Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Though he followed Layne, Keaton knew exactly where they were going. He had stayed for a few days at the Bay Breeze B&B when he had first arrived in Driftwood Bay.
He had chosen moving to the Bay almost randomly, deciding he needed a change after having lived in the Grand Tetons for two years.
He had never seen an ocean. He had missed Texas during his time in Wyoming and decided to move to somewhere on the Gulf Coast. It had been the right decision.
Water soothed his soul and centered him.
Especially now that he would be living directly on the water in his own house, he was glad he had chosen the Bay as his permanent home.
And glad Layne Larson was here, as well.
Keaton had been taken with her upon their first meeting.
Now that he had spent the last several hours with her, he felt even more drawn to her in some inexplicable way.
It wasn’t simply the sexual attraction. Layne appealed to him in other ways.
She had a vulnerability about her now because of the deaths of her parents, but he also sensed the strong core which ran through her.
He liked that idea of strength wed with fragility.
He told himself to hold back, however. More than anything, Layne needed a friend at this time.
That’s what he would be for her now.
He had quite a bit of respect for Mila and enjoyed being around her.
Since Layne was a lifelong friend of Mila’s, Keaton knew she was what folks in the Bay termed good people.
He would be her friend as long as she needed him in that capacity.
If the time came when she could put her failed relationship behind her and want something more from him, he would be more than willing to give it a try.
That in itself surprised him because he, too, was coming off the only serious relationship he had experienced—and it had ended in disaster.
They reached the B&B, both of them parking in front of the large structure.
He had found it online after he had perused countless websites and decided Driftwood Bay would be the next chapter in his life.
Keaton had been slightly disappointed during his stay at the Bay Breeze, though.
The pictures on the website showed a much more vibrant place, but he had found the small inn to be faded, as if it had seen better days.
Though outdated, his room had been airy and clean, and the food quite good.
Lark Larson, Layne’s mom, had been kind if a little distracted.
Knowing now that she had an inoperable brain tumor, he thought her condition must have affected the person she had been and that she had probably been warmer and more outgoing prior to her diagnosis.
On the other hand, Jack Larson had been friendly, telling Keaton a few stories about Driftwood Bay’s history and asking him about his work as an artist. His artist’s eye had noticed a small tremor in the B&B owner’s right hand.
Every now and then, Jack had also hesitated before he spoke, and Keaton wondered if the man might have Parkinson’s disease.
If that were the case, he could almost understand why the Larsons had done what they had done, choosing to leave this world with one another, on their own terms.
Getting out of the car, Keaton joined Layne, who stood eyeing her childhood home with trepidation.
“Do you have keys to get in?” he asked.
She nodded, pulling a small key ring from her purse.
“Back in the day, I never had a key to the place. No one in the Bay locked their doors. It’s only in the last few years that Dad said things had begun to change, and he gave me this set of keys.
I assume Chief Roberts has keys to the B&B, as well.
My parents and the Roberts were close friends. ”
“It was kind of him to have everything put back into place for you.”
She looked to the porch. “Yes, I’m grateful, but I have no idea where anything took place, as far as their deaths are concerned.
That creeps me out a little bit. To be frank, I’m dreading walking through those doors, imaging where Mom and Dad spent their last minutes.
That’s why I asked you to come with me. I didn’t want to face walking in alone. ”
His fingers found hers, lacing them together. “That’s why I’m here. So you don’t have to do this alone.”
Their gazes met.
“Why are you being so good to me?” she questioned. “You don’t really know me.”
“I think I have a good handle on who you are, Layne. I’ve enjoyed the time we’ve spent together today. I hope you were serious about wanting us to be friends.”
“I am,” she replied softly.
“Good. Friends are there for one another, in good times and bad. You happened to be in need of a friend now, and I’m happy to be here for you.”
“I’ve never been the needy friend,” she admitted. “I’ve always been the strong one. The person who everyone leaned on, be it professionally or personally.”
“I can understand that,” he said. “I’m not much of a leaner myself. More of a loner, truth be told. Things are changing for me, being in the Bay now. I’m more sociable. Making friends.” He smiled. “And that includes you.”
She signed. “All I wanted to do was get out of my hometown when I turned eighteen. I wanted nothing to do with the Bay. I knew there was this great, big, beautiful life waiting for me, and all I had to do was be brave enough to leave. Spread my wings and fly away. I enjoyed my twenties. I’ll openly admit I liked the fast-paced life I led in Dallas.
The reputation I built. The fun I had—until I allowed work to absorb too much of my life.
That’s one thing Jeremy was actually right about.
I became a workaholic. Whatever I do next, I want to focus on actually having a work/life balance. ”
He squeezed her fingers gently. “Remember, you don’t have to make any big decision regarding your future in the next day or two. Things that may seem important to you now could change significantly in a week. A month. A year. That’s why you shouldn’t rush into anything.”
Layne laughed. “How old are you, Keaton?”
“I’m thirty-four. Why?”
She studied him a moment. “I’m thirty, not that much younger than you, yet you seem to have this worldly wisdom that I’m sorely lacking.”
He smiled. “It’s all for show. I’ll always be that insecure, undiscovered artist deep inside.”
“I want to see your work. I want to hear your story. Not now, but over the next few days.” She smiled. “Week. Month. Year,” echoing what he had just said to her.
Though he never opened up to others about his past, suddenly it became important to Keaton for Layne to know exactly who he was.
“Stick around the Bay, and I may just give you access to my deepest, darkest secrets,” he teased.
“I suppose we should go inside,” she said.
He led her up the porch stairs, and Layne inserted a key into the lock. They entered the foyer and turned on a light. He sensed the staleness in the air, a place which had no occupants anymore.
“It looks … a little sad,” she noted, her gaze sweeping across their surroundings.
“How long has it been since you’ve been here, Layne?” he asked.
She thought a moment. “Four years, I think. I told you I was a workaholic. I got caught up in my job in Dallas. Jeremy thought Driftwood Bay was boring. We only came down together once, and he told me he had no intentions of returning to such a lame place. I tried to get my parents to come up and see me in Dallas, but they were tied to the inn and taking care of their guests. Even when I came for Mila and Carson’s wedding a few weeks ago, I flew in that morning and flew back out early evening.
I talked to Mom and Dad at the reception, but I didn’t have time to stop by the B&B. ”
She shuddered visibly. “I feel like I was such a bad daughter. I did stay in touch. I called and talked with Mom once a week. Lately, though, she had only said a few words to me and then passed the phone over to Dad. I tried to get them to FaceTime with me like I do with Mila and Piper a few times a month, but they weren’t very tech savvy.
Mom didn’t even have a cell phone, and Dad refused to give up his flip phone. ”
Layne cursed under her breath. “I should’ve visited more. Come back more often. Why didn’t I make them a priority?” Tears welled in her eyes.
He released her hand and placed both his hands firmly on her shoulders.
“You were a good daughter,” he assured her.
“Beloved by them. You called weekly. Not many kids take the time to do that. Don’t blame yourself for what happened.
Your mom couldn’t help the diagnosis she received.
She couldn’t change the outcome. If anything, they were trying to make things easier on you. ”
She bit her lip, causing a rush of desire to flood Keaton. Quickly, he tamped it down.
“I wish they would’ve been open with me and let me know what was happening,” she said wistfully.
“I would have taken a leave of absence from work. Come down and cared for Mom during her last weeks. Part of me is so angry at my dad for taking matters into his own hands. For not letting me come and help.”
“A lot of people don’t like others to see them vulnerable, especially those they love,” he said gently. “Besides, you don’t know what was happening in your dad’s life. The role of caregiver can be draining. It might have affected his thought process.”
Keaton hesitated and then decided to share what he suspected with her.
“I think your dad also might have been ill.”
“Why do you say that?” she demanded.
“I stayed here for a few days when I first came to the Bay. I noticed a couple of things about your dad. Things others probably hadn’t picked up on yet.”
Her eyes widened. “Like what?” she pushed.