The Weight of Madness Read online

  “Morning, sunshine,” Austin said warmly as I walked into the back of the shop. We didn’t open until nine, but we both cherished these quiet hours in the morning. There was a small metal garage-type building we leased connected to the shop on the back side. Austin turned it into a workshop. Building all of our pieces on-site made things easier. “I’m working on those outdoor lanterns we talked about last week.” He held up the copper rectangular base and pointed over to the hardware lying on a nearby counter. “Check out those latches I made.”

  “Those are beautiful,” I said in awe, touching the pieces gently. Austin was freakishly talented, and I was so grateful for him. We’d met in Chicago at a school function. He was twenty-six, a few years older than me, and he was married with a baby on the way. We’d talked about opening up a shop in Chicago, but the market already seemed too saturated, and costs were too expensive for what we had in mind. I never imagined he would agree to my idea of a shop back in my hometown in Grand Harbor.

  It was a simple, small beach town on the east side of Lake Michigan. After one visit, he and his wife were ecstatic about the idea. Grand Harbor had that effect on people; great beaches, a quaint downtown, and a relaxed culture far different than what we experienced in Chicago. The baby on the way tipped the scales my direction once they considered settling down for good in suburbia. His wife, Anne, was completely on board with the whole thing, and we moved to town around the same time. Within three weeks, the shop was leased and we’d been working hard to build up our inventory.

  “Things have been pretty steady over the past few weeks since the Grand Opening,” he stated while he focused on the metal pieces in front of him. “We’ve had a few custom orders come in this week too. Everything look okay on your end?”

  “Better than projected.” In addition to all the design work, I handled all the bookkeeping and store details as well. Austin was all labor. We had two part-time girls, Sam and Gianna, and that was it. “The local pieces should sell better this summer once the tourists move in.” From Memorial Day through Labor Day, Grand Harbor filled up with visitors from all over the country. I suspected they would gravitate toward the pieces made from local treasures, given we were located right downtown amongst the ice cream parlors, surf shops, and antique stores.

  We spent the next few hours on our typical daily routines. I paid some bills, reset a few display tables, finalized schedules, and researched several new projects. I also spent some time organizing the next Alzheimer’s Run fundraiser I had coming up in August. Ever since my Grandma Eve was diagnosed with the wicked disease two years ago, it became a passion project of mine. I joined several local advocacy groups and tried to get involved in any way I could. The disease was destroying her slowly, and I wanted to do everything in my power to help her.

  I ordered some flowers for Lexi and had them delivered to her hospital room. She texted Olivia and me to let us know her parents would be in town for a couple of days to take care of her, but that she should be back to her normal routine in no time. We made plans to hang out again as soon as her parents left town.

  Some patrons flowed in and out throughout the morning, but most weekdays weren’t particularly rushed. I expected that to pick up after the holiday weekend at the end of the month.

  Around eleven-thirty, the front door chimed and I looked up from my computer, taking note of a tall guy with dark hair and strong arms. He was definitely a new customer; I would’ve noticed a guy with that build in my shop if I saw him before. His dark jeans hung loose on his hips and his light v-neck shirt brought out the blue and grey flecks in his eyes. His arms and chest filled out the shirt nicely, and I wished Sam was here already so I wouldn’t be forced into an awkward sales conversation with this guy.

  “Hi, welcome,” I said politely, standing up from my metal stool behind the counter to greet him. He looked around the shop curiously, and I could tell by his gaze it was his first time in the store.

  “These fixtures are amazing,” he replied warmly, reaching out to touch one of the lamps on display. Instead of focusing on the shade or switch, as most people did, he ran his fingers along the unique metal criss-cross base.

  “Are you looking for something in particular?”

  “I was referred here by someone,” he explained. I noticed he had a piece of paper in his hands with my business name on it. “I’m in real estate. Well, mainly new construction now.”

  I smiled as I thought of Olivia in that moment. I wasn’t familiar with the house design show she mentioned to me as I didn’t watch a lot of TV, but based on what she said, he sounded like both Property Brothers wrapped up in one gorgeous, firm package.

  “I’m always looking for unique pieces for our custom homes,” he continued. “I had no idea what to expect.”

  “We can do custom orders as well, if you have something else in mind other than what you see here,” I added professionally.

  He looked up at me and I was immediately taken by his light eyes. It was such a contrast to his dark hair. To answer Olivia’s earlier question about my ‘type’ of guy, this was it. Exactly it.

  “How long have you guys been here?”

  “We just opened a few weeks ago.” I smiled at him. “I’ve been working on these pieces for the last year and a half though, but the store itself is new.”

  “Wait, you make all of these yourself?” His lips curled and I couldn’t help but stare back at his handsome face. “They’re brilliant.”

  “I just come up with the designs,” I replied while blushing. “Austin, my business partner, he does the labor. Are you from this area?”

  After being away at college for the past four and a half years, I was surprised at how many new faces I saw around town. I still ran into my fair share of old classmates here and there, but it was refreshing to meet a new young face. It seemed most people who moved to Grand Harbor were either old and settling in for retirement, or young affluent families wanting to raise their kids in a quiet beach town. He wasn’t old and didn’t have a ring on, so that piqued my interest.

  “I grew up in Carlstown, a couple hours south over the Indiana border. My father owns a construction company there,” he explained, resting a hand casually in his jeans pocket. “I usually handle the real estate side of things, listing and selling plots of land, that kind of thing. But I’ve since moved on more toward the construction side of things. Do you know that McCarthy property up the beach on Kingston Street?”

  “That little old beach house they plowed down to build that huge stone monstrosity?”

  “Yeah,” he replied with a laugh. “That’s my project.”

  “Wow, that’s a huge endeavor. They let you sneak away to look at light fixtures today?”

  “No, I didn’t go in this morning,” he explained. “I’m only really part time there. A couple days a week I work for Reclaimed Hearts. The name sounds a little cheesy, but it’s an amazing organization. It’s a non-profit that originated in Detroit actually.”

  “What do you do there?”

  “We fix up homes for people who need assistance but can’t afford a professional to do it. We’ve built some handicap ramps for people who’ve found themselves needing one for sudden life-changing circumstances – car accidents, or acute illnesses that took away their mobility. We’ve also fixed up some roofs and worked on insulation for elderly people on fixed incomes, that kind of thing. I only get to help out there for about ten to fifteen hours a week, but it’s a wonderful endeavor. The gratitude from the people we get to help is incredible. I wish I could work there full-time, but obviously volunteer work doesn’t exactly pay all the bills. The McCarthy house helps in that regard, so I have to balance the two.”

  Great, so a hot guy who does charity work… He wasn’t exactly making himself an easy target to walk away from.

  “Sounds like you’re pretty busy,” I commented, hoping he would respond by confirming he had no time in his life for me. That would help get him out of my head.

  “I have no
choice but to stay busy, I don’t know anyone in town,” he replied with a nervous laugh. “It’s easy to work a lot of hours when you have no social life.”

  He stared back at me and I so badly wanted to imagine he was insinuating I should be his social life, but I doubted that’s what he was really trying to tell me.

  “So you’re living here now? You don’t commute from Carlstown?” I wasn’t thinking straight when I asked the question. Why on earth would he commute from another state, hours away? He was clouding up my brain.

  “I’m staying here in Grand Harbor. At least for now,” he said with a shrug. “I’m crashing with my brother at his apartment over on Lakeshore Boulevard. At least until I figure out what I’m doing long-term.”

  “I live pretty close to there,” I interjected a little too quickly. “Not on the lake side though, obviously. I’d have to sell a lot more lamps for that to happen.”

  He smiled back at me and we stood there for a moment in complete, awkward silence.

  “Well, uh, if you need help with anything, you know, with the lights,” I stammered nervously, “just let me know. I’m Sophia Grace.”

  “Lance Rivers,” he replied with an extended hand. I shook it firmly, surprised by the softness of his skin. “Would you be interested in coming to my house?”

  “Oh, uh, you’re inviting me over?”

  “Not to where I’m staying,” he blushed. “I mean you could come over. I’d love for you to come over, actually. I mean that’s not what I meant.” He shook his head, and I was glad he was the one rambling this time. “Sorry, what I meant to ask was whether or not you make home visits. Site visits actually. Maybe you’d be interested in seeing the house I’m working on to give me your opinion as to which lights would look best?”

  His face looked somewhat embarrassed, but also full of warmth at the same time.

  “I can definitely do that,” I replied, trying to maintain a professional demeanor. Honestly there was nothing professional about the way his eyes made me feel. I had plenty of non-professional thoughts running through my brain at the moment, but I was trying my best to keep it together. “Let me give you this,” I stated, grabbing one of my business cards off the counter. “It has my cell on there. Just give me a call and we can arrange something. Whenever it’s convenient for you.”

  “What are you doing right now?” he asked directly.

  Trying not to be affected by your face…and torso… and…

  “I’ve heard good things about that sushi place one street over from here,” he added, interrupting my thoughts. “I was planning to grab some lunch there. If you’re available, would you maybe want to join me?”

  I glanced around the empty shop. Sam would be arriving soon for her shift anyway. Technically I could get away for a bit. This was more like a business meeting, probably… right? So if it was for business anyway, I shouldn’t feel guilty about leaving for an hour or so. After all, he made it clear he was interested in my lights, so that would make this officially not a date. Probably. The lines were confusing me as I stared at his face. Thankfully I realized in that moment that my legs still hadn’t been shaved for at least three days. That took some pressure off. This definitely couldn’t be a date, I was too unprepared for that. Thank goodness my long maxi-dress hid everything.

  “Uh, yeah. Let me just check with someone real quick,” I said nervously. Austin didn’t usually work the floor, but he was more than capable for a half hour. I made my way into the back room where he was working on a new fixture.

  “What’s going on? Why do you look so flush?” Austin questioned a little too loudly. I quickly put a finger up to my lips, signaling him to whisper.

  “I’m pretty sure the man of my dreams is out in the store right now,” I replied with a hushed excitement.

  “How do you know?” he asked skeptically.

  “I don’t know, he just… he makes my guts feel like falling out. Is that a thing?” I sighed. “He’s like both Property Brothers all in one guy, which means he’s like all the things a girl needs, right?”

  “Seriously, an HGTV reference? You’re as bad as my wife,” he laughed quietly.

  “I don’t even really know what I’m referencing, I’m so behind on my Netflix queue that I haven’t had time to watch TV in ages. But the guy does charity work for Pete’s sake. For old people. You know my weakness for the elderly. I’m just trying to say that I need a favor. And a break. I mean, the break is my favor.”

  “You are a pile of mush right now,” he continued laughing. “This is really a noteworthy guy?”

  “Based on the outline of his pecs through his form-fitting shirt, I think so.”

  “Oh, I’ve gotta see this,” he smirked, getting up from his stool.

  “No,” I urged, motioning him to sit back down. “Do not go out there.”

  “I’m kind of like your over-protective older brother,” he responded playfully. “I’m supposed to go out there and act all intimidating so he knows to treat you right.”

  “Not a chance, too mortifying,” I answered, still keeping my voice low. “But seriously, he invited me to lunch. Sam won’t be here for another thirty minutes. Can you please just cover the front for me?”

  “Only if I get to meet him first.” Austin’s lips curled.

  “No,” I said firmly, shaking my head. “Too weird. It’s not even a date. He’s working on the McCarthy house up the shoreline and he wants to talk about lighting. It’s probably nothing more than a business conversation.”

  “What if he kidnaps you and you end up a missing person on tonight’s news? I should at least be able to identify him as a suspect.”

  “I would let that man kidnap me any day of the week,” I replied dreamily.

  “This is exactly why you need someone looking out for you,” he chuckled, walking past me out to the store area. I shook my head, wishing this awkward scenario away.

  Lance looked up as Austin walked out from the back room. I was just a few steps behind him.

  “Oh, hi, I didn’t realize someone was out here,” Austin said casually. I suspected he was doing his best to act nonchalant so this wouldn’t be too uncomfortable, which I appreciated. “Hey Soph, I’m going to move some of the displays around, so why don’t you just take your lunch break now?” He winked at me and I hoped Lance hadn’t noticed.

  “Yeah, thanks Austin,” I replied. “I’ll be back in a bit.” I offered him a genuine smile as I grabbed my purse from behind the counter. “I won’t be long.”

  Lance smiled as we walked toward the front door.

  “Oh, you’re going somewhere together?” I loved that Austin was still acting like our conversation in the back room never happened. His effort was so genuine. “Where are you taking her?”

  Lance shrugged. “Out to an old windowless shed, or maybe a basement? Or there’s always Canada or Mexico - wherever kidnappers usually take their victims.”

  Chapter 3

  “You heard our conversation in the back room?” I questioned nervously. If I was blushing before, this was something so much worse now.

  “Just part of it,” he replied as we walked up the street to SoHo Sushi, the same place I ate last night with Olivia and Lexi. “Maybe the part about you wanting me to kidnap you. Although it’s possible I misheard that. I’m not entirely sure I’m even safe with you. Maybe you were suggesting you were doing the kidnapping? I can’t be sure what I heard.” He smiled down at me and I loved the sight of his face.

  “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how the day plays out to see which of those versions is correct,” I replied suggestively, though I didn’t necessarily mean anything by it. After all, this lunch would maybe be an hour, tops. Then we’d part ways and who knows what would happen after that. Odds were good I would never see him again.

  He led me into the restaurant and we were seated by the window. You could see the shoreline of Lake Michigan from where we were sitting, and the water looked peaceful.

  As the waitre
ss set down two glasses of water, she recognized me immediately from the night before. “How’s your friend? Please tell me the sushi had nothing to do with what happened last night,” the bubbly woman in her mid-forties commented.

  “It wasn’t the food here,” I replied with a slight laugh, shaking my head. “Appendicitis. Your chef’s in the clear.”

  “Good,” the waitress replied. “Nice to see you back again today.” She left us alone to look over the menu and Lance eyed me suspiciously.

  “Did I just bring you to your own local hangout?” he questioned with a smirk.

  “No, I just happened to be here last night.”

  “A girl about town,” he replied with a raised brow.

  “Not exactly.” I shrugged. “My friends and I go out occasionally, but we actually stay in a lot too. We like to subject ourselves to sappy movies and cheap wine at least once a week. Other than that my only social life is with my eighty-four year old grandma. I swear I don’t get out much.”

  “What do you do with your grandma? Bingo? Shuffleboard? Clubbing?”

  I laughed. “Plenty of bingo, but she doesn’t get out to the clubs. She loves dancing, don’t get me wrong, but too much gyration hurts her bad hip. She lives over off Sapphire Street in that assisted living center. She isn’t well. Alzheimer’s.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that. That must be hard.”

  “It takes a toll on me, for sure. Some days are great and we have a lot of fun together, but most days are pretty mundane, watching old episodes of MASH and stuff like that. Then there are the days when she doesn’t even recognize me. Those are heart-wrenching. Lots of tears, mostly on my end. Sorry, can we talk about something else?” My voice started getting all choked up. I loved my Grandma Eve so very much. It was so heartbreaking to watch her deteriorate the way she was. It was like she was a ghost of the person she used to be when I was a child. It affected me greatly, and I wasn’t ready to turn to mush in front of this guy I hardly knew. It was too personal.