Beachside Dreams (Watch Hill Beach Book 2)

Chapter 1

Paralyzing fear gripped her as she hid, waiting to be discovered. This was such a stupid idea, Clara thought to herself. She wasn’t a cat burglar. Obviously, not a good one anyway. She couldn’t even properly prowl without getting busted. She held her breath, not daring to even blink an eye for fear she would be discovered.

As she crouched behind a stack of dusty boxes, she watched in disbelief as James, the man she thought she might be interested in dating, entered the room with a flashlight in hand. Anger coursed through her, realizing he was a liar. He told her he was out of town dealing with a family emergency.

Liar!

She stayed out of sight until the flashlight beam landed directly on her face. She glared back at him and got to her feet, anger replacing fear.

“What are you doing here?” Clara demanded, her voice laced with frustration and confusion and maybe a hint of fear. The revelation that James was the unexpected intruder ignited a fire within her. The betrayal she felt blocked out any worry about what it meant to get caught breaking and entering.

James seemed just as shocked by Clara”s sudden appearance, and fumbled for words. “Clara, I didn”t know you were here.”

“That was kind of the goal,” Clara snapped.

“What are you doing here?” James looked around. She saw the moment realization dawned. “Did you break in here?”

Anger flared in Clara”s eyes. “Like you did?” she shot back.

He held up his hands in surrender, aiming the flashlight at the sky. “Busted. Yes, I let myself in. What are you doing here? It’s after midnight.”

“I know what time it is,” she snarled. “This is Victoria”s old house, and I was looking for more journals. What”s your excuse?”

The tension escalated. They were in a standoff and going nowhere. Hurt and anger swirled within her, filling the room with an electric energy that crackled between them. Clara took a step closer, determined to confront James head-on.

“You lied to me,” she accused, her voice shaking with a mix of emotions. “You made up some family emergency to cover up your true intentions.”

James”s face flushed with guilt, his eyes avoiding Clara”s heated gaze. “I didn”t mean to deceive you,” he said, his voice almost a whisper. “I did have a family emergency.”

“I didn”t know you were back in town,” Clara spat out, her anger palpable. “Are you following me?”

James sighed, a mixture of exasperation and genuine confusion on his face. “I didn”t follow you, Clara. I didn”t even know you were here.”

“I don”t believe you,” Clara retorted, her voice cold and accusing. “You just conveniently show up in an abandoned house in the middle of the night? This is too much of a coincidence. You were following me! Have you been stalking me?”

“I swear, it is a coincidence. There is nothing nefarious about any of this. I”m not stalking you.”

“I should call the police,” she said with haughty indignation.

James offered a wry smile. “Go ahead, call the police. They”ll find you breaking into a house. Not the best situation for you, is it?” James taunted, his laughter echoing through the silent rooms.

Clara clenched her fists, torn between the desire to be angry with him for being so cocky and the realization that involving the police might not work in her favor. He knew she could do nothing without exposing herself.

“You’re a jerk.”

“Clara, can we please talk? I’d like to explain what I’m doing here. You can tell me what brings you here in the middle of the night.”

“I don”t trust you, James. Stay away from me.” Clara’s voice was firm but tinged with vulnerability. The anger had given way to a raw sense of betrayal, and she questioned everything she thought she knew about the man before her. She was angry with herself for falling for the first man who paid her any attention since the divorce.

“Clara, please we need to talk. I didn”t mean to upset you. Let me explain.”

But Clara, fueled by a mix of anger and hurt, shook her head defiantly. “No, I don”t want to hear it. I thought I could trust you, but now I”m not so sure. Just stay away.”

“Clara, please,” he said with a note of pleading. “Let me explain. I had no idea you would be here.”

“Of course, not! You were skulking around hoping to stumble upon another woman you”ve been lying to.”

His face twisted in offense at her accusation. “That”s not true, Clara. I swear, that”s not true.”

The sincerity in his voice gave her pause and she found herself falling silent. But she was wary now, distrustful. The hurt in her heart had hardened into a wall of ice.

“What are you doing here in the middle of the night?” she shot back again, crossing her arms over her chest as if to protect herself.

“I came to look for something,” James confessed. His eyes scanned the room nervously before returning to meet hers. “I didn”t mean to scare you, Clara.”

“Then I”ll leave you to it. Maybe we should schedule our break-ins to avoid this situation in the future.”

“Clara, I know this looks bad, but I promise I can explain.”

“I don”t want to hear it.” She took a deep breath, calming her nerves and deciding at that moment she was never speaking to him again. “I”m leaving. And I don”t want to see you again, James. I don”t know if you ever had any intention of actually calling me, but if you did, don”t. I”ll save you the trouble and the breath wasted on your lies.

“Wait, Clara!” James called after her, desperation creeping into his voice. “I do want to see you again. I was going to call you in the morning.”

She halted in her tracks, her back still facing him. She turned around slowly and looked at him, her eyes hard and unyielding. “Don”t. Don”t call me. Don”t show up at the library. I will not help you search for whatever hidden treasure you”re after. I suggest you leave town. Go crawl back under the rock you scurried out from under.”

“Clara...” James”s voice broke, filled with regret.

“No,” she interrupted him coldly, her heart aching but her resolve unwavering. “Goodbye, James.”

She turned to leave the house, the search for journals forgotten. She left him standing in the dark room. Instead of going back through the basement and out the root cellar, she walked out the back door. She was already busted. There was no reason to go back through that spider-filled cellar.

As Clara stepped into the cool night air, the gravity of the situation settled upon her.

When she stumbled upon Victoria”s journal, she never would have expected it to lead her to breaking the law and risking her heart. She had never expected danger or intrigue or a handsome, lying stranger to fall into her life. She felt foolish, naive even, for believing in a man she barely knew and letting him into her life so easily.

With each step she took, the tangle of emotions inside her seemed to grow more twisted. Her heart throbbed painfully in her chest. It was a physical reminder of the emotional turmoil she was going through. She glanced behind her one last time at the old Victorian house that stood eerily silent in the still night. She half-expected him to chase after her. She was glad he didn”t. A sigh escaped her lips, and she turned away, heading toward the tree line that led to her home.

The raw sting of betrayal cut deep. It was so similar to what she felt when her husband announced he was leaving her for another woman. Why? What was wrong with her was that she couldn”t seem to find an honest man who could love her.

Back at her house, she found herself standing before her reflection in the mirror. Underneath the harsh bathroom light, she saw a woman weathered by hurt and disappointment. Her eyes, once full of life, now seemed dull and listless. The smile that used to be constant was replaced with a tight grimace, fatigue etched in the lines around her mouth.

She splashed cold water on her face, letting it wash away the strain. There was no way she was going to let a man get her down. It almost happened once before. Never again. She had made that vow to herself back then and she was going to stick to it.

“I”m stronger than this,” she whispered to herself.

She shut off the light and headed for bed. Tomorrow was a new day.