Chapter Two #2
So she’d followed Chad around Rockville as he did his errands, opting to stay in her car while he shopped.
A small tickle of unease hit as they drove out of town toward his home, the place he’d called Lobster Cove.
The road curved this way and that, and before long, it seemed as if they were in the middle of nowhere.
Just when Britt was ready to bail, she saw Chad put his blinker on.
A large sign with a red lobster in the middle and the words Lobster Cove around it was mounted on poles among a group of trees just starting to get their leaves back after the long winter.
The sign was weathered and rustic ... and Britt loved it at first sight.
Which was stupid. Who loved a sign? But for some reason it put her doubts to rest. Would a serial killer name his killing fields Lobster Cove? She didn’t know any serial killers, but she didn’t think so.
The gravel driveway wound through the trees, and even though it wasn’t exactly warm, Britt lowered her window. The smell of pine immediately filled the car. And she could hear the ocean.
Chad took a sharp curve—and Britt’s eyes widened. Holy crap, the place was beautiful! It was everything she’d ever dreamed of when she thought about living in Maine.
To her right was a view of the water that photographers around the world would clamor to capture. The land sloped downward to what she thought was a pebbled beach.
Also to her right, a large house was positioned with its back facing the bay, the front facing the drive and an open expanse of property, as well as various buildings.
A porch stretched across the front, where a woman was sitting in one of two rocking chairs near the door, waving at her and Chad.
The two-story structure had navy blue siding and white shutters, and it looked like a lot of the homes she’d seen while driving through the small towns in Maine and Massachusetts on her way north. Old and full of character.
There were pine, aspen, and maple trees sprinkled around the property, and she assumed in the summer they’d give off a good amount of shade.
She could see a smaller blue house to the left of the main home, through the trees, which seemed to also have a view of the water.
A little farther back from the water was a third, even smaller house.
She assumed those were the guesthouses Chad had mentioned briefly.
To her left were several long rows of boats, varying in sizes, each with a tight white cover that looked like some kind of shrink-wrap.
There was a garage close to the main house, and a longer building to her immediate right, set just inside the long driveway, with three garage bays—all occupied with vehicles—parking spaces that were obviously for customers, and a few cars, motorcycles, and ATVs parked around the building.
Clearly it was the auto shop. She didn’t need the sign above the door that said Lobster Cove Auto Body to tell her that.
The grass swayed in the breeze, birds chirped, and salty air filled her lungs. Britt took the place in, eyes wide. Chad grew up here? Why the hell had he left? This place was ... idyllic. Perfect. Everything she never knew existed while growing up in a trailer in Atlanta.
A short honk made her jerk, and she saw Chad sitting in his truck, looking at her with concern. “You good?” he called through his open window.
Mentally shaking herself, Britt nodded. She hadn’t realized she’d stopped her car at the head of the drive while she was gaping at the property. She crept forward and pulled up next to Chad’s truck. He’d parked in front of the garage.
Instead of feeling nervous or uneasy about what was to come, Britt somehow felt as if she’d come home.
It was totally ridiculous, but she couldn’t help it.
This was what she’d envisioned when Cole had suggested they move to Maine.
Of course, she’d never in a million years be able to afford a property like this.
Especially right on the water. She’d browsed a few real estate sites and had quickly realized places half the size of this, and with way fewer buildings, were on the market for a million dollars or more.
She couldn’t even imagine what this place would go for if Chad and his family were ever to sell.
“You gonna sit there all day, or are you gonna get out and come meet my mom?”
Britt looked to her left and saw Chad standing near her door. Not crowding her, not making her feel uncomfortable with his presence, just faintly smiling at her. He had the bags from the grocery store in his hands, which was what finally made Britt move.
She got out and reached for one. “Let me help.”
“I got it,” he said, turning and heading for the big house. His mom had stood up from the rocking chair and was waiting for them with a huge grin on her face.
“Hey, Mom,” Chad said as they climbed the steps.
To Britt’s surprise, the older woman ignored her son and made a beeline for her. “You’re gorgeous!” she said, as she engulfed Britt in a tight, warm hug.
Britt froze for a moment, as it felt as if it had been forever since she’d been touched in such a heartfelt and honest way.
Cole wasn’t a hugger. Wasn’t much for public displays of affection.
And when they made love—the last time had been before the move to Maine—he performed almost routinely, and there certainly wasn’t cuddling afterward.
The genuine affection this grandmotherly woman showed her almost brought Britt to tears.
“Welcome to Lobster Cove! I’m so happy you’re here. Chad, just drop those bags on the counter, I’ll put everything away.”
“She thinks I mess up her organization,” he told Britt with an affectionate smile toward his mom.
“That’s because you do. I have things exactly how I want them, and when you come in like a bull in a china shop, you move everything around and I can’t find a thing. Don’t you have some work or something to do?”
“I thought I could show Britt around the place,” he said.
“She’s hungry and should eat first,” Evelyn told her son.
“Mom, let her take a breath.”
But Evelyn turned to Britt and said, “You’re hungry, aren’t you? Let me feed you before Chad force-marches you all over the property.”
Britt wanted to laugh. The truth was, she was hungry. Starving. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a good meal. Though she didn’t want to offend Chad in any way.
But he chuckled. “Fine. Am I allowed to eat too? Or are you gonna starve me?”
Evelyn rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I forgot how much you boys eat. You had five pancakes this morning, along with three sausage rolls, several pieces of bacon, and two biscuits. I don’t think you’re in any danger of wasting away.”
Britt’s mouth watered at the thought of all that food.
Instead of being embarrassed about his large breakfast or irritated that his mom was basically kicking him out of the house, Chad merely sighed dramatically.
“Fine. I’ll go check in with Walt and Barry.
I need to fix the steps out here too. I’ll get started on that if there’s nothing I need to do at the shop. ”
Evelyn flicked her hand as if shooing him away, then turned back to Britt. “I can’t wait to get to know you. It’s so nice to have a woman around here. Love my boys, but the testosterone gets pretty thick sometimes. Come on.”
She put her hand on Britt’s arm and pulled her toward the door with surprising strength.
“I’ll be in later,” Chad said, meeting her gaze. “If you need anything, I’ll be out here.”
Britt wasn’t sure what she’d need, but she liked the feeling that he was concerned about her. Maybe liked it a little bit too much.
No boys, she told herself as she let his mom pull her inside the big house. She was done with dating for a while. A long while. A guy was why she was in her current predicament in the first place. Broke, living in her car, stranded.
The door shut behind them, and Britt stopped in her tracks as she looked around the foyer of the house. It was open to the second floor, and a grand staircase curved around in front of her. It was majestic and stately and obviously well loved.
“Wow,” she breathed.
Evelyn laughed. “A little pretentious, but my Austin loved it the first time he laid eyes on it. The house was built a century ago, and we were lucky to stumble across this place when we were first married and looking for a place to settle down. Come on, I need to see if Chad got everything on the list, and put everything away.”
Britt followed Chad’s mom, doing her best to take the house in as she went. The wooden floors creaked under their feet, and the smell of lemon was strong, as if someone had just cleaned.
They walked through an arch, and once again, Britt’s eyes widened as she took in the main living area.
There were huge windows all along the back wall, facing the water and a huge deck.
The sun glinted off the water, almost blinding her.
The room was warm and cozy, and all Britt wanted to do was curl up on the couch and stare at the view for hours on end.
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Evelyn said gently.
Turning to look at her, Britt could only nod.
Evelyn smiled, and the expression was a little sad.
“This is my favorite room in the house. Some people don’t like living this far north.
They say it’s too cold. Too remote. But for me, it’s home.
It’s where I raised my family, and where the love of my life and I spent fifty years together.
We would sit on that couch and watch rainstorms, snowstorms, windstorms, or just be amazed at the beauty of the sun shining through the windows, like it’s doing now. ”
Britt studied the older woman. Her skin was wrinkled, her back a little rounded with age, and her slender frame made her seem as if a stiff breeze would blow her away. But the strength in her embrace proved she was no frail old lady.