“No, the snoring. Take it back.”
“Sorry. No can do. I could have sworn there was a freight train in here last night. But look on the bright side. I didn’t have to use one of those white noise machines.”
He barks out a laugh and buries his face in my neck, biting the sensitive flesh just under my ear.
“Are you still ticklish?”
Shit. I’m so ticklish.
“Archer, no.”
But before he can do his worst, there’s a knock on my front door, and we both freeze and stare at each other in surprise.
“No one ever comes here,” I say as Archer climbs off of me, and I pull on a pair of sweats over my egg-soaked undies. “Stay here.”
I hurry down the stairs and look out the window.
Lindsey’s car is parked behind Archer’s.
Double shit.
I clear my throat and paste a smile on my face as I open the door to my friend.
“Hey,” she says. “I brought you some pastries from Marie’s. I heard you’ve been out of work because of a family emergency. Why didn’t you call me? I’m so sorry, Ally.”
“Oh, thank you.” I accept the box of goodies but don’t invite her in. “I’ve been pretty out of it, and it was a complete surprise.”
“I guess so. I mean, I was with you just a couple of days ago, and everything seemed okay. Whose car is that?”
She gestures to Archer’s car, and I blink rapidly.
“Oh, it’s, um, my—”
“It’s mine.”
I feel Archer walk up behind me, bracing his arm on the doorjamb above me, and I know he’s smiling at my friend. Lindsey’s eyes dilate at the tall drink of water standing behind me.
And honestly, I can’t blame her.
“Archer,” he says, holding out his hand for hers.
“Lindsey,” she replies, shaking the proffered palm. Her eyes dart to mine with a silent what the hell?
“Archer is a friend of the family. He came to help when he heard the news. He’ll be leaving soon.” I clear my throat again. “Thanks for the treats, Linds. I appreciate it.”
I back away, giving the universal signal for thanks, now go away.
And to my surprise, it works.
“Okay. Well, call me if you need anything. Nice to meet you, Archer.”
“You, too.”
We wave, and I shut the door then close my eyes on a sigh.
“Three days ago, I was safely hidden here. Nothing fishy going on to make me stand out or have people asking questions. Now, it feels like it’s all slipping out of control.” But it’ll return to normal as soon as Archer goes back to Seattle. I know he said he’s staying, but that’s just not possible. I’ll enjoy his company today, but then he has to go.
“There’s nothing fishy about a family friend coming when there’s been an emergency.”
“Right. A charming, handsome guy like you is definitely the norm at times like these.”
His smile would light up Times Square. “You think I’m handsome?”
“Have you seen you?”
“I mean, I clean up okay. I’ve never had any complaints.”
“You’re a smartass.”
“That hasn’t changed, sweetheart. Let’s eat these donuts.”
“What is it about Bandon that you’ve always liked so much?” he asks me later as we walk the beach. Large rocks stick up out of the sand around us. They remind me of Stonehenge. Sometimes, when I walk here in the very early morning, I expect to see witches and faeries in the mist. It’s a magical place.
“The beach here is beautiful,” I reply and step over a dead jellyfish. “There aren’t quite as many tourists as northern Oregon, so I’m less likely to run into someone I know. That happened before, in California.”
“So, you haven’t been here the whole time?”
“No, I was Paige Williams and worked at a vineyard down in California for a couple of years. But one day, a girl I used to go to middle school with came through on a tour and recognized me.”
I sigh at the memory and then point out into the ocean as a whale sprays water into the air.
Archer nods but doesn’t let me quit the story.
“It’s ironic that your last name was Williams. My cousin Natalie married Luke Williams.”
“I know.” I smile up at him when he glances down in surprise. “I’ve kept track of everyone. And your family is in the spotlight pretty much all the time.”
“True. But you didn’t know about Lia?”
“I knew.” I shrug a shoulder. “I feigned surprise. I just didn’t want to seem like a stalker or something.”
“You’re a stalker.”
I wrinkle my nose. “Curious. I like the term curious better. Anyway, after Sheila saw me, I went directly to the place I rented and texted the number my grandma gave me. Within an hour, a man showed up at my door with a packet. No words were exchanged, he just gave it to me and left.
“Inside was my new life. Name, bank accounts, birth certificate, passport, driver’s license. The works.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, Grandma was impressive. I texted her after I arrived in Bandon and told her I was here but was vague. She didn’t want to know specifics in case anyone came looking for me. We always knew how to reach each other, though.
“I love it here, even more than California. It was fine there, but I realized that I need to be by the water. It energizes and soothes me. But none of this is what we really should be talking about.”
“There’s something we should talk about?”
“So many things,” I mutter. “Let’s start with this. I know you said you’re staying, but Archer, that isn’t possible.”
“I don’t have to be in Seattle for a bit,” he says as if he’s being deliberately obtuse. “I guess I should catch you up on what I’ve been up to. I sold the fishing boat about five years ago. Now, I buy and sell real estate. Mostly commercial properties, but sometimes, I buy residential places here and there.”
“You’re a landlord?”
“Sort of. Anastasia works in one of my buildings. She used to live there, too. She makes wedding cakes. She was living above her shop, but since she recently got married, she’s now living with her new husband out on one of the islands.”
“Anastasia got married?” I feel immediate regret that I didn’t know that. That whenever I contact her, I just ask about Archer, never about how she’s doing. “Good for her.”
“She’s happy. She married Kane O’Callaghan.”
“The artist?”
“That’s the one. Anyway, my point is that I am self-employed. And as such, I think I’ll take a look at some property around here. Mostly out of curiosity.”
“I don’t know what there is for you to look at,” I admit with a gusty breath. “You can’t be here. It’s not safe for you. For either of us.”
He stops short and waits for me to face him.
“I’m not trying to make things unsafe, E. I worked so hard to find you. I just want to enjoy you for a while. I’m flying by the seat of my pants here. All I know is that I don’t want to leave here without getting to know you again.”