Page 36 of The Cottage on Pelican Bay

To his way of thinking, it made perfect sense, although he couldn’t tell his mother that. The last thing he wanted was to give his time or attention to any woman. Instead of telling her how he really felt, he told her that of all the girls he’d met since returning to the cove, he liked Zara.

Then she’d asked why he hadn’t invited Zara to officially meet his parents. He’d told her Zara had made other plans for Memorial Day. That was true. She had told him Saturday night she would be meeting a girlfriend in New Orleans.

He and Zara had decided if anyone were to ask that they’d become interested in each other a few months ago, February to be exact, at Vaughn and Sierra’s celebration cookout. He went on to say that the reason he hadn’t mentioned it to anyone was because they’d started off as just friends and had only recently decided to date. None of what he’d told his parents was a total lie. He just hadn’t divulged details of what kind of friendship they’d been sharing before deciding to date.

Saint knew the moment Zara arrived at the café. He gazed at the entrance and saw her. When she saw him, she smiled and immediately he felt sexual vibes flow between them. As she walked toward him, he felt like he was drowning in the sight of her.

She was wearing a pair of jeans and a pretty green printed blouse. Her hair was windblown, and she was pushing it back from her face as she approached the booth. He’d noted the wind off the ocean was brisker than usual this morning. He stood when she reached his table.

“Good morning, Saint,” she said, smiling brightly.

“Good morning, Zara.” He waited for her to slide into the seat across from him before sitting back down. Looking across the table at her, he felt what he always felt whenever they were together—a primal attraction that he couldn’t explain, but wholly accepted.

“You’ve been waiting long?” she asked him.

“Not at all.”

Before she could say anything else, Presley came to take their order. He wasn’t surprised that Presley and Zara knew each other because they’d graduated from high school the same year. But then he figured she would know Presley since she was Juanita Beckett’s daughter. Zara had told him how in secret she had helped Ms. Beckett make her cheerleaders’ uniforms.

He’d heard from a number of people living in the cove that although Zara had come from one of the wealthiest families in town, and while growing up her parents were considered snobs, that term had never extended to Zara or Vaughn. Both had been friendly, down-to-earth and well-liked in school.

After Presley had taken their orders and left, he looked at Zara. “So how was your Memorial Day in New Orleans yesterday?”

She gave him a huge smile. “It was wonderful. Eugenia and I attended the same fashion design school. I hadn’t seen her since moving from Paris. I’m glad I was able to meet up with her in New Orleans. It’s been on her bucket list for years, and she finally got to travel to the States to visit the French Quarter.”

“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. What do you have planned for today?”

She released what sounded like an excited sigh. “I start packing up things, so I’ll spend most of my time at Zara’s Haven.”

“Don’t try lifting any heavy boxes. Leave them. I’ll help you move them when I get off.”

“Thanks, Saint.”

“No problem. Just call me.” Saturday night, after their talk, they had finally exchanged phone numbers. He was glad of that, and to think it had taken a fake affair to make it happen.

Presley returned with coffee and blueberry muffins. When Zara closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, one of his brows arched in amusement. “I take it you like the aroma of Ms. Deb’s muffins.”

She opened her eyes and grinned. “Yes. Especially now since you’ve set me straight that it’s Ms. Debbie who bakes them and not Mr. Chester.”

Saint fought back a laugh. “I’m sure he has the recipe, as well as their sons, Ry and Duke. But I hear Ms. Debbie considers the blueberry muffins as her baby.”

“And I’m not mad at her for doing so.”

He did laugh this time. It couldn’t be helped. In or out of bed, he enjoyed Zara’s company. Faking a serious affair with her would definitely be easy to do. “Did Vaughn and Sierra get off okay yesterday?”

“Yes. He called me from the airport right before their flight left. Sierra’s parents have Teryn, and Levi will be handling things at the Green Fig until Sierra returns.”

“Then the café will be in good hands.”

Since Zara had ordered blueberry pancakes as well, she’d only eaten one muffin and had left the others for him. He had no problem eating the rest. “Have you given any more thought to that vacant building on Main Street?”

After sipping her coffee, she said, “No, why?”

Saint looked at her over the rim of his cup. “Just wondering.”

He was doing more than just wondering. He had walked by the building this morning, and after seeing that picture she’d painted of how the place could be transformed into one of her boutiques, he could visualize it just as she’d painted it.

After Presley refilled their coffee, he couldn’t help but notice how much attention he and Zara were getting. Evidently, most people had heard of their kiss by now, so in their minds seeing them together made sense. Like he’d explained to Zara, not to see them together would warrant speculation and unnecessary talk.

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