When It's Love Page 5

  “Your grandmother is great.” He smiled at Rachel. “Your sister, too.”

  Morgan momentarily lit up at that comment, then turned to Rachel and said, “I know I've been asking for a lot of favors lately, but is there one more thing you could do for me?”

  “Absolutely.” Rachel would do anything for her sisters. “What do you need?” Hopefully, it would be something that took her far away from Nicholas and all of his sweet and sexy smiles that kept making her all melty inside.

  “The film crew just informed me that they'd like to shoot an outdoor test segment with Nicholas today rather than starting in the studio. But as you can see, I’m just not up to it. Would you mind taking him down to where they’ve set up by the cove?”

  Even if Rachel could have said no to her sister, she simply wasn't strong enough to turn down the chance for a few more minutes with Nicholas.

  “No problem, Morgan. Just rest and get better, okay? And don't worry about a thing.”

  If only Rachel could do the same herself. But with her feelings for Nicholas growing deeper by the second, she was suddenly more worried than ever.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  It was only a short walk from Morgan’s house down to the sandy and sheltered cove, which was especially pretty with the wild flowers all in bloom around it. The breeze coming in off the water made it just a touch cooler than the rest of the island, but it was still warm enough to be pleasant and relaxing.

  The film crew—a camera operator, a sound technician, and a production assistant—were already down on the sand with a tent full of gear, a small dinghy, and a kayak. “Looks like they've got everything we need to go kayaking,” Nicholas said.

  “We?” Rachel’s eyebrows went up as she looked down at the kayak on the sand again and finally noticed that it was a two-person kayak. She shook her head. “No way.”

  “Come on, it will be fun,” Nicholas said. “Everyone, this is Rachel Walker. She’s going to be standing in for Morgan for our test shots while she's recuperating from her cold.”

  Before Rachel could explain that Nicholas was mistaken and that she would definitely not be getting into the double kayak with him, the woman behind the camera stepped away from it and looked her over with a nod. “You will be a perfect stand-in for Morgan, thanks so much for helping us out today.” She turned back to Nicholas. “We should get going while the light is still perfect.”

  “But—”

  The male sound technician cut Rachel off as he came forward with the mics. “I’ll just need to get you both quickly rigged up.”

  “I don't think you understand,” she tried again, “I only came down to the beach to—”

  But the production assistant, a young woman in her twenties, was already leading Rachel toward the tent. “I'll just help you get into the wet suit, and then we'll be ready to go. It looks like you and Morgan must be close to the same size, aren't you?”

  “Yes, we are,” Rachel said automatically, before she stopped herself. “But since I'm not going out on the kayak, I don't want to waste any more of your time.”

  “Wait,” Nicholas said. “Why aren't you going with me?” He looked genuinely puzzled by her protests. “You would enjoy it.”

  Yes, she would. She'd always loved kayaking in the ocean.

  Rachel shook her head, forcefully clearing away that thought. That was the old her. She was older now, more mature. And a mother. Surely, she wouldn't enjoy the cold and wet and danger of being out on the ocean anymore.

  “Why can’t you just take the kayak out yourself?”

  “The concept of my show isn't about me taking solo adventures and showing off my outdoors skills. It's meant to be about ordinary people having extraordinary adventures. The TV executives have seen me on screen by myself plenty of times before, but more than anything with these test shots they need to see how the two-person plan will work.”

  Rachel didn’t know as much about how TV worked as Morgan or Hanna, but she knew enough to know that TV executives didn’t like to guess about anything. They liked a sure bet. Which meant Nicholas really did need a partner for these test shots in the kayak today.

  “Besides,” he added, “I’d like to get out on the water with you. I think you’d enjoy it. Or am I wrong?”

  Even though she was so incredibly tempted, Rachel made herself remind both of them, “I don’t do adventure. I’m an actuary. One with a young daughter who depends on me. What would happen to Charlotte if something were to happen to me?”

  But Rachel already knew the answer to that, all too well. After her own mother had died when she’d been a little older than Charlotte, their father expressed his grief by becoming so wrapped up in his work that Emily and Grams had pretty much finished raising the rest of them. And as a result of all the changes and the upset, Rachel had grown wilder and wilder with every year that passed, taking far more risks than other teenagers did. Until she'd finally ended up pregnant and dumped by the boy she'd wrongly assumed would stick by her through thick and thin.

  Rachel couldn't stand the thought of something like that happening to Charlotte, of her little girl being so lost in grief that she couldn't keep from acting out.

  “I would never want you to do anything that you feel is too risky,” Nicholas said in a gentle voice, meant only for her ears. “So if you really don’t want to do it, we'll pack up for the day and wait for Morgan to feel better. Whatever you decide, it will all work out.”

  He seemed so confident, so certain, as if it was obvious that everything would be fine even if they let the first day of filming slide. Yet, how could it be? Rachel knew what a film crew cost to hire and how much money they would lose by pushing back a day. Plus, if the crew told the executives that Nicholas had decided to blow off a whole day of shooting because Rachel didn’t want to take part—and that he hadn't even been able to persuade her to give it a go—what would the TV execs think? Would they trust Nicholas with his own show? Or would they end up deciding that he clearly wasn't up to the task of working with ordinary people like her?

  “Okay,” she said at last, “I’ll do it.”

  “Are you sure? Because I don't want you to feel pressured into doing anything that makes you feel at all unsafe.”

  He risked his own safety practically every day, but the very sweet concern in his voice was the final push she needed to reach for the wet suit. The smile he gave her as she got ready to go kayaking with him warmed her all over, head to toe.

  A few minutes later, he passed her a life preserver and strapped one on himself. “Just in case we do end up in the water. There’s a whistle and a GPS attached to it in the unlikely event we get swept away from the boat, and the film crew will be nearby the whole time to help us if there are any problems. We’ll also stay close to shore so that we can come back in at any time.”

  Rachel was impressed—and reassured—by this safety-conscious side to Nicholas. After they made their final preparations, they waited for the filming boat to go out first before pushing the kayak out into the water together. He showed her how to use the best grip on her paddle, then pushed them out and climbed in to take his own seat just behind her. His paddling was strong, and when she began to paddle as well, she quickly fell into a rhythm with him.

  “You’re doing great,” Nicholas said. “Now, I'd like to practice some basic turning and stopping before we go any further. We’ll also try a couple of shallow-water drills to practice climbing back in if one of us should fall out.”

  That took up the next half hour, but the time seemed to pass far more quickly than that. Nicholas was such a patient teacher, and to Rachel’s surprise, he didn’t seem to be in a hurry to push her into more advanced techniques until she was ready. She had assumed that he would want to get her out onto the open ocean to guide the kayak through the bigger waves. Yet, he simply seemed to be happy being in the shallower waters with her. And the truth was that once she'd gotten over her initial concerns, it was really nice to relax out on the water, moving in perfect h
armony as they paddled around the little cove.

  “They thought about using this area as one of the sites for the island docks,” she told him.

  “When was that?”

  “Back in my great-grandfather’s day. It's closer to the berry fields and there aren’t any big rocks on the way in, but the berry pickers who were starting to move to the island liked the current spot better because it is closer to town. From there, it’s a clear shot over to Seattle, so they could get there a little easier on their days off, and it wasn’t as far to bring building materials when they were first setting up.”

  “I love hearing about the history of the island. Is berry picking still a big industry here?”

  “Yes, although these days we also get a lot of artists and marine researchers during whale-migration season.”

  “Speaking of whales, how do you feel about heading out a little further to see if we can spot any?”

  Rachel had done that so many times as a kid, heading out in a small boat looking for whales. She used to love it, whether it was on a friend’s small sailing dinghy or in a rowboat. In fact, she’d spent so much time swimming in the ocean as a kid that people had joked that she must have webbed feet. She could remember plenty of other good times, too. Parties in the caves near the cliffs on the north side. Running and climbing and laughing with a wide circle of friends.

  Of course, back then she had blindly followed—and trusted—her feelings. Which had ended up giving her the amazing gift of her daughter. But, at the same time, it had also been more than a little traumatic when she'd realized that she was going to be a single mother.

  Rachel wouldn't give up Charlotte for anything, but there had been enough pain associated with losing Guy and knowing he didn't want to even see his own child to persuade her to be more careful in the future.

  Much more careful.

  “Actually, do you think you have all the shots you need?”

  “Probably, for today anyway,” Nicholas said, “but I thought you were enjoying this.”

  “I am, but I should get back instead of looking for whales today.” While she’d been paddling with Nicholas, it had been easy to forget about the work she still had to do to make up for being out of the office, the grocery shopping that needed to be done, not to mention the bathroom door that really needed a fresh coat of paint before she went to pick Charlotte up from dance class. “I have a lot of things I need to take care of.”

  “No problem, we can head back now.” Nicholas was already paddling back toward the beach. After they'd gotten out of the kayak and were carrying it up the shore, he said, “Maybe when you're done with everything you need to take care of, we could get dinner?”

  It seemed like such a simple offer, so casual. And, honestly, who wouldn't love to have dinner with a guy who not only looked like him, but who had been so thoughtful time and time again? Yet, she knew better than to let herself be tempted by not only this offer of dinner, but by all the other adventures that she could already sense he would want to take her on simply because that was who he was at his core.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  The look he gave her as they set the kayak down was full of questions about why she continued to push him away when they clearly had such great chemistry. Questions she wasn't at all prepared to answer because she was afraid they would reveal far too much.

  But instead of asking her any of those questions, he simply said, “Soon, I hope, you will think it's a good idea.”

  Flustered by his clear message that he wasn't giving up on her, even if he was going to let her refusal of his dinner invitation go tonight, she tried not to let it show as she politely asked him, “Can I give you a ride back to my grandmother’s house?”

  “I need to chat with the crew for a bit, but thank you for coming out with me on the kayak today. It really helped.” He put his hand over hers. “And I really appreciate you taking a risk on me.”

  Even though she found she didn't like to imagine anyone else having fun with him out on the ocean, she said, “Hopefully, Morgan will be back on her feet by the time your next segment comes around.” It wasn't easy to pull her hand away from his, but she made herself do it. “Good-bye, Nicholas.”

  A few minutes later, when she got back to her car, the only reason Rachel didn’t leave tire tracks behind as she set off for home was because driving off at a high speed wouldn’t have been safe. Although right then, the truth was that nothing felt particularly safe anymore.

  Particularly the way she was feeling about the surfer with the sweet and sexy smile...

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “We'll just add one last touch with the bow in the front of your dress,” Rachel said that evening as she tied the satin ribbon into place on Charlotte's pink party dress. “Gorgeous!”

  “Why do we need to look so pretty, Mommy?”

  “Tonight’s a very special night. All your aunts are going to be there, and Michael, Brian and Joel, and so are Grandpa Tres and Great-Grandma Ava.”

  Every year, the whole family met up for a big fall dinner, usually not long after Rachel’s father had returned from leading his educational tours through Europe and was back teaching at the high school. It was the one time you could guarantee that all of the Walkers would be in the same room at the same time, with Morgan coming in from New York when she had lived there and Hanna taking the ferry in from Seattle.

  Tonight, Rachel had decided they would walk to Grams' house as she wanted to have a glass or two of wine with her family and she wasn’t going to risk driving afterward.

  “Is Aunt Hanna's hair still pink?”

  “I'm sure it's some bright color,” Rachel said with a laugh. “In any case, we'll find out for sure soon.”

  “Can I have pink hair?”

  Rachel smiled at her daughter's question, one she'd known was coming. “I think your hair looks very pretty as it is.”

  “Will Nicholas be there?”

  He wasn’t family, but Grams always loved to include her houseguests in whatever events were happening while they were on the island. Still, Rachel said, “I don't know,” because she didn't want to get Charlotte's hopes up, especially when her daughter was clearly hoping that he would be at the party. But he'd been too busy partying to have dinner with her grandmother and sisters the previous night, hadn't he?

  They stopped for a few minutes to watch a butterfly, and by the time they arrived at Grams', Paige was at the door waiting for them. For once, she wasn’t wearing dance gear, although she was still dressed in the elegantly understated way she favored.

  “Rachel, Charlotte, there you are. The others just arrived, as well.”

  Charlotte rushed forward to hug her aunt. Before she’d started school, Charlotte had spent quite a lot of her free time down at Grams’ dance school, where Paige did a lot of the teaching. The two of them were very close.

  Not wanting to give herself away by immediately asking if Nicholas was also there, Rachel said instead, “How is Dad doing with Joel?” Their father had been away in Europe when Joel and Hanna had fallen in love. He’d said he was happy about their relationship, but a feud between their families had gone on for a long time—generations even—and it was obvious to all of them that their father was still trying to get used to having a Peterson as a new member of the Walker family.

  “They’re getting on just fine, thankfully,” Paige said. “And Emily’s in the kitchen, like always. I would have tried to help, but when Michael did, she immediately shooed him out of the room. And Morgan is obviously drinking cough syrup like water just to be here.”

  “Poor thing,” Rachel said as she took Charlotte through to the dining room, where everyone was sitting around the huge wooden table. This room was the heart of the home Rachel had grown up in, and it said a lot about the Walker household that, even with everyone gathered together, it didn’t feel overcrowded.

  It felt just right.

  Rachel made her way around the table, hugging each of her si
sters and then her father and grandmother. Hanna had switched the streak in her hair from pink to blue, and Charlotte reached up to touch it when Hanna knelt down to say hello.

  “No, you can’t have your hair blue either,” Rachel said to forestall the obvious question.

  Beside them, Morgan smiled. “Hanna makes more changes to her hair than I do.”

  “That’s because I’m behind the camera, not in front of it, so I can afford to be a continuity nightmare.”

  When Charlotte began to reach up to hug Morgan, her sister said, “I'm sorry, sweetie, it’s better if you don’t. I’m afraid I'm still full of germs.”

  Taking her seat, Rachel was struggling with a mixture of both relief and disappointment that Nicholas wasn't there, when suddenly he breezed in—sending her heart rate immediately flying. Charlotte made a sound of joy and immediately launched herself into his arms.

  “Are you feeling better?” he asked her little girl.

  “Yes,” she replied as she hugged him tight, “and I love my new stuffed rabbit.”

  With a ruffle of her hair, he put her back down just as Grams said, “I was beginning to wonder where you’d gotten to. We can’t have you missing dinner with us again.” Rachel was surprised by the way her grandmother was calling Nicholas out on partying rather than spending time with them the night before. Ava wasn't usually so confrontational. But then she added, “Did everything go all right with the production company?”

  “It all looks like it's going to be fine,” Nicholas replied. “I’ve always loved family dinners, even when it isn’t my family, and I really am sorry that dealing with the issues that came up with filming meant I had to miss dinner yesterday and that I'm racing in today, as well.”

  Rachel felt a pang of guilt that she had jumped to conclusions yet again, simply because his job was professional thrill-seeking. He hadn't been partying, he'd been working.