Chapter 7
seven
Cole
“This is Moose Harbor?” I ask as we pass the welcome sign and immediately hit the town center.
“This is it. Isn’t it cute?”
I squint as I stare through the windshield and take in the main drag.
There’s a small hardware and liquor store, a post office, a supermarket that is definitely no Walmart, and some kind of snack shack, where a surprising number of people are currently lined up for hot dogs and ice cream.
Charlie directs me into the parking lot of a quaint looking café and her feet hit the pavement before I have time to turn off the engine.
I scramble to catch up, and when I do, and she takes in my pinched expression, she gives my shoulder a pat.
“I know it’s probably smaller than you expected, but it’ll grow on you. Just give it a chance.”
I grunt and hold the door open for her as she ducks beneath my arm and squeezes past me in the narrow space.
Her soft breasts brush against my front, as her breath fans over the side of my neck, and her vanilla scent envelops my senses.
Subtle instrumental jazz floats through the interior, barely noticeable over the chatter in the small room.
It’s packed, and I’m beginning to think we won’t be able to secure a table when Charlie motions me to follow her around the counter and into a booth right beside the state-of-the-art coffee machine.
“This is for staff only, but Dee won’t mind. Being friends with the owner does have its perks.”
“Seems that way,” I reply as I lean back and scan the chalkboard on the opposite wall for daily specials. Eggs Benedict and blueberry pancakes seem to be on the menu today, and I decide a couple of poached eggs drowned in a gallon of rich hollandaise is exactly what the doctor ordered.
“I have to use the restroom. Could you order me the Hungry Man breakfast and a cappuccino? Just tell the server it’s for Charlie. They know how I like it.”
“No problem,” I reply and watch her cross the room with that damn swing in her step.
Fuck, that woman has curves in all the right places.
It’s like my eyes are glued to her backside and I have to make a conscious effort to tear my gaze away before I start growling like a rabid animal.
Once I’m alone, I slide my phone out of my back pocket and place it on the table in front of me, flinching when I see yet another text from my best friend.
I’m so consumed by guilt I don’t even notice the woman sidling up to me until she speaks.
“What can I get you?” She’s smirking when I jump about a foot and press a hand to my sternum.
“Jesus, lady. Has anyone ever told you that you move like a damn ninja.” She barks out a laugh, her lips stretching into a wide smile that exposes the cutest little gap between her upper front teeth.
She’s gorgeous, with her pale complexion and inky straight hair that sits just above her shoulders.
Her lean physique hints at an active lifestyle, and I can’t help but think that Mads would love her.
She’s exactly his type. Sexy and good-natured.
Confident, too. I can tell by the way her steely blue gaze is locked on mine, as she clicks the end of her pen against her toned forearm and waits for me to recover enough to place my order.
When I mention Charlie’s name, her eyebrows shoot into her hairline.
“Oh my God. You’re the diva?”
“Pardon me?”
“Never mind. That’s interesting,” the woman I can only assume is Dee murmurs as she drags her eyes over me like I’m some kind of fucked up science experiment.
When she doesn’t say more and things go from weird to straight up awkward, I clear my throat and subtly lean sideways, looking around her to figure out what in the hell is taking Charlie so long.
And like she can sense my unease, she barrels toward me with purpose, nostrils flaring when she notices her friend looming over me.
“Dee,” she greets, confirming the woman’s identity. Hugs and pointed looks are exchanged before Charlie slides into the bench seat beside me. “I see you already met Cole. Cole, this is my good friend, Dee. I hope it’s okay that we grabbed this table. It’s a nuthouse in here this morning.”
Dee waves her off like it’s no skin off her back.
“The first Saturday of the month is always busier than usual, with the farmers’ market bringing both tourists, as well as locals into town.
But not to worry. I’ll tell Bobby to put a rush order on your food.
We all know how crabby you get when you’re hungry, and we wouldn’t want to expose Cole to your alter-ego just yet.
Let him get used to the balanced version of you first.”
“Har har,” Charlie growls, rolling her eyes before turning to me. “I’m really not that bad.”
Dee scoffs. “Last time you went too long between meals, you made my poor barista cry because he forgot the whipped cream on your white chocolate mocha.”
“Did not.”
“Did too. I was right there when he turned away to wipe the tears off his cheeks.”
“Just get me my damn food,” she says through gritted teeth, crossing her arms and pushing her ample breasts closer to her chin.
Suddenly, I’m starved, and I’m not sure this particular craving can be satisfied with a hearty breakfast. The willowy café owner chuckles and throws me a cheeky wink before she turns away to place our order and take care of her other paying customers.
“How long have you two known each other?” I ask, curious about the obvious bond they share. I push down my own guilt when it makes me think of Maddox once again. I really just have to man up and give him a call.
“I met her the week I moved here. We bonded over our mutual love for romance novels, and the rest is history. Sometimes you just click with a person, you know?”
As a matter of fact, I do know. The last person I felt that kind of instant connection with tore my heart out of my chest when she left me, so I’m a lot more leery of who I let close these days.
I grunt out my response and thank the young server who delivers our drinks, grateful for the interruption.
Bringing the steaming mug to my lips, I take a tentative sip and groan as the rich taste of espresso explodes on my tongue.
“Damn, I really needed that,” I say as Charlie hides her smile behind her own mug.
“So, what made you decide to move to the sticks all on your own?”
Charlie’s shoulders tense, and I narrow my eyes at the change in her demeanor, making a mental note to myself that the reason that brought her to Moose Harbor is not something she feels comfortable talking about. Guess that’s something we have in common.
“I had a relationship go sour and needed a change of scenery. A fresh start to focus on myself without outside influences. My parents passed away recently and left me some money. So, when I looked at different investment opportunities and came across the resort online, it just felt like it was meant to be, you know? I can’t really explain it.
I know it seems crazy to buy a struggling business in the middle of nowhere, but at the time, I needed the distraction, and I’ve never been one to turn down a challenge. ”
“I’m sorry about your folks,” I say simply.
The sadness in her eyes triggers an echoing ache in my chest. I don’t bother saying more.
I know from experience that no amount of sympathy can erase the agony that goes hand in hand with a great loss.
Grief is a fickle thing. It absolutely annihilates you at first. Overwhelming you with a crippling pain so intense, you don’t think you’ll ever be able to function again.
Then the numbness sets in, and for a while, you don’t feel much of anything.
You spend weeks sleeping the day away, only dragging yourself out of bed long enough to take care of your basic needs, before crawling back underneath the covers.
Then, one day, you wake up and your new reality doesn’t sucker punch you in the gut as soon as you crack your eyes open.
You’re able to resume mundane tasks, such as taking a shower and fixing breakfast. You drag your sorry ass back to work, hoping it’ll bring back some sense of purpose.
And when you make it through that first day without breaking down, the relief is so great you can’t help but cling to that tiny sliver of hope.
It taunts you with the possibility of a fulfilling life and you want to believe it so fucking bad.
But the joke’s on you. Because just when you least expect it, it all comes flooding back, drowning you in a tidal wave of emotions that takes you out at the goddamn knees.
Once you experience that type of loss, you can’t ever go back to the person you were before. Life as you knew it no longer exists. Gone is your faith in humanity, and a God cruel enough to stand idly by, allowing evil to snuff out innocent lives without a moment’s hesitation.
“What about you?” Charlie’s question snaps me out of my spiraling thoughts.
I blink once and refocus on the woman beside me.
“I haven’t been in the hospitality industry long, but renting a cabin for such a long stretch of time seems a little unusual.
Are you running from the law or something?
” she asks, chuckling at her own joke. When I don’t join in, her laughter dies a quick death, and her eyes pop wide.
“Oh my God. You are, aren’t you? Now it all makes sense.
The grumpy attitude. The desire to sleep on a fluffy mattress.
You probably escaped from prison and haven’t slept in a comfortable bed in years.
That’s just my luck. I’ll probably end up getting arrested for harboring a fugitive.
I’m too pretty to go to jail, Cole. Please tell me you’re not a criminal. ”