Chapter 8
CHAPTER
EIGHT
The kettle’s whistle had barely faded when he stepped onto the deck with his laptop. The light was still low enough to bounce off the lake in gold streaks, the kind of morning that usually settled him. Not today.
He couldn’t stop thinking about the footprints by the fence last night. Fresh. Close to the property line. Could have been anyone, but it hadn’t been anyone he recognized.
From the corner of his eye, movement drew his attention — Tessa at the kitchen table, phone pressed to her ear, her expression tightened in a way that didn’t match the easy start of the day.
He didn’t mean to listen, but her voice carried through the open window.
“…No, I didn’t file a claim… I’m on leave. ”
Insurance. Medical equipment. The words pricked at him.
She ended the call and stood there a second, both hands on the counter like she needed to pin herself in place. When she caught him in the doorway a moment later, she smoothed her face, but he’d already seen the crack in her calm.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. It appears something was left unattended and I tried explaining it’s not my responsibility right now. I’ll handle it.”
He let it go for now. Pushing would just make her close the door harder.
By midafternoon, he needed hardware from town for the dock repair. He took the long route along the harbor, scanning without making it obvious. That was when he saw him — tall, ball cap gone, leaning against a pier piling like he’d been poured into the space.
The guy wasn’t watching the water; he was watching the people. Every turn of his head looked casual until you noticed the way his gaze landed, cataloguing faces before sliding on.
Brian slowed his pace just enough to memorize the lines — dark hair, lean build, posture that said he could stay there all day without shifting. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second. The man’s mouth moved — not quite a smile — and then he turned and walked away, slipping into the line of cars.
Brian crossed to the piling, stood where the man had been. From there, you could see straight down the main street toward Mae’s and the bookstore. If someone were patient enough, they could watch a lot without being noticed.
His phone rang and he answered it on the second ring. "Knight."
"Hi, Mr. Knight, it's Jake from Cooper Moon Rentals.
I'm sorry to inform you, we will not be able to offer Ms. Callahan a place to stay.
The tenant above the gallery decided to stay.
We don't have anything available in any of our units.
As I mentioned to Ms. Callahan, the only thing available is a room in my home, my mom uses it when she is in town.
I can offer her that, but I wondered if you two were getting on well enough that she'd be able to stay with you. "
He closed his eyes briefly, not feeling irritated or happy. "Things are fine enough."
"Good. Good, I'm so happy to hear that. Of course, we will pay you. I'll get it all sorted here and get a check out to you."
"How much?"
Jake stammered. "How, how much? Oh, well, the same rate we currently pay you plus a bonus, of course."
He swallowed but stared across the street at nothing in particular.
"Okay."
"Thank you, Mr. Knight. I'm S..."
Brian ended the call. It was rude, but he wasn't feeling all that positive right now.
Tessa would be in his house for two months.
As he thought about it, he liked her. She wasn't in his way.
She wasn't judgmental. She was dealing with her own stresses, and he knew what that was.
He didn't want to be another stressor to her. And, he liked her quiet company.
When he came back up the lane an hour later, Tessa was on the deck, legs curled under her, a loaf of bread and a book beside her. She looked up when he passed through the doorway.
“Find what you needed?” she asked.
“Mostly.” He set the bag on the counter, hesitated, then added, “If you see that guy from the fair again, tell me.”
Her eyes sharpened. “You saw him, too.”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
The breeze lifted a strand of her hair. She pushed the plate toward him. “Have some bread.”
He took a slice. Warm. Solid. A simple offering, but one he wasn’t about to refuse.
He sat in the chair next to her and stared out at the lake. "Jake called and said they didn't have another place for you to stay."
She twisted in her chair. "Oh no."
She took a deep breath, and he leaned over and patted her knee briefly, then removed his hand. "I told him you could stay here."
He watched her throat work as she swallowed. "I don't know what..." She blew out a breath. "Thank you. I can find another town to stay in if it's too inconvenient. I came for peace and quiet, and you like your peace and quiet. I don't want to be the reason for you to lose that. It's precious."
He turned to face her, planted his feet on the deck, and rested his elbows on his knees. "It's fine. I promise. It seems we're both searching for the same thing, and it's here. Why don't we quietly enjoy it together?"