Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Nash
I slept late and woke to Rocky barking to go out. “Just a second, buddy.” The sun was already pushing past the curtains. I swung my feet off the bed. I picked up my phone and relaxed when I saw there were no new messages from Becky. The doctors had sent Mom home. She’d suffered bruising but, thankfully, no broken bones in her fall. Becky sounded exhausted and at the end of her tether when we talked. That was around midnight. We were resting before our final set, and Becky was just waiting for the doctor’s release order, so she could take Mom home for the night. If only someone would figure out a way to be in two places at once. Then I could be there for my mom and sister and still be out making money to support them. It was hard being stretched like this. I badly wanted to be there to lend a hand, but there wasn’t any way to make money in or around our small town, and the band gigs paid better than most jobs, so that meant traveling around the country.
I pulled on my swim trunks. There was no sense in living near the ocean and not taking a swim. The cove was a little too mellow for my liking. I preferred some waves for bodysurfing, but a quiet swim sounded good, too.
I headed across to the door. Rocky was twirling his tail like a helicopter blade. I opened the door, and he shot out. “Stay in the yard,” I called to him knowing full well he’d ignore that order. There was no fence around the beach house, so as far as Rocky was concerned, the entire cove was his playground.
My throat was always sore after a night on stage. Becky had come up with a warm tea, oat milk and whipped honey elixir, and I had to admit, it worked. It always tasted good, so it was an easier solution than gargling with salt water.
I brewed the tea, splashed in the milk and dropped in a spoon of honey. I carried the cup across to the window, so I could keep an eye on Rocky. He wasn’t in the yard. My gaze swept out to the beach below. A woman was swimming in the glassy water. She turned and floated on her back. I recognized the legs as the same ones I spotted sticking out from the beach chair yesterday afternoon. It was Rocky’s new friend.
I straightened as Rocky came into view. He was trotting happily across the beach, kicking up clumps of sand with his big paws. “Don’t do it,” I muttered. “Come on, buddy, don’t do it.” And then he did it. Rocky went bounding into the water toward his new friend. The dog was a pretty good swimmer, but he also never hesitated to latch on with his paws when the water was too deep for him to touch the ground. “No!” I yelled to an empty house. Rocky tossed a big paw at the woman who was relaxing on her back. She startled and sat up quickly, so quickly she sank beneath the surface before popping back up.
I put the cup down on the coffee table. The damage was done, but the least I could do was go down, call in my badly mannered mutt and apologize profusely. I raced out the door and down the sandy trail to the beach below. I expected to hear yelling or, at the very least, see her shooing Rocky away. Instead, laughter mingled with Rocky’s exuberant bark. The two of them were swimming side by side. I couldn’t tell who was having more fun, the woman or the dog. From my vantage point, I would have put my money on the woman.
I waded in, deciding it was time to meet my neighbor and to apologize belatedly for my dog. I whistled and Rocky immediately dog paddled in a circle to swim my direction. The woman noticed her swimming partner had disappeared. She stopped and turned around, treading water as she stared at me.
“Sorry about his manners,” I called to her.
“I don’t mind at …” Her words fell off. She tilted her head, then her lips parted in surprise. “It’s you,” she said and then swam toward me.
I hadn’t noticed the color of her hair because it was wet and slicked back, but as she swam closer, I recognized her face. It wasn’t one you would ever forget.
“It’s you,” I said back to her as she emerged from the water. She was wearing a pale green one-piece swimsuit cut high on the thighs. A breath caught in my chest. She was incredible.
Rocky was pleased to have his friend back. He immediately rubbed his face against her leg. She laughed and ruffled the hair on his head. It stood straight up in spikes.
I had never had a problem talking to women, but suddenly, I was tongue-tied. She’d overwhelmed all my senses, and I couldn’t find words.
She smiled at the awkward pause and confidently stuck out her hand. “I suppose I should have introduced myself last night since I used you so brazenly outside the club. I’m Layla.”
Rocky barked, and at the risk of being both upstaged and humiliated by my much smoother, cooler wingman, I finally spoke. “Nash Ledger and, like I said last night, it was my pleasure.”
She smoothed her wet hair back. It was shiny under the late morning sun. “I know who you are … now. Admittedly, when I asked you to be my human shield, I had no idea. But my best friend, Emily, filled me in on some of the details on the way to Comstock Bar last night.” She squinted one eye. “Texas boy who works construction when he’s not strumming a guitar or making the women lightheaded with his voice. When you said your name was Mr. Nash?—”
“Uh, you said it was Mr. Nash. I told you my name was Nash.”
Layla bowed her head. “You are right. And I’m feeling rather silly that I didn’t know it was you that I’d pulled around to hide me.”
“And pretend kiss,” I added. “Haven’t forgotten that part.” And Nash Ledger was back. I was crediting my dog with finding my mojo again. I really needed to have him out as wingman more often.
Layla was suntanned, but I could see a pink blush on her cheeks. They were dotted with light brown freckles that were only visible on her naturally golden skin when standing close and in sunlight. Her eyes were cocoa brown, and they were surrounded by thick, long lashes that matched her dark copper hair.
The water pushed in and out around us, lapping at our shins and occasionally washing over Rocky’s back. He’d had enough of the sea, and he trounced out of the water, apparently satisfied that he’d finished his mission of getting his new friend and his dad together.
Layla lifted a hand to shield her eyes as she looked up toward the house. “You’re staying in Audrey’s cottage? You’re the new neighbor.”
“So, you’re one of the Lovely sisters,” I said. “I suppose I should have guessed. Audrey mentioned that you were in the cottage next door in case I needed information about the town. She said no one knew Whisper Cove like the Lovely sisters.”
Layla was nodding along with that assessment. “I can also recommend some great eating places in town.” She peered up at me through those long lashes and once again, a breath caught in my chest. “You might have already been to Whisper Cove Café, but I think I would have remembered if you’d walked into the bakery. I work there. My sister, Isla, owns it, and I heartily recommend it. She’s a fabulous baker.”
“I'll have to stop by. I haven’t had a chance to get into town yet, but Audrey did mention the café and bakery.”
“My sister, Aria, owns the café.”
I laughed. “That makes sense.”
I’d lost track of my wet dog. He’d found Layla’s towel and was rolling around on it to dry off. “Oh wow, I’m sorry. I’ve got some dry towels up at the cottage if you need one.”
Layla laughed at Rocky as he rolled back and forth, occasionally stopping mid-roll with his wet paws up in the air. “I don’t live far, remember?”
I raked my hair back, embarrassed. “Right. Duh.”
“I’ve got some cold apple slices and iced teas in that cooler if you’re interested. You’ll have to sit on Rocky’s towel though. I only brought down one chair.”
“Sure, and can I say that’s very neighborly of you considering my dog has been acting like a monkey escaped from the zoo this morning. And yesterday.”
Layla looked over at me as we trudged across the hot sand. “Yesterday?”
“I was up in the house talking on the phone and keeping an eye on Rocky. I saw him barge in on your sunning session.”
“He did and I welcomed it. He’s such a honeybunch.”
We reached the towel. Rocky finished his rolling extravaganza with a wild shake. Fortunately, he’d gotten most of the water off on the towel. Rocky trotted over and looked up at her with that lost, stray puppy dog look he’d perfected when I spotted him at the rescue. He’d walked to the front of the pen and stared up at me, and that was it. Minutes later, he was sitting in the passenger seat of the truck with one of his big paws on my arm letting me know that we were now best friends and never to be parted again. And he was right.
Layla crouched down and hugged him, wet, sandy fur, and all. “We had a few cats growing up here at my grandmother’s cottage, but never a big, cool dog like this. I’ve always wanted one. My sisters and I are so busy, we’ve never had time for one.”
“Well, I’m sure Rocky will gladly step in to that void anytime you want. I have a feeling I’m going to have a hard time getting him to follow me home after this.”
I straightened out the towel. Rocky had left it with the pungent smell of wet dog. Layla sat in her chair and twisted around to reach into the cooler. She pulled out a bag of sliced apples.
Rocky immediately pushed his nose against the bag. “Does he like apples?” she asked.
“He likes anything that doesn’t bite back.”
Layla laughed as Rocky nibbled the slice of apple in her fingers. She handed over the bag. “Here you go. I suppose it would have been more polite to offer them to you before Rocky.” She rubbed the side of the dog’s big face. “It’s just, he’s so irresistible.”
“Yep, I’ve heard that before. I always consider him my wingman, but really, it’s more like the other way around.” I ate the slice of apple and turned to her. “Did you have any more problems last night, after the incident outside?”
Layla stretched out her long legs and dug her toes into the sand. “No, I think Dustin left after he saw me. I hope that’s the last I’ll see of him.”
I nodded. “That’s good. You didn’t stay for the whole show.”
Her lips parted in surprise. “How do you know that?”
“For the first set you were standing right up front, then I didn’t see you anymore. I admit, I was disappointed.”
She rubbed her feet back and forth in the sand. “Your speakers were too loud.” Her face popped up. “Not that I didn’t enjoy the music. Truly, Nash, your voice is incredible. I see now why my friend, Emily, is such a huge fan.”
“Emily was the blonde with the yellow sundress standing next to you?”
Layla nodded. “Yes, and I guess I told you that she has a big crush on you. In my defense, I didn’t know I was talking to the object of her desire. And since it seemed half the women standing around the stage were there because of their crush on the lead singer, I guess I didn’t reveal too big of a secret. I never told Emily that we met outside. But just to let you know—she really is a wonderful person, funny and pretty and she loves to laugh. She handed Bosco a napkin with her phone number on it.”
I felt myself sinking into the sand with disappointment. I was sitting there slowly developing a major crush on Layla, and she was busy trying to divert my attention to her best friend, a clear sign that Layla had no interest in me. Bosco mentioned that she’d turned him down because she wasn’t interested in any new friendships.
“Uh, yeah, I got a few napkins last night.” I watched as Rocky trotted back down to the water to chase gulls.
“Any chance you might call her?” she asked sweetly. “Never mind. That was nosy and stupid of me. It’s just Emi is my best friend, and she, well, she deserves something great and you seem pretty great.”
I didn’t answer.
“Sorry, that was pushy of me,” she said.
“No, you were doing something nice for your friend, and knowing she’s your close friend assures me she’s a very cool person.”
“She is. Maybe I can introduce you sometime if Emily is visiting.” She covered her mouth. “Nosy and pushy again.”
“No, that’s fine. Sure, I’d love to meet her, but—well—you know I’m only here until October.”
“I know, but honestly, I think just meeting you will be like a trip to the moon for her.” She picked up the bag again. “More apples?”
I shook my head. “No, thanks.”
She rested back, and I’d never seen anyone look so adorable just by tilting their head. “I suppose a guy like you already has someone, a sweetheart waiting back in your hometown, in Texas. And gee whiz, Layla, that certainly wasn’t nosy,” she said to herself. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”
“It’s all right, really. Not nosy at all. I get the same question a lot. I’m always traveling and working. I don’t think it would be fair to any woman, so there’s no one.” Right then, Rocky came bounding back to the towel and sat on me. “Just me and the sand monster, here.”
“Oh, but he’s such a cute sand monster and a worthwhile friend, I’m sure.”
“That he is.”
Her phone beeped. She pulled it out of her bag and pressed her fingers to her lips. “It’s Emily. I can’t just drop the bomb and say ‘Hey, Emi, I’m hanging out with Nash Ledger on the beach.’ She’ll split in two. Literally.”
I laughed. “Literally?”
“Nope, you’re right. The other one. Metaphorically. My sister, Ella, is always correcting me on that mistake. She’s the writer in the family.”
“So, no café or bakery?”
“Nope, that’s Isla and Aria, the two eldest. Ella is in the middle, then there’s Ava. She’s a scientist, and she’s been around the world many times. She teaches at the university.”
“Impressive bunch. So, you’re the baby?” I asked.
“Yes, the spoiled-rotten, over-coddled princess of the family, or so Aria likes to say whenever we’re not getting along. It’s all right because I call her the elderly dictator. But we almost always get along, so those sibling knives don’t come out too often. How about you? Got any brothers or sisters?”
I nodded and realized then that I left the house without my phone. I was never without it since the accident. It seemed whenever I left it behind or couldn’t look at it, Becky called with some sort of emergency. “I’ve got a twin sister, and now that you bring her up, I need to get back up to the house and check to see if she’s called.”
Layla watched, puzzled, as I hopped to my feet. “Hope it wasn’t something I said.”
“No, not at all. This has been really nice. My sister is taking care of my mom. Mom had an accident a year ago, and she’s still recuperating. Becky, my twin sister, calls me when there’s a problem. I raced down here to make sure Rocky wasn’t bothering you and forgot my phone.”
“That makes sense.” She peered up at me with a smile. “So, dreamy and a good son and brother—nice combo. Emily has good taste.”
“It was really great finally meeting you, Layla. I guess I’ve got Rocky to thank for that.”
“Any time you need me to watch him, you know, if you’re busy or need to rush back home to Texas, I’m happy to have him.”
“Thanks, that’s really kind.”
“It’s the least I can do for my human shield.”
I left with the image of her incredible smile etched in my mind. I’d finally met someone who I wanted to get to know better, but she was playing matchmaker for her best friend. Story of my life.