The Beach Blueprint: Hilton Head Island, #4

Chapter One

Joy Bartlett disembarked from the plane, her heartbeat one giant bass drum. She couldn’t believe what she was doing. Still, her step landed smoothly as she navigated the airport in Charleston, as she’d flown in here several times now.

She knew where the rental car counters were, and she knew how to get from there to the cars without even looking at the signs. She could drive from Charleston to Hilton Head easily now, and she couldn’t wait to spend Christmas with her besties. Well, some of them, at least.

Bessie had gone to Peachtree to spend the holidays with her daughter. Joy knew they had plans to talk about opening a franchise here in Hilton Head of a bakery. It wasn’t franchised anywhere else yet, and when they’d gone to lunch last week, Joy had told her to simply open her own bakery.

Why should she put money in the hands of her boss? She was an excellent baker, and with all the tourists here on the island, there was definitely room for another bakery—especially one that only delivered the best Texas sourdough…in South Carolina.

Bessie had started sketching out new plans, and she called Joy almost every day to talk about it.

Joy herself had not started talking to anyone about making a move from Sweet Water Falls, Texas, where she currently lived and worked full-time, to Hilton Head, South Carolina. Half of her Supper Club had made the move now, and the pull for Joy to do so felt like the weight of gravity on her soul.

At the same time, Joy was forty-seven years old, and she couldn’t go jump off a cliff—or move halfway across the country—just because all of her friends were doing it.

No, Joy had to have a blueprint first. She needed to be able to see her life here before she could commit to embracing anything that required her packing up almost fifty years of Texas lineage and moving it.

She hadn’t mentioned a possible relocation to either of her sons, and she had no husband she had to check off with. Her single grandchild pulled at her just as strongly, and she lived in Texas.

Thank you, she said to the rental car attendant as he lifted her bag into the back of the SUV she’d drive for the next two weeks. She’d packed a big bag and a backpack, but the latter would ride shotgun next to her.

The drive passed quickly, and before Joy knew it, she was turning into the parking lot of a restaurant called Mead’s. She’d not eaten here before, but she’d been told it was amazing, and at three-thirty in the afternoon on a Thursday before Christmas, likely to not be busy.

There weren’t very many cars in the lot, and Joy pulled into a spot in the first row next to the building. She had no idea what kind of car Scott drove, as they’d been texting back and forth a lot over the last few months, but their vehicles had not come up once.

You’re insane, she whispered to herself. She met her own gray-blue eyes in the rearview mirror and reached to fix the errant strands of her hair. Her ex-husband had once told her he loved her eyes, because he couldn’t quite identify the color of them. Not quite blue, but not quite gray, he’d landed on slate.

Joy had been describing herself with that adjective ever since. Her hair was blonde, starting to pull in some gray she didn’t bother to cover with anything synthetic. She wasn’t trying to pretend to be an age she wasn’t, and she rather liked her shoulder-length hairdo that waved down even on the worst of hair days.

She wasn’t Lauren by any stretch of the imagination. The woman always looked like a million bucks, without a single strand of hair out of place. But Joy had learned not to compare herself to Lauren a long, long time ago.

Joy swallowed and checked the clock on her phone. She’d made good time from the airport, and she’d arrived a bit early. She leaned her head back, a hint of exhaustion pulling through the tight muscles in her shoulders.

She’d have to eventually tell her friends that she’d lied to them. It wasn’t really a lie, as she’d had a couple of months to rationalize away this extra day on the island. One, Scott had asked her to come in a day early.

She’d agreed.

No crime in that.

Two, she hadn’t wanted anyone to know. Not Bessie. Not Lauren. Not Bea or Cass. If they knew, she’d end up going out with Scott and then staying up all night detailing everything to someone. She didn’t want to do that. She wanted a quiet evening to herself after the date so she could determine how she felt about the man.

Right now, as they’d only been texting for the past three months, every cell in her body vibrated in anticipation of seeing him in person. They video chatted often, but there was something different about being in the presence of another human being—especially a man like Scott Anderson.

He’d tickled her interest the very first time they’d met, though she’d tried to put a barrier between them. It helped that he’d barely looked at her, and then the second time they’d met, he’d come right out and said he couldn’t remember her. Constructing that wall had been easier then. Keeping him out of her thoughts had proven nearly impossible, and Joy really only achieved it when she slept.

He canceled his date to stay home and talk to you, she reminded herself. Every time she thought about that evening back in September, she grew warm. Then immediately cold, for now she had to live up to the reputation of a woman who could make a man cancel his date to stay home and talk to someone who lived over a thousand miles away.

Someone knocked on the window, and Joy jumped a Texas mile in her seat. A strangled yelp came from her throat, and she threw up both hands as if she’d ward off the unwanted evil trying to get to her through the glass.

Scott stood there, and he laughed right out loud. The rental car window didn’t mute it so much that she couldn’t hear it, and while her adrenaline poured through her, she also calmed. She grinned at him, all that nervous energy joining the hum already in her veins until it became a roaring buzz.

She reached for the door handle and popped the seal there. Hey, he said, grabbing onto the door and opening it the rest of the way. Sorry. I realize how creepy that was.

Joy slid from the SUV and had to look up at Scott as he stood about eight inches taller than her. His golden hair shone with that red she’d been dreaming about, and she had the strangest urge to run her fingers through it.

Hello. Awkwardly, she reached for him and sort of stutter stepped into him while she grabbed onto him to hug. It’s good to see you.

In person, he said. In the flesh. He held her easily, effortlessly, and Joy told herself to calm down.

She moved out of the way and closed the door. Only then did she remember her purse. Oh, I need my purse. She retrieved it and smiled at him again.

Can I hold your hand? He grinned at her and looked at her out of the side of his eye. I mean, I feel like we’ve been together for months, but I’ve never actually held your hand.

Joy stepped with him, and on the next forward movement, her fingers slid into his. She smiled and said, Yeah, this is nice.

Mm. Scott took her into the restaurant. You’ve never been here?

No, sir, she said.

Chester didn’t bring you to Mead’s? He acted scandalized, his grin playful and full of teasing. She’d talked to him via video where he did this too, and she found him so adorable. I’m shocked by that.

Really? She flirted right back, the action easier in person than she’d anticipated. Why’s that? Do they serve…questionable meats here? She glanced around like she’d see a horse or a dog on its way to the kitchen.

Scott laughed, the sound as delicious in person as Joy had heard through her phone. No, he said. But it’s definitely some of the best food in all of Carolina. He spoke like a lifelong Southern boy, and Joy had to admit she sure did like that.

When you come to Texas, she said. I’ll take you to my favorite place.

Scott’s lighter blue eyes lit up. You want me to come to Texas?

Joy grinned at him. I just invited you, so yes. She turned toward him as they approached the hostess station. What do you think? Can you ever take time off? He owned a huge landscaping company, and he worked outside seemingly day and night.

Yeah, he said slowly. For you, Joy, I think I can take some time off. He spoke in his slow, sexy, Southern drawl, and Joy swore the ground vanished beneath her feet for a few seconds.

The earth swooped and trembled, and then Scott was right there to hold her steady. All right, she said simply. We’ll work that out later.

Two, Scott said to the hostess. And we want a booth away from all the noise, if possible. He knocked on the top of the podium. Thanks, Sam.

You got it, Scott. She plucked two menus from the side of her stand and smiled at the pair of them. This way.

Joy’s phone rang, which sent her heart into another somersault. She plucked it from her purse, pausing as Scott started after Sam. The number was unfamiliar, but something inside Joy’s mind recognized the number, and she needed to answer it.

I need to grab this, she said.

Sure. He looked to Sam and back to her. I’ll get the table and come back for you.

She nodded and swiped on her phone, turning her back on the rest of the restaurant at the same time. Hello?

Miss Bartlett? a cool female voice asked.

Yes, ma’am.

This is Sophie from The Island Sand Bar.

Oh, sure, Joy said. She’d booked a room at the seaside hotel for tonight. Tomorrow, she’d be staying with Lauren in her cute cottage house.

I’m so sorry, but we won’t be able to have you stay with us tonight.

Joy’s stomach dropped to her feet, where it wobbled and hung there for a moment. I’m sorry?

Our kitchen flooded, and that sparked a fire. We have no electricity. She sounded truly sorry. I’ve already called our sister site, but unfortunately, they’re full.

Okay, Joy said, really drawing out the word. So…I just have nowhere to stay tonight?

I can provide a list of hotels in the area, and you can make some phone calls. Something banged and then zapped. Sophie shrieked, and Joy pulled the phone away from her ear. The screen darkened, and alarm stitched through her.

She turned in a full circle, her mind doing the same thing.

Joy? Scott asked. You okay?

She faced him and shook her head. Uh, maybe? That was my hotel, and they had a flood that killed their electricity. I don’t have a room tonight. She looked up at him like he’d know what to do.

Call Bea, she thought. Or Cass. She has a huge house.

But that would require her to tell them she’d come into town early—just to see Scott. She’d have to tell more than Lauren that she’d been texting him for the past three months. She wasn’t sure she wanted to do that quite yet, and the longer she searched Scott’s face, the more she thought she didn’t want to call one of her friends.

Let’s go sit down, he said, taking her arm in his. We’ll figure something out, okay?

She nodded and let him lead her to a table in the far corner of the restaurant, with big windows that looked out over a pond. She had no idea what possessed her, but the moment she slid into the booth, she looked at Scott doing the same and blurted out, Maybe I could stay with you?

Chapter Two

Scott Anderson had a big laugh, and he used it a lot. His first instinct after Joy—the gorgeous blonde he’d been crushing on for a solid six months—asked if she could stay with him was to laugh.

Hard.

He managed to pull back on that before anything escaped his mouth. Thankfully. He did need a few moments to stare and blink while he tried to come up with what he should say or do instead.

Joy Bartlett waved her hand like she was swatting away errant flies. Never mind. That was so stupid. There are like, fifteen thousand hotels here. I’ll find another one.

Scott’s face did relax into a smile then. The woman had just asked to stay with him. He hadn’t known where they’d be when he saw her. Flirting and texting and even calling a woman was something Scott excelled at. He could talk to anyone—literally anyone—but he didn’t tell Joy that. He wanted her to feel special, and she was.

He enjoyed talking to her more than anyone else in his life right now, that was for dang sure. He couldn’t wait to finish with his lawns, bushes, shrubs, trees, and pools to get home, shower, and then talk to Joy. She evened out all the odd things inside him, and Scott liked her far more than any other woman he’d dated in oh, at least five years.

I totally want you to stay with me, he said, leaning forward and ignoring the waitress as she approached. In the end, he decided he better not be so open and flirtatious and…scandalous in front of a stranger.

He looked up at the woman—not a stranger—and his face split into a grin. Kate, he said. He slid out of the booth and hugged the woman. This is a secret, he murmured in her ear, and then he faced Joy.

She also stood and Scott put his arm around Kate, who he hoped looked enough like him to assure Joy they were related. Kate stared at the side of his face too, but Scott ignored her. Joy, this is my cousin, Kate Arnold. Kate, this is Joy Bartlett.

No qualifier, though Scott knew which one he wanted to use. He’d been talking to Joy for three months. They hadn’t seen each other in person once, until today. He shouldn’t have brought her to Mead’s. Instead, he should’ve insisted on meeting her in Charleston and taking her somewhere there so they could be alone.

Everywhere Scott looked, he saw people he knew. It wouldn’t be long before Grant, Harrison, Blake, Oliver, and Ty knew about this date. And that meant Joy’s Supper Club friends would know too.

His pulse blipped in his chest as Joy put that stunning smile on her face and leaned forward to shake Kate’s hand. So great to meet you, she said in that sexy drawl that was so much like his, but so different too.

Oh, where are you from, honey? Kate asked.

Texas, Joy said. She smiled and met Scott’s eye.

Let’s sit, he said. We don’t need to stand. He slid back into the booth. I want the smothered potato skins, Katie. And the strawberry lemonade sweet tea. He picked up his menu and looked over it to Joy. It’s incredible. It’s why I wanted to bring you here. She’d talked about her sweet tea, which was her grandmother’s recipe, as well as several other varieties around her small town in Texas.

Her face lit up. That’s this place?

Yes, ma’am. He grinned at her and didn’t look at the menu again. He didn’t need it.

She looked up at Kate. Do you have peach?

Absolutely. Peach it is. She didn’t write anything down. Any other apps?

I haven’t even looked, Joy said.

I know what you want, baby, he said, and he swore he didn’t mean to sound all sultry. His voice just came out that way with Joy. He looked up at Kate, his face heating when his cousin smiled so wide, those drawn-on eyebrows so dang high. She’ll like the artichoke dip, please. And bring us an order of the bar pretzels—double the hot mustard sauce.

You got it, Scotty. Kate turned and walked away before Scott could growl at her for using his childhood nickname. He hadn’t been Scotty for decades, and blast her for embarrassing him on his first real date with Joy.

He cleared his throat and turned his attention back to the woman across from him. Everyone on the island is going to know about us by nightfall. He shifted in his seat. I sort of forgot she works here.

Joy’s surprise hit him straight in the throat. So my friends…

They live on the island, he said. And they all have husbands or boyfriends who are well-connected locals. Scott shook his head, his chin dipping down in regret. Sorry, Joy. I know you wanted to keep this a secret.

She picked up her phone calmly, and Scott loved this aloof side of her. She’d shown it to him plenty of times this past summer, when he’d been blatant in his feelings and asked her out to her face. Twice. Maybe three times, even when she had a boyfriend.

Not exactly a secret, she said quietly. I’m just…I don’t want the pressure of talking about us yet. She looked at him. You get that, right?

Yes, he said, but he wasn’t sure if he did or not. Kate would razz him about Joy, and that didn’t bother Scott. He could admit he liked her—he wasn’t trying to keep that a secret. It almost felt like Joy wasn’t sure of her feelings for him, and that thought rang so true, he knew it was.

Take the flirting down a notch, he told himself. He could. For her, he would.

One problem at a time, she said. I need a hotel tonight.

You could tell your friends and then stay with Lauren, he suggested, but Joy shook her head before he even finished the sentence. I was going to say…before Kate came over. He swallowed and wished he had his strawberry lemonade sweet tea. I totally want you to stay over, but I’m not in my place right now, remember? I’ve got a studio apartment on the edge of the ocean, and that might be a little…intimate for our first date.

Joy’s face turned a delicious shade of pink, and that satisfied Scott greatly. You’re right, she said. I forgot.

That said. He leaned back in the booth and folded his arms. I want you to, for the official record and all that. But, I also have someone you can call about a hotel room. In fact, I’ll text him now.

He took his phone from his pocket and started tapping. I stayed there for a few nights before I got into this studio. Ty’s great, and if he has anything, he’ll give it to you, I’m sure.

I know Ty, she said. Scott looked at her, surprised. I mean, sort of. He’s the real estate agent who helped Lauren buy her house.

Oh, of course. Scott had forgotten about that too. He couldn’t hold things in his head the way he used to, and he let extraneous details flow through his mind without holding onto them. This skill normally served him without a problem, but his ability to forget anything and everything sometimes got him into trouble—like when he hadn’t remembered meeting Joy the first time.

He hadn’t had a day go by where he hadn’t thought about her since seeing her sunbathing on Harrison Tate’s deck, months and months ago. Even after she’d turned him down. Even after she’d been sassy with him, and he figured he had no chance with her. She’d burrowed into his skull, and his brain wasn’t letting her go.

Of course, then she’d texted him out of nowhere in September. He could scroll all the way to the top of their messaging thread and re-read the message, but he didn’t need to. He had it memorized.

Hey, it’s Joy Bartlett, and I just heard you’re going out with someone tonight. I don’t want you to. That’s bold, I know, but as I thought about you going out with anyone but me…I didn’t like it. Call me. Or text back. Or don’t and enjoy your date.

He’d never gotten a bigger shock in his life than that text, and he could still see himself coming to a complete standing halt as he read it. The mowers and edgers had continued around him, and he’d laughed and laughed and laughed.

Then, he’d promptly messaged her back, saying he was finishing up one last lawn for the day, and then he’d call her that night. He’d canceled his date with a woman whose name he’d already forgotten, and he’d been talking to Joy every day since.

Ty’s message popped up, and Scott smiled. He says he’s got a room at Beach Beauty, and that’s a nice property.

Can I afford it? Joy wore a worried look, and Scott had learned over the months that her default was worry. She worried about everything, from how her sons were doing—a legitimate concern—to her students, to if her cat was lonely at home during the day while she worked. She worried over him too, and Scott sure did like that, because he knew Joy only worried about things she really cared about.

He reached across the table and took her hands in his. Touching her…there was nothing like it. Phone calls, video chats, and texting were one thing. Being with her, holding her, touching her, seeing her only a few feet away…that was magic.

Yeah, he said. You can afford it, because he said it’s free.

She shook her head, her expression turning hard. I don’t need his charity. I can pay something.

Scott grinned and shook his head. This isn’t a contest, Joy. Are you going to insist on paying for dinner tonight?

No, she said, the set of her jaw a tad on the stubborn side.

He cocked his head and pulled his hands back to his side of the table. Why not?

We’re on a date.

He’s doing you a favor.

I don’t need a favor.

Then the hotel is part of the date, Scott said. Dinner and a place to stay. He smiled at her, and Joy finally cracked.

You’re impossible, she said.

You like impossible, he threw back at her.

She laughed then, and that sound while they were in close proximity could never be replicated over the phone. He joined her, and then as they quieted, he said, I’m so glad you’re here.

Strawberry lemonade sweet tea, Katie practically yelled. Peach sweet tea. She set both glass mugs down with loud clunks. Do y’all know what you want to eat? She looked back and forth between Scott and Joy, her auburn ponytail swinging as she did, as if she hadn’t just interrupted something sweet and tender and intimate.

Scott gestured for Joy to go first, because he needed another moment inside the feeling streaming through him and he didn’t want to speak and ruin it. He wanted to keep Joy in his life for a while, and that meant he had to figure out how to hide all of his flaws until she was madly in love with him.

However long that took. However much time she needed to figure out that he was the one for her. Only then would he allow some of the…less great things about himself be known.

This place is too nice, Joy complained as she entered the room Ty had gotten for her at Beach Beauty, a gorgeous beachfront property that boasted a restaurant and their famous key lime pie on the first floor.

Oh, my word, Scott, look at that view! She hurried over to the bank of windows across the room while he towed one of her suitcases across the threshold of the room.

She sighed; the door closed; Scott left her large suitcase by her small one and went to join her at the windows. I told you this was a beautiful property.

I can’t believe it’s available.

You’re a few days before the Christmas crowds. He lifted his arm around her, and Joy sank into his side. The sun outside had started to set, as it was December, and that meant they got less daylight hours. They stood there and watched it sink lower and lower, the reflection on the water almost gone before Joy said, This was the perfect day.

Was it? he asked. Flying for most of it, then driving here, and then me scaring you in the parking lot? He chuckled and adjusted his hand lower on her arm to keep her close.

Everything after three-thirty, she amended.

Hmm. He pressed his lips to her temple. That sounds like everything with me, sweetheart.

She didn’t deny it, and instead said, Yeah.

Scott needed to leave right now, or he wasn’t sure he’d be able to bring himself to do it. He dropped his arm and turned away from the view, from Joy. His eyes landed on the big, puffy, king-sized bed, and everything inside him tightened. Well, I better get going. He swallowed and walked on wooden legs toward the exit.

You’re not working tomorrow, are you? she asked, following him.

No, sweetheart. We’re going on that alligator thing in the morning, aren’t we?

Yeah, I was just checking.

He turned back to her at the door, and she came within inches of him. Too close, but not close enough at the same time. I’ll bring breakfast, unless you want to eat downstairs. He gave her a smile punctuated with raised eyebrows.

No. She returned his grin. You promised me a chocolate croissant. That’s what I want.

And coffee with caramel, he said, sliding his hand along her hip. And we have reservations at Lighthouse Point for lunch. Then, I guess I’ll have to let you go see Lauren.

Joy returned his smile and put one palm against his chest, branding him. Sealing him as hers. Thank you, Scott. She tipped up onto her toes, and Scott easily took her into his arms. Did she want him to kiss her? Could he do that and then walk away? He honestly wasn’t sure.

She smelled like peaches and vanilla, and he couldn’t wait to taste it on her lips. He leaned down, giving her