Her Maine Attraction: A Small Town Romance (Pine Cove Book 1) Read online

  “‘Night, honey.”

  “’Night.” Hanging up, I wipe my hands down my face.

  The pizza here better not suck. That would be the topper to a shit night. Washing my face, I throw my hair up into a messy bun and head out. Only pizza, wine, and a lot of TV will start to fix my jumbled emotions.

  Driving into town, I’m lucky to find a spot right in front of Anthony’s on Main Street – the only place that sells pizza in Pine Cove. When I open the door, I’m greeted with the delicious smell of Italian food. Mmm, I love that smell.

  Not even ashamed that I want a large pie, I order one that’s half peperoni and half plain. I’m definitely not in the mood to talk to anyone in the restaurant, so I keep my head down and walk back outside, needing to find a store that sells liquor. Pulling out my phone, I Google it, and see that the grocery store around the corner does, so I head off in that direction.

  The fresh night air feels amazing on my face, and cools it down. Looking up, I see the sky bursting with stars. I didn’t even know there were that many up there. The skies back home are so light polluted that I could only ever see a few. But here…I can see everything.

  In the grocery store, I pick up four bottles of wine and a bottle of Maker’s Mark. I’m going to need something strong to help me go to sleep later.

  Dropping my bags off at my car, I go back inside Anthony’s to pick up my order. I make my way to the counter with my head down, still trying to avoid anyone who wants to say hi. But before I even make it a few steps, I hear my name being called from a table to my left.

  Damn it.

  I turn and see Courtney with a man I’m assuming is her husband, Jack, having dinner together. And wow, go Courtney. He’s really living up to that fireman’s dream all of us woman have.

  “Hey, Courtney.”

  “How are you? How did our plan go?” She smiles, but I really don’t want to talk about this in front of her husband. “Oh, don’t worry about Jack, I already told him everything.” She waves her hand in the air like it’s no big deal.

  “You did?” I ask nervously.

  “Yeah, we’re married.” She shrugs, like that explains everything.

  I look at Jack, but I can’t read his expression. I really don’t want to talk about this here.

  “Tonight went okay, I guess,” I tell her, shifting on my feet and looking away. “I have to pick up my order now, so I’ll just tell you about it at work tomorrow.” Turning away quickly, I hurry up to the counter before she can ask me anything else.

  Chapter 7

  Waking up the next morning with a dry mouth and a pounding headache are signs of a night well spent in sorrow. At least I wasn’t kept up all night with thoughts of Jake, and I was able to just pass out cold.

  Stumbling into the bathroom, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I almost scare myself. I look like hell. My eyes are red and puffy with dark circles underneath, and my skin looks paler than usual. I’m definitely going to need a little extra makeup today to make myself look like a human.

  Wow, hangovers in my late twenties are a lot different than my early twenties when I would spring awake at seven in the morning and be good to go.

  After I take a long hot shower, I feel so much better, but then look at the clock and realize how much I’m running behind. Shit, I forgot to set an alarm last night and now I’m going to be late for work. It’s Courtney’s fault though, because of her dumb plan. So she’ll have to forgive me.

  When I walk into the café, Courtney comes rushing up to meet me before the door even has a chance to close behind me. “Ally, what happened? I know you didn’t want to talk last night with Jack there, but you looked upset.”

  “Well, your dumb plan worked. It got intense and hot really fast, and then he left.” Walking past her, I go behind the counter to put my purse away.

  “Tell me everything.”

  “For starters, he saw right through the oven ploy.”

  She smiles. “Good, that means he’s not dumb.”

  “Courtney,” I sigh, rolling my eyes.

  “And then what happened?”

  “We sort of made out. Hard.” I feel my cheeks heat.

  “Hot damn, yes! So, wait, why are you upset? What happened?”

  “I’m not upset, I’m frustrated. I showed him something personal, and I thought it was all going great, but then he just stood up and walked out. I was left standing there feeling vulnerable, and I hate that.”

  “He just walked out? Why?”

  “I don’t know. He said he had work to finish, but I know he was lying.”

  “Maybe he doesn’t know how to handle getting close to someone?”

  “I don’t know. But I came here to move forward in my life, not let my past hold me back anymore. And all Jake does is remind me of my past.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “Not really. Maybe over cocktails one night.” I shrug. “But not now.”

  “I’m here, though. I hope you can consider me more than just your boss.”

  “I already do, don’t worry.” I smile. “We schemed together. We’re friends.”

  “Good.” She smiles. “And just give it time with him. You guys just met.”

  “I know. And you owe me coffee and breakfast because your plan gave me a raging hangover and I woke up too late to have time to make something before coming in.”

  Laughing, she says, “Of course, take whatever you want.”

  And take I do. I eat a strawberry frosted donut with sprinkles, my favorite since I was a kid, but I still need more sugary goodness to wake me up. Grabbing a blueberry fritter next, I wash it all down with the biggest cup of coffee we have, and finally start to feel like a human again.

  Luckily, the day passes without having to see Jake, or talk about him anymore with Courtney. My mind has already been overanalyzing everything on a loop when him and I are probably never going to actually work anyway.

  And just when I thought I was home free, and ready for another night of food wine alone at the house, Courtney yells over to me from across the café as I wipe the tables down. “Hey, we’re going out tonight!”

  “We are?”

  “Yes. We’re going to go have dinner and drinks at The Rusty Anchor. You need to go out.”

  I give her a look. “Is that so?”

  “Call it staff bonding.” She shrugs.

  “What’s The Rusty Anchor?”

  “Our small town’s only bar. But they serve good food, too, so grab your stuff. It’s just a short walk down and around the block.”

  “Alright, fine,” I sigh. “But don’t get me drunk.”

  “I can’t make any promises.” She winks.

  The Rusty Anchor is not what I expected. The floors are a dark wood that matches that of the ceiling and the horseshoe shaped bar at the far end of the room. Two pool tables separate the bar area from the twenty or so tables that are scattered on the side closest to the door. The walls are painted a deep navy blue and are lined with neon signs, posters, and all sorts of nautical memorabilia. I pictured a hole in the wall dive bar, but it’s surprisingly decent, and just what a coastal town bar should be.

  “This place is surprisingly pretty cool.”

  Courtney laughs at my response. “What did you expect?”

  “I don’t know. The bars in New Jersey are mostly shitty, so this is cool to me.” We walk past the tables, opting to sit at the bar instead.

  “The first round is on me since I made you come here.”

  “That’s a given.” I laugh. “But don’t think getting me drunk will make me talk about shit.”

  “We’ll see,” she says, like she already has a plan to get me to spill all of my secrets to her.

  I turn towards the bartender to order a drink, and I find myself locking eyes with a very sexy man. “I’ll have a gin and tonic with extra limes, please.” I smile sweetly at him.

  “And I’ll have a Jack and coke, Alex, thanks.”

  He nods an
d gets to making our drinks. Alex is walking sin. He has tattoos, dark hair, a short beard, emerald green eyes, and I’ll even bet he rides a motorcycle.

  Turning to Courtney, I whisper, “He’s–”

  “Yeah, I know.” She smiles. “Every girl has a thing for Alex. He’s our resident bad boy.”

  I let my eyes wander back to him. “Mhmm, I can see that.”

  “Don’t go there, though, he only breaks hearts.”

  “A girl can look.” I give her a sly smile, and when our drinks are done, I flash Alex another sweet smile. “Thank you.”

  “No problem, gorgeous.” He winks.

  Feeling flirty, I flip my hair behind my shoulder and stick my hand out. “I’m Ally, by the way. I’m new here.”

  He takes my hand in his much larger one, but I don’t feel the heat like when Jake touches me. “Alex. Where are you from?”

  “I’m a Jersey girl.”

  He flashes me a smile that I’m sure have made woman swoon and drop their panties from here to Cali, and back. “The best kind of girls.”

  “I’ve always thought so.”

  “I can show you around our small town if you need someone.”

  “Yeah she’s good, but thanks,” Courtney chimes in, and Alex holds his hands up in front of him.

  “Offer still stands, Ally.” He smiles, walking over to the other side of the bar.

  “Courtney!” I yell at her.

  “He’s an ass. I just saved you some time figuring it out for yourself.”

  “Uh, I think I would have enjoyed figuring that out for myself. Especially on the back of his motorcycle.” I swirl my straw around my drink and look back over at Alex.

  “How do you know he has a motorcycle?”

  “Look at him. He does, doesn’t he?”

  She laughs lightly. “Yeah, he does. But what about Jake?”

  I roll my eyes. “Please, you and I both know Jake is the obvious winner, no competition. But I can still appreciate a hot man. Can’t you? Marriage doesn’t make you blind.”

  “No, it doesn’t. But I love Jack.”

  “Of course you do! I’m just saying that a woman can always appreciate an aesthetically pleasing man without having to do something about it.” I gesture towards Alex. “He’s pleasing to look at, thus, I’m looking. That’s it.” Smiling, I take a big sip of my cocktail.

  “You’re terrible,” she says, shaking her head.

  “You should see me when I’m out with my friends from back home. I’m the wing woman, so I talk up all the hotties before passing them off to whoever wants them. It’s great, actually.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah.” I shrug. “None of the guys ever interest me, so I figure what the hell, you know? I’m thinking of asking the three of them – Ashley, Melanie, and Elizabeth – to come up for MDW. You can meet them then. And they want to make sure you’re good enough to fold into our group.”

  “What?” Courtney chokes, spitting some of her drink out.

  “Don’t worry about it,” I say, waving my hand in the air. “You’ll be great. I called them last night and filled them in on everything, and so now they like you because of your oven scheme and want to be a part of any future tricks.”

  “Well, okay then.” She laughs. “I like them already. What are they like? And what the hell is MDW?”

  “Memorial Day Weekend.” I laugh. “Come on, Courtney, keep up. And we’ll need more drinks if I’m going to tell you about them. Hey, Alex?” I yell, waving him over. “Can we have another round, please?”

  “Anything for you, beautiful.” He smiles, laying on the charm.

  With fresh drinks in hand, I dive in and tell Courtney all about Ash, Mel, and Ellie. I tell her about some of our shenanigans together, my life back in Jersey, and what ultimately led me to moving up here.

  Alex continues to serve us drinks whenever our glasses are empty, and I think I’m starting to feel the effects.

  “Hey, Ally, I’m so glad you moved here,” Courtney slurs slightly. “I only moved here a few years ago when I bought the café. And then I found Jack, and I love him, and I love Pine Cove.”

  I giggle at her rant. “Me, too. And I know all of that already.”

  “We need another round, Alex!” she yells, and he looks over at us, shaking his head.

  “You ladies haven’t had enough yet?”

  “Nope,” I answer. “We’d like another, kind sir.”

  “Yeah, you’re drunk. You better not be driving home later.”

  “Why?” I ask, leaning forward on the bar. “If I need a ride, will you take me home on your bike?”

  “If you want me to,” he says in a low, sexy voice, leaning toward me too.

  Smiling, I take I sip of my drink and shake my head, leaning back off the bar. His eyes don’t hold me captive like Jake’s.

  Looking around, I see the place has filled up while Courtney and I have been talking, and I didn’t even notice.

  “Okay, Ally. We’ve had a lot to drink. Now it’s time to spill.”

  “What?”

  “You said this morning that you’d tell me everything over cocktails, and we’re drunk enough now. I think.” She hiccups, then giggles.

  “This was your plan? Liquor me up and make me talk? How very romantic of you.”

  “Oh, shut up,” she says, swatting my arm.

  “Fine, I’ll give you the short version of my life.” It’s sad to say that her plan worked, because I start to tell things only a very few know about me. “I used to paint, and it was my life. Then I graduated from college and real life set in, so I gave it up. My dad is an asshole and I don’t speak to him anymore, but my mom is the best person I know and we’re more best friends than mother/daughter. I have two sisters that are great. They’re both happily married and I’m jealous that they’ve found love and I haven’t. I’ve been on a seven-year man hiatus that was just broken by Jake and his fantastic kissing skills. And now I’m trying to find my way back to being an artist again.”

  “Wow, okay. I don’t even know where to start with all of that. You paint?” she asks.

  “Yes.”

  “I’d love to see some of your work.”

  “Yeah, no,” I tell her. “I only just started again.”

  “And what about your dad? Why don’t you talk to him anymore?”

  “It’s a long story.” I shrug, not wanting to get into it. “But I’ll just say that I have a hard time trusting men because of him. My mom said he was good once, until he wasn’t.”

  “Is that why you’re worried about Jake?”

  “What do you mean? Who said I’m worried?”

  “I can just tell. Was your hiatus because you don’t want men to turn out like your dad?”

  “Something like that.” I take a long gulp of my drink.

  “Didn’t you say your sisters found love, and they’re married and happy?”

  “Yeah, and?”

  “Love is always a risk. But when you meet the right person, you know that everything will be okay, even decades down the line, as long as you have them by your side.”

  “And you’ve found that with Jack?”

  “Yes, I have.” A dreamy look comes over her face, and my heart pangs with jealousy.

  “I’d love to find that,” I admit somberly.

  “Maybe you have and you just don’t know it yet.”

  I give her a skeptical look and sip my drink some more, needing the buzz the alcohol is giving me. “Jake is the sexiest, manliest, most beautiful man I’ve ever met. But he’s also closed off and guarded and doesn’t really talk.” And my body gets hot just thinking about him, I add silently.

  Courtney smiles wide and yells, “I knew it! You’ve got it bad for him.”

  I slap my hand over her mouth. “Shhh, stop yelling! And yes”–I look around to see if anyone is listening–“maybe.”

  I feel her laughing behind my hand and then she licks my palm, and I pull it away quickly. “Ew! Why did you lick me
?”

  “Don’t put your hand over my mouth.” She shrugs.

  “Wait! We didn’t eat!” I yell out, suddenly starving.

  “Shit! Alex, can we get food still?” Courtney yells over to him.

  “Sorry, kitchen’s closed, ladies.”

  “Courtney, I’m starving! Is there anywhere open still? What time is it?”

  “It’s 11 o’clock, I think,” she says, squinting at her watch. “I don’t know. I can’t read my watch right now, my eyes are blurry.”

  “11?! We’ve been here for freaking hours! I need food!”

  “Let me call Jack! He can bring us food!” she exclaims, dialing her husband’s number. “Hey, baby,” she slurs. “I’m hungry…Yeah, I’m drunk…I’m with Ally…Yeah, she’s drunk too…We’re starving babe, can you feed us? Alex said the kitchen is closed, that hot ass hole.” She giggles.

  I tune out the rest of her one-sided conversation, and let my hazy mind drift off to thoughts of Jake. Images of him kissing me while his hands roam all over my body flash in my mind, and my heart starts racing and my palms get sweaty.

  “Ally! Hey!” Courtney yells next to me, and I snap out of it, turning towards her. “I’ve been talking to you. Did you hear me?”

  “No, sorry. What?”

  “Jack is coming to bring us food. I said burgers and fries were obviously needed. Is that good?”

  “Mmm fries,” I say, thinking of the delicious greasy food until my brain registers the song that’s playing. “Oh my god, Courtney! This is my jam! We have to dance!” I grab her hand and stumble off my stool, taking her with me, nearly making us fall.

  “No, no, no. I don’t dance,” she protests.

  “Of course you do, come on!” I start to move my body to the Luke Bryan song that’s playing – rolling my hips, raising my arms, and spinning around. I let my body move to the beat.

  By the end of the song, we manage to get most of the girls in the bar to dance along with us, and we all keep going for the next few songs, laughing and singing along. We don’t even notice Jack is here until he’s right behind us, wrapping his arms around Courtney’s waist.

  “Hey, baby!” she yells over the music, throwing her arms around his neck. “I’m having so much fun! Did you bring us food? I’m starving!”