Chapter 6
Note to Self: Who knew fallen angels could be so charming?
When Sunday morning dawned, Tessa walked down to the beach again and sat on the rocky outcropping to drink tea and watch the waves. But this time, she wasn’t unsettled; she was just thinking.
Everything that had brought her to Sable Cove was still raw.
Evan and Lila’s betrayal was just days old.
But being with Venice yesterday had made all of that seem like the distant past. Hitting the sheets had been impulsive, but she felt like it had healed some parts of her that were wounded. Pulled together the edges of her broken heart a little.
She sipped the tea and watched a whitecapped wave as it made its way to the shore, spreading apart on the sand and disappearing.
She expected to still feel as numb today as she had when she’d first arrived Friday morning.
Instead, she felt alive. More alive than she had been in ages. And it kind of scared her.
Because Venice was occupying her thoughts a whole hell of a lot, and although they’d exchanged phone numbers and he said he wanted to see her again, they hadn’t made any promises.
He’d messaged her last night, wishing her a sweet sleep, and she’d found the note charming. When she’d messaged him this morning that she hoped he had a good day at work, he’d responded immediately that he hoped she enjoyed her day off.
But again, no promises to get together.
She hadn’t been looking for anything but a place to start over when she came to Sable Cove, but something found her anyway.
A fallen angel—she was pretty sure that’s what he was—with a sexy smile and the most kissable lips.
She sighed and cast her gaze toward the lighthouse and the parking lot, but she was alone on the beach, and that was okay. What would she say to him anyway?
That she couldn’t wait to slip between the sheets with him because he was the first guy to ever give her the Big O, and she wanted more? More of his talented fingers and soft lips.
More of everything.
She turned her attention back to the water and the sky and finished her tea, absorbing the peace and quiet of the empty beach.
After spending the morning completely unpacking, she looked in the fridge and was unimpressed by what she’d bought on Friday and opted to take the bike she’d found on the back porch to the diner in town for lunch.
She leaned the bike against the side of the building and walked inside the busy diner.
“Well, hi hon, sit anywhere you like,” a young woman said from behind the counter as she filled the mugs of several patrons.
Tessa sat at an empty stool at the counter and placed one of the books she’d bought from the bookstore on the laminate.
“What can I get you to drink?” she asked as she put a menu in front of Tessa.
“Coke, please,” she said.
“You got it.”
Tessa looked over the menu, finding typical diner fare.
The woman came back with her soda and set it down. “I’m Tia. My brother Tyce and I run the diner. Are you the new girl who lives in the cottage by the beach?”
Tessa chuckled. “This is such a small town.”
Tia nodded. “I could tell you stories.”
“Yes, that’s me. I’m Tessa.”
“Nice to meet you and welcome to town. Your first lunch is on me and Grumpy McGrumperson in the kitchen.”
“That’s so sweet, thanks. How about the pot roast sandwich?”
“A favorite of mine. I’ll put it right in.”
She took the menu and disappeared into the kitchen. Tessa took a sip of the ice-cold drink and picked up her book. As she waited for her food, several people stopped by to welcome her to town and offer suggestions on pie choices for dessert.
When Tia brought her food, she stayed nearby, chatting about the town and weather, offering an easy warmth that didn’t feel probing. Tia wasn’t trying to figure Tessa out; she was just being kind. And that kind of casual kindness was like oxygen to her starving soul.
It had been far too long since anyone had been kind to her for no reason other than they were nice. But so far, everyone she met in Sable Cove had been kind, and that seemed like a really rare thing.
When the meal was finished, she called Tia over.
“Everything was delicious, thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome, hon. Can I get you a piece of pie? I know everyone offered you suggestions, but the peanut butter chocolate pie is the best.”
“Did you make it?” she asked.
“Heck yeah. I make all the desserts. Tyce cooks, and I bake.”
“I’ll take a piece. It sounds awesome.”
She stood and closed her book, tucking a generous tip under the edge of the plate even though the meal had been free. Tia handed her a boxed piece of pie in a plastic bag with handles.
“You come see us anytime, hon. Take care.”
“Thanks, Tia.”
Tessa hung the bag from the handlebars and climbed on the bike, taking the long way around town to the cottage and letting the sun warm her skin.
She stopped at the greenhouse next to the lighthouse and met Zia, the fairy mate of the merman lighthouse keeper. A small cat named Flora was wandering the rows of plants in the greenhouse and mewed at Tessa when she knocked on the open door.
“I was looking for something to brighten up the cottage,” Tessa said after Zia invited her to wander the rows and shelves of plants.
“Flower or plant?” Zia asked.
Tessa hummed. “I don’t know, actually. Something that I won’t kill with my brown thumb.”
Zia chuckled. She joined Tessa near the succulents and gave her a long, quiet look.
Then she reached for one of the shelves and lifted a green spiky plant in a terra cotta pot and handed it to Tessa.
“This is aloe vera. It’s easy to keep alive, just let it dry fully before you water it and keep it out of direct sunlight. ”
“It’s pretty.”
“It symbolizes healing and fresh starts.”
Tessa looked at her curiously. “What makes you think I’m looking for a fresh start?”
Zia smiled sheepishly. “This is a small town, and you’re the topic of a good bit of gossip. It’s not a leap to think you came here to start over.”
“I suppose not.”
“The gossip will die down soon enough, don’t worry. Sable Cove is the nicest town, and I just know you’ll fit right in.”
“How much do I owe you for the plant?”
“It’s on the house. Welcome to town.”
Sable Cove really was a nice town. Who knew a random choice based on cute pictures on a rental site would bring her to meet so many kind people?
“Thank you so much, Zia.”
She handed a business card over. “If you need anything, just call. We’re neighbors, after all.”
“I will. Take care.”
“See you around!”
Tessa had to carry the plant and push the bike, and by the time she made it back to the cottage, she’d figured out the best place for her new little plant.
She put the bike on the back porch and carried her pie and plant inside, and then she set the plant on the windowsill above the kitchen sink.
“Welcome home, little plant,” she said, touching one of the smooth leaves.
Yes. This place was definitely starting to feel like home.
And maybe it had as much to do with the townspeople as it did a certain sexy man, who’d never been far from her thoughts all day.
Tessa walked into the bookstore on Monday morning and found Lyra and another woman behind the counter unpacking a box.
“Hiya, coworker,” Lyra said with a big smile. “This is Sierra. She’s part of the clan and works around here when she’s not working for the police department.”
“Nice to meet you,” Tessa said.
“You, too. Welcome to town. How do you like Sable Cove so far?”
“It’s really great. I met Tia at the diner and Zia at the greenhouse.”
“And you met Venice,” Lyra said, her eyes dancing.
Tessa’s cheeks heated. “Small town.”
“Yeah, it is,” Sierra said. “Ronan, one of our clan members, was on patrol Saturday and saw you and Venice in the park. He said it was nice to see him happy.”
“It’s definitely time he found his other half,” Lyra said.
The phrase hit Tessa like a rock between the eyes.
She laughed it off, but inside, she latched onto it.
His other half? “You make it sound very dramatic.”
Lyra only smiled, like she hadn’t really meant anything by it.
But Tessa couldn’t shake the phrase. It followed her as Lyra took her on a store tour and then had her unpack a box and shelve books.
Other half.
She’d definitely felt something with Venice right away. It wasn’t the heady rush of infatuation like she’d had with Evan, but something steadier.
Her thoughts drifted to the way his skin had felt beneath her hands, so warm and strong.
And the raised scars on his back that she’d felt for a brief moment and then seen when he’d gotten dressed.
They were dark and long and arced toward his shoulders.
She hadn’t needed an explanation for how he’d been hurt or how deeply he still hurt, even though the wounds were healed.
Because she could feel that he was still carrying things around with him.
Weighted emotions like bags strapped to his back.
Other half.
He’d said nothing of the sort to her, not even alluding to anything aside from a general let’s get together sometime, which wasn’t a claim or a promise.
She did know that truemates were a real thing. And humans didn’t really have truemates, but they could be truemates to supernatural people like witches and shifters.
And maybe fallen angels.
But Venice hadn’t called her his truemate, he hadn’t made any grand promises that might have been too much for the short time they’d known each other. And she actually liked that. Maybe he was processing things as much as she was, giving her space to figure things out.
Whatever was going on between them deserved time.
She placed the last book on the shelf and took a steady breath. She wasn’t ready to ask Venice any questions about his past or their future. She was fine with just enjoying the present and seeing where things went.
For now, it was enough to just let herself be in the moment with him and see where it led.
Because Venice was a sexy mystery, and she liked him already.