Chapter Three #2
At one time, he’d worked in the lobster-fishing industry, as had many men and women in the area. But lobstering wasn’t an easy job. It was physically demanding and very time consuming, not to mention dangerous. He’d quit when he was nearly thirty, going to college and majoring in accounting.
Chad’s dad had hired him sometime after Otis had started his own accounting and investment business, and the rest was history. He’d kept the books at Lobster Cove ever since. He was basically family.
“New employee?” Otis asked as he approached. “ I didn’t know anything about this.”
Chad couldn’t tell if what he was hearing was disapproval .
.. but he didn’t like his tone. And he didn’t want Britt to feel anything but welcome.
“Well, Mom just extended the employment offer ten minutes ago, so unless you’ve learned how to read people’s minds, I’m not surprised you didn’t know,” he replied.
Otis’s grin was contrite. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound upset. I just need to know these things so we can set up payroll and get her on our insurance.”
“Insurance?” Britt asked in surprise.
“Yeah, Austin and Evelyn always wanted to be competitive,” Otis explain. “They didn’t want to hire good employees only to have them leave because they needed what other, more traditional jobs offered. So, we finagled things so they could offer not only good insurance but retirement as well.”
“Wow, that’s great.”
“It really is,” Walt agreed. “This is hands down the best job I’ve ever had, and I’m never leaving. I’m gonna be eighty and still puttering around out here in the garage.”
Everyone laughed.
“Anyway, welcome to the team,” Otis said, holding out his hand.
Britt shook it and gave him a small smile. “Thanks. I still can’t believe this is happening. I really needed a job. And to find out it comes with insurance, housing, and retirement? That’s more than I ever expected.”
“She’s staying here?” Otis asked.
“Yeah. Mom insisted,” Chad told him.
“That’s wonderful. It’ll be so good for her to have some company in that big house. Uh, that is ... other than you . I mean, girl company,” Otis said, stumbling over his words.
“I know what you meant. As a son, I don’t count,” Chad said, rolling his eyes. “Everything all right here? You need anything?”
“No, everything’s good. Just going over inventory with Barry,” Otis said.
“All right. I’m going to continue Britt’s tour of Lobster Cove. Let me know if anything comes up.”
“I’m guessing nothing should. I’ve got things under control, like always,” Otis told him with a laugh.
After promising to take good care of her car and let both of them know if he found anything, Walt pocketed Britt’s key and turned back to the truck he’d been working on when he was interrupted. Barry and Otis said their goodbyes and went back to the office.
“Ready?” Chad asked her.
She nodded, and they headed out of the garage bay, toward the boat storage area.
The rest of the tour went by fairly quickly, and Britt seemed charmed by the two guesthouses.
They’d been decorated in a way that looked like lobsters threw up inside, but the guests seemed to love it.
There were illustrated pictures of lobsters on the walls, and his dad ordered plastic cups with their Lobster Cove logo on them, for guests to take with them when they left.
There were lobster rugs, shower curtains, knickknacks, and even throw blankets in the small living areas, which were each adorned with a huge lobster.
It was too much for Chad, but then again, he’d grown up in Maine, and lobsters weren’t anything special for most locals. But Britt seemed enchanted. The smile on her face as she looked around the cabins was amused and carefree, which Chad loved.
As they toured the houses, which would be occupied sooner rather than later for the start of tourist season, Chad realized how much more work needed to be done in both. The structures were solid, but all the standard upkeep things had obviously been put off for too long.
The rooms smelled a little musty, and the walls could use new paint.
He wanted to replace the carpets in the bedrooms with hardwood floors.
There was a small stain on the ceiling in the one-bedroom that needed a closer look.
And of course the roofs needed replacing.
One deck needed a new coat of paint, at the very least, and the other could use a complete overhaul.
They were walking along the water’s edge after the tour, approaching the bench seat, when Britt tentatively asked if they could stop for a moment.
“Of course,” Chad said, gesturing to the bench.
Britt sat, her gaze glued to the calm blue water.
Lobster Cove was named after the body of water the property sat on, a protected inlet that was fed by the Atlantic Ocean.
But because it was a cove, they didn’t get the destructive waves during storms. When his parents first bought the property, the water froze almost every winter, but these days they rarely saw such extreme weather.
Chad had spent his childhood swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding, and goofing off in and around the cove. The swing he and his brothers had used hundreds of times to fly over the water, jumping in when it reached its peak, was still hanging from a large tree at the water’s edge.
He hadn’t realized that the ocean could actually be warm until he’d gone to a beach in Florida on vacation one year.
Every direction he looked brought back good memories of a wonderful childhood.
He’d spent his fair share of time staring out at this body of water ... so he turned his attention to the woman next to him. He loved experiencing Lobster Cove through her eyes. It made him appreciate all the more what he and his family had.
“It’s so beautiful,” she whispered after a moment.
“Yes,” Chad said, not entirely referring to the view.
“You’re very lucky.”
“I know.” And he did. Chad tried not to take the things he had in his life for granted.
Britt turned to him, and the serene expression on her face morphed to one of concern. He’d been expecting this. It was one of the reasons he didn’t hesitate to agree to stop for a moment. So they could talk.
“Don’t get me wrong. I want to stay. I want to work here. I really need a job. But it doesn’t seem as if your mom really needs me. Especially since your brothers will be coming home soon. I don’t want to take advantage of you or your family.”
Her concern only further convinced Chad he’d made the right decision in inviting her back to Lobster Cove. If she was a different kind of person, she wouldn’t care about anything but what she needed and wanted.
“We do need you. My mom might seem like she’s doing just fine, but she’s struggling.
She’s spent the last fifty years with my dad by her side.
He was ripped away very suddenly, and she’s having a hard time figuring out how to navigate this new phase of her life without him.
You being here today, even for the short time you sat with her, has already made a difference.
I saw a spark in her. She seems more interested in what’s going on around her, in Lobster Cove, in life. ”
Britt gave him a skeptical look.
“Sorry, that sounded pretty heavy handed. Mom’s ... okay. Sad about Dad, but determined to keep the land and businesses they started together running smoothly. I just meant that I could tell how much she enjoyed spending time with you. I think you working here will be good for both of you.”
“I don’t want to be a mooch,” Britt said softly.
Chad laughed.
“I wasn’t kidding,” she said, sounding a little perturbed.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t laughing at you. But you saw the guesthouses.
This isn’t a fake job or some pity offering.
We really do need you. We have guests coming soon, and if they see the shape of those cabins, they’ll never come back.
We need help. Mom needs help. You’ll earn your paycheck, have no doubt about that. ”
“Honestly, having a roof over my head and a safe place to sleep is enough.”
“No, it’s not. Are you okay with the salary Mom offered? I could talk to her if you don’t think it’s fair.”
She stared at him with big eyes. “You’re kidding.”
“No, why? It’s not enough?”
“Chad! I’m getting room and board, and apparently a tune-up for my car. That’s already too much!”
“This is Maine. Things are more expensive here. For the record, I do think it’s a fair salary, but if you want to negotiate, as I said, I can talk to Mom.”
She turned back toward the water, and Chad saw her bottom lip quivering. He gave her the moment she so obviously needed to regain her composure.
Then she took a deep breath and looked at him again. “The salary is perfect. I’m going to be the best housekeeper, companion, concierge ... whatever ... your mom has ever had.”
“I know you are.” And he did. This woman wasn’t one to take charity. To take advantage of others. How he knew that, he had no idea, but she practically oozed sincerity.
“Will your brothers be upset that she hired me without talking to them about it?”
“No.” Of that , Chad had no doubt.
She looked skeptical again.
“Trust me, they aren’t going to care. All they’ll care about is Mom. Making sure she’s content and safe.”
“Will they be moving into the house when they get here too?”
Chad wasn’t sure if she had trepidation about living with so many strangers, and men at that.
“I’m not positive of their plans yet, but I don’t think so.
And even if they were, you have nothing to worry about.
You can trust them. Me too, for that matter.
In case you’ve had concerns, I didn’t bring you here to seduce you or haul you to some underground lair we Youngs had built to imprison innocent women for our nefarious purposes. ”
Britt giggled. Which made Chad smile in return.
“Believe it or not, I did have a few moments where I wondered ...”