Lovers at Heart (The Bradens, Book One: Love in Bloom Series)

Chapter Fifteen, Lovers at Heart

THE SWEEPING VIEW of Wellfleet Harbor always took Treat’s breath away, but tonight, as the cool air blew through the upper deck of the Pearl restaurant and the moon sparkled on the ripples of the bay, thoughts of Max kept him from enjoying its beauty. He was second-guessing his actions with an insurmountable list of what ifs: What if the next morning she reconsidered? What if she did read the notes? What if he’d stayed while she read them? What did she think of them? Did she think they were childish, or romantic and meaningful, as he’d meant for them to be? What if he had tried harder? He could have tried to woo her for another few days with walks, flowers, talks, and kisses—oh, how he wanted to kiss her again.

“Treat?”

Bonnie’s voice brought him back to the present. “I’m sorry, Bonnie. Long flight last night. I’m just a little tired. I missed the question.”

“I asked how long you were planning on being in town.” Bonnie’s joyful eyes lit up her plump face when she smiled. His father would have called her a sturdy woman or substantial, and the fact that she was more confident than most model-skinny women Treat knew made her more beautiful than they could ever hope to be.

 “I haven’t really decided. A few days? A week? I’m not sure,” he answered.

“He lives a hard life. Traveling all over the world to fancy resorts can be exhausting,” Chuck teased. He reached for his wife’s hand and winked. “Even a man like Treat needs time with normal folks like us.”

Treat shook his head and swallowed a gulp of his drink, enjoying the warmth of the bourbon as it slid down his throat. “Bonnie, tell me how things are with you.”

“Oh, me? Everything is wonderful. I’m still working at the museum up in P-Town and loving every minute of it. Still reading with the same book club, and helping with community functions. Oh, there’s a library book sale on Tuesday. I can’t believe that they still wanted to hold it right after the Oyster Fest, but they figured the more people the better. This is the first year they’ve extended the Oyster Festival to run through Monday. The retailers needed the income boost from the tourists.” Bonnie barely slowed down to take a breath. “Anyway, I’m not doing anything too exciting, but I enjoy myself.”

“That’s what life’s all about,” Treat said.

“Well, that and enjoying who you’re doing it with,” Chuck said with another wink.

Bonnie blushed. “Oh, Chuck. Please, not in front of Treat.”

“That’s okay, Bonnie. Your husband loves you. No need to be embarrassed by it.” The tug in Treat’s chest had him longing for Max again. No, he couldn’t do this to her or to himself. She’d made her feelings clear, and he didn’t blame her one bit. The way he’d made her feel was unforgivable, and he had to allow her to move on.

“Do you have someone in your life, Treat?” Bonnie asked.

I wish. “No. No, I don’t.” He gulped down the rest of his drink and held his hand up to request another.

“Well, you know, Joanie’s sister, Amanda, is in town for the Oyster Festival.” Bonnie flashed a coy smile.

Treat smiled. “Thank you, Bonnie, but I think I’m out of the game for a while. I just need to relax a bit. I had forgotten about the Oyster Festival. No wonder the streets are jam packed.” The thought of trying to make small talk with a woman other than Max increased his longing for her. Talking to her was so easy, and the way she tried so hard to hide her nervousness was adorable. He thought about the weight of her in his arms as he carried her into the bedroom, the way she looked up at him right before taking him into her mouth, tossing aside that girl-next-door image with one blink of her sultry eyes. Women usually flashed a look-what-I-can-do smile at him when they were handling him in that way, showing him that they would do anything for him. Not Max. Max looked at him like she was doing something she wanted to do for herself—dare he even think it—something that looked a lot like love. A sharp reminder rushed to his groin, and he closed his eyes for a moment to quell his desire.

Surely he was fabricating the feelings that had hovered in her eyes. He was taking himself down a trail he could never follow. He watched the lights of a boat as it drifted away. Let her go. This is for the best.

“Well, we’ll have a good time at the bonfire tomorrow night.”

Treat couldn’t imagine anything short of seeing Max picking up his spirits, but he was too polite to dash a friend’s efforts. “I’m sure we will, Bonnie.”

“Treat.” Chuck leaned forward as if he were going to share a secret. “You never know when the right woman will come along,” he said with a nod.

“You never know.” She already has.

THE BUNGALOW WAS cold when Treat returned later that evening. He closed the windows, made a fire, and sat with his laptop open on his lap, his feet up on the coffee table. His e-mail runneth over. He scanned for messages marked “urgent” and tackled each one. Why the staff in Jamaica thought choosing colors for the new lobby furniture was urgent was beyond his comprehension, but he scanned the photos and made quick selections. He clicked on a message from Bill Hayden, the owner of the Thailand resort. He’d been negotiating on a resort in Thailand when he first met Max, and he’d put it on hold after that weekend. These last six months Treat had been anything but on top of his game.

Honoring our verbal agreement of first right of refusal, I’ve got a solid offer with a closing date in eight weeks. You’ve got one week to decide. Clock is ticking. Best, Bill. 

Never before had he let his personal life interfere with his career, and he was beginning to wonder if his career might be the only thing that would pull him out of the loneliness that had settled heavily inside him. He replied to the e-mail; Bill, I’ll have an offer on your desk in the next seven days. Treat.

The next e-mail he sent was to his attorney advising him to prepare the offer. Bill was a tough negotiator. Treat expected a few days of back-and-forth before settling on a final figure. Posturing was part of the game. He closed his laptop and clasped his hands behind his head, letting the rush of adrenaline push his mind in a direction other than Max. Focusing on work was just what he needed. He was best when he had a challenge, and Thailand would be just that. Taking over the Thailand resort would consume all of his time and energy for at least three solid months, which was one of the reasons he hadn’t pursued it when he’d first met Max six months earlier. When he’d allowed his mind to play with the idea of spending sunny afternoons and sexy nights in Max’s arms or rushing around from meeting to meeting to develop relationships with foreign distributors, builders, and the large crew that would be necessary to revamp the Thailand resort, there was no question in his mind which he’d rather do. But now that Max had made her wishes crystal clear, and with his fantasy shot to hell, he forced himself to think, plan, and strategize.

He opened his laptop and pulled up the Thailand reports. Ten minutes later, he was completely immersed in, and distracted by, logistics and finances.