Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
A lex
When I stepped off the plane, I inhaled the South Carolina air that I thought I’d never breathe again.
“Welcome back to Harbor Falls, Alex.” Ralph hugged me.
“It’s good to see you, Ralph. This is my daughter, Lucy.”
“Hello there, beautiful young lady. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He extended his hand.
“Thanks.” She placed her small hand in his.
“The car you requested is over here, Alex,” he said.
“Thank you, Ralph. I’ll need you to give Lucy and me time to settle at the house.”
“Of course. I’ll be in touch tomorrow.” He nodded.
I loaded our bags into the back of the black Mercedes G63.
“I didn’t know you could drive,” Lucy said.
I chuckled. “I know how to drive.”
“Are you any good?” She climbed into the front seat and buckled her seat belt.
“Are you worried?” I arched my brow.
“A little bit.”
As we drove, we passed the sign welcoming us to Harbor Falls. My stomach twisted as I took a sharp breath.
“I think it’s weird that our last name is Harbor, and we’re in Harbor Falls,” she said, glancing at me.
“My great-great-grandfather was the founder of this town. It’s been my family’s legacy for decades.”
“This is your town?”
“Yeah. I suppose it is.” I looked at her as she stared at the scenery.
“It’s beautiful here,” she said.
“It always has been.”
“Why did you leave?”
“As I said, it’s complicated.”
I entered the code on the keypad, and the wrought iron gates opened. Pulling into the large circular driveway, I gripped the steering wheel and stared at the white-sided double-front estate I once called home.
“Wow!” Lucy exclaimed. “You used to live here?”
“Yep.” I opened the back of the SUV and grabbed our luggage.
The front door opened, and Mara stood there, smiling at me.
“Alex.”
“Hi, Mara.” I hugged her.
“Look at you. What a fine man you’ve become. Who’s this?”
“Mara, this is my daughter Lucy. Lucy, this is Mara. She takes care of the house.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Lucy. You look a lot like your daddy.”
“I hope not.” She stepped through the door.
“Ignore her.” I sighed, shaking my head.
“This place is huge!” Lucy exclaimed as she ran around. “Jesus, look at that pool and hot tub!”
“Watch your mouth, Lucy,” I said. “My mother sure updated the place,” I said, looking around.
“She renovated the entire house a couple of years ago, Mara said. “Every room except her bedroom.”
“Why?” My brows furrowed.
“She told Katherine that it was her space, and she was keeping it as is.”
“Katherine?”
“Katherine Barrister. But you knew her as Katherine Young.”
“Katherine Young, eh?” I smiled. “Colin’s twin sister?”
“The one and only.”
“I didn’t know she was an interior designer,” I said.
“A lot has changed with the folks here in Harbor Falls since you left. Don’t forget, you’ve been gone for eighteen years, Alex.”
“You know I didn’t have a choice.” I stared out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the water. “Lucy, let’s go upstairs. I’ll show you to your room.”
I grabbed our luggage and took them upstairs. Opening the door to my old bedroom, I saw that it had been redone—light gray walls, white crown molding, a queen-sized white canopy bed with a light pink comforter, a white dresser, vanity, and matching armoire graced the walls, along with a full-length mirror in the corner.
“Wow!” Lucy ran in and threw herself on the bed. “Can I have this room, Dad?”
“I guess it was made for you,” I said, glancing at Mara as she looked down. “Why would she do this?”
“You know why, Alex. There was no reasoning with her. I’m sorry.”
“Well, I guess it worked out for Lucy.” I turned and headed to one of the other guestrooms.
“You won’t be staying in your mother’s old bedroom?” she asked.
“God, no. I’ll be fine in here,” I said, staring at my sister’s old bedroom. “She completely redid Athena’s room but turned my old room into a girl’s room? I don’t understand, Mara.” I frowned. “Wait, I know why she did it. She wanted every trace of my existence gone.”
“I’m sorry, Alex. You know she wasn’t right. I have to get going. The refrigerator and pantry are fully stocked with food. I’ll be back tomorrow morning.”
“What happened to the rest of the staff?” I asked.
“Your mother drove them out a couple of years ago.”
“I’m not surprised. I’ll see you tomorrow, Mara. Thank you for everything.” I hugged her.
“You’re welcome, Alex. It’s good to see you again. Welcome home.”
I went downstairs to the kitchen and stared at the open-concept space. The house looked completely different from when I left. It was updated and modernized—something I never thought my mother would do. Opening the sliding door, I stepped onto the patio and looked around. Memories of being out here when I was a child flooded my mind.
“Dad, I found this in my room. Who is she?” Lucy stepped onto the patio and handed me a framed picture.
I swallowed hard as I stared at it. “This was my sister, your Aunt Athena.”
“Where is she?”
“She died when she was thirteen years old.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“Thanks.” I patted her head. “That was a long time ago.”
“What’s that over there?”
“That’s the guesthouse. Let’s go take a look and see if your grandmother renovated that also.”
“And what’s that back there?” she pointed.
“That’s the cottage. Your grandmother used to paint her pictures in there.”
“She painted?” Lucy asked. “Maybe that’s where I get my artistic talent from.”
“Perhaps.”
The door to the guesthouse was unlocked. Stepping inside, I looked around at the renovated space.
“This is a cool little house,” Lucy said. “Did Grandma redo it?”
“Yes, she did.”
“How many bedrooms does it have?”
“One bedroom and one bath upstairs,” I said.
“Can I stay in here instead of in my bedroom?”
“Absolutely not. Are you hungry?”
“Yeah.” She looked up at me.
“Then let’s go get some dinner. There’s a great bar and grille in town.”
O pening the Seaside Bar & Grille door, I motioned for Lucy to go in. Stepping inside, a smile crossed my lips.
“Stop it! It can’t be!”
I looked straight ahead and saw Colin, with a grin on his face, heading toward us.
“Damn, Alex. It’s good to see you.” He hugged me tight.
“It’s good to see you too, my friend.” I smiled. “How are you?”
“God, I’m great. I’m sorry about your mom.” He patted my shoulder.
“Thanks. I’d like you to meet my daughter, Lucy. Lucy, this is Colin, owner of this fine establishment and the best lobster rolls in the world.”
“Ew, lobster rolls?” She made a disgusted face.
“No way! Alex Harbor?” Katherine grinned, holding out her arms.
“Katherine, you look as beautiful as ever.” I hugged her tight.
“I’m sorry about your mom.” She placed her hands on each side of my face.
“Thank you.”
“And who is this lovely young lady?”
“My daughter, Lucy. Lucy, this is Katherine.”
“It’s nice to make your acquaintance, Lucy. Do you like milkshakes?”
“I love them.” She grinned.
“Why don’t we let your dad and Colin talk while we go in the back and make one.” Katherine grinned.
“Okay!”
“We’ll talk later,” Katherine said, touching my arm.
“I didn’t know you had a kid,” Colin said as we walked over to the bar. “How old is she?”
“Lucy is eleven. Her mother passed away a year ago, and she came to live with me. It’s been really tough.”
“Were the two of you married?”
“No. She was just a girl I had dated for a while. The week after we broke up, she told me she was pregnant. We tried to make it work for a few months after that, but there was no use.”
“Beer?” Colin asked.
“A beer would be great. Thanks. Listen, Colin. I’m really sorry about not keeping in touch after I left town.”
“You did for about a year and then fell off the face of the earth.” He smirked. “But I know you weren’t in the best headspace then.”
“You can say that again. I’m sorry about your mom and dad. I know that had to be tough on you and Katherine.”
“Yeah. It was tough, but we made it through.”
“Mara told me that Katherine was the one who renovated Harbor Estates.”
“She did. A couple of years ago. It was her biggest project.”
“I bet.” I chuckled. “What’s going on with you? Married? Kids?”
“Not married yet, but hopefully soon. My girlfriend, Adalyn, owns the art gallery in town.”
“Oh yeah? I just got in today, and you’re my first stop.” I smiled. “I haven’t made it anywhere else yet but the house.”
“Everyone in town will be happy to see you.” He held up his beer bottle.
“Dad! This is the best milkshake.” Lucy walked over with a grin.
“How about we go get a table and order some food?”
“I’m not eating a lobster roll,” she said.
“You don’t have to, but I sure am.” I smiled.
Katherine took our order, and as we waited for our food, I stared at my daughter as she sipped her milkshake. In the year she’d been with me, I’d never seen her like this before. It was as if life was breathed into her again. Should I have been surprised? No. That was what Harbor Falls did to people.
“I know we’ve only been here a few hours, but what do you think so far?” I asked her.
“I don’t know. It’s pretty, and the people seem nice.”
“Yeah. The people are nice.”