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  “Wait, before we saw the house?” But her question fell on deaf ears.

  “Gretchen, can you just think about forgiving me?” He reached out to touch her again.

  Tears welled in her eyes and she moved out of his reach. “I don’t think so.”

  Her heart pounded. She wanted to forgive him, but after all of this, how could she trust him? This job was so important to her and he acted like she was someone for him to steamroll in a business transaction.

  “You don’t understand,” he said. “Let me explain.”

  “No, I do understand.” She turned the back doorknob. The carriage house and freedom seemed so close, yet so far away. “I don’t want to hear your explanations.” With trembling hands, she pulled the door open and stepped out onto the back porch. After reaching the safety of the carriage house, she glanced back. Parker stood in the doorway, staring wordlessly at her.

  Parker watched Gretchen’s retreating form until she entered the carriage house. A minute later, old-school pop music blared out of her apartment—probably to discourage him from coming any closer. He shook his head. She wasn’t making this easy.

  “Do you mind telling me what’s going on?” Charlotte asked, coming up behind him.

  “It’s complicated.”

  “I’ve got time.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him into the living room, then pushed him toward the couch. “You don’t look good, big brother,” she observed. “Do you want something to drink? I think I know where I packed the mugs and the coffeepot. Although, now that I think about it, I’m not sure where the coffee is.”

  Parker grinned. His little sister’s organizational abilities were hit or miss. “A glass of water would be great.”

  She squeezed his shoulder. “Coming right up.”

  When she was out of the room, Parker gazed longingly at the front door. He really didn’t want to get into this with his sister, but if he cut out of there, he’d never hear the end of it from her or his mother.

  “Here you go.” Charlotte pushed a glass of water at him.

  “Thanks.” He sipped some water and then rolled the cool glass between his hands.

  “So tell me about what’s going on with you and my landlord.” She perched on the edge of the coffee table and faced him.

  “We met at the chocolate festival the weekend before last,” Parker said. “We sampled some chocolates together and then I invited her to lunch at the Bluebonnet Café.” He stared up at the ceiling. “I feel weird talking to you about this.”

  “You used to tell me everything.”

  “Yeah, back when that meant telling you I got a ‘D’ on a math test.”

  “So you liked her...” Charlotte prodded.

  “Yes. I liked her. Still like her,” he corrected himself. “The problem is, she’s the daughter of the owners of Candle Beach Real Estate.”

  “Ooh. That is bad. But you’re an adult. Are you really telling me that you two are fighting over Mom and Dad’s silly feud with her parents?”

  “No. That was bad, but what’s worse is that she and I are now competing for the same job—the sales role at the new development south of here, just off the highway.”

  “Oh, I’ve seen the signs for it. The houses look like they’ll be beautiful. Nice views of the water and big lots.” Her gaze turned dreamy. “Maybe if the shop is a success I’ll be able to afford one of them.” She grinned at Parker. “In my fantasies at least.”

  He mock-glared at her. “I thought we were talking about me, here.”

  She waved her hands in the air. “Okay, sorry. So what are you going to do? Let her have the job?”

  “I can’t.” He leaned against the back of the couch. “This development and job are my chance to break out on my own.”

  “No Gray and Associates for you?” she teased. “I thought I was the only one still living here that they were going to let out of the family business.” She paused and became serious. “Are things really getting that bad with Graham? I know our big brother is a stick-in-the-mud and you two have never gotten along, but I thought you’d patched things up.”

  “No, it’s gotten worse. He doesn’t respect me, no matter how much business I bring in.” He sighed. “I’m branching out on my own whether or not I get this job. The commissions for this would help with startup expenses. But...” He trailed off.

  “But if you take the job, Gretchen will never speak to you again and you lose the girl,” she finished. “I see your conundrum.”

  “Yeah, that and I said some things to her about the job that may not have been the most considerate.” He sighed again. “So as a woman, do you see any way possible that she’d forgive me?” He hoped his sister could come up with a solution, because he certainly didn’t see one—at least not a good one.

  “Based on the way she stormed out of here after seeing you, you have a very slim chance of getting her back. The only way you might make it work is to give in and concede the job to her.”

  “I don’t know if I can do that.” He ran his fingers through his hair. This situation kept getting messier and messier.

  “Well, if you want her back, it’s the only way.” The dreamy expression filled her eyes again. “I mean, doesn’t it seem like fate that you bumped into her at the chocolate festival, then she turns out to be my landlord, and you’re both real estate agents? Big brother, the world is throwing you together.”

  “Fate?” he echoed. “Maybe.” He pushed himself up from the couch. “Let’s get my car unloaded before it starts to rain again.”

  “Sure.” She opened the front door, then pivoted in the doorway to address him. “But think about what I said. If you don’t take this opportunity, you may not get another chance.”

  He nodded and followed her to the car. If nothing else, at least he’d still have opportunities to see Gretchen since Charlotte now lived across the lawn from her. Even if the job situation didn’t end well, he may be able to convince her to give him another chance.

  The phone rang early on Friday morning before Gretchen left for work. She put down the frying pan she’d been washing and dried her hands on a dish towel. Soap bubbles scented with Dawn dish detergent floated in clusters in the sink, catching the sunlight. She picked up the phone, afraid to find out who was calling.

  “Ms. Roberts?” Martin’s deep voice asked.

  She almost dropped the phone in the mound of soap bubbles.

  “Yes?” Her heart pounded. If he told her that her plea to be considered for the job hadn’t worked, she didn’t know what she’d do.

  He didn’t mince any words.

  “I’d like you to come work for me.”

  “Really? You mean it?” She covered the phone and squealed at Reilly before returning to the call. “I mean, that’s great. Thank you.”

  Exhilaration shot through her, electrifying her nerves and numbing her legs. She leaned against the kitchen counter. The extra time she’d put into her presentation had paid off. She’d won the job and beaten Parker. Then she sobered. If this job hadn’t come between Parker and herself, would their relationship have worked? She shook her head. There wasn’t any point in dwelling on what could have been.

  “There’s more though.” He cleared his throat.

  “More?” There were more hoops for her to jump through?

  “I’ve decided to hire both you and the other candidate,” he announced.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you correctly. You’re going to hire both of us?”

  “Yes. My original decision to hire the other person still stands, but you impressed me with your initiative and drive. I think you and Parker Gray will make a great team.”

  “A great team...” she echoed. Jumping through hoops sounded more appealing than working with Parker.

  “Yes. Do you know Parker?”

  “We’ve met.” Her voice stretched thinly across the words. Should she tell him right now that she didn’t want to work with Parker? Her stomach had turned into knots and she couldn’t get
the words out. “Are you sure you want to hire both of us? Won’t it make things more complicated? I know I can handle everything on my own.”

  “I don’t doubt that you can, but I think having two agents will make things easier. Are you saying you don’t want to work on a team?”

  “No, no.” She almost tripped over her words in her haste to get them out. “That’s not what I mean. I’m sure Parker and I will work well together.”

  “Great. How about if we all meet on Tuesday morning to discuss how this will work? Say at ten o’clock?”

  “Ten o’clock it is. I’m looking forward to meeting with you again...and Parker of course. Thank you.” She hung up and plunked down on one of the kitchen chairs. Reilly sensed something was off and trotted over to her. He put his head in her lap. Petting his ears usually soothed her, but today her mind kept spinning.

  What had just happened? Martin had given her the job, but she wouldn’t have full sales responsibilities and she’d have to share the commissions with Parker. Honestly, part of her was relieved that she wouldn’t be fully responsible for all of the sales operations. She knew she could handle it if necessary, but it would be nice to have someone there with more extensive sales experience.

  But why did it have to be Parker Gray? Now there would be no avoiding him. She’d have to see him every day at work. Could she handle that? Was the job worth the added stress?

  12

  “I’m not going to take the job.” Gretchen stared at the raspberry-filled donut on her plate. It had sounded good when she ordered it, but now she had no appetite. The grease- and sugar-scented air combined with her anxiety made her feel nauseous. She shifted positions and the metal chair scraped against the scarred tile floor.

  “What are you talking about?” Eliza Roberts put down her mocha and peered into her daughter’s eyes. Gretchen had called her that morning and asked to meet her at Donut Daze for an afternoon break.

  “I wanted the job to be independent and show that I can excel at sales. Now I have to share the position with someone else. It’s just not worth it.”

  “And that’s all you’re upset about?” Eliza asked. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with the person you’re sharing the position with?”

  As usual, her question was on point. Gretchen squirmed under her mother’s scrutiny. “Okay, so maybe a little of it has to do with Parker.” She pushed the donut around on her plate, making patterns in the powdered sugar. “I don’t want to have to see him every day.”

  “So you still have feelings for him?” Eliza asked. She scanned Gretchen’s face.

  “I barely know him.” Gretchen looked away. Outside, raindrops sprinkled onto the pavement and the sky had taken on a gray tinge. Donut Daze was almost empty at two o’clock in the afternoon, but she knew that would change in a few weeks when the tourists started to arrive for the summer season. Then, the room would be filled with the clanging of the espresso machine and the chatter of patrons crowded around the royal blue, too-small tables.

  “But you have feelings for him,” Eliza stated again.

  “Yes. No. I don’t know.” She gazed at the ceiling. “Argh! Why does this all have to be so complicated? I wish I’d never met Parker Gray.”

  “Sorry, that’s the way life works. To be honest, I wish we’d never entered into that business deal with his parents. Maintaining a feud for this long in a small community has been exhausting.”

  “So what really happened between you guys?” Gretchen was happy to have anything to take her mind and her mother’s attention off of her current predicament. She leaned back in her chair.

  Eliza shrugged. “The local population was exploding twenty years ago and we decided to go in with the Grays on ownership of a small apartment building in Haven Shores. We’d met them at a real estate conference and they seemed like great people.”

  Gretchen looked at her with interest. “So what happened?”

  “We had a run of bad luck. Plumbing leaks, roof repairs, etc. The building became costly. We disagreed on how to manage it.” Her gaze went blank as she recalled the details. “Things fell apart from there. There wasn’t really one thing I can point to that broke the camel’s back. It was a combination of all of those things. Anyways, we sold the building at a loss and we never spoke to them again. Each couple blamed the other for the failed venture.”

  “So they were never dishonest?” Gretchen asked slowly. “All this time it seemed like something horrible had happened.”

  “No, they were never blatantly dishonest,” she admitted. “Things disintegrated between us, but in truth, it was just an all-around bad business decision.”

  Gretchen didn’t say anything. If Parker’s family wasn’t to blame for the loss on the apartment building, it created doubts about whether or not he’d known she was up for the same job as him. She’d convinced herself that he came from a family that thought nothing about stomping on other people’s feelings, but now she wasn’t sure what to believe.

  “Now,” Eliza said. “Instead of a trip down memory lane, can we concentrate on the issue at hand?”

  “There’s no issue. The best way to get out of this situation is for me to find another way to earn enough money to move away from Candle Beach.”

  Her mother frowned, but Gretchen had made up her mind.

  Unfortunately, money hadn’t miraculously materialized in Gretchen’s bank account. After finishing work at Candle Beach Real Estate, she went home and pored over her finances. There was no way she could afford to move to Seattle—not if she wanted to avoid a fiery plummet to the depths of bankruptcy. Renting the house out would bring in enough funds for a small startup account by fall, but she’d still have to find a job in Seattle while she worked on getting situated as a real estate agent.

  She needed to find a new job if she wouldn’t be earning commissions from the new housing development. She rested her chin on her hands. There had to be some way to make this work. Her eyes fell on the application she’d picked up from Candle Beach Kids. Perfect! In the excitement over the real estate sales position, she’d never completed it. She filled it out and walked into town to give it to Abby.

  Abby was busy with customers, but when she finished, she approached Gretchen with a big smile. “Hey, I didn’t expect to see you back here.”

  Gretchen held her application out. “I have my employment references listed at the bottom. I hope the job is still available. I’d love to work here.”

  Abby’s smile slipped. “Oh Gretchen, I’m so sorry. I filled the position last week. I told you I needed your application back by last Wednesday.”

  She pasted a smile on her face. “I totally understand. If something comes up, please let me know.” She turned and exited the store.

  Outside, she slid down on a bench and surveyed Main Street. Ordinarily, the colorful flower arrangements next to the building would have cheered her up, but not this time. Main Street was full of businesses, but like Candle Beach Kids, most would already have hired their seasonal help. Was she out of luck?

  She’d really screwed this up. She’d put all her eggs in one basket with the sales job and now it looked like there wasn’t a way to get out of Candle Beach. Still, there was no way she was going to work with Parker. She’d find another job.

  Parker sat on the leather couch in his Haven Shores apartment, staring out at the city street below. The wind blew rain diagonally into the window pane. He watched as the beads of water dissolved upon impact, sliding down the glass. Cars streamed past the building as workers navigated the evening rush hour. A police siren sounded in the distance, but he barely heard it. His uneaten sub sandwich rested on the glass coffee table.

  Had it really only been a week ago that he’d stared into Gretchen’s eyes at Arturo’s and been hit by the realization that she could be the one? He’d spent his twenties dating women who couldn’t put more than a few words together in a sentence. That wasn’t cutting it anymore. Gretchen was confident, funny and smart. Exactly what he’d hope
d for in a woman.

  Somehow, he’d managed to ruin their relationship almost before it began. Well, she’d had some role in it, but he’d bungled most of their interactions after they found out they were interested in the same job. His mother’s interference hadn’t helped.

  He got up and paced the hallway. A quick glance in the bathroom mirror revealed bloodshot eyes. He hadn’t slept more than a few hours at a time since his interview for the sales position.

  Gretchen had been devastated when she saw him in the parking lot outside the sales office on the day of her first interview. Then, he’d made it worse when he returned with the marketing materials and caught her coming out of her second interview. It was all such a mess.

  He had briefly considered turning down the job when Martin offered it to him. But he couldn’t do that. Not if he wanted to get out on his own and not be trading on the family name and business for the rest of his career. If he stayed at Gray and Associates, his older brother’s shadow would always hang over him. This position could be the catalyst for a successful future in real estate.

  Now that Martin wanted to hire both of them for the job, maybe he had a chance with Gretchen. His spirits lifted. She may think she hated him, but he’d keep trying to win her over. She would eventually understand that he needed this job as much as she did, right? He hoped he could wear her down.

  “You’re really going to give up so easily?” Maggie asked with an incredulous look on her face. She’d come over late Friday afternoon, seemingly only to give Gretchen a hard time about the job. She sat down in one of the two chairs wedged into the carriage house’s small kitchen area.

  “It wasn’t an easy decision.” Gretchen sighed. “I don’t feel like I have any other choice.”

  “You always have another choice.” Now Maggie wore the disapproving mom face that she used with Alex. Gretchen hated seeing that expression on her friend. With her even temper and calm way of looking at life, Maggie was usually right. “What’s the worst that could happen if you take the job?”