“Author, huh?”
She nodded. “I write mysteries and thrillers.”
Now it was his turn to nod.
Mia stared at him expectantly and he wasn’t sure why.
“What kind of books do you like to read?” she finally asked.
“Oh, uh…I don’t read.”
Her dark eyes went wide. “You mean at all or just books?”
The mouth on this girl…
Leaning in close, he said, “Books.”
This time she chose not to comment and Austin figured maybe it was time for him to go. It seemed like he truly had interrupted something important and her rage toward him yesterday suddenly made sense. If she was trying to write, he had no doubt that the noise he was generating was completely interfering.
Straightening, he smiled down at her. Now that she wasn’t glaring at him, he took a minute to study her face more closely. Mia was a beautiful woman; he realized that yesterday. She was attractive in a girl-next-door kind of way. Long dark hair, dark eyes, and a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose and her cheeks. There wasn’t anything overtly stunning about her, but he was definitely drawn to her and…now he was starting to feel creepy for staring at her for so long.
Forcing himself to look away, he took a step back.
“Sorry I interrupted you,” he said apologetically. “Had I known what you were doing…I mean, obviously I didn’t know what you did for a living, but I hope I didn’t ruin any progress you were making.”
She smirked at him. “You’ve been doing that for over a week. Why stop now?”
Wait…was she flirting with him or was that just ego or wishful thinking? And when he smiled back at her, he noticed she was blushing. “I did try to behave myself today. I’m not sure if you noticed, but…”
“I did, and it was greatly appreciated. Thank you.” Her voice was soft with a hint of huskiness and all in all, Mia Kingsley presented one very tempting package.
“Listen, I was just going to go into town and pick up some takeout. Care to join me? I can go pick it up and bring it back or…we can go eat someplace. It’s the least I can do to try to make up for ruining so much of your writing time. What do you say?”
Her blush deepened. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m really behind on this book and I think I’m in a good place to get back inside and get some words on the page.”
“Oh, okay. Sure.” It was stupid how disappointed he was. “Raincheck?”
“Sure. Thanks, Austin.” With a small wave, she turned and walked back into the house and he had no choice but to head back down the stairs and across the sand to his place. Since he hadn’t locked up, he had to run back up his stairs and secure everything before going out the front door and to his truck.
It was a damn shame Mia turned him down. Suddenly the thought of eating alone was completely unappealing.
Then again, so was heading out to a bar and potentially hooking up with someone.
Either way, he was in for a very disappointing evening.
Or…he could call his mother and see if she’d like to have dinner with him. He knew it would probably shock the hell out of her, but he was in a fairly good mood and figured, why not?
Pulling out his phone, he pulled up her number and hit send.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Mom. How are you?”
“Austin, hi! Is everything okay? Is something wrong?” Grace Coleman was a worrier and when he realized that her immediate reaction was to assume there was a problem was a little upsetting.
“Everything’s fine. Really. I was just wondering if you had dinner yet.”
Silence.
“Uh…Mom?”
“I…I was just getting ready to make something,” she said with a small laugh. “Are you hungry? Would you like to join me? It’s nothing fancy. I made a pot of sauce the other day with some meatballs and was just going to boil up some spaghetti.”
It would be easy to say yes. His mother made the best meatballs, but…
“How about I pick you up and we go somewhere to eat?” he suggested. “I went to the Mystic Magnolia the other day and was surprised how much it’s changed. They have a great menu and I know how much you love a good crab cake.”
She laughed again. “That I do. And not having to cook.”
“So what do you say? I can be to you in fifteen minutes.”
He could have sworn he heard her sniffle, but maybe he was mistaken. “That would be lovely, Austin. Thank you.”
“I’ll see you soon,” he said before hanging up. For a minute, he simply sat in his truck, stared up at the house, and called himself every name in the book. It was such a simple thing—asking his mother to dinner—and he could tell it meant the world to her. What kind of son was he that he never realized how much his mother might miss him and his brothers? You would think after growing up knowing their father had just up and walked away from them that they would have been a little more considerate of her feelings rather than moving away and rarely coming back to visit.
You’re very rude.
Mia’s words came back to him and as much as it pained him to admit, she had a point.
Austin knew he was more than a little rough around the edges; he was rude, selfish, and was known to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder, but that never should have been a thing toward his own family.
Maybe it was something he should work on while he was here in Magnolia Sound.
With a bit of renewed purpose, he pulled out of the driveway and went to pick his mother up. When he got to her house, she was waiting on the front porch and he smiled when he realized she had dressed up for him. She worked as a receptionist in a pediatrician’s office and normally was in scrubs, but she had on a pretty floral dress. The closer she got to the truck, he noticed she had on makeup too.
The entire ride to the Mystic Magnolia, she gushed over how happy she was that he called and then made plans for him to come for Sunday dinner when she’d make all his favorites.
“We didn’t get to talk much at Susannah’s birthday party,” she said to him as they walked into the restaurant. “How long do you think you’ll be working on the house?”
They were seated right away and Austin slid into the booth opposite her. “I’m thinking at least eight weeks, but it could be longer.”
“Oh, wow,” Grace said, studying him. “And you’re living there while you’re working?”
He nodded.
“You know, if it gets to be too much or too dirty, you’re always welcome to come and stay with me. I know it’s not as nice as living right on the beach, but…it’s definitely clean.”
Chuckling, he reached over and squeezed her hand. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.” Handing her the menu, he said, “Once things are cleaned up a bit, you’ll have to come over and check it out.”
“I’d love to.” She paused and glanced at the menu. “Ooh…they do have crab cakes. I think I’m going to have them. What about you?”
Scanning the menu, Austin decided on the fish and chips platter and once their waitress came and took their orders, he realized he was looking forward to catching up and having this one-on-one time with his mother.