“You won’t think so when they sneak through my window and kill me in my sleep.”
Jessie didn’t crack a smile, and Bree found herself stunned into silence, unsure how to respond to such a bold declaration as that. Could vines really strangle someone? And what did that say for all the other wild plants they were surrounded by? She took a step back toward the house, just in case.
“Which reminds me,” Jessie said, her smile returning. “This is for you.” She slid the basket off her arm and extended it toward Bree. “I’ve put my name on the bottom so you can return it when it’s empty.”
Bree hesitated. “Oh, I couldn’t—”
“Of course you can,” Jessie interrupted. “I made them specially for you, and I’ll be offended if you don’t accept my gift. In fact, I’ll be doubly offended if you don’t eat one right now.”
Bree tried to blink away her surprise. “But how did you know I’d even be here?”
Jessie laughed, then pushed the basket into Bree’s arms. Her voice took on a mystical quality as she said, “We know everything around here.” She laughed again. “That, and Adeline mentioned she was closing shop early, so naturally we all had to find out why.”
“All?” Bree asked, though she was momentarily distracted by the amazing aroma coming from whatever was in the basket. A checkered cloth hid its contents, and she lifted the corner to take a peek.
“We take care of each other here,” Jessie said with a firm nod. “But just remember, I was the first to welcome you. Don’t let Erwin try to convince you otherwise.”
Lemon tarts. Oh, they smelled heavenly. And Jessie had said she’d be offended if Bree didn’t eat one right in front of her. Bree slipped one out, and Jessie stopped talking, her entire face lit up in anticipation. One bite was all it took for Bree to know she might have to stay in Starlight Ridge forever. Part of the flaky crust stuck to her lip, and she licked it off. She quickly ate the rest, not thinking about how it might look to Jessie, who was still watching Bree eat. She suddenly felt self-conscious and she dabbed at her mouth with a corner of the cloth from the basket.
“You wouldn’t mind if I kept these from Adeline, would you?” Bree asked. She loved her friend, but maybe not enough to share. The tarts were that good.
“Of course not,” Jessie said. “She always gets more than her fair share anyway.” The way she said it, though, it was like she was delighted that someone would love her tarts enough to want more than was good for them.
“Who is Erwin?” Bree asked, trying to distract herself from eating another tart right away.
Jessie wrinkled her nose. “How did you hear about him?”
“You said I shouldn’t let him think that he was first to welcome me.” Which made Bree wonder how many others were a part of the welcome wagon. If they did this for everyone who visited their town, they must not get very many people passing through. Either that or Jessie was used to making a lot of tarts.
“Well, he wasn’t the first,” Jessie said with a little sniff. “Just because he placed his shrimp in Adeline’s fridge with a silly little note tied to it does not mean he has officially welcomed you. I mean, you haven’t even seen it, let alone eaten any. How could you have possibly felt welcomed by that?”
The front door squeaked open at that moment, and Bree turned to see her friend and former college roommate standing in the doorway. “Ooh, are those lemon tarts?” Adeline asked, her gaze fixed firmly on the basket Bree held. Leave it to Adeline to notice the food before her best friend.
“And I came with it as a bonus,” Bree said.
Adeline’s gaze snapped up to Bree. “Of course I’m happy to see you too.” She stepped forward and wrapped Bree in a hug, but didn’t let go until her hand had sneaked a tart out of the basket.
“Those aren’t for you,” Jessie said, giving Adeline’s hand a small slap.
Adeline stepped away but didn’t drop the tart. “Hey, I get a finder’s fee, don’t I?”
“Finder’s fee?” Jessie asked, folding her arms.
“Yeah. If it weren’t for me, Bree wouldn’t have come to Starlight Ridge in the first place.”
Jessie released a resigned sigh and waved a hand through the air. “Fine.” She turned to Bree. “But that’s the only one she gets.” She raised an eyebrow like she was waiting for Bree to promise.
Bree brought a hand behind her back and crossed her fingers so only Adeline could see. “I’ll eat the rest myself,” she promised.
With a satisfied nod, Jessie looked like she was about to say more, but her gaze landed on something in the distance, and she groaned. “What’s he doing here?”
Bree scanned the road and saw a man walking toward them. He wore a button-up shirt and trousers and seemed to be about Jessie’s age. He carried a jar in his hands. Must be another member of the welcome wagon.
“Wasn’t the shrimp enough?” Jessie muttered. She turned back to Bree with an over-the-top smile. “I just realized you’ve never had my blackberry tarts. I’m going to run home and whip some up.”
“Oh, you don’t need to do—” Bree stopped talking when she realized Jessie wasn’t listening and was already hurrying across the yard.
Bree turned to Adeline, bewildered. “Did I say something that made her think that this wasn’t enough?” She raised the basket that held more lemon tarts than she’d be able to eat in a week, no matter how delicious. Good thing she had Adeline to help her out.
Adeline laughed. “No. She saw Erwin coming.” Her friend nodded toward a man who was now walking up the stone path that led to Adeline’s front porch.
“Afternoon, Addie,” the man said, stopping at the base of the porch steps and leaning against the railing. His gaze shifted to Bree, and he gave her a large smile.
“This is my friend Bree,” Adeline said, though Bree doubted the introduction was needed.
“Yes, I figured she was the young woman everyone is so excited to meet,” Erwin said, his eyes bright. “I trust you got my basket of shrimp?”
Bree hadn’t exactly seen it yet, but thanks to Jessie, she knew it was in Adeline’s fridge. “Yes, thank you. The note was lovely.” At least, she hoped it was.
Erwin’s eyes shone brighter with the compliment. “I forgot to give you my specialty sauce to go with it.” He took a step forward. “Do you mind?”
Bree wasn’t sure what it was she was supposed to mind, but Adeline came to her rescue.
“Of course not. You can just place it on the counter.”
“Wonderful. It’s a bit heavy, and I’d hate for it to accidentally drop.” Erwin eyed the basket Bree held, and his smile momentarily dipped. “It seems your hands are already full.”
“Jessie was here just a moment ago,” Bree said. Then, thinking it would be rude of her not to offer one of her treats, she added, “Would you like a lemon tart?”
Erwin recoiled as if Bree had thrown one of the tarts at him. “No, I would not. And I suppose she thinks she was the first to welcome you, doesn’t she?”
Bree hesitated. “Well…”
“I just got here too early, that’s all,” Erwin rushed on. “Adeline said she expected you around two o’clock, and that’s what time I was here.”
Bree looked to Adeline for help, but her friend didn’t step in this time. “My GPS led me astray,” Bree finally said, wishing more than anything she could just go inside and get settled in. “I’m sorry to have caused an inconvenience.”
Erwin smiled, but it wasn’t as bright as it had been. “Please excuse me, I didn’t mean to come across as rude.” He stepped forward and held up the jar of shrimp sauce. “I’ll just place this inside,” he paused and gave her a pointed look, “next to the shrimp that was here before you received those…tarts.” It seemed to pain him to even refer to Jessie’s gift. He disappeared inside and then exited just as quickly, hands now empty. “I suppose I’ll see you two at the sunset stroll this evening?”
Bree looked to her friend for the answer, unsure what their plans w
ere.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Adeline said.
“Wonderful,” Erwin said, clasping his hands together. “Just wonderful.” He stood there for another awkward moment, seeming to want to stay but having no reason to linger. “I suppose I should get out of your hair, then.”
“Thank you so much for the shrimp and sauce,” Bree said with a small wave as Erwin made his way down the porch steps.
He returned her wave, practically glowing as he shot a look of triumph toward Jessie’s house, as if Bree had pronounced his shrimp was indeed the better welcoming gift. “You’re welcome. See you tonight.”
As soon as he was out of sight, Bree slumped against the house. “Wow. That was…something.”
Adeline grabbed Bree’s suitcase and laughed. “One of the perks of living in a small town. Everyone knows everyone else and their business. Sometimes that’s a good thing, other times not so much. But it does mean that everyone cares about each other—we take care of our own.” She held the front door open for Bree and then followed her inside. “You’d never believe it, but just last week, Erwin replaced the shutters on Jessie’s front window.”
That did surprise Bree, considering their obvious rivalry that she’d just observed. She placed the basket of tarts on the counter and then took her suitcase from Adeline. “That was nice of him.”
Adeline pulled Erwin’s shrimp out of the fridge and placed it next to his sauce. “He says it was because he was tired of hearing the shutters thwack against the house—disturbed the peace and all that. But I know better. He’s a good guy, even if he doesn’t want Jessie to know it.” She pulled out two plates. “Have something to eat and then I’ll show you to your room.”
Bree looked at the giant platter of shrimp that sat in front of them. It must have been fresh because the scent was strong. Bree tried to breathe through her mouth without making it completely obvious. “I think I’ll rest a bit first, if you don’t mind.”
Adeline gave an indifferent shrug. “Suit yourself. But don’t blame me if you come back and the shrimp is gone. It’s the best you’ll find anywhere on the west coast.”
Bree could only hope it would be gone. Nothing against Erwin or his famous shrimp.
“I’ll take my chances,” she said.
“Right this way, then.”
Bree lugged her suitcase up the stairs as she followed her friend to a small room with seaside decor. A clock in the shape of a lighthouse hung on the wall above a dresser, and taking up most of the space in the room was a queen-size bed with a comforter covered in an anchor design. Completing the ensemble was a painting that hung over the headboard. It featured a variety of aquatic animals, with dolphins as the focal point.
Everything was perfect.
There was just enough space for Bree to squeeze between the dresser and the bed, and she dropped her suitcase on top of the bed, grateful she’d finally be able to relax. Then she looked out the window. “Holy cow,” she said, her voice tinged with awe. “I can’t believe you get to see this view every day.” Her room had an unhampered view of the ocean and the blue sky that seemed to go on forever.
“So can you, if you decide to stay,” Adeline said.
Bree turned to look at her friend, who was still standing in the doorway. “We both know this is only temporary until I figure things out. I promise I’m not going to impose on your hospitality any longer than necessary.”
Adeline wore a wry smile when she said, “How many times do I have to tell you that it’s not an imposition? It’s nice to have my old roommate back.”
Bree turned her attention back to the ocean view. “We’ll see if you still have that opinion in a couple of weeks.”
“Of course I will. Just like I would in two months or two years.”
Bree smiled to herself, grateful she had Adeline. As soon as her friend had heard what had happened with Mark, she hadn’t said I told you so, but instead demanded that Bree immediately jump in her car and drive directly to Starlight Ridge. And grab some ice cream on the way. Never mind that it was a thirteen-hour drive. “Thank you.”
“No problem. That’s what single, well-adjusted best friends are for.”
Bree wished she could say the same for herself and hoped she wouldn’t drag Adeline down to her level. At least Bree had the first part down—she was single. Even if it had only been a month since she’d left Mark. On their wedding day.
It sounded bad when she put it like that, but Bree didn’t know why he had been so upset about it in the first place. Everything that had happened had been his fault, even if he couldn’t admit it. And it wasn’t like he’d even loved her.
As for the well-adjusted part—well, that was why she was in Starlight Ridge. To work on that.
“So, you going to mope around here for a bit, or are you going to join me while I eat all of your shrimp?” Adeline said.
She knew Bree so well. Nothing good could come out of leaving Bree alone up here with her thoughts for company.
“I’m coming,” Bree said. “But you can have the shrimp. I’m not hungry.”
Adeline narrowed her eyes at Bree as they walked back down the narrow staircase. “You’ve been driving since yesterday. You should be starving.” She paused on the last step and burst out laughing before giving Bree a knowing look, like she had just figured something out. “You don’t like shrimp, do you?”
Bree groaned. “Or anything else that comes out of the ocean.” The fact that she didn’t like seafood shouldn’t be a big deal, but after meeting Erwin and realizing how important the freshly caught food was to this oceanside community, she was nervous about their reaction if they ever found out.
“I can’t believe I never noticed before. I mean, we lived together for four years.”
Bree plopped down onto one of the bar stools at the kitchen counter. “Yeah, in New Mexico, where we didn’t eat anything unless it had green chile in it.” She threw a side gaze at Adeline. “What am I going to do?”
Adeline gave Bree a curious look. “We’re going to tell people so they don’t keep bringing over shrimp platters.”
“No, you can’t do that,” Bree said, panicked as she thought of Erwin. She was sure he’d be devastated if he ever found out she hadn’t wanted the gift he’d been so proud to give. Despite having just arrived in town, she found herself wanting everyone to like her—to be worthy of the attention they’d already bestowed upon her. “They’ll hate me.”
“They will not,” Adeline said as she screwed the lid off the shrimp sauce jar. “Trust me, they’ll come up with another way to make you feel welcome—or uncomfortable, depending on who it is.” She laughed as if she’d just made a joke and picked at one of the shrimp. As Adeline examined it, she said, “You know, I wouldn’t mind keeping this secret between you and me. I know for a fact that Dale is planning on bringing over some fish for dinner, and I’d love to get it all to myself. In fact, I think I’ll be eating quite well for the next little while.”
Bree grinned and pulled the tart basket closer. “As long as you keep your hands off anything that Jessie brings over.”
Adeline’s lips dipped into a fake pout. “Can I at least have one?”
“Fine.” Bree gave an exaggerated sigh. “You can have one. But that’s it.”
Adeline brightened back up and popped the shrimp in her mouth. “I wonder what Caleb will bring over. Probably a T-shirt or something.”
Bree’s pulse quickened at the name of the dive shop owner. “You think he will?” She hoped the question sounded as nonchalant as she had intended.
“He usually does,” Adeline said, as if there were no question in her mind that Caleb would be by the house some time that day.
A piece of crust fell to the counter as Bree nibbled on a tart. “He didn’t strike me as the welcome-committee type.”
Adeline grabbed her own tart from the basket before Bree could stop her. “Honey, in this town, everyone is on the welcome committee.” She gave Bree a quick wink as she added, “He ju
st happens to be the best looking of the bunch.”
Yes, he was.
Bree felt her face flush at the thought. Even the memory of that one chance encounter stole her breath. But she knew it was only because her hormones were trying to make Caleb her rebound.
Bree couldn’t allow that to happen.
3
Caleb watched as Bree’s car turned into Adeline’s driveway. Funny how Adeline hadn’t mentioned that she had a friend coming to visit. Not that she always told him everything, and she had undoubtedly wanted to ensure she won their little bet. But still, he would have appreciated a little forewarning. He didn’t do well being put on the spot like that.
Caleb turned, not wanting to go back inside on such a perfect spring day, but also knowing there was work to be done. He worked the store alone during the off-season, so, unfortunately, there was no one to delegate the mundane tasks to.
He had just sat down in his small closet-slash-office when the bell over the front door rang. The computer hadn’t even had the chance to wake up, but he couldn’t say he was disappointed to have a distraction from going over inventory. He’d been very good at finding distractions lately, trying to fight the monotony of it all.
When Caleb walked out front, he was greeted by the ever-cheerful face of Isaac. His dark hair, tanned skin, and deep dimples created the illusion that he belonged on the shores of Hawaii rather than California.
“Hey, what brings you in here?” Caleb said. The last time Isaac had visited, he’d challenged Caleb to a surfing contest, and Caleb had no desire to repeat that fiasco.
“I’m on my lunch break and needed someone to talk to,” Isaac said, resting his elbows on the counter. “I’m bored out of my mind. It’s sunny out but too cold to get in the water. What good is being a lifeguard if no one is swimming?”
Caleb reached out and rustled Isaac’s hair. “You get paid either way. You hoping you have to jump in and save someone?”
Diving into Love Page 2