Pick Me (2 page)

“Hold on to me as tight as you can,” he said.

Talk about a sentence she never thought she’d hear from Calder Frye! But then, nothing about this night was believable. One minute she’d been cast out by her boyfriend to shuffle and weep her way down a dark street, the next she was wrapping her arms around Calder Frye’s hard chest and pressing her nose into his shoulder, taking in deep, coppery breaths of him.

He revved the engine.

“Where are we going again?” she asked.

He smiled at her over his shoulder. “Wherever we want.”

Chapter One

Magnolia Bay, South Carolina

May, Present Day

Her
watery eyes never leaving the road, Thea Dunn reached across the buttercream leather seat of her Lexus for the box of tissues, yanked one out, and blew her nose one-handed.

No one would have believed it: a no-nonsense, thirty-two-year-old lawyer who never flinched in the courtroom, who stared down defendants without blinking, and she had been reduced to tears by a damn bug.

And not just any bug—a termite. Lots of them. Enough of the winged monsters that the term “infestation” had been used.

And not since “Guilty” had one word had such an impact on Thea’s world.

In fairness, she wouldn’t put all the blame for her breakdown on the bugs. It had been, after all, a grueling year. After recovering from the drama that had surrounded her baby sister,
Peach marrying into one of their family’s professional rivals, the Lovelesses, Thea had spent the winter fighting her way through an exhausting case whose unfortunate outcome would now go to appeal. Then, a few days ago, Dennis Connolly, the attorney she’d been seeing for three years—the man she was certain was days away from proposing marriage—had unexpectedly dumped her at a friend’s crab boil.

And just when Thea was sure the bird of Life couldn’t crap on her head one more time, there was the discovery of termites in her Charleston townhouse. When the inspector had informed her she’d have to vacate the property for at least a week during the fumigation, Thea decided it was the perfect excuse to finally use the two weeks of vacation she’d been saving for her and Dennis’ romantic getaway—since it turned out the only thing Dennis Connolly wanted to get away from was
her
.

It was Thea’s younger sister, Willa, who’d found the condo rental in Arcadia Dunes and called Thea up—in typically-impulsive-Willa fashion at two in the morning—to insist she take it. At first Thea had balked, no more interested in spending her vacation in the place where she was raised than she was in sharing her home with termites. Unlike her three sisters who had remained in their hometown, Thea had moved out after graduation for law school and traded the quaint, small-town comforts of Magnolia Bay for the lavish, busy universe of Charleston. But the more Thea had thought about her sister’s insistent sales pitch, the more Thea warmed to the idea. If she ever hoped to heal from Dennis’ painful departure, her sisters’ company would be the perfect balm.

Now as she pulled her car through the gates of Bay Villas and got her first full look at her home for the next two weeks, Thea had to admit it wasn’t half bad. The landscaping was tidy and colorful, short sago palms and blooming oleanders—and after unloading the trunk and carrying her bags inside, she was relieved—and a little shocked—to find the interior equally bright and inviting. As a lawyer, Thea was used to dishonesty and phony claims. But this place was everything the agent had promised. Sunlight streamed in through tall windows, bathing pale blue and cream walls and hardwood floors. The kitchen was sleek and modern, with shiny granite countertops, open shelving and a cozy breakfast bar, and the master bedroom offered a plush queen bed with enough pillows to stock a Bed, Bath and Beyond.

But the real test was to come. Thea moved through the nautical-themed sitting room to the patio door and slid it open. Pleasure and relief coursed through her to see the familiar stretch of the bay spread out, the still water cushioned by patches of soft green marsh grass, then the feel of the breeze on her face, the beloved warmth feathering her cheeks, carrying the tangy flavor of the bay.

The deck itself was small but welcoming: a pair of wicker chairs with terracotta cushions hugged a glass-topped table. Pots of petunias sat along the perimeter of the deck. A wind chime trimmed with sand dollars played a sweet song as the wind tickled it into motion where it hung from the railing. It was a picture-perfect seaside retreat, Thea decided. All that was missing was a glass of white wine. Good thing she’d brought a bottle already chilled.

Thea glanced to her right, seeing the tall wall of lattice that separated her deck from that of her neighbor’s. She considered the proximity, the thin nature of the divider, and frowned. She’d been told the townhouses abutted one another and that their decks were—what was the word the agent had used—cozy? This was cozy, all right. Thea only hoped her neighbor wasn’t one of those people who loved to sit on their porch and talk loudly on the phone for hours. This close, privacy would be a challenge.

Behind her, the purr of an airplane began to rise through the gentle quiet, growing louder, and she searched the sky to see it.

Wait—that wasn’t an airplane. A motorcycle?

She turned slowly, the sound growing in volume, which meant the motorcycle was getting closer. Dread swept over her and she recited a quiet prayer as she listened to the noise increase:
Please don’t let it pull in next door, please…

The engine roared into the neighboring driveway and stopped.

Crap. Thea glared toward the door. She’d put up with enough stress and infuriation in the last few weeks; she hadn’t come all the way out here to live next to the Magnolia Bay Chapter of Hell’s Angels!

She made her way down the steps and rounded the condo. Like any good lawyer, she’d state her case up front and leave no room for doubt as to her intentions: to have a peaceful and relaxing two week vacation. Whoever rode in on that bike would simply have to agree to that, or they’d need more than a panel of lattice between their decks.

When she came marching around the row of shoulder-high sago palms to her neighbor’s driveway, she found the offender straddling his idling motorcycle, the engine still so loud she had to shout across the driveway to get his attention.

“Excuse me!”

The helmeted man looked up and cut the ignition.

She assumed her best courtroom voice and said, “Look, I’ve just moved into this condo for my vacation, and I’m really looking forward to some peace and quiet while I’m here, so if you wouldn’t mind not revving your motorcycle for the next two weeks, I’d really appreciate it.”

A deep, warm voice answered from under the visor. “Thea Dunn?”

Since she was already so flushed with anger, Thea’s skin barely pinked when the rider tugged off his helmet, revealing auburn hair that was much shorter than the way he’d worn it in high school.

But there was no mistaking those turquoise eyes.

She blinked at him. “Calder?”

One side of his mouth slid up toward a smile. “I thought that was you.”A juvenile rush of pleasure sparked inside her, momentarily making her forget that she had just had a full-on meltdown.

Calder cocked his head toward her condo. “So you’re the new tenant?”

“I—I am,” she said, flustered. “Just for two weeks.”

“So we’re neighbors.”

She nodded while her mind swam: Neighbors. Her and Calder Frye.

Holy God
.

Why hadn’t she kept in touch with all those high school friends she’d lost after graduation? The teenager in her wanted to call up each one and hear them squeal with envy. Why had her sister, Connie, never mentioned that Calder was back in Magnolia Bay?

“I heard you’d moved to Charleston.” He climbed off his bike, still holding his helmet—Good Lord, she’d forgotten how tall he was.

“I did,” she said. “I’m just, you know, getting away from the city for a bit.” The explanation sounded much sexier than
I’m being chased out of my home by termites
. “What about you?”

“I’ve been back for a few months.” His eyes drifted down her body. “Man, you look great. Exactly the same.”

God, she hoped not. The last time he’d seen her she’d been a puffy-eyed, wild-haired, blubbering mess wandering down Main Street after escaping Senior Prom.

“Well…” As if reading her mind, he grinned and added, “Minus the prom dress, of course.”

Oh my God, that grin. She’d forgotten how that grin could cause her skin to prickle from her scalp to her toes.

If he thought she looked the same, he looked better than she remembered. If that was even possible.

“I’d invite you in for something cold,” he said, gesturing to his condo, “but I‘ve been at Mt. Pleasant’s Urgent Care since yesterday morning and I’m not really fit for company.”

The Urgent Care? Concern cut through her musings. “I’m sorry, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he said. “I’ve been grabbing shifts there when I can. I’m an ER doctor.”

Thea stared at him, trying to reconcile this news—ER Doctor—with the memory of Calder Frye, motorcycle-riding rebel of Magnolia Bay High.

He chuckled. “You should see your face right now.”

Thea stepped back in her embarrassment—even though his tone and expression held no offense. “It’s not that—I just—I didn’t mean—“

“It’s okay,” he said, rescuing her. “I’m fairly certain I wasn’t voted Most-Likely-to-be-a-Doctor from our class.” He swung his helmet to his other hand and raked his freed fingers through his hair. “How about you?”

“I’m a lawyer.”

“That’s great. Just like you planned.”

He remembered that? Another foolish burst of excitement skittered down her arms.

“Wow. Thea Dunn…” He considered her another moment. “Small world.”

“Small
town
.”

“That it is.”

“I’m really sorry for all that just now,” she said, regret burning up her neck. “I’m actually a pretty agreeable neighbor. I guess I’m just a little frazzled from the move.”

“No worries.” He grinned. “I’ll try to keep my revving to a minimum from here on out.”

“It’s really not that bad,” she said. “I mean, now that I know it’s you…” Shh! She needed to just be quiet and move on. She only hoped the puffiness around her eyes thanks to the crying jag she’d suffered on her way over was gone. It had been bad enough that he’d come upon her with swollen eyes once before fourteen years earlier.

Calder tossed his keys in his palm, fanning them out with the side of his thumb. “If you
need anything, anything at all, don’t hesitate to knock.”

“I won’t—I mean, I will. Knock, that is. Not hesitate.”

Oh God, just shut up already
!

She backed away, too quickly, and collided with a four-foot-high sago palm tree. “Oh!” Mortified, she looked up to find him wearing a sympathetic smile.

“Careful,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to have to treat you for a puncture wound your first day here. Those guys can really do some damage.”

“I believe it,” she managed to say before she twisted back to the path and rushed up the front steps.

Safe inside her condo, Thea turned and fell against her door with a groan.

So much for making a better first impression the second time around.

* * *

Only when she was in the bathroom running the tub and faced with her own reflection as she undressed, did Thea consider what Calder must have thought of
her
. In her haste to get out of town, she’d pulled on a pair of old yoga pants and a ratty College of Charleston t-shirt that was so thin her pink bra bled through. And her hair! It figured—the one day she’d been too lazy to blow it dry after a shower was the one day she’d see Calder Frye after fourteen years. The uncooperative blond waves she usually managed to tame straight with a blow dryer twisted around her face, thanks to the ponytail she’d knotted in the car on the way over when her hair was still wet.

She sank her disgust into a mountain of lavender-scented bubbles and sipped deeply on a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, letting the silky bathwater wash away the day’s stress. What did it matter, anyway? Calder Frye may have been her teenage fantasy, but she was an adult now—a recently-jilted adult—and this was real-life. For all she knew he was married or at least spoken for—and it wasn’t like he’d asked if she’d come alone in case
he
was interested.

Still…He had recognized her, had remembered that she’d wanted to be a lawyer when she grew up. Did he remember other things from that unlikely evening they’d spent together on prom night? She wasn’t sure if she hoped he did, or hoped he didn’t.

No, Thea decided, sliding further down into the warm, fragrant froth of suds, better if he didn’t. She was off men. Especially toe-curling ones. Her No-Romance Diet had begun in earnest. She’d just think of Calder Frye like a slice of cheesecake being wheeled by on a dessert cart, tempting her resolve. She’d resist.

Wrinkled and pruned a half hour later, she dressed in a pink tank and satin pajama pants and took the last of her wine out to the deck to enjoy the night. She’d forgotten how fresh and soft the night air was along the water, how the tangy scent of the marsh turned sweet in evening.