Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
S ophia’s clammy hands gripped the steering wheel a little too tightly, but she tried to convince herself her nerves had nothing to do with seeing Max again. As she headed towards the lighthouse perched on the bluff between Pride and the state park, she repeated the same mantra in her head: It isn’t Max making me nervous. It is just the thought of having to tell him that I’m not interested in him any longer.
So much had changed since she’d returned home. Her perspective on life was completely different than it had been when she’d been in New York.
Back then, she’d fantasized for months about her life with Max. She had been sure things had been progressing with him. Even though he was the strong silent type, he’d obviously shown interest in her. The brief kiss they’d shared had been full of heat and passion. But her reaction to that kiss had been nothing like her reaction to the kiss from Palmer. Not even close.
Did Max still feel that way towards her?
When the paved road turned to dirt, she slowed down, thankful the snow had finally stopped so she could see the divots in the dirt and avoid the worst of them.
When she rounded the hillside and the lighthouse finally came into view, she stopped and took it all in.
She had always enjoyed seeing the tall white building along the rocky coastline. From her bedroom, on clear nights, she could see the light that still warned ships of danger. She knew that the light had been fully automated years earlier.
The buildings that accompanied the lighthouse were also beautiful. Each of the four buildings, ranging from a small well house to the massive main building that was attached to the lighthouse, were all painted the same stark white.
The top of the lighthouse itself was painted a deep black that matched the window frames, doors, shutters, and gutters on all of the buildings on the property.
If the inside of the place was as nice as the outside, then she was sure Max wouldn’t need Palmer’s help.
She continued down the winding dirt road and parked next to a massive black truck. No doubt Max’s.
“Hey,” someone called out as she stepped out of her car.
Glancing over, she saw Max come out of one of the other large buildings and realized it was a barn of sorts.
He was wearing worn jeans, a thick leather jacket, boots, and a black beanie cap. Damn, he looked good. No wonder she’d fallen for him. But then she remembered seeing Palmer the other night in nothing but a towel. Yeah, there really wasn’t any competition. Not when her heart skipped for Palmer the way it never did for Max.
“Hey.” She smiled. “Nice place you have here.”
He chuckled. “It’s a work in progress.” He stepped up to her and kissed her on the cheek. “I’m glad I have someone to show it off to. My mom and sisters refuse to visit until I fix up the guest rooms for them.” He laughed and took her hand in his as he walked towards the main building while chatting about the property.
He didn’t seem to notice her discomfort and, to be honest, the more he chatted, the more comfortable she grew.
By the time they stepped through the massive black iron front door, she was more focused on exploring everything than explaining her changed feelings for him.
“The main lighthouse was built in 1872 along with what I’m calling the barn and the well house. This building we’re standing in, which I’m calling home”—he winked at her—“was built in the 1920s. It’s a four-bedroom dwelling with four and a half bathrooms. For years, fundraising paid for the maintenance of the exterior, which accounts for the new paint and the well-maintained yard. The interior, however, needs work.”
Sure enough, the old cream-colored tiles on the floors were chipped and cracked. Some were missing. The walls were a deep brown in places and yellow in others.
There was old furniture everywhere—stacked against walls, piled up along the hallways, and tossed into a pile in a corner.
“You know, there’s an old rumor that’s gone around about this place forever,” she teased, looking around.
“Yeah, about the heiress who lived here in the nineteen hundreds and lost a bunch of diamonds.” He chuckled. “I’ll let you know if I find any while we work.” He motioned for her to follow. “I was clearing this mess out when I heard you drive up.” He sighed. “I’m moving it all to the barn for now until I can get some work done in here. Then I’ll see what I can salvage or have repaired.”
“You should let Lilly at Classy and Sassy take a look at what you have. She’s our local furniture expert. I bet she’d love to get her hands on some of this stuff and refurbish it.” She walked into what she imagined was the living room and ran her hand over an old dresser. “You’re not staying here while it’s like this, are you?”
“I cleaned up a room and have a bed all set up for me. It’s cozy for now. Come, take a look at the rest.” He took her hand and led her through the kitchen, which was very dated but charming. There was a massive standalone stove that had to be from the early nineteen hundreds.
“It works. Well, sort of,” he said when he noticed her looking at it. “It’s wood burning, so you have to plan ahead for meals.”
The cupboards were old and in need of fresh paint or replacement. There were massive arched windows in a small dining area that overlooked the water. The view was breathtaking.
“I have this same view in half the house.” He smiled. “On this floor, it’s this room, the formal dining room, the great room, and what I’m going to turn into my office. On the second floor, my bedroom and bathroom, along with a second bedroom. The rest have a view of the barn and driveway.”
He walked over and opened a door. “I plan on making this closet into a butler’s pantry.” It was a closet full of boxes that sat off the kitchen. “There are stairs at the back of the space that go down to a cellar, or so I’m told. I hope to have a good selection of wine down there,” he said as he shut the door.
“It seems like a lot of work.” She turned around and assessed the space. The floors were wood and in need of sanding and staining. The plaster on the walls was cracked and missing chunks in several places. The tile in the entryway and dining room was cracked and some pieces were missing.
“In here is the formal dining room.” He motioned to a short hallway. She followed him into a long narrow room with more boxes in it.
“Is this all your things?” she asked.
“No, there are a lot of historical documents in here. I plan to donate them to the city, but I have looked through a few.” He shrugged. “There are some pretty interesting things in them. I may end up going through them all to see if anything is… worth using.”
“In your stories?” she asked.
He chuckled. “You never know where inspiration might come from.”
“I doubt Pride has that many secrets.” She stepped into another hallway off the dining room.
“Besides the missing diamonds,” he joked.
“Right.” She laughed.
“This leads to the room I’ll use as my office.” He followed her. “It has its own bathroom.”
The space would indeed be perfect as an office. It was large and even had a fireplace. Half of the broken mantel sat on the floor.
“I’m hoping to repair that,” he said. “The entire other side of the building is connected to the lighthouse and only has small windows.” She followed him into a smaller bathroom near the living room and an old set of wood stairs that led up to the second floor of the home.
“How do you get into the lighthouse?” she asked when they reached the landing.
“There’s an outside door on the main floor or…” He smiled and opened a door at the end of the hallway and motioned. “This way.”
She followed him through the door and down a hallway and stepped right into a circular staircase, which led down one floor and up to the top of the lighthouse.
“Wow,” she sighed as she looked up the old iron staircase. It was wider than she’d imagined, and she could see several landings along the way up.
“Go on, head up,” he said behind her.
She gripped the railing and was surprised that there was enough space for two people to walk side by side on the stairs.
“This is so much bigger than I thought it would be.”
“Remember, before they built the house part, this was where someone had to live. The main floor was the kitchen space, the next was living quarters, complete with space for a bed and bathroom. The top is storage for lighthouse equipment,” he said as they reached the first landing.
Sure enough, there was an old cot, a desk area, a sink, toilet, and small shower.
It was as if she’d stepped back in time. Everything was perfectly preserved.
“I think they had hoped to turn this into a museum at one point. They had remodeled this part and preserved as much as they could. I like it. I probably won’t do anything much over here.”
“It’s like looking back in time,” she said as they started up the stairs again.
“Wait until you see the view from up there. I bet that you’ve never seen Pride like this before.”
The moment they stepped off the last stair, she gasped and her heart raced.
“You aren’t afraid of heights, are you?” he joked as she rushed towards the windows.
There, far below them, sat the town she had come to love. Each street. Every house. All of the businesses. They were all laid out for her to see.
She saw cars that she knew driving down streets. A school bus stopped at the corner by the bakery and two kids jumped out. It was too far away to see who they were, but it was probably Carrie and Corey McCall. Their mother, Tina, worked at the bakery, and the kids hung out there after school every day until she got off work.
“I bet it looks amazing during the holidays up here. With all the lights.” She sighed as her breath fogged the glass.
“I’ll have to wait eight months to find out. The sunsets, though, are spectacular.”
She glanced around the room, peeling her eyes from the view. The large bulb in the middle of the space was currently off.
“Do you have to flip a switch or something to turn it on?” she asked.
He chuckled. “I asked the same thing. Apparently, it’s all controlled by computers and is set up for nights and bad weather. I only have to ensure that the power doesn’t go out. If it does, a massive generator kicks on. I have to make sure that it’s gassed up.”
“Cool.” She walked over and took in the vastness of the Pacific. “Wow.”
“Yeah. Now you know why I had to get this place.” His hand moved to her shoulder and turned her slightly. “I was hoping there would be other benefits to moving here.” His eyes moved to her lips and she felt her nerves kick in.
There had been a time when she’d dreamed of being this close to him. Dreamed of him wanting to kiss her again.
Now, however, all she could think about was Palmer’s kiss last night. The way he felt. How he made her feel.
“Max,” she started, but she stopped when he swooped in and laid his lips over hers.
She held still, realizing that whatever spark had been there before was completely gone.
“Okay.” Max pulled back with a frown. “Am I crazy or did that feel different?”
“I…” She shook her head and bit her lips with worry as his eyebrows rose.
“I see.” He smiled slowly and ran his hand over her arms. “Hey, it would have been a perk, but it wasn’t the reason I moved here,” he assured her.
“You… you’re not mad?” she asked, and he chuckled.
“No, like I said, it would have been a bonus. Whatever we had in the city obviously stayed in the city.” He shrugged. “I left a lot of things behind. I hope that our friendship wasn’t one of them.”
“It’s not,” she jumped in. “It’s just…”
“Is it the guy? The one from the bakery?”
She nodded slowly. “He… We used to…” What? Date? No, that wasn’t right. They hadn’t. “We used to be close.” There, that was sort of true.
“He’s the town’s contractor, right?” he asked. She nodded. “I was hoping to hire him and his brother to do some work around here.”
She pulled Palmer’s card from her pocket. “He was hoping you’d say that.” She smiled as she handed over the card.
Max chuckled and slid the card in his pocket. “How about we finish this tour and then grab some food? I bet you know all the best places to eat in town.”
She wrapped her arm through his and chatted about all her favorite restaurants while he finished showing her around the property.