All He Ever Needed (15 page)

“You slept with my wife.”

“I did
not
sleep with your wife. I didn’t even technically sleep with your girlfriend, since you were broken up at the time.”

“It was just a fight.”

“We were nineteen.”

Paige had to work hard to keep a straight face. Not because Ed Grandmaison could seriously hold a grudge, but because watching Mitch’s charm have absolutely no effect on somebody was a first.

“What kind of favor are you looking for?”

“I don’t know if you’ve heard anything, but things are a little rough at the Northern Star right now,” Mitch said, which had to be tough for him to say to a man who hated him. “We were thinking, if we could connect to the ATV trails, we could have business year round instead of only when there’s snow on the ground. But to do that, we’d need your permission to cut in a small trail across the far corner of your property.”

“You’re kidding.”

“It’s not just about the Northern Star Lodge,” Paige said quickly, stepping forward so she was next to Mitch. “If we can get the four-wheelers into Whitford, it would benefit the entire town. If visitors stay at the lodge so they can access the trail system, they’ll also get gas and eat and buy incidentals.”

Ed looked at her, his mouth in a grim line. “Are you his girlfriend?”

“I’m Paige Sullivan. I own the Trailside Diner.” She shook his hand without answering the question. “‘Trailside’ means the sled trails right now, but ATVs coming into town would benefit my business, as well as the Kowalskis’. And many other businesses as well.”

“I’d have to talk to my
wife
,” he said, with a noticeable emphasis on the word “wife.”

“Absolutely,” Mitch told him. “You’ll both have questions, and we’d put you in contact with the ATV club so they could explain how the insurance policy that would cover you works and all of that. But right now, I just need to know if you’ll at least consider the possibility.”

Ed shrugged. “I’ll consider it. The economy sucks all over and I’d hate to put the screws to a whole town because you put the screws to my wife.”

“I—” Mitch began, but Paige poked him in the back. “Thank you.”

They left before the conversation could go downhill any further. Mitch kept a sedate pace on the dirt, but as soon as they hit the main road, he cracked the throttle and let the bike roar back toward Whitford.

* * *

The following day, the guys set to work emptying out the last few piles of crap in the barn so they could finally start work on the floor, while Mitch’s brain set to work on the puzzle of the fried bologna sandwiches.

It couldn’t be a coincidence. Supposedly there was no such thing as a coincidence. And, if it had been most of the other women he’d casually dated in the past, he’d say it was somehow a deliberate ploy to get to his heart through his stomach by way of a sandwich that made him think of home, family and love.

But Paige wasn’t like any of the women he’d casually dated in the past, and he couldn’t imagine her playing that kind of silly game. Which meant he was enjoying the company of—and having the best sex of his life with—a woman who also happened to make perfect fried bologna sandwiches.

That wasn’t good at all.

“Your girlfriend’s here.”

Ryan’s words had Mitch picking his head up and looking before his brain could send out the message to play it cool. Sure enough, Paige’s car was pulling up the drive, and he grabbed the T-shirt he’d tossed on a pile to mop some of the sweat off his face as she parked next to Ryan’s truck.

Once the initial boost his system got from seeing her faded, a low buzz of annoyance hummed through him. Showing up at his home unannounced crossed a boundary. The boundaries were fluid and he hadn’t spelled them out exactly, but he hadn’t thought he needed to.

She looked pretty, though, with her hair up in a ponytail and her Trailside Diner T-shirt hugging her curves in a way that made his hands itch to take its place. He walked out to meet her in the drive, and she smiled with her gaze firmly on his chest.

“You’re all hot and sweaty,” she said.

“Sorry.” That’s what happened when you dropped by uninvited while a guy was working.

“Oh, I wasn’t complaining.” She walked around to the passenger side of her car and grabbed a basket out of the backseat.

“Um…” If his “girlfriend” had brought him a picnic lunch, Ryan was never going to let him live it down.

“Is Rose inside?”

“What?”

“Rose. Is she inside?” She held up the basket. “Mrs. Dozynski asked me to bring some plum pierogi up to her.”

“Really? Plum?” He tried to peek under the cloth covering the top of the basket, but Paige slapped his hand.

“Mrs. Dozynski said you can’t have any. And neither can Josh.”

Now, that was just mean. “Mrs. D’s pierogies are almost worth firing Andy for.”

“She said you’d say that and she also said it’s too late, so don’t bother.”

She started to walk past him, but he hadn’t quite wrapped his mind around what was going on yet. “So you didn’t come to see me?”

“I wasn’t even sure if you’d be here. I ran into Mrs. Dozynski at the library and she was upset because she made these special for Rose, but both Dozer and Lauren were too busy to drive them out to her, so I volunteered.”

“Oh.” He stared after her as she carefully made her way up the stairs and went inside. So she wasn’t there to see him. That was a good thing.

He went back to work, thankful but a little surprised that Ryan didn’t rib him about Paige showing up, and then blowing him off. Maybe hearing Lauren’s name was enough to shut him up. Sometime very soon he was going to have to get to the bottom of the Ryan and Lauren situation. Lauren had married Ryan’s best friend and had a kid and, at some point, Ryan had stopped coming home on a regular basis. Though he couldn’t put his finger on exactly what, Mitch was pretty sure there was a connection there.

When they’d put in another half hour of work and Paige still hadn’t come out, Mitch declared it break time and grabbed his shirt. As gross as it felt, he pulled it on before he walked in the kitchen door. Rosie had rules about people running around her home not fully clothed.

Paige was sitting at the kitchen table with Rosie, a glass of iced tea in front of her, and they were both laughing. They stopped when they noticed he’d come in, which he had to admit gave him a little bit of a complex.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he said, walking over to the fridge and hoping Rosie had made a fresh batch of lemonade, strike or no strike. He knew she’d been cleaning on the sly because toilets didn’t scrub themselves, but he wished she’d worry a little less about shower scum and a little more about the fridge and pantry.

“Rosie was telling me about the time Liz talked Katie into cutting her hair short so she could get onto the baseball team.”

He laughed at the memory as he settled for a soda from the fridge. No lemonade, dammit. “The entire thing was a mess. To start with, we all played for the team already, so I’m not sure how she was going to explain a fifth Kowalski boy.”

“A troubled cousin from the city who’d been sent to live with Uncle Frank and Aunt Sarah in the country is what I was told,” Rosie said.

“Yeah, that was gonna work in this town.”

Paige laughed softly and Mitch’s fingers tightened around the soda can. In the kitchen of the place he called home, laughing with the woman who was like a mother to him, Paige looked as though she belonged. It
felt
like she belonged.

He pushed away from the counter he’d been leaning against and headed for the back door. “I’ll leave you ladies to your stories.”

After he chugged down his soda and pulled off the T-shirt, Mitch threw himself back into the work. So what if Paige seemed to be a perfect fit for the lodge and for Rose and for the whole damn town? Didn’t make her a perfect fit for
him
.

She stayed another half hour, which he knew because, no matter how hard he tried to put her out of his mind, he kept listening for the door. Unfortunately, when she did finally come out, she didn’t head for her car and leave so he could get his head back on straight. She headed straight for him.

“You guys are really making a mess.”

“It’s supposed to be heated parking for the guests’ snowmobiles, but I don’t know how they get any in here with all the crap piled up. But we’ve got to redo the floor, so out it goes.”

“Lucky you.”

“Have you ever been sledding?” He wasn’t sure why he asked, since what he really wanted was for her to leave.

“Nope. They look fun, but the winter activity I’m best at is reading.”

He opened his mouth, then closed it with a snap when he realized he was about to offer to take her out for a ride. He’d probably be making a few trips back now that the lodge’s future was uncertain, so he could take her out once there was snow. But that would be as good as telling her that, after he left this time, he’d be back and he’d want to see her again. Mitch didn’t do that.

“Reading’s good,” he said.

“I should get going. I have some bookkeeping to get done and I need to review Gavin’s upcoming specials. He’s on probation because people found out he’d fed them tofu.”

Mitch laughed, trying to imagine
that
reaction. “Bet that went over well.”

“Gavin keeps telling me they liked it until they found out what it was, but I told him you can’t just spring that sort of thing on people raised on meatloaf and shepherd’s pie.”

When she turned to leave, he grabbed her hand, threading his fingers through hers. “Ryan leaves tomorrow and I have to catch up on some work—real work—but maybe Monday night we could go out somewhere. Get some dinner or something?”

Her smile heated his body in a way the sun and exertion couldn’t. “That sounds great. I’ll see you then. About six would be good.”

“Wear that red sundress you wore for Old Home Day.” He leaned in and kissed her, not really giving a damn who might be watching. Then he stood there like an idiot, watching until her car disappeared down the driveway.

Chapter Fifteen

By the time six o’clock rolled around on Monday, Paige had managed to make herself feel utterly ridiculous. It was silly how much time and effort she’d put into her hair and makeup just to go to dinner with Mitch.

When he’d requested she wear the red sundress, she’d gotten a thrill from the realization he’d probably spent some time remembering how she looked in it. And she’d also assumed that meant they wouldn’t be taking his motorcycle. She liked riding the bike, but knowing her hair wouldn’t be plastered to her head by the helmet had her taking the time to style it. She kept the makeup light and put on a pair of sandals that were comfortable, but dressy enough to go someplace nice if that was what he had in mind.

The nerves took her by surprise. Even though she didn’t have to worry about a good-night kiss or any awkwardness about inviting him in, her stomach was jumpy and her color was high when she checked her reflection in the mirror for the umpteenth time.

Tonight was different somehow, she admitted to herself. This was a date and that didn’t mesh with the rationalizations she’d used on herself to get into bed with him in the first place. It was too real and neither of them did real.

She was in trouble. Besides offering her some temporary fun, Mitch had shown her just how lonely she’d been. Two years alone had been good for her—she owned a home and a thriving business and that sense of home she’d always craved—but it was time to start thinking about sharing that life with somebody.

And, stupid her, she couldn’t fall for somebody as grounded in Whitford as she was. There had to be some nice single men in town looking for a local woman to settle down with. They’d make a life together, send their kids to the Whitford schools and watch them grow up in the community Paige had come to love. But no, she had to let her head be turned by a man who had his own life somewhere else and absolutely no interest in returning to Whitford for good.

Well, she wasn’t giving up her dream, lonely or not, she told her reflection. She was going to go out and have a good time and maybe, after Mitch left town, she’d start looking for somebody who wanted the same things in life she did. And if she couldn’t find another man who made her feel the way he did, at least she’d still have her home and her diner, because she wouldn’t throw it all away to chase after him.

Thankfully, a vehicle pulled into the back of the lot and saved her from the chaos of her own thoughts. It was time to have some fun.

Mitch was dressed casually, in a T-shirt and cargo shorts, so she knew they weren’t going anywhere too fancy. She didn’t care. She felt pretty in the dress, and the heat in his eyes when he looked at her made every second she’d spent fussing over her appearance worth it.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her until she was afraid her hair would stand on end from the sexual energy they generated, and then slid his hand down her arm to lace his fingers with hers. “You ready to go?”

He’d brought the lodge’s truck, and when he opened the door for her, she wasn’t quite sure how she was going to climb up into it while preserving her modesty. When he turned her around and then lifted her by the waist to set her on the edge of the seat, she leaned forward to give him a quick kiss of thanks.

But, with his body wedged between her legs, Mitch wasn’t content with a fast peck on the lips. He slid his hands under the sundress and over her thighs as his mouth captured hers and refused to let it go. With her ankles locked around his waist, he was a little too low, but if he’d just stand on the running board, he could…

A car door slammed and jerked Paige back to reality. They were in the diner parking lot, though, thank goodness, he’d parked with the passenger door facing her trailer. She shoved him away with a laugh, and then swung her legs into the truck.

“Can’t blame a guy for trying,” he said before closing her door.

They chatted as he drove left-handed, his right hand busy holding hers in the middle of the seat. Ed Grandmaison had already sent an email through the lodge’s website telling them he’d been in touch with the ATV club and he’d probably be willing to consider letting them cut across his land.

Mitch paused in the telling to shake his head. “Made it very clear he was doing it for the benefit of both towns, not out of any love for the Kowalski family or the lodge.”

“As long as he’s willing to do it, it doesn’t matter why. And Carl and I were talking about what it could mean for our business in the summer. More weekend customers, probably.”

“At least you don’t have carpeting. Those extra weekend customers will be covered in dust if it’s dry or mud if it’s not.”

“We’re thinking about offering brown bag lunches. Premade sandwiches, a bag of chips and a drink to go. They can sit on their machines or walk down to the park or take the lunches with them if they want.”

He squeezed her hand. “I think that’s a great idea. I hope it all comes together, for everybody’s sake.”

Paige fought back the case of the warm fuzzies his words brought on, reminding herself the sense of
togetherness
was only temporary. It would be her and Josh and a few other people working with the ATV club and the Grandmaisons, and meeting with the town to get everything in place and organize work parties. Mitch would be gone before the fruits of his labor needed tending.

When he put on his blinker to turn into a fast-food joint, she arched an eyebrow and he laughed. “Trust me.”

It wasn’t exactly what she’d expected, but she played along. And when he drove to a public park and carried their paper bags of food in one hand as he led her out to a gazebo on the shore of a small lake, she was glad she did.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, watching a sailboat drift through the sun’s reflection on the water.

“I was going to take you to that spot by the river where I first kissed you, but I was afraid I wouldn’t stop with kissing this time, and I don’t want the food to go to waste after it took somebody thirty-eight seconds to cook it. Here there are enough people around so I have to behave myself.”

He managed to do just that, more or less. They polished off their meal almost as quickly as it had been made and then walked toward the shore, hand in hand. A father was teaching his son to use a radio-controlled boat and they watched for a few minutes. The family tossing a Frisbee around in what looked like a game of keep-away with the dog made them laugh. A couple stealing a romantic kiss behind a huge oak made Paige smile.

As dates went, it was almost perfect. Quiet and sweet, with an undertone of anticipation that sizzled every time he brushed her hair off her bare shoulders or rested his hand at the small of her back.

As the sun went down, he led her to a bench near the gazebo where they’d eaten and gestured for her to sit. “Just a little longer. I promise I’ll get you to bed early so you don’t throw your alarm across the room in the morning.”

Her head was on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around hers, when the first burst of fireworks exploded in the barely dark sky. Paige gasped and tilted her head to look at him. “Did you know that was going to happen?”

“Of course I did.” He grinned. “Well, I knew it was going to happen. I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to see them, though. The town across the lake has a small show every night—a tourist thing, I guess—and I thought we’d have a view from here, but I wasn’t sure.”

Another burst, higher this time, and then another made Paige grin like a little kid. She loved fireworks, always had, though this was her first time watching them in the arms of a sweet, sexy man.

And it was the first time she was ever kissed breathless while a grand finale flashed and boomed overhead.

* * *

Mitch had made a deal with Paige and now it was killing him, but he couldn’t take it back. She was behind on work and he always had work to do, so they’d taken the big table at the back of the diner after her shift ended. They’d work for two hours and then he could have his way with her.

He hadn’t known when he’d agreed to it that she sucked the end of her pen when she was thinking. And she was doing a lot of thinking, so she was doing a lot of sucking. How the hell was he supposed to read reports from his crews when she kept sliding the pen between her lips like that?

When he nudged her foot with his, she looked up from the papers spread in front of her. She must have read his mind, because she frowned at him. “Mitch, really? It’s barely been twenty minutes.”

Damn. The night before last he’d finally had the pleasure of peeling that red sundress off her, but last night, between Ryan calling about the lodge and Scott about work and an inspector from Chicago, it seemed as if his phone wouldn’t stop ringing. By the time he was done, it had been too late to head to Paige’s. He knew he kept her up too late on a regular basis, as it was.

The end result was a bad case of wanting her and not wanting to focus on work. She didn’t seem to have that problem, though, as she kept on sucking that damn pen and occasionally using it to make notes on whatever she was reading.

When Ava passed through to refill their coffee mugs, Paige looked up. “Can you ask Gavin to come back here if he gets a free minute?”

“Sure thing.”

The kid didn’t waste any time, appearing before Paige had even finished putting cream and sugar in her coffee. Seeing the kid made Mitch feel a little old. He could remember when Gavin was little enough so his dad had to boost him onto a stool to order his ice cream. He fixed his coffee while the kid talked to his boss.

“How can so many people from Maine hate seafood?” Gavin was asking.

“I don’t think it was the scallops,” Paige said. “I think it was the Gouda cheese. And this veal with wine casserole you want to make… I’m a little hesitant about that. Is there any way you could substitute chicken first and see how people react to wine in their casserole before we spring for veal?”

Judging by the dramatic sigh, Mitch got the feeling the kid felt like an artist who’d been asked to paint a masterpiece with an elementary-school watercolor set. “I guess. Can I try the cold melon soup again? It’s perfect for the weather if people would just give it a chance.”

It was Paige’s turn to sigh. “Yes, but let’s come up with a different word for
soup
. People expect soup to be hot, so they’re not inclined to trust the dish right from the start.”

Gavin walked away muttering under his breath, but Paige just smiled and shook her head. “He thinks it’s tough now. Wait until he moves to the city and he’s low man on the totem pole. When he’s only allowed to cook what he’s told to cook, he’ll look back on this job with a lot more affection.”

“I ran into his old man the other day. He told me Gavin loves working here and it’s really building his confidence, along with giving him some real-world experience to take with him into culinary school.”

“I’ll miss him when he’s gone. And the specials board won’t be nearly so exciting.”

Whatever Paige did next required more writing and less thought, so Mitch was finally able to focus on the laptop in front of him. His leg rested against hers under the table and every once in a while she’d rub her ankle on his, which made him smile. Not bad conditions to work under, really.

If she had a bigger house, he could see them like this—maybe at the dining room table or the coffee table. The two of them working side-by-side until it was time to curl up on the couch to watch television, because he’d insist they get one, and then curl up in bed. It made for a cozy picture and it worried him his mind didn’t instinctively recoil from the image of domestic bliss. He didn’t
do
domestic bliss.

At the one hour and forty-five minute mark, his cell phone rang and he practically jumped on it in his effort to drive the silly thoughts about him and Paige and a house out of his head. “Hello?”

“Your brother’s an idiot.” It was Rose and she didn’t sound happy.

“You’ll have to be more specific.”

“Josh fell getting out of the tub and it sounds like he’s stuck, if not hurt. He either can’t or won’t unlock the door to let me in.”

“Can’t Andy help him?”

“He went fishing with Drew. I guess things aren’t going so well with Mallory and they needed some father—son time.”

Mitch closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Do you think he’s hurt?”

“He’s cussing up a blue streak, so I’d say he’s either hurt or mad as hell. But he says he’s okay, so probably not too bad.”

“I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Paige’s concern was written all over her face. “Who’s hurt?”

“Josh fell and he won’t let Rosie mother him. I’m going to have to take a rain check on having my way with you.”

“Anticipation makes it all the sweeter.”

“Unless my balls explode in the meantime,” he muttered before remembering they were in a very public place. He glanced around, but either the obvious fact they were working or Ava’s interference had kept the customers at the other end of the diner.

After gathering his stuff, he leaned down and kissed her. “Your place tomorrow?”

“I’ll make dinner.”

He kissed her again, then went out to his truck and made the drive back to the lodge in a few minutes less than was legal. Nobody was around, so he went up the stairs, assuming Josh was still on the bathroom floor.

Rose had never looked so glad to see him as she did at that moment. “He won’t tell me what’s going on.”

“Go find me a nail or something else long and thin I can pop this push-button lock with.” After she left, he pounded on the door. “Josh, what the hell’s going on in there?”

“Leave me alone.”

“As soon as Rosie gets back, I’m popping the lock.”

A stream of curse words that would have made a sailor proud was the only response, so Mitch waited until Rose hurried back with a knitting needle. “I think this one’s small enough to do it.”

“Thanks. Go downstairs and I’ll let you know when the coast is clear.”

She looked as though she wanted to argue, but Mitch stood firm. There was a good chance Josh’s worst injury was going to be to his pride, but at least brothers didn’t have much dignity between them in the first place. After another stream of curses from the bathroom, she gave Mitch a sharp look and walked away.