No Vacancy Page 2

  To be this attracted to a stranger after just breaking up with my boyfriend of two years, regardless of the circumstances, seemed wrong.

  “Could I please see a menu?” The pathetic croak in my voice made my request seem like a plea.

  My hollow belly sank at his apologetic wince.

  “During the week, the kitchen closes at ten. I’m sorry—”

  I cut him off with a groan before dropping my head into my hands.

  “Of course, it does.” I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my palms before I began digging into my purse in the hopes of finding a granola bar or something to have with a beer.

  “You look like you’ve had a long day.” He tilted his head, lifting an eyebrow as he searched my gaze.

  “You could say that.” I stifled a frustrated sigh.

  “Tell you what. I could make you something small. What would you like?”

  “I couldn’t ask you to do that.” I waved him off and continued to hunt for food inside my purse. I’d even have settled for a Life Saver at this point.

  “Sure, you could. I have some pull.” He grinned and rested his elbows on the top of the opposite seat of the booth. His easy smile made me forget my argument. I’d bet that smile made a lot of women forget a lot of things.

  “If you could have one thing in the world right now, what would you want? Think bar food, though.”

  He grinned, and, despite my desperation, I grinned back. I was either that tired or that hungry or he was that gorgeous.

  “Mozzarella sticks.” I cringed when it came out mutzadelle sticks. Usually, I forced out mozzarella, ricotta, or manicotti the non-Italian way to avoid getting weird looks from non-Italian friends, but I guessed after the long day and night I’d had, putting a conscious effort into anything right now was an exercise in futility. “I mean, I’d like—”

  A throaty chuckle fell from his lips before he nodded. “It’s okay. I have two Italian grandmothers. Nice to hear someone say it right for a change. I’ll be back in a few minutes. What would you like to drink?”

  “Whatever beer is on tap would be great, thank you!”

  My gaze fell to his black T-shirt and the threadbare jeans hugging his hips. Lucky jeans. He was built but not bulky, and I hoped he didn’t catch me staring at his arms. My friends used to tease me for having a biceps fetish, and his were perfect, right down to the delicious way they stretched his sleeves.

  “You got it.” He made his way to the kitchen, my view of his back just as pleasing as the front.

  I fell back in my seat, letting myself relax for the first time in hours. My phone finally stopped buzzing, I had a plate full of greasy calories headed my way, and I was somewhere where I knew no one, and no one knew me. That filled me with a confusing relief. I was one of those mysterious diners without a book or project to keep them company. It was just me and my thoughts as I waited for my food and beer.

  “Feeling okay?” My waiter cast me a concerned glance as he placed the deep-fried goodness in front of me. I’d never been so happy to see food in my life and held myself back from shoving an entire stick into my mouth. My luck, I’d choke, and this new adventure I’d forced myself on would be for nothing.

  “Thank you so much.” I grabbed a stick and took a bite, my eyes fluttering as the melted cheese hit my tongue. “I’m fine, it’s been a long day. I drove in from Brooklyn tonight. It was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing.” I washed the first stick down with a mouthful of ice-cold beer and whimpered in delight.

  “You must really love mutzadelle sticks.” The corners of his mouth lifted as he crossed his arms. God, those arms. Smooth, with a couple of veins trailing down to his wrists. My fingertips itched to find out if the dusting of hair over his forearms was as soft as it looked. Hunger was doing bad things to me.

  “Tonight?” he asked after mulling over what I’d told him. “That’s a long drive for a spur-of-the-moment.”

  “It’s a long, sad story I won’t bore you with. My friends are staying in a rental nearby starting on Sunday, so I figured why not start my vacation now?” I raised my beer glass in a salute.

  “But, it’s Thursday,” he said slowly as if I wasn’t aware.

  “I’m staying at the Anchor until they get here. I’ll work a little by the pool tomorrow and then…maybe sit on the beach, check out your daytime menu. Possibilities are endless.”

  He made a shrill, whistling sound through his teeth. “That must be some story.”

  “It’s a terrible story you don’t want to hear.” I held my hand up, taking tiny bites of the last two sticks to make them last longer.

  “Try me.” He narrowed his gorgeous eyes.

  “You don’t even know my name.”

  “What if I told you mine? Joe.” He extended a hand. I let it dangle between us for a couple of beats as I drew back in my seat. “Owner of The Beach Pub.”

  “Ah.” I nodded. “That’s why you had pull in the kitchen.” I shot him a wry grin. I took his hand, and a foreign warmth spread through my chest. My tired mind was playing tricks on me. We held the handshake for just long enough to be awkward. “Caterina. My friends call me Cat.”

  “That’s a beautiful name. Nice to meet you, Caterina.”

  I gulped as my gaze fell to his lips. There was something about the way my name rolled off his tongue as if his voice was caressing each syllable. When he took the empty seat across from me, I stiffened against the back of my seat. My attraction to this guy was as overpowering as it was confusing.

  “So, talk to me.” He leaned his elbows on the table and leveled his gaze at me. “Why the instant vacation? Did you rob a bank before you left?”

  I rolled my eyes at the mirth in his baby blues.

  “No, I did not. No need to call the local sheriff or whatever you guys have for cops out here.”

  His chest rumbled with a laugh, drawing my eyes to the way his T-shirt stretched across his broad torso.

  “I came home from work early and caught my boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, cheating on me. On the new couch I’d just bought.”

  It was funny how that was the part I kept coming back to. Sure, the fact that my boyfriend of two years had his dick in another woman’s mouth in our apartment stung, but the fact that it happened on my beautiful, brand-fucking-new, gray woven fabric couch twisted the proverbial knife. Dread filled me for all it would entail to go our separate ways along with the residue of shame at realizing that was probably the only reason we stayed together for so long.

  “That sucks. I’m sorry that happened to you.” Genuine empathy spread across Joe’s gorgeous features.

  “You’re actually the first person I’ve told.” I settled back in my seat, an odd relief relaxing my shoulders to let it out to someone. “I came home, found…that…and left. Shocked the shit out of everyone I know. See, I’m the sensible one. The one who doesn’t go out on work nights, who dated one guy at a time in college, who never takes a vacation. The sensible one. The boring one.” I shook my head as I dragged my nail along the drip of condensation down my beer glass, my eyes darting from the table to Joe. Why was I spilling my guts to a stranger? When my gaze met his, his eyes were kind without a hint of judgment, as if he was actually listening to me.

  “Believe it or not, I know exactly how you feel.” Joe draped his arm along the back of the booth. “When I wanted to buy this place, my family thought I was insane. I never expressed a big interest in business before, so where was this coming from?”

  I laughed when he draped a dramatic hand over his chest.

  “Not exactly the same, but I know how much it sucks when people underestimate you.”

  I blew out a long breath and nodded. “I left a mess that I’ll have to clean up when I get back, but something in me…snapped. It sounds completely nuts now that I actually say it all out loud.” I winced.

  Joe gave me a warm smile. “Not nuts at all. I think it’s brave to come out here all by yourself and sort things out. My family thought I was nuts for driving
all the way here from Queens when I found out this place was for sale.”

  “You’re not from around here?”

  “Nope.” He shook his head. “Transplanted local. Bars and restaurants are a dime a dozen in the city, but here, I thought I could really make it mine and not give into stupid trends that I didn’t like. It’s a cool little town, too, even if some streets are stuck in the 1950s.” His smile stole a little air from my lungs. I sucked in a quick breath in a futile effort to compose myself.

  “My friends say this is the new hot spot for vacation. Though, I honestly didn’t even know the name of it until they told me they were booking it.”

  “It’s like a big secret that everyone suddenly wants in on.” Even his laugh was sexy—deep and gruff. “I could have tried for something closer to home or gone corporate after college like my brilliant sister, but it wasn’t what I wanted.” Joe leaned forward, squinting at me. “I’m not sure why I’m telling you my life story right now.”

  “I was wondering why I was telling you all my troubles, too.” I laughed as my shoulders softened, my whole body less rigid as I locked eyes with Joe.

  “But I’m guessing a lot of customers tell you their troubles. You have that kind of face.”

  “What kind of face is that?” The sudden heat in his stare made me tense up in a whole different way.

  “The sweet smile and the crystal blue eyes. Like you don’t have a mirror.” I rolled my eyes, unable to hide the twitch of my lips.

  “Like those big dark eyes don’t make guys spill their guts all the time, at least that’s what I’m blaming it on. Men probably trip over themselves to get to you.”

  “Trip?” I had to laugh. The man I lived with hardly spoke to me. The idea of guys tripping over themselves to get to me was as far from my real life as it could possibly get. “No, Joe. I lived with a guy for years who barely said a word to me the past few months. No one trips; trust me.”

  “Maybe you aren’t looking hard enough.” His voice dipped into a gravelly whisper, leaving me breathless at the sudden shift of energy between us. “Your ex was an asshole. We only just met, but a woman like you is pretty tough to ignore.”

  Ignored, dismissed, sadly dependable. That’s how I’d describe myself until now. Catching the attention of a sexy stranger gave me a high I wasn’t expecting.

  “Good night, Joe,” an older man called out to Joe before pushing the front door to leave.

  “I guess we’re the only ones here.” Joe motioned behind him to the now empty restaurant. “Still hungry?”

  I bit into my final mozzarella stick with a sheepish nod. “But I’ll go, I don’t want you to go to any more trouble.” I reached for my purse and dug for my wallet when Joe grabbed my wrist.

  “I’m hungry, too. I’ll make you something else and sit with you if that’s okay.” My heart squeezed at the shy smile pulling at his lips.

  I set down my purse and replied with a slow nod. “Sure, that sounds great. Thanks.”

  I glanced at the clock over the bar, it was midnight. Joe popped up and headed into the kitchen, leaving me alone with an odd twisting in my stomach. I wanted to stay but was uneasy. Although I harbored a ton of bad feelings at how we split, Trent and I were very much over, so it wasn’t an unfaithful guilt nagging at me.

  I may have been in my thirties, but I was much shorter on life experience than others my age due to a sheltered upbringing and overactive conscience. Sure, I had a senior level position at work and had a few long-term relationships before my last disaster. But the prospect of taking a chance on anything often left me in a cold sweat, even when I’d been a kid and was supposed to do crazy and stupid things. Letting down my guard and throwing caution to the wind never came this easily to me, and I worried my rash decisions wouldn’t end with my impulsive drive here. Spying Joe though the pass-through window to the kitchen, I had the strong suspicion they were only beginning.

  3

  Joe

  “Tell me about you,” I said to Caterina. “Any brothers or sisters?” I asked while trying to cover how flustered I was. Flustered over her. When I’d come over to take her order, I’d never expected to be entranced by some kind of spell. She’d peered up at me with those sad, chocolate eyes, and all I’d wanted to do was make her feel better. Once we’d begun talking, I hadn’t wanted to stop. Her lush, pink lips had stretched into a smile, and I’d lost all sense of logic. The only thought that had been rumbling around in my head was if her mouth was as pillow soft as it looked. And don’t get me started on her throaty laugh. I’d planted myself across the booth from her, and, other than the three times I’d reopened the kitchen—also a first for me—something about her pinned me to the seat.

  “I’m an only child,” she said after swallowing a mouthful of nachos. “I may not have the competition complex you have, but a lot of pressure, nonetheless. I’m my mother’s only hope.”

  We shared a laugh before I shook my head.

  “It’s not that Bella and I are in a competition. My sister is beautiful and brilliant, so there is no competition when it comes to her. And I’m not saying my parents aren’t proud, but I doubt I’ll ever get the look of awe they give her. Of the two of us, she’s more like my dad. He’s a VP, and I expect her to be one any day now. Me, they probably hoped I’d get a steady job and get by.” I shrugged—part of my act to cover how my family made me feel. They never showed me anything but love, but I still felt less than in their eyes. Opening my own restaurant was my dream, but it was a risk they never seemed to fully understand. Under this gorgeous woman’s gaze, my mask was cracking—another thing I didn’t get.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t underestimate yourself. It takes guts to open up your own place. I don’t think I could do it.”

  I looked around with a wistful glance. We’d come a long way in two years, and I was nothing but proud. Keeping it moving in the right direction was the struggle that cost me sleep most nights. “It’s nice to have something that’s mine. Not having to answer to anyone, doing things my way. I’m not an asshole who won’t take advice, but there’s something freeing about doing it all yourself. My brother-in-law gave me a loan to buy this place. Though, he keeps calling himself a silent partner and won’t let me pay him back. But he’s also cool enough to never hold it over my head.”

  When I’d first bought this place—then an old dive bar called the Red Oak—I’d had big plans and dreams, with a limited budget. Owen had been a brother to me ever since I was eight years old, and my sister brought him home from college one weekend. Not to say my father wouldn’t have helped me, but after I’d put all I had into my business, the very last thing I needed to hear were his doubts on whether it was a good idea or not. When I’d asked Owen for a loan, he hadn’t hesitated a second before opening his checkbook.

  “This is an odd place to want to open a business, though. I know it’s getting popular now, but wouldn’t the main shore towns have been a safer bet?”

  “My parents asked me the same question.” I laughed, remembering how many times they actually did ask that very question after I’d told them my intentions.

  Her gaze fell on my chest but quickly darted away. When I met her eyes, her olive skin reddened with a blush. I held in a laugh, not wanting to call her on checking me out.

  “My dad took us here when we were kids. We’d rent a house, and it felt like we were in the country, far away from all the noise and the chaos. Although, now, the area is much more popular, so the chaos is finding me again, which leads to profit. So, it’s not all bad. You know it’s a hot spot when the college kids find you. Fake IDs have gotten a lot more creative since my day.”

  That was a big reason I didn’t get involved with tourists. But Caterina wasn’t an underage college girl flirting with me in the hopes that I’d forget how to do math when I glanced at her birthdate on her ID. She was a woman. A gorgeous woman I couldn’t peel my eyes off of. I checked her out all night, too, but didn’t waste energy on hiding it.

  “
Ah, yes.” She nodded. “There were a group of what looked like college kids in the pool when I checked in.”

  “See? That means the place is gold.” I raised my beer bottle before taking a long pull, noting her heated stare in my periphery. The air thinned between us at each pause in conversation.

  “Enough about me, what do you do? Besides plan last-minute vacations.”

  She pursed her lips before leaning her elbows on the table. She hadn’t stood yet, but the glimpses I’d gotten of her body were enough to make me squirm in my seat. Her full breasts stretched the thin fabric of her tank top, and I willed my eyes upward. There was a difference between checking her out and outright leering at her, and the more time I spent in her presence, the more I was teetering over that line.

  “I’m an advertising account manager. We plan digital campaigns for clients. I work a lot of long hours. Coming here on a whim was a first.” She dropped her gaze to the table, her eyes vacant and sad before she took another sip of beer.

  “Hey,” I whispered before giving her foot a gentle kick under the table. “Where’d you go?”

  “Ever feel like the harder you try, the more you disappoint people?” She didn’t meet my eyes as she flicked the last nacho crumb around her plate. “I work late all the time, sometimes a few hours on the weekend, trying to get…somewhere. A promotion, pride from my family and friends. I thought working hard now would mean good things down the line, but I was so lost in trying to make my mother happy, planning for my future, I never gave much thought to being happy now.” Her sad eyes almost had me out of my seat and scooping her into my arms. Where the hell did that come from?

  “Sorry. A full belly and too many drinks make me a little sappy. It’s been a day, and you’ve been very patient. I’ll be sure to tip nicely.”

  “Trust me, I know all about working to not be someone’s disappointment and always feeling like you’re coming up short. I followed the path I wanted, even if it didn’t make a lot of sense to most people.”