Chapter 2
CHAPTER
TWO
What the ever-loving fuck was this shit? He was supposed to share his little cottage with a stranger? And one who seemed to think tears fixed everything?
"I'll let her stay for a few days until something else can be worked out."
"Thank you, Mr. Knight. I'll send your funds out first thing in the morning."
Tessa's brows furrowed. "Wait. You can't send him everything. If this is only a few days, I'm going to need the rest to pay for another place."
"That's true. How about you both come into the office in the morning, and we'll settle on a rental amount."
Brian's shoulders slumped, and Tessa was now in full tears mode. He felt bad for her, even though he was completely irritated. "Yes, that will work."
Tessa swiped at her tears and sniffed daintily. "Thank you, Jake. We'll see you tomorrow."
"Sounds good. And thank you both for being flexible. We'll work something out."
The call ended, and Tessa dropped her phone into her purse. She reached back for her suitcase handle and stared up at him. He took a deep breath. So, he wasn't going to have a quiet evening building a fire and having a beer or two. "Follow me."
He turned, and to his left was the door to the spare bedroom. He'd stashed a few boxes in there until he could unpack them. He heaved out a breath. "This is your room. I'll put some pants on and take these boxes out of your way."
He left her standing in the doorway of the spare room, as he sauntered down the hall to the living room and turned right to his bedroom.
He closed the door and pulled open the top drawer of his dresser.
Picking the top pair of boxer briefs from the pile, he tossed his towel onto the bed and slipped on his underwear.
He pulled open the second drawer and picked out the top pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.
He donned them, slipped on his socks, and a pair of slippers.
He exited his room expecting Tessa to be sitting in the living room waiting for him, but she wasn't. He strode to her bedroom door and found it closed.
He knocked and waited, rotating his head as he did.
She opened the door, her eyes rimmed red from crying. He felt bad. "No sense in crying about it. We'll get it sorted."
"I'm sure we will. It's just been an exhausting day."
He nodded, then looked past her at the boxes. "I'll get those out of your way so you have more room."
She turned, her short blonde curly hair looked as though she'd run her hands through it a thousand times. And he could see the dark circles under her pretty green eyes. He felt like a heel for being grumpy. He wasn't the only one inconvenienced.
She stepped aside, and he picked up the first box and hauled it down the hall to a closet near the back door. He repeated this for the other three boxes in the room.
"I was going to go outside and build a fire and have a beer. Did you want to join me?"
"No, that's okay...Yes." She shrugged. "I know you're put out, if I won't disturb your peace, I'd love to sit by the fire, and a drink sounds like a little bit of heaven."
"You got it. The mosquitoes come out around seven, which is in about fifteen minutes, so put something on to cover your arms and legs. The door to the back is straight through the living room and out the patio door."
"Thank you."
He detected a break in her voice and disappeared out the door before she started crying once more. He hurried outside and busied himself with building a fire. Mostly to ease the tension in his shoulders and not dwell too much on this surprise guest.
The wood he'd previously stacked along the property line last month sat waiting for the perfect fire; he was happy to oblige.
Picking an armful of wood, he carried it to the fire ring near the water's edge and stacked it up.
He pulled a few pieces of the kindling he'd cut down from the crate he kept it in and tucked it inside his perfect stack.
He turned to the back door and saw Tessa emerge wearing a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved flannel shirt.
He chuckled. "Looks like you came prepared. "
The blush that graced her cheeks was cute. "It was my father's."
"It looks good on you," he said as he passed her. "Have a seat." He pointed to the Adirondack chairs around the fire ring. "I'll get us some drinks. Beer okay?"
"Yes. Thank you."
He swallowed the knot in his throat. She seemed nice enough, and she was cute, so he could do worse. Hopefully, she wasn't a whiny, spoiled brat. He couldn't do that.
He grabbed two beers from the fridge and the pack of matches from the cupboard and exited the house.
She looked impossibly small sitting in one of the chairs.
Her hands were clasped in her lap, and she looked completely uncomfortable.
That was likely his fault for being gruff before.
She'd surprised him. He wasn't expecting guests.
He was beginning to enjoy his peaceful life here.
He handed her a beer and set his on the arm of the chair he'd soon sit in.
It was the perfect spot to sit and watch the water beyond the flames of his fire.
He struck a match and held it to the kindling, waiting for it to catch.
He needed a second match and was happy when a little flame showed itself.
He gently blew on it to make it grow, and soon he had himself a nice fire.
He added a bit more kindling, then sat in his chair and watched his fire grow.
He glanced out over the water, always impressed by how it looked when the sun went down, and then, after, how it still managed to hold on to the copper color for a while. He'd found his paradise right here in the place he least expected it.