No Vacancy Read online

  Jill laughed at my defeated sigh.

  “I’ll be right there.”

  Maureen exhaled in relief before heading to the kitchen.

  “Gotta love tourists. Bake in the sun all day, and drink all night.” Jill turned to the drunken table in question and shook her head.

  “I should take care of this.” I leaned over the bar to kiss her cheek. “I’m sor—”

  “Stop. We were always better off as friends. There’s no need for sorry. I’m happy.” She dropped a hand to my forearm. “And I really hope you are, too. Or that you will be.”

  14

  Caterina

  “Talk. Now.” Megan pointed to my chair when I came back to the table.

  I didn’t want to go through it all and become upset in front of Joe, but I knew when I returned to two sets of saucer-wide eyes, I wouldn’t have a choice.

  I sucked in a long breath before I unloaded it all, starting with the welcome home I’d gotten on Thursday.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” The heads of everyone at the table next to us whipped around to Claire’s outburst. “In your apartment, knowing you were coming home?”

  “Ah, but he didn’t know when I was getting home.” I picked up my wineglass, zoning out at the whirl of red liquid as I swished my glass around. “I’ve been averaging getting home between eight and eight-thirty during the week, and this was just before seven.” I coughed out a sad laugh. At least Trent had paid enough attention to me and my schedule to learn to work around it.

  “So, that’s what made you leave in such a rush.” Megan squeezed my arm. “I’m sorry, Cat. I totally get why you couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there.”

  “Me too,” Claire agreed, her voice much softer. “I hope you got here and jumped into bed with the first hot guy you saw.” She elbowed Megan’s side, and they both shared a “like that would ever happen” laugh. Their smiles faded quickly when I shrugged in response.

  “You did not,” Megan whispered before her jaw dropped.

  “Oh, I did.” I took a bite out of one of the sliders while searching their gazes for a reaction. Their strong surprise, or, more accurately, the utter shock, triggered an unexpected laugh to slip out of me. This entire trip had been an adventure outside of my comfort zone, and sleeping with a gorgeous stranger was about as far outside of my normal as you could get.

  Despite myself, I looked back toward the bar and caught Joe’s gaze. His eyes locked with mine as if he were issuing a challenge. Too bad I was too much of a coward to accept.

  “Wait, was it sex-on-a-stick back at the bar who keeps staring over here?” Claire’s eyes sparkled as she looked over my shoulder.

  “Joe is the name of sex-on-a-stick at the bar, the owner of this place, and yes, he’s the one.”

  “Wow,” Megan gasped. “Good for you! So, I guess you guys have been,” she motioned between me and the bar behind me, “ever since?”

  “No, just the one night. Long story short, I ended up here my first night to get something to eat. One thing led to another, and—it doesn’t matter. I can’t start up anything with anyone now.” I smoothed the stray waves off my damp forehead. “Whatever it was, is done. It’s better this way.”

  “Really?” Megan giggled and shook her head. “Judging by how flustered you are when he’s only across the room, it doesn’t seem done at all.”

  “I’m not flustered,” I snapped, the denial not even believable to my own ears. Megan and Claire could always see right through me. Although it didn’t take a detective to decode how I felt about Joe. They cast each other a side-glance before bringing their gazes back to mine.

  “Okay, yes. We had incredible chemistry, and it was the best sex of my life, but it can’t happen again.”

  “You can’t say ‘best sex of your life’ and let it dangle like that.” Claire narrowed her eyes at me. “He looks…intense. Like he’d be really thorough.” Her eyebrows jumped. “Am I right?”

  “Yes,” I admitted. He was so thorough I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Every kiss, every touch, the sex hadn’t been just fantastic, it had been life changing. He knew my body better than anyone I’d ever known, including myself. “And he’s sweet. So damn sweet.” I held in the story of dopey, tipsy me and how Joe took care of me like a perfect gentleman. I didn’t want him to be a gentleman anymore. I wanted the insatiable, dirty-talking animal he’d been the night we met, but I feared I’d pushed him too far away.

  “Would you believe he’s only thirty and built this place up himself after only a couple of years? But, I shouldn’t be getting involved with anyone now, much less have a fling with someone who lives over three hours away.” I lifted a shoulder and reached for a chicken finger, breaking it apart until it was nothing but greasy white strands on my plate.

  “Cat, I’m just going to say it.” Megan fell back in her seat and leveled her gaze on mine. “And I promise you, this comes from a lot of love. Stop fucking up your life.”

  I dropped the meat onto my plate and squinted at Megan. “Fucking up my life?” My nose burned, and something scratched at my throat, probably more of that pain-in-the-ass clarity. I came here with the full knowledge that I screwed up somewhere, but hearing a close friend say it aloud took it to another crushing level.

  “Since I’ve known you, you’ve always been too busy working toward something to actually enjoy anything. We had to push you to go out—even back in college. You were always afraid of screwing up that one test or project, convinced it would mess up your plans for the future. You were too busy planning your life to actually let yourself have one, babe.” Her lips pursed as she drew back into her chair.

  “So, you guys agree with Trent that I’m a cold fish?” I huffed to hide the crack in my voice.

  “First of all, don’t compare us to that douche.” Claire scooted her chair closer to mine. “But I hate to say that he had a point. He was doing whatever for God knows how long, and if you hadn’t come home early that day, you never would have known. It’s easy for you to get sucked in, overwork yourself and not see anything else. That being said, he took advantage of that fact. And if you working too much really bothered him, he would have said something or tried to salvage whatever you guys had. My guess is that he’s being petty because he doesn’t want to leave the apartment.”

  “Exactly. And stupid me put his name on the lease.” I lifted my hair off of my sweaty neck, trying to cool down from all the tension and frustration.

  “There are ways around that. Don’t worry about that now. Now,” Megan jerked her chin toward Joe, “you need to figure out what kind of regret do you want to live with? The kind from jumping into a passionate fling.”

  My lips twitched when her voice dropped on fling as if it were a dirty word.

  “Right after you ended a passion-less relationship,” she continued, “or steering clear because it’s too complicated?”

  Steering clear wasn’t working. From the time I pulled Joe inside my motel room, things were already complicated. I’d foolishly thought putting a stop to whatever was brewing between us would be the easy thing to do. But all it had done was exhaust me and upset us both.

  “I’ll go out on a limb, judging by how miserable you look at the moment, you wouldn’t be able to live with yourself if you don’t at least give it a try.”

  “I can hardly live with myself now,” I finally admitted. “This doesn’t make any sense. We just met. And what happens—”

  “Stop that.” Claire swatted my hand. “Best sex of your life, remember? Don’t worry the whys or about what happens just yet. Right now, just take a chance and enjoy the ride.”

  “I may not even have a chance. I’ve done nothing but give him mixed signals, and I think he’s had enough.” I exhaled, now feeling every ounce of the disappointment and regret I’d been trying to push away.

  “Do you mean the same guy who is still stealing heated glances over here and looked like he was ready to take that guy’s head off just for staring at you? I th
ink if you straighten it out, you’ll still have a good chance.” Megan patted my arm. “Go over and talk to him.”

  “No, not tonight. The mornings here are quieter, not as many people around.” I swiveled my head and spotted another crowd around Joe, charismatic bastard that he was. Nope, I couldn’t confess anything to him tonight.

  “Where do I begin?” I rubbed at my temples, feeling not a little terrified but oddly relieved. Whatever happened, I wouldn’t have to wonder what could’ve been. And Megan was right, that would torture me. It already tortured me.

  “That’s our girl!” Claire shoved my shoulder, and a laugh escaped me.

  “I think you already know,” Megan said. “Telling the truth is always a good place to start.”

  15

  Caterina

  After tossing and turning most of the night, I headed to The Beach Pub while Claire and Megan were still asleep. On the too short walk there, I’d tried to figure out what the hell to say to Joe while bracing myself for rejection. My first boss always said to do the hardest task first, and the rest of your day would be cake. A “no thanks” from Joe would more or less ruin my entire day, but no matter how we resolved things I could move on—eventually—after I spent however long I needed to beat myself up for ruining what could have been something great.

  Opening the door, I searched for Joe. Sucking in a breath before I lost my nerve, I made my way up to the front counter of the restaurant on shaky legs.

  “Oh, hey, I remember you!” Jordan chirped when she came up to me. “Caterina, right?”

  “Right.” I nodded. “And you’re Jordan.”

  “Guilty as charged. Would you like me to find you a table?”

  “I got it, J. Thank you.” Joe was so close behind me, his breath fanned the shell of my ear.

  She looked between us before giggling to herself and scurrying away.

  “I didn’t expect to see you here again.” Joe’s eyes raked over me before he motioned to follow him. “Are your friends here for breakfast, too?” Gone was the easy rapport we’d had from the beginning. This Joe didn’t even smile. I had an uphill, if not pointless, battle ahead of me.

  “No. I came to talk to you. Are you busy?” My stomach sank when he stilled.

  “I have to stay by the bar this morning, but I could find you a seat there. Come.”

  Okay, he was willing to talk. That was a good sign. Maybe. I followed him to the bar and climbed onto a stool.

  “What can I do for you, Caterina?” Joe fiddled with the glasses behind the bar, his short sleeves revealing the flex of biceps, offering a brief moment of torturous distraction. I was nervous and flustered on so many different levels, my head spun.

  “I need you to hear me out.”

  Joe stopped and lifted his gaze to mine, but didn’t reply.

  Taking that as some kind of ‘okay,’ I went on. “First, I want to say that I’m sorry. I’ve thrown a lot of mixed signals at you, and it’s not fair. You’ve been nothing but wonderful, and I’ve been nothing but taxing. Again, I’m sorry.”

  His nonchalant shrug didn’t help my nerves. “You don’t need to keep apologizing. It’s fine. I get it—”

  “I’m not done.” I held my hand up. “That was only the first part.”

  “The first part?” He squinted at me as he drew his head back. I thought I caught a tiny smile playing on his lips but wasn’t sure if that was wishful thinking.

  “Yes. I like you. A lot. Too much, in fact. And it’s confusing as hell. I feel more of a connection to you than I did to the man I spent two years of my life with. I’m not going to lie—that scares me a little.” I blew out a shaky gust of air and dropped my chin to my chest before lifting my gaze to continue. “I just broke up with someone, no matter if I felt anything for him or not, and my home is three hours away from yours. What I’m feeling shouldn’t be real, but I can’t help but think that maybe it is. I’ve been miserable since Saturday morning. What I’m trying to say is that I want to take a chance. Explore whatever this is between us while I’m here.” I studied Joe for a reaction, a twitch, or even a breath. Nothing. Was this working? Was he about to throw me out? I had no clue.

  “And like I told you, I never spent the night with someone I’d only just met, but I couldn’t not be with you that night. I wanted you that much. How crazy is that? For me, and the sad little life I’ve led, that’s borderline insanity.” My words were coming out faster now, his non-reaction compounding my anxiety. “Even if this turns out to be a clusterfuck that ends badly, I can’t walk away. At least, not again.”

  I plopped my elbows on the counter and leveled my eyes at Joe. “Could you, I don’t know, blink or something for goodness sake?”

  His tongue darted out and swept over his bottom lip before he set his hands on the counter on either side of me, boxing me in, his eyes boring into mine.

  “So, you’re saying you want to take me out?” A slow grin spread over his lips.

  He laughed when I jabbed his arm.

  “Enjoy that, did you?” I glared at him, but the relief coursing through me finally let me breathe again.

  “Maybe a little.” A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth before he held out his hand. “Give me your phone.”

  I fished it out of my purse and handed it to him after punching in my password.

  After grabbing it from me, he jabbed the screen a few times before a faint ringing sounded from his pocket.

  “Dom?” He called out while his gaze stayed fixed on me.

  “I’m right here, oh, hey!” Dominic nodded a hello in my periphery. “What’s up?”

  “I need you to close tonight. I’m leaving at seven.”

  “I can definitely do that.” I heard the smile in Dominic’s voice before he moved away. My eyes were just as glued to Joe’s.

  “Text me the address of the rental. I’ll pick you up about eight.”

  “Didn’t you tell Dominic seven?” I leaned in closer, my heart hammering against my rib cage when Joe ran the tip of his finger along my jaw. Having had sex with Joe should have taken the power out of his touches, but it did the exact opposite. I knew his lips and his fingers and…other places. A tiny touch, even accidental, only made me want it all, all over again. Butterflies took flight in my stomach at the prospect of actually getting it, not talking myself out of it as I’d done for the past few days.

  “I have a few things to do first.” His lips grazed my cheek, trailing a hot path to my ear. “If you want to take me out, Caterina, I’m all yours.” My breath hitched when he took my earlobe between his teeth and gave it a nip. Joe saying he was mine, however he’d meant it, made the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand up as a chill rushed through me.

  “While I have you here now, want some breakfast?” I relaxed at his easy smile. We were back. Only this time, I wasn’t putting anymore walls between us.

  “Are you going to make it for me?” I leaned my elbow on the counter, resting my chin on my hand. His head fell as his shoulders shook with a laugh.

  “Sure, if that’s what you want.” The heat in his eyes triggered a cold shiver down my spine.

  “Yes,” I answered, without a drop of uncertainty. “It’s what I want.”

  Along with you.

  How this would end up, I didn’t know, but I had no choice but to go along for the ride.

  16

  Joe

  “Is that a takeout order? That’s huge!” Maureen mused from behind me.

  “Not exactly.” I flashed her and Jordan a smile over my shoulder. “I’m planning a picnic on the beach.”

  I’d agonized over this all day long and was confident I’d picked a good menu for tonight. I included almost one of all the entree specials, but I owned this place and all the food in it, so I had all the means to go overboard. I remembered what she seemed to love the most from the festival and tried my best to build off of that.

  Caterina had given me the impression that no one ever made a big deal over her. Even if thi
s feast was overkill, I hoped she’d love it. My cheeks still ached from the huge grin planted on my face ever since her “confession” this morning. She’d shaken like a leaf but pulled no punches about what she wanted, and her bravery was sexy as hell. I had to summon a lot of restraint not to pull her over the counter by the waist and kiss the hell out of her. We actually had the chance I didn’t think she’d let us have, and there was no way I wasn’t pulling out every stop tonight.

  “Special delivery from Maria’s!” Dominic sang as he came into the kitchen with a large white paper bag. The grease spotting the paper confirmed they’d sent over exactly what I ordered.

  “Maria’s?” Jordan crinkled her nose. “Now? The bakery doesn’t deliver until tomorrow morning. I didn’t think they were even open after three.”

  “Usually,” I said, stifling a smile. “And they aren’t; I made a special request.”

  “Special request? How the hell did you do that?” Dominic’s jaw dropped. “I’m impressed, man.”

  I shrugged as I stuffed the steaming hot paper bag into the thermal carrier. “I have a daily order and give them plenty of business and promotion. I called in a small favor. No big deal.”

  “No big deal? You’ve never called in any favors, especially over a woman. Ladies,” He glanced at Maureen and Jordan and jerked his head in my direction, “what you’re seeing right now is unprecedented and epic.”

  “So dramatic.” I shook my head but wouldn’t look up, in too great of a mood to let anything get to me today. I peeked at my watch, noting I still had a little time to run to my apartment to change. Between the influx of customers and planning this picnic for Caterina tonight, adrenaline had kept me running non-stop. But, I wasn’t tired at all. Every part of me felt alive as if everything was falling into place exactly where I wanted it to.