Love Believes (Sully Point, Book 5) (2 page)

When he moved to Sully Point he hadn't expected
culinary excellence. He hadn't known what to expect when he'd been approached
by financier Rob Tremaine. He'd heard that Tremaine had gotten involved in a
project outside the city, some kind of artist colony. When they'd met, he'd
learned that the project wanted a playhouse developed for the town. They wanted
to bring Summer Stock Theater to Sully Point. He'd met first with Rob, then
with two of the Grainger family, and Sam Carter, the writer. They weren't being
extravagant with money, but they were ready to back the playhouse to the hilt
to get it off the ground this summer.

William had been in a lull when it came to work.
Six months earlier he'd finished a long-running production on Broadway and had
taken time off to travel and re-group. What the investors here wanted was a
director, producer, and more to get the Sully Point Playhouse going. They counted
on his reputation to bring in the best. He had to admit, they'd presented the
theater project to him skillfully. Between knowing he'd be fully funded, with
complete control over how everything was set up, to the raw challenge of the
thing, he'd found he was excited at the prospect. To start something new, with
his imprint on it, something that might be around for a long time, made him
feel eager like hadn't felt the last few years.

He'd spent his life since high school involved
with the theater in some capacity. At the age of thirty-one, he was now a bit
jaded. So to feel the exhilaration of something new meant he'd said yes to the
family of investors. He'd now met all the families, which he lumped into one
big family, since everything seemed to have started with the Graingers. As they
had married, others were brought into their family, which now consisted of
several millionaires. What they were creating with their Sully Point Project
was impressive. An entire artist community was being developed as an adjunct to
the town.

After some thought he'd decided they needed an
amphitheater for the summer months, although it wouldn't be finished for this
summer. They would use tents this year or the actual Playhouse if necessary.
He'd envisioned the Playhouse being used in fall, winter, and spring. The
building was being renovated and he had hopes it would be completed in another
month or so. What he needed at this point was an assistant. He'd mentioned it
to Sam Carter and been told they would try and recommend some people for him to
interview.

He paid for his meal, leaving a good tip. He
remembered a summer or two of waiting tables and knew what it was to rely on
tip money. Leaving the Diner, he drove to his office. He pulled up in front of
the ugliest building in town, the one that housed Julia's Place, a computer
services shop. William liked the gargoyles on the front of the building,
thinking they added a nice touch of the macabre. His office was on the second
floor, for now anyway. Julia had told him they'd move him to a larger place
once he needed it, but this was the first available space they could find.

William thought Julia was one of the prettiest
women he'd ever seen. Long black hair to her waist was complimented by vivid
blue eyes. She had a good sense of humor, which he appreciated, and was devoted
to her husband, Cody and her daughter, Jennifer. He'd had some good talks with
her about the town of Sully Point, its high points, people, and history. She'd
also filled him in on the family structure behind the Sully Point Project, the
artist colony they were creating.

"Good morning, Julia," he said, entering
the main room.

She looked up from her computer with a smile.
"Hi. Did the Diner survive your critique this morning?"

"They did very well today. I recommend the
French toast. Any news I need to know about before I head upstairs?"

"I don't think so. Wait a minute, one thing.
I heard that Sam and Maggie's youngest sister is arriving today to stay for a
bit. None of us have met her yet. Other than that, nothing new."

"All right then. I'll be in my office."

Julia nodded and turned back to her computer
screen.

Hmm, he thought. Another family member. Fortunately,
that was nothing to do with him. He got down to work, irritably ordering
supplies and wishing for an assistant.

* * * *

Beth received a big hug from her brother Sam at the
airport. He then held her at arm's length and looked her up and down.

"You're all in one piece, but I can see in
your eyes that things haven't been going well," he said as he picked up
some of the suitcases and put them on a cart. "Anna's bringing the car
around so we can load it up. Did you have to bring your entire wardrobe?"

"Of course. You should have expected that. I
hope the guest room in your house has a big closet."

Sam glanced at her again and then they headed
outside. "That's something we need to discuss. We don't think my place is
the best choice for where you should stay."

"Sam, come on. You know if I'm at Maggie's
she'll grill me mercilessly about my life in L.A., and I'm not ready to talk
about it."

"Maggie's wasn't the first choice either. Ah,
here's Anna." He began piling luggage into the SUV. After they were all
settled in the car, and Beth had a chance to say hello to Anna and to Joshua in
his car seat, Sam continued. "We were all at dinner when you called about
coming out here, Anna and me, Maggie and Eric, and they suggested you use
Maggie's old apartment. It's still furnished and just sitting there since they
moved into their new house. We all figured that you'd like some space of your
own while you're here. Of course, if you'd rather stay with us at the beach
house, you'd be welcome."

Beth felt a big sense of relief at this speech.
"Thank you, Sam, and you too, Anna, for realizing that a place of my own would
be a help right now."

Anna said, "But we expect to see you at many
meals, so don't think you're getting away scot-free."

Beth laughed. "Don't worry, I plan to take
full advantage of yours and Sam's cooking. When I'm left to my own devices I
tend to just eat salads. It gets boring after a while."

"Haven't you learned to cook yet?" Sam
asked.

"Not really. I hate trying to cook for just
one person."

"No boyfriends at all?"

"Okay," Beth said. "I'll answer
this one question about that topic. And that's it. No, there have been zero
boyfriends for the past six months. The last one was a total loser, and the one
before that was way too full of himself."

"Well, you're pretty young to settle down at
this point in your life anyway," her big brother said.

"I'm twenty-one, not sixteen, Sam."

Anna said, "Sam."

He waved a hand. "Okay, okay. No more
comments on your love life or dating."

"Thanks," Beth said, winking at Anna.
She saw that they seemed to be in the middle of a small town. "So this is
Sully Point?"

"Yes, this is the town square. You can go
exploring later and we can do the official tour once you're settled in. The
apartment is just over here," Sam said, pointing to the Bakery. Anna
pulled the car into the parking lot behind it. "See those stairs? The apartment
is there, just above the Bakery."

"What did you say? A bakery? Right
downstairs?"

"That won't be a problem, will it?" Anna
asked anxiously. "I didn't even think you might be watching your
weight."

Sam laughed. "She's not. She never has. Eats
like a horse and never gains weight."

"Quick access to a bakery? Sounds great. I do
love pastries," Beth said with a grin.

They parked and got all of her suitcases up the
stairs. Sam opened the door and then gave Beth the key. "Welcome to your
new place."

She went inside and was immediately charmed by the
eclectic style. She recognized Maggie's imprint on the decorating. It made the
apartment feel homey to her. She knew she'd be comfortable here.

"It's perfect. I'll have to thank Maggie, and
Eric. I'm still shocked that she's married."

"And pregnant," Sam said.

"Yeah, that too. Blows my mind."

Anna pointed to the kitchen. "We stocked it
up with some basics, so you should be okay until we can get you to the grocery
store. Let's get something to drink."

Beth looked in the fridge and found it stocked
with flavored seltzer water, her favorite thing to drink. Choosing the black
cherry flavor, she poured it over ice and then gave some to Anna. They settled
in the living room as Sam came in with Joshua, who was sound asleep.

"What's Sully Point like, really?" she
asked.

"It's a quirky place, but fun, too," Sam
said. He proceeded to regale her with tales of the town, Anna prompting him
with details. They sat and chatted for an hour and then Anna stood up.

"We'll let you get unpacked and have a couple
hours to yourself," Anna said.

"Then I'll come back and pick you up for
dinner at our house tonight," her brother said.

"Thanks guys." She hugged each of them,
giving Joshua a kiss on the cheek. "See you later."

She shut the door behind them and took a deep
breath. Letting it out slowly, she smiled. She was grateful to them for giving
her some time to adjust. She wondered who would be at dinner tonight. She would
bet Maggie and Eric would show up. Maybe she'd even meet more of Anna's
relatives.

She headed back in to the living room to sit on
the green velvet couch. She noticed the hand paintings of flowers and vines on
the wooden bookcase, along with a crocheted throw over the cream-colored brocade
chair. Both of those were Maggie's doing, she was sure, knowing how her sister
loved arts and crafts of all types. No doubt she was having a blast preparing a
nursery.

Beth leaned back against the couch and closed her
eyes. It was so restful here. No auditions to prep for, no huge highways to
drive on, no stupid secretarial job so she could make money to live. She wasn't
looking forward to telling Sam and Maggie that she'd quit that job to come out
here for a visit. She knew, however, that she could get another one just like
it when she returned. If she returned...

It had occurred to her on the plane that maybe she
needed more than a weekend or even a week as a break. Maybe it was time to
reevaluate where she was going with her life. Hollywood had been nothing like
what she'd expected. Of course, all her experience had been on the stage.
Nothing in front of cameras, so maybe that was part of her problem. She'd loved
performing on stage in front of a live audience, especially when they weren't
prompted on when to laugh.

She got up and began unpacking, hanging clothes in
the closet and finally lining boots and shoes up against the bedroom wall when
she ran out of room in the bottom of the closet. When she saw them all standing
there in a row, it occurred to her that maybe she'd have an easier time making
ends meet if she stopped shoe shopping. But even the idea of that felt like
giving up something really important--like chocolate.

Chocolate. That made her think of the bakery
downstairs. It was going to be a while before dinner so she might as well check
it out. She locked up and went down the stairs and around to the front of the
building. She realized now why it had felt like Maggie was capitalizing the
name 'Bakery' once she saw the sign on the front window. That was the name,
just The Bakery. If she remembered correctly Anna had once worked here and it
was where she and Sam had met. Didn't Anna's sister own the place? She wasn't
sure.

Pushing the door open, she stood in the entrance
and inhaled deeply. A wonderful scent wafted over her, made up of cinnamon and
other spices and sugar and butter--everything good. She smiled and walked in.
She looked at the items under the glass countertop as the other customer in the
store was helped.

"We've got them freshly made today, Mr.
Christopher," the girl was saying, a bit anxiously Beth thought.
"It's the oatmeal with the raisins, too, just like you like them."

"Hmm. We'll see," the man said and took
a bite from the cookie in his hand. He chewed thoughtfully, and Beth wondered
who he could be. He was just a bit taller than she was, an interesting looking
man dressed all in black.

"Perfect," the man said. "You've
got them just right. I'll take a dozen."

"Oh, that's terrific, Mr. Christopher,"
the girl said with relief. Kayla was the name on the tag on her shirt. Beth
thought Kayla seemed rather desperate to please this Mr. Christopher.

She watched as the man left and then turned to
face Kayla. "He sure seems picky about his cookies."

Kayla sighed. "I can only hope it
helps."

"Helps what?"

"Oh, nothing," Kayla said. "Can I
help you?"

"Yes, what do you have with chocolate?"

It turned out that double fudge brownies were
still available. Beth bought two and mentioned she'd be back.

"I just moved in upstairs, so you should be
seeing a lot of me."

Kayla looked startled. "That means...you must
be Sam's sister! Welcome to town."

"You knew I was coming?"

"Oh, sure. Everyone knows." She lowered
her voice. "I heard it from Maelynne herself this morning, but don't tell
Maggie."

"My sister Maggie? Why wouldn't I tell her
that?"

"Oh, my goodness. You're Maggie's sister too,
aren't you? Well, she's the one who yelled at Maelynne on the street a few
months back. Things are still a bit tetchy between them."

Beth's eyebrows rose. "Maggie yelled at
someone? You sure you have the right person?"

Kayla nodded vigorously. "Yep, it was right
outside."

Beth shook her head in confusion. "Well,
seeing as how I don't even know this Maelynne person, I don't plan on talking
about her." She paused for a moment and looked back in the case. "You
know what? Give me a couple of Mr. Christopher's oatmeal raisin cookies. I want
to see what the fuss is about."