Page 48 of The Pilot

The owner met them at the door and showed them to their room, which was really the entire upper floor of the house. It was huge, and decorated in typical coastal décor . . . lobsters, of course, and anchors, and blue and white everywhere they looked. The window faced the harbor and was across from the little touristy town. All they had to do to get over there was cross the Boothbay Harbor Footbridge, and they’d be right in the middle of the shops and restaurants.

The bathroom was large, and Harper couldn’t help but notice the shower was more than big enough for the two of them to share. She had lusty thoughts about what they could do in that shower, and couldn’t wait to try it out . . . after she had her talk with Linc.

They decided to head over to the town and wander around, since the sun was still shining and they had some time to kill before dinner. As soon as they exited the house, Linc took her hand in his, and they walked side by side across the bridge. There weren’t many people out and about, but those they passed nodded politely or told them good afternoon.

It felt decadent to not be working. It had been years since she’d taken the time to do something just for herself, and Harper was enjoying the day immensely.

There were a lot of after-Christmas sales still going on, and she found herself splurging on both an oversize sweatshirt that said “Boothbay Harbor” and a sweater with a large lobster on the front. It was impractical, as it was hand-wash only, but it was adorable and Harper couldn’t resist. It didn’t hurt that Linc urged her on, saying it was perfect for her and looked amazing with her auburn hair.

Even better, Linc didn’t insist on paying for her purchases. He’d come to understand that she needed to be able to pay for the things she wanted on her own. That she didn’t need or want him to step in and hand over his credit card. It might be silly, but being capable of paying for her own things made Harper feel as if she was finally climbing out of the hole she’d been in for so long.

However, that didn’t keep Linc from going overboard when it came to Kash. He found so many knickknacks that he thought her son would like, and was so excited about every item, she didn’t have the heart to tell him no when he wanted to buy them.

By the time they’d walked off their lunch, Harper was more than ready to get off her feet. And amazingly, she was hungry again.

They were hoping to eat at McSeagull’s, a restaurant right on the waterfront, but it was closed for the season. So instead they headed down the street to Ports of Italy, a tiny little Italian restaurant that smelled delicious from the outside.

Linc had the ravioli di astice, which was ravioli filled with lobster and ricotta in a light sauce, so good he was literally moaning with every bite. He also decided he was going to urge Zach to put the dish on his menu, or at least his version of it, so he could have it whenever he wanted.

Harper finally decided on the tagliatelle alla bolognese. Tender homemade pasta with meat-and-tomato ragù. They both had wine with their meal, and they shared a chocolate torte for dessert. By the time they left, Harper was stuffed to the gills and glad they had to walk back to the B&B.

The closer they got to the house, though, the more nervous she became. About the talk she wanted to have with Linc. She had no idea how he would take what she needed to tell him. If she was smart, she’d put it off. Enjoy the night with him. Experience how combustible their chemistry would be when they were finally able to explore it fully. Without the pressure of work, time, or the fear that Kash might walk in on them.

“Breathe, Harper,” Linc said gently, as if he could feel her tension. “Nothing’s going to happen that you don’t want to happen.”

“I want everything,” Harper blurted. “I mean, I want to be with you. That’s why I got one room and one bed. But I want to talk first.”

He looked over at her. “Talk?”

“Yeah. There are things I want you to know. About me. Kash. About my time in New York.”

“All right. But for the record, there’s nothing you can tell me that will change my mind about tonight, or about wanting to be with you.”

God, he was a good man. But it was easy to say those words, especially when he had no idea what she wanted to talk to him about.

Harper was silent as they walked into the B&B and up to their room. She was trying to figure out how to start as he put the bags with their purchases in a corner of the room. Then he reached for her hand and tugged her over to the small love seat at the foot of the bed and pulled her down next to him.

“I’m here, Harper. I’m listening. I’ll always be open to anything you want to tell me, whenever you want to talk.”

“I’m afraid it’ll change things.”

“Nothing you tell me will change anything. You’ll still have a place in my home with your son. I’ll still want you as much as I do right this moment. Will we always be together? I don’t know. I’m not a fortune teller. But I can tell you that you being honest about whatever is on your mind will never be a reason for me to turn my back on you. On us. On what we could have.”

His words made her feel a little better. Maybe she was being silly. Letting her own insecurities and shame about what happened color her perception of reality. The only way she’d really know was if she opened her mouth and spoke.

Nodding, she took a deep breath. Then told him what she’d never told another soul in the world.

“When I left Rockville to move to New York, I was so full of myself. Thought I was so beautiful that modeling agencies would take one look at me and fall all over themselves to sign me. I honestly didn’t consider that there were thousands of tall redheads out there who looked just like me. I was a small-town girl completely out of her depths in the big city.

“My dad tried to warn me, tried to get me to go to college instead, but I was having none of his advice. I thought I was smarter than him. More worldly. I was going to be rich, and he’d apologize for every doubt he’d ever had about what I wanted to do. But I quickly found out how out of my league I was.”

“Relax, Harper,” Linc said quietly. He squeezed her hands gently. “I don’t think anything you’re saying is too out of the ordinary. Most eighteen-year-olds have no idea about the real world. I know I didn’t.”

“I worked my ass off for seven years. With each new year, I just knew that one was going to be mine. The year I was discovered. When I finally made my mark. I worked shitty jobs, mostly waitressing, to be able to afford the tiny apartment I was sharing with three other wannabe models. We ate a lot of ramen and food we got on the sale racks at the store. You know, cans of stuff that expired and meat that was a day or two past its sell-by date. I saved money to constantly update my headshots, and walked my ass off going from agency to agency, trying to find an agent who would finally see my potential.

“When I was twenty-five, I thought I’d finally done it. There was this guy who seemed blown away by my pictures, by me. He was employed by one of the more prestigious modeling companies in New York. An agent he worked with had gotten a hold of my portfolio from another company I’d sent it to, and he’d brought me to the guy’s attention. He told me I was exactly what he’d been looking for. That I’d be the next big thing, and he was one hundred percent sure he could get me big parts in TV shows and maybe even a movie.

“I was so beyond excited, I had blinders on. My roommates tried to tell me this guy sounded too good to be true, but I wouldn’t listen. I thought they were just jealous. I was stupid . . . so stupid.”