by Kaci Rose
"Good, now tell me about this young lady," my dad says.
I spend some time telling them what I know of Lin, from how she grew up here and her parents' passing to taking over the inn. I find myself smiling the whole time.
This is starting to feel a lot more real than it should.
I jump when my alarm goes off, and I'm about to throw it across the room. Hell, it's still dark out, but then I realize I'm meeting Lin for the sunrise. I hop up and get ready and head down to the dining room with time to spare.
When she isn't there, I go to her room. I figure I can wait in the hall, but her lights aren't on, and it's quiet. So, I knock on the door.
Nothing.
I knock a bit louder when she finally answers.
"I had ten more fucking minutes of sleep. Jesus H. Christ, what is wrong with you? Wait for me in the dining room," she grumbles, then slams the door in my face.
I smile the whole way back to the dining room. Just woken up Lin in a tank top and small cotton shorts is sexy and cute. As I realize there was no bra on under that tank top, my cock starts to harden. I take a deep breath and focus on the sunrise. This isn't the time to scare her off that way.
When she walks into the room, she stops and glares at me, then continues on to the room just beside the dining room and starts making coffee. I follow and admire her. In place of her usual jean shorts are black leggings, and instead of a T-shirt, she has on an oversized sweater with her hair pulled up in a messy bun and no makeup.
"So, I was thinking we could take a photo together after sunrise. My manager wants us to post one soon," I tell her.
"Of course, he does. Here, finish the coffee. You do know how to make coffee, right?" she asks.
"Yes." I watch her as she heads back to her room to get picture ready.
She doesn't take long and is back just as the coffee finishes. She pulls out to-go cups, and we make our coffee.
"If you don't want to wait until after sunrise to eat, I have Pop-Tarts or bananas." She looks at me.
"Nope, I'm good to wait. Let's go," I say, bouncing on the balls of my feet, trying to contain my energy.
She doesn't even crack a smile, just shakes her head. She disappears and comes back with a blanket over her arm. I take the blanket from her and follow her out to the beach.
"Any spot strike your fancy?" she asks me once we are on the sand.
"Not really. You pick," I tell her.
She heads up the beach some and stops in front of a large fallen tree.
"Let's set up here. We can at least lean on the tree." We spread out the blanket to sit on and get settled just as the light in the sky starts to change.
We don't say a word, and I don't think, I just wrap my arm around her and pull her into me. She doesn't stop me, but she rests her head on my shoulder as we watch the sky fill with brilliant reds, oranges, and pink with the sunrise.
"Wow, this really is beautiful," I whisper.
"The unobstructed views of the sunrise are one of the best parts of the island. You can see the sun meet the water. It's like it’s rising from the water itself," she says and snuggles in a bit more.
Even once the sun is above the water, we don't move. We watch the seagulls take flight and listen to the island come to life.
When movement starts around the inn, she finally sits up.
"Let's get some photos with the water in the background," I tell her.
I pull out my phone and snap a few. She gives me her approval on the one I like best. It's nothing special, but our shoulders are touching, and her smile reaches her eyes.
"Okay, now with your phone. You should post too. You know, like the excited girlfriend you are supposed to be," I tell her.
"I don't do social media unless it's for the inn," she says.
"Perfect. Post it on the inn's page about how today is perfect for a morning walk on the beach."
She grumbles but does as I ask.
"What's on the agenda for today?" I ask.
"I need to go check on our parents' houses today."
"Can I go with you?" I ask her.
There is no way I'm missing a chance to see where she grew up.
Chapter 17
Kade
After sunrise, we went our separate ways to get ready for the day and have breakfast. Today feels different. I'm not sure why, but I'm going with it.
I decide when in Rome and ditch the combat boots and jeans I've been wearing for flip-flops, shorts, and a comfortable T-shirt. A casual look to match the locals. It doesn't go unnoticed by Lin when I make my way downstairs and find her waiting for me in the Lobby.
"Looking good, Hollywood." She smirks.
"Thanks, Goldie. Nice to see you back in your uniform." I eye her cutoffs, T-shirt, and flip-flops. But the tennis shoes in her hand catch me off guard. "What are those for?" I nod at them.
"Neither of us has been to the houses since the storm. If there is any damage, I don't want to be walking around in these." She points at her flip-flops.
Good point, and I'm glad she's thinking ahead.
"Let's get going." She turns and heads toward the front door.
We take her car this time, and it's nice to drive some of the residential streets and see a side of the island I haven't seen yet. It's very reminiscent of the Mayberry days with white picket fences, brick sidewalks, and large shade trees in every yard. You almost don't feel like you're at the beach or will be at the beach a few blocks down the road.
Lin pulls into the driveway of one of these coastal-style two-story cottages that looks like it could be on the front of a postcard. One of the “wish you were here" ones you send on vacation, but you don't wish they were here because they are who you are getting away from. That's not just me, right?
"You grew up here?" I ask her.
"Yep, and Lin grew up just next door there." She points to the right.
"You rent these out?" I ask as we make our way to the door.
"Yeah, in season. Larger families like to stay in houses instead of renting several rooms at the inn. Lots of family reunions too." She unlocks the door, and we step inside.
"I don't smell any mildew or mold," I tell her, and her eyes shoot to me. I shrug. "What my dad always told me to smell for when walking into a room or building we were checking out."
"My dad taught me that too," she says with a small smile.
As we walk through the rooms, I can't help but think of Lin growing up here. Dinners at the dining room table, her mom cooking in the kitchen with sports on in the living room with her dad. Summers in the backyard running through sprinklers. All the stuff I watched on the ‘90s family sitcoms.
"Which one was your room?" I ask. She points at the one overlooking the backyard.
"It looked nothing like this. When I was little, it was a pink nursery that transformed into a pink princess room. From there, it moved from a light purple tween room to a more natural green and covered with boy band posters. When I decided to rent it out, I repainted it all and went with blues and greens for the subtle beach theme people would be looking for."
"Think you will ever live here one day?" I ask, leaning against the doorframe. She makes her way to the window to look out over the backyard.
"I always thought so. After I get married and have kids. It's only a few blocks from the inn, and losing the income on this place won't be such a huge hit to the pocketbook when I get married since I'll be bringing in my husband's income. On the flip side, it will be paid off next year so no mortgage payments."
"What was it like growing up on the island?"
A huge smile takes over her face. "I loved it. Each summer, a lot of the same families came back to the inn, so I had many friends I saw every year. I loved having the beach at the end of the road. Brynn and I would spend our days there, and by the end of the summer, we'd be so tan we'd look nothing like our parents who were stuck inside running the inns. When school started, the island would clear out, and the locals would relax, and life would just s
low down. I can't describe the change from season to off-season. You have to be here to experience it." She shakes her head, lost in thought.
Suddenly, I want to be here to experience it. I want to see the inn filled with guests and summers on the beach. The thought of leaving the island fills me with dread. This whole life she has here feels just out of my grasp.
She doesn't notice the shift in me as we make our way downstairs and out of the house.
"I was wondering when you would show up there, dear," a little old lady says from her front porch next door. "Ahhh and your handsome young man came with you."
"Hello, Mrs. Keller! I need to check on Brynn's house, then I'll be over," Lin says and waves.
"Take your time, dear. The cookies just came out of the oven. They need to cool a bit. I'll go make some iced tea." She waves and heads back inside.
We cut across the small side yard between the two driveways and over to Brynn's house.
"Ah, you will need that tree trimmed." I point at the tree on the side of the house with some broken branches.
"Yes. Will probably have the trees on both properties trimmed up," she agrees.
"Let me guess, you know a guy?" I joke.
"I know a guy who could use some extra money because his wife is sick, and he's done tree work for us before, so yes." She smiles, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes.
"His wife going to be okay?" I ask.
"I'm not sure. She has cancer, the bills are piling up, and they have two small kids, but he's been amazing at her side. Every girl's dream. He's at every doctor appointment and still picks up side jobs. So, the town helps out when we can."
I nod because I don't have the words. My throat is tight as I think of finding the love of your life and facing the real possibility of losing them so young. Of kids growing up without a mom, and it's a reality I don't want to picture.
I try to focus on the house in front of me. Brynn went with a coastal vibe in her decorating with more punches of color. The downstairs layout is different in each house, but both have an open floor plan and decent-sized backyard.
After checking the upstairs room and finding the only thing wrong being the side tree, we lock up and head over to Mrs. Keller's house.
"Now she can be a joker," Lin tells me. "She had me believing she was a direct descendant of Helen Keller until I grew up and realized Keller was her husband's name, not hers."
I laugh because that would have gotten me growing up too. This woman is going to be a real character, and I can't wait.
As soon as we step up on the porch, Mrs. Keller is there with a tray of tea and cookies.
"Sit, sit," she says, and I follow Lin to the wicker couch at the side of the porch. We sit next to each other, and Mrs. Keller sits across from us in one of the two wicker chairs. She sets the tray on the coffee table in front of us.
Then she looks up and levels me with a gaze only a mother can master. One that says you are in trouble, and you better just accept your fate. Lin seems oblivious to the gaze as she pours our drinks and passes them out.
"So, boy, I hear you rented out the whole inn?" Mrs. Keller asks.
"Yes, ma'am," I say.
"Why?" she asks point-blank.
"Well, I got tired of the press in Hollywood. I can't take a shit without them reporting on what color it is." I level her with a look, and a moment later, she bursts out laughing.
"Don't I know it. We know a bit about press Lin, Brynn, and I," she says and looks at Lin.
"I told him a bit," Lin says, and Mrs. Keller nods.
"I wasn't sorry when I smashed that guy's camera. Not one bit." She huffs.
"Oh, this is a story I want to hear," I say and pick up a cookie. I take a bite, and it melts in my mouth.
"Chocolate chip pecan. My gran used to make these for me every summer. I haven't had one since she passed away," I say.
"They are my specialty. You come around more, you will get more cookies. Now, this boy was some reporter type. Claims he moved from Hollywood because his wife needed to be closer to her dad. He was in the tree in Lin's yard. We don't take too kindly to trespassers here, so I shot him with my BB gun. Scared him so bad he fell from the tree," she says.
"Then she stomped on his camera. Broke the lens and everything. The guy tried to file a police report, but since he was trespassing and, as the sheriff said, ‘exhibiting stalker behavior' that if he left the island and didn't step foot on it again, he wouldn't toss him in jail. The guy ran off so fast." Lin laughs.
"It wasn't too long after that the girls moved into the inns. It was safer for them, two girls living alone and all. They have security there day and night, and the staff helps watch over them. I miss them still, but it's better for them this way, plus come summertime, I get full use of the pool." She wiggles her eyebrows at me, and I laugh.
"Now what kind of stories do you want to know about a young Lin? I've been living here since she was born and would watch her and Brynn both as babies and even into their teen years. I have all the good stories."
"Oh, yeah? What was a young Lin like?" I ask Mrs. Keller but look at Lin, whose eyes are sparkling, and she's smiling.
"She was generally a good kid. Nice and helpful, but she has a slightly rebellious streak. You know she was a cheerleader in high school?" Mrs. Keller raises an eyebrow at me.
I look over at Lin and imagine her in a cheerleader outfit, and I have to shift a bit, reminding myself now is not a good time to get hard, even if Lin in a cheerleader uniform is every man's fantasy.
Mrs. Keller misses nothing and laughs.
"It was for six weeks, then the head cheerleader slept with Brynn's boyfriend at the time. I punched her in the face and got kicked off the team." Lin shrugs.
"That girl deserved it. Her parents tried to make their daughter seem like a victim, but the town knew the truth. They all left town as soon as she graduated. No one would buy from the mom's store, and no one wanted anything to do with them or that girl of theirs. You know I heard she is a pole dancer now? And not the good kind either." Mrs. Keller nods. "This one is loyal to those who are loyal to her. You best remember that." She points at Lin but levels her stare to me.
I look at Lin. I could already tell that about her, but hearing someone else say it reminds me how special she really is.
We talk for a bit more about some pranks Lin and Brynn would play on people in the neighborhood before Lin cuts us off.
"We have to go to that meeting with the mayor, Mrs. Keller," Lin says.
We stand, and they hug. Mrs. Keller whispers something in her ear I can't hear before she turns to me and hugs me too.
"You take care of her. She needs someone to take care of her for a change," she whispers in my ear. She pulls back and looks me in the eye. I nod, confirming I will before we leave.
Once in the car, I ask Lin. "Ready for this meeting with the mayor?"
"Little late now if I'm not, isn't it?"
Chapter 18
Linly