Chapter Two #3
Her shoulder-length hair was gray and tucked behind her ears. Her smile warm and welcoming. Britt could see the resemblance between mother and son. They had the same shade of russet brown eyes, the same bone structure in their faces, the same full lips.
But more than that, the resemblance in their personalities was loud and clear. Chad might bitch about not being able to eat with them, and Evelyn might gripe about her son not putting groceries away to her liking, but it was obviously familiar chiding done in jest on both their parts.
And there was an underlying respect and love between them that made Britt’s heart hurt.
She wasn’t close with her mom. Mom had always been too busy working.
Fobbing Britt off on others to babysit—then leaving her to raise herself long before she was capable—far too often for mother and daughter to form much of a bond.
Britt didn’t blame her mom, though. Being a single parent was tough, and she’d done what was necessary to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.
Still, it had a disastrous effect on their relationship, one that Britt regretted to this day.
The truth was, her mom had always been somewhat resentful of her only daughter.
Therefore, she also wasn’t especially supportive.
She’d warned Britt that she was making a mistake moving to Maine with Cole, which turned out to be correct .
.. but she’d also told her not to come crying back to her when the shit hit the fan.
“You want to sit there and enjoy the view? Or I can give you a tour of the house. Or I can get you a snack while the pot pies are finishing cooking.”
So that was what smelled so freaking amazing. She desperately wanted to see the rest of this house, but she also wanted to simply sit and soak in the beautiful view. “I can help you in the kitchen,” she said instead.
“Bless you, honey. But I’ve got it. Why don’t you just sit there and relax for a bit. I’ll call you when lunch is ready.”
Britt nodded and stood where she was until Evelyn was busy in the kitchen, digging into the bags Chad had carried in.
She slowly sank down onto the couch cushion and stared out at the water.
The property was located on what looked like a protected bay.
The water was calm, and from where she was sitting, Britt could see the beach, a dock to the left, and a few kayaks sitting on the bank, ready to be put into the water.
There was also a picnic table in a grassy area just above the rocks on the beach, and farther down the shore was a bench.
It was truly a beautiful place, and Britt felt honored to be seeing it. She was lost in thought for so long, she jumped a little when Evelyn called her name and told her lunch was ready.
Britt leaped to her feet and hurried into the kitchen.
It was just as dreamy as the little she’d seen of the house already.
The counters were granite, the appliances stainless steel, the farmhouse sink was a dream, and the cabinets were a deep navy blue, which matched the color of the siding on the outside of the house.
“You want to eat outside?” Evelyn asked as she stood next to the six-burner stove. There was a double oven beside it, from which she’d obviously just pulled the bubbling pot pies.
“Oh, isn’t it a little chilly?”
Evelyn laughed. “Hon, this is Maine. Sixty-four is practically balmy. And the sun will make it feel warmer than it is. But we can bring out blankets to stay comfortable as well.”
“Then yes. I’d love to eat on the deck,” Britt said eagerly.
Thankfully, Evelyn let her carry the plates while she carried a pitcher of lemonade and two glasses out to the expansive back deck.
The breeze from the water was a little chilly, and Britt was glad for the fuzzy blanket she wrapped around her waist as she sat at the surprisingly large table on the deck.
“My husband insisted we needed this huge table out here,” Evelyn said, a small smile curving her lips upward.
“He said that if we were going to have dinner as a family, we needed somewhere for all of us to sit. And he was right. It felt empty after the boys all moved away. And since Austin’s passing, I couldn’t bear to sit out here .
.. but now that Chad is home, it’s better.
And the rest of my babies are coming soon too. I can’t wait.”
“They are?” Britt asked, then blew on the steaming pot pie on her spoon. It was all she could do not to ignore the heat of the dish and shove it in her mouth. It smelled so good, and she was so hungry, it took all her control not to act like a heathen.
“Yeah. My oldest, Lincoln, was a fighter-jet pilot in the Air Force. My youngest, Zachary, was in the Navy and won several awards for culinary excellence. They aren’t serving slop, you know.
It takes skill to be able to cook gourmet meals for thousands of sailors while on the high seas.
And my third-born, Knox, was in the Coast Guard.
No surprise, since he was the fish in the family.
Now he’s working as a contractor for them.
“And Chad’s certainly no slouch. He was in the Army, where he was a sniper.
Some moms wouldn’t be too proud of that, but he was damn good at what he did.
And again, I’m not surprised, because that kid could lie perfectly still for hours and not move a muscle while playing hide-and-go-seek with his brothers in the woods.
They could never find him.” She chuckled fondly.
“And they’re all coming home,” Evelyn continued.
“I know it’s because they feel sorry for me, but I don’t care. I’ll just be happy to have them close.”
Britt reached over and put her hand on Evelyn’s. “I’m sorry about your husband.”
“Thanks. Me too. But it’s not as if we can live forever.
We have to take pleasure in the small joys in life when we can.
And I had fifty years with the man I love.
I have to be content with that. And with whatever time I have left, I’m determined to keep Lobster Cove up and running to the best of my ability.
Austin put his heart and soul into this place, and it’s where we were happiest.”
“It’s beautiful. And I haven’t even seen a fraction of it. This is the kind of place I’ve only dreamed about living. It’s perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
There was a glint in Evelyn’s eyes that Britt didn’t understand. She leaned forward. “So ... you came to Maine with a boy and things didn’t work out?”
Britt snorted. “That’s putting it mildly.”
“You have a place to live?”
“Um ... not really.” She doubted Evelyn would count her car as “a place to live.”
“You have a job?”
Feeling uncomfortable for the first time, and a little ashamed, she squirmed in her seat. “No, but I’m working on it.”
“Hmmm,” Evelyn said, taking a bite of her chicken pot pie.
Britt didn’t know what that meant, but since she didn’t really want to keep talking about her failures, she asked Evelyn about the history of the town of Rockville.
To her relief, that turned the conversation away from Britt’s current situation.
The pride and love for her hometown came through loud and clear while Evelyn chatted happily as they finished their meal.
When they were done, they continued to sit where they were and talk. After a while, a sound behind her had Britt turning. Chad had opened the door and was walking toward his mom.
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “It’s chilly out here. Mom, are you cold?”
But Evelyn waved him off. “I’m fine. How’re Walt and Barry?”
“They’re good. Busier than ever. It’ll be good when the others get here so they can lend a hand. I’ve started working on the front steps. You’ll need to use the side door for another day or so until I’m done.”
Evelyn nodded. “Did you get some lunch?”
For all her poking fun at Chad’s large breakfast, it was obvious she still worried about him eating enough, and she wanted to feed him.
“Yeah. Love your pot pies.”
“I know,” Evelyn said with satisfaction. “I think it’s time you gave Britt the grand tour ... since she’ll be working here with me.”
Britt’s eyes widened as she gaped at Evelyn. “What?”
“She is?”
She and Chad spoke at the same time. Suspiciously, he didn’t sound all that surprised. But Britt was too busy trying to understand what Evelyn was talking about to wonder why.
“I’ve decided. She doesn’t have a place to stay, and she needs a job.
I need more help around here. You know as well as I do, Chad, that I’m getting too old to take care of the cabins by myself.
We have a full reservation schedule this summer, with more short-term rentals than long, and that means more cleaning and laundry and making sure they’re stocked.
Britt can help me with all that, as well as welcoming the guests and taking care of their needs while they’re here. ”
Britt blinked in surprise.
“She can stay here at the house. There’s plenty of room for all of us, even if your brothers decide to live at home too.
But I’m guessing all you boys will want your own places soon.
In fact, I think Knox and Zach both mentioned they’ve already found apartments.
Britt, you can stay here as long as you’d like.
In fact, it would be a huge help if you at least stayed throughout the summer.
Oh, and I guess you need to know what kind of salary you’d be earning before you say yes or no. ”
She gave her a number that made Britt’s eyes widen even further.
She had no idea what to say. The offer seemed too good to be true. It wasn’t quite as much as she was making before she’d moved, but since she wouldn’t have to pay rent—which was a huge draw—it was more than fair.
But surely Chad had to be concerned that his mother had invited a stranger to live in her house and had decided to hire her without talking to him about it first.
“That sounds great.”
Now she turned to stare at Chad in shock. He was okay with this? Her mind spun.
“So? Will you take the job?” Evelyn asked, actually sounding unsure and a little nervous.
“Yes!” Britt blurted. In the past, she would’ve wanted to take more time to think about it. But honestly, she had no choice right now. And besides ... she was already in love with Lobster Cove.
“Come on,” Chad said, holding out his hand. “I’ll give you the tour.”
Britt was a little baffled. Why wasn’t he freaking out? Why wasn’t he asking more questions? This made no sense.
“Go on, honey. I’ll take care of these dishes,” Evelyn said with a satisfied smile on her face.
Without thinking, she reached for Chad’s outstretched hand and stood. As soon as his fingers closed around hers, she knew she was in trouble.
She immediately felt as if everything would be all right.
Like she was safe. It was the weirdest sensation.
One she’d never experienced before. It should’ve freaked her out.
It did a little, but more than that, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
She hadn’t let herself think about what she was going to do after her literal last dollar was gone.
How she’d afford gas for her car. How she was going to eat.
And now, she’d been given a gift. One that had fallen right into her lap.
She wanted to cry, question Evelyn, ask if she was sure.
Instead, not one word passed her lips. She simply followed Chad as he strode back into the house and headed for what she assumed was the side door.
“I’ll give you a tour of the shop, the garage, the boatyard, then the guesthouses, and we’ll end up back here at the house, where we can grab your stuff from your car and move it in. ”
Before she could agree or disagree, they were outside and headed for the auto shop. Chad hadn’t let go of her hand, and Britt was glad. She felt off kilter and unsteady.
How was this happening? She wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth, though. She couldn’t. She was just going to go with the flow.
There was a chance this was all a setup, and Chad and his innocent-looking grandmotherly mother were serial killers after all. That they’d sneak into her room in the middle of the night and stab her in the heart with a huge eight-inch butcher knife.
But there was also a chance they were exactly what they seemed ... two generous souls who wanted nothing more than to help a woman down on her luck.
She hoped and prayed they were the latter and not the former. Time would tell.