanted to check that she was okay so he can stop worrying about her. Listening to him talk, I think being an overachiever is a family trait.”

  “Maybe he should be taking a break too.” Matt said goodbye and hung up, then finished mopping his floors.

  * * *

  Mia walked around the harbor, making sure she took her time. Today she didn’t have to race around worrying about wasting precious minutes, but it was hard to go slow after years of being focused on the business. Her skin felt like it was on fire, as though she was missing something. Fancy having withdrawals from work, but that was what was happening to her. There was no other explanation.

  She wandered around the wharf trying to act like a tourist and not a business owner about to jump out of her skin. She sat on a seat and watched the boats in the harbor, wondering what it would be like to have so much leisure time on her hands that she could take a sail or go fishing.

  A fisherman came in and cleaned his catch on his boat, feeding scraps to the seagulls. She watched fascinated as they dove into the water to grab the tasty morsels he discarded. A couple of children fished off the end of one of the piers with an older person, perhaps a grandparent, and she wondered if they knew how lucky they were to have someone take the time to teach them.

  After sitting still as long as she could, Mia made her way to the picturesque shops that lined the front street. They were more touristy than anything she was used to, which made perfect sense considering the amount of people that day tripped over from Seattle. She wandered into the first shop, the smell of sweets tempting her to buy something to take back to Matt. Mia tried to see the layout and the color coordination as a visitor and not a designer as she wandered around the small shop. On one wall, an impressive display of glass tubes filled with jelly beans channeled down, giving the impression of a rainbow. Beneath it hung a large cane basket filled with rock candy sticks of every color imaginable. A stand of bright red soldier toys topped a display of red and black licorice. She couldn’t help but buy a pack to snack on.

  Even distracted with sweets, her mind wouldn’t settle and let her enjoy it as much as she would have hoped. Still, she chatted with the cheerful and helpful candy shop owner about the chocolates she made there on the island, even choosing a few to share with Matt over supper if he didn’t have any other guests. Afterwards, she paused to buy a cup of coffee at the small café at the end of the complex and sat outside overlooking the water while she sipped it.

  Next she followed the tourist trail as laid out on signs indicating areas of local interest. She lingered at the park, drawn to the shade of the trees, and read up about the founding fathers. She laughed when she realized that Matt’s great, great grandparents must have been the first to occupy the island. That sense of history would be wonderful to have. No wonder he acted like he was settled here. He really was.

  She wanted to see the lighthouse but Mia figured she should save something for another day. She needed to drive around the island to find that anyhow. For now, she’d have a look at more of the town on foot, hopefully find a book shop, then go back to Matt’s and have a lazy afternoon. That was, if she could force herself to sit still for that long.

  Mia crossed the road and followed the cobbled path, taking the street that ran behind the main road. Small shops were mixed in with residential cottages. Some of them had signs out front indicating they were for rent, while others were occupied, but they all had one thing in common: they were quaint and well maintained. I
f she didn’t love high-speed internet and life in the city so much, she could get used to the idea of living in something like one of those picture-perfect buildings.

  She came across a set of three shops, all built of old brick and all of them vacant. Their worn exteriors covered in green ivy made her give them a second glance. Mia tried to see inside but it was impossible with the amount of dirt and dust caked onto the glass. She licked one finger and worked on the grime, clearing just enough for a small glimpse of the interior. The first shop was empty apart from the half dozen cardboard boxes stacked in the back. She made her way down the set of buildings repeating the process, using a different finger each time. The middle shop had a flight of stairs to what appeared to be a loft and an old broom leaning against the stair rail; the last was totally empty. A small sign in the corner of the window gave a telephone number for inquiries for lease details.

  She carried on down the street, annoyed she couldn’t shut off her thoughts on the possibilities of the empty shops. Her business mind was always on, even when she was supposed to be on holiday. She couldn’t help herself. It would make a nice sized shop if she knocked out the interior walls or at least put a door in between them. It would be more quaint and less upmarket than most of her shops, but something about it appealed to her regardless. The building had character in spades and she loved nothing more than to take something old and refurbish it to give it new life. Thinking about how long it had been since she’d let her imagine take over a space like this made her realize how much she missed doing the recycled pieces she started off with. She was always so busy sourcing goods for the shops she had that making her one-off pieces had become a thing of the past.

  The vacant shops were nothing like the manicured offerings down on the waterfront. This bedraggled but super cute building was more her style, with its window frames with peeling paint, chunky wooden doors, and a vigorous green vine creeping up the front of the building finding purchase in every nook and cranny. The mix of pavers on the sidewalk blended with the old bricks softened by age and weather. Even the odd spring flower pushing its head up through the pavers gave the surroundings charm.