by Nicole Smith
Love Finds the One
Book Two in the Sully Point Series
by
Nicole Smith
Copyright 2012 by Nicole Smith
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction.
Any resemblance to any person or persons, living or dead, characters, events, locations, or businesses is purely coincidental.
Chapter 1
The wind blew a cool, fine mist off the waves that crashed against the dock. Cody Grainger brooded, looking out at the churning sea. Fishing today was definitely out, he thought. Just when he knew a battle with a big one would cheer him up.
He walked back up the dock to his shop. Cody's Bait and Tackle had become a fixture in Sully Point after thriving for six years. Nobody in town had been too sure of him at the age of twenty, when his father set him up in the business. But he'd proven to the gossips and to himself that he could be responsible and have fun doing what he loved. Sometimes he grew aggravated at how everyone in Sully Point knew everyone else's business. Like lately, when the gossip seemed to be focused on his recent lack of dates.
Opening the door he stamped his feet on the mat just inside to dry his shoes. The month of March out on the tip of Massachusetts did not ever provide great weather. In a couple of months the tourists would pile in under blue skies, but right now the town was its usual small town self, while the docks were fairly deserted.
He sat down in one of the rocking chairs placed around a wood stove and a rustic table, gray with age. One of the reasons people liked his shop was this sitting area where fishermen could often be found telling their latest stories of the one that got away. In between the fishing tales, advice on fishing was dispensed to the tourists.
Cody sat there now, thinking. He had never been much for introspection until last summer. That was when his sister Anna had met Sam, and the two had fallen in love. They finally got together after a crazy woman came after them, but the point to Cody was that Anna had found 'the one.' Nobody in their family had ever really expected Anna to find someone, especially someone as great as Sam, famous author and really good guy.
Seeing the two of them together, their love almost tangible around them, he'd begun to look at his life. Yes, he dated. A lot. With a lot of different women. And nothing he had with any of them came close to what he saw between Anna and Sam. Maybe I'm growing up, but there has to more out there for me.
There had been no dates for several months now, as he tried to figure out what he was looking for in a woman. Today, he glumly realized he had no idea. He loved them all in a way. Women, to his mind, were the reason for existing. Everything else in life circled around them.
Now, if he could find one, just one, the one.
* * * *
Julia Tremaine sat in a chair across from the desk in the doctor's office and stared at him. "You want me to what?"
"Take a vacation. For at least a month. You're a wreck. Your blood pressure is elevated, your pulse rate is too high, you need to put on ten pounds, your diet is atrocious, and I'm amazed you can still go running every day. That run today with no food, and then dashing to your office, is what made you pass out. This has to stop. You have to stop. I don't care what you think your responsibilities are, or how hard you think you have to work, but nobody needs to work at this extreme pace. As you might have expected, your mother has already called. In all the years I've known her, I've never seen her wait for anything. Anyway, I told her you can't work for at least a month, with a re-evaluation at the end of that time."
Julia felt shocked. And she could only imagine what her mother would say to this. Mother ran the advertising agency where she worked. There was no way she would agree her daughter could be spared for a month! "I'm sure she didn't go along with that plan."
"You're wrong. I explained that I wouldn't be held responsible if you continued on over-working yourself at this rate. She finally saw the light."
"What?"
"Go home, Julia. Pack a bag, catch a flight somewhere warm and quiet. You need a rest, a nice long rest." He walked her out to the front office while her thoughts were in a daze.
All she knew in her life was to work until you dropped. Surely her mother wasn't really going along with this idiotic plan. In the cab back to the office, she yanked her cell phone out of her raincoat pocket and called. "Mother? What is this all about?"
"Julia. I spoke with Doctor Deville. He says you must have a rest. I have to say, after listening to him, I agree. And, I can tell you I have noticed a slippage in your work in the past few months."
"A slippage? What--"
"Now it's all set up. I've spoken with your department and your assistant, Ron, will take over for you while you're away. You can use the condo in Aspen, or go wherever you want at company expense."
"Ron! Taking over? Mother, you can't be serious."
She heard an edge enter her mother's precise voice. "I'm quite serious young lady. I expect my employees, and of course my daughter, to pay attention to health issues and not ignore them. I want you to stay away from work for a month like the doctor says. Then we'll see how you are doing. Have a nice time, Julia."
Julia stared at her cell phone after her mother hung up. It was like she had stepped into some kind of nightmare. Ron, taking over her department? Her mother saying her work was slipping? She shook her head abruptly and told the driver to take her home. She remembered she was supposed to be meeting her friend after work, so she called and arranged for Holly to meet her later at the apartment instead.
At home she stood in her bedroom and looked in the full-length mirror. Okay, maybe she could stand to put on some weight. She was looking a bit skinny. But, a vacation? A month's rest? She sighed and changed into soft fuzzy sweat pants and shirt and curled up on the bed. She was asleep within minutes.
The doorbell from downstairs, buzzing, woke her up and she ran to push the button to unlock the front door to let Holly in. She searched and found a bottle of Pinot Grigio in the fridge and began pouring.
After exchanging hugs and settling down with their wine, Julia began explaining her day to Holly. It was interesting to watch Holly's face go from surprise to dismay and, finally, thoughtful. "What are you thinking? I can see things going through your mind but I don't know what they are."
Holly smiled at her and said, "First things first--let's order pizza or Chinese or something. I'm starving and you've been told to eat."
Julia agreed that she could eat something, and they called for pizza. "You don't think they're crazy, do you, my mother and the doctor."
Holly gave her a rueful look. "I'm sorry, but I think maybe your doctor is right. As far as your mother goes--well, you know I'm not her biggest fan. I have no idea what her agenda is, but I think you could stand a month away from that place. You don't even like it there, Julia."
"That may be true...okay it is true, I am not exactly happy there. But I planned on working there for most of my life. She always expected me to work for her. It was the only thing we had in common. I'm twenty-six years old--what am I supposed to do, up and quit? And go do what?"
"I'm not sure, but this way isn't working. Take the time off. Get away and think. There's no telling what you might come up with."
The pizza arrived shortly after, and they ate and talked about clothes and Holly's latest date. "Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking. He really is the dullest fellow. I think I was blinded by his millions."
Julia laughed. She always enjoyed hearing about Holly's adventures with men. She hadn't had any of her own adventures in over a year.
"So--what do you think?" Holly asked.
"About going away? I guess I'm willing to
give it a try. I have been pretty damn tired lately."
Holly's face lit up. "Wait a minute, I've got the best idea. Sully Point."
"What--you mean your home town? Go there?"
"Yes! I have the perfect place for you to stay. You know how my sister Anna married Sam Carter."
Julia nodded. Everyone knew about that. Sam Carter was a famous author and Anna a famous artist. They'd become news when they were stalked by his ex-girlfriend, and almost killed, at one of her gallery showings.
"They have a beach house that is just sitting there empty. They won't be back from Italy until May. It's free to use until then. Let me call them and see if they're okay with the idea, but I know they will be. The place is great and the beach is right there. I know it's too cold now for swimming, but you can still take walks, and watch the waves through the windows."
Julia thought about it. She knew Sully Point was a fairly small town and would probably offer the quiet the doctor suggested. Plus, the house Holly described had been in several magazines, and she knew it was the perfect beach house. "If they're okay with it, I'd love to stay there. It would be fantastic."
"You get some sleep tonight and I'll call them when they're up over there. Get your bags packed and you can head out tomorrow. Then--just take the time to relax. And think about whether you really want to come back to that crazy environment you've been working in with your mother."
"I know you're right, I do need to think. And the idea of no pressure and a small town for a while is very appealing. You have family still living there? Besides Anna?"
Holly nodded. "Yes, my father, Frank, and my brother, Cody. You need anything, either one of them will be glad to help you out. I'll call Dad and let him know you'll be headed that way. He can run out to the beach house and make sure everything is turned on. Also, Julia," Holly paused for a moment and grinned. "There's no TV, so take some music and maybe books with you."
Julia was sure she hadn't heard correctly. "No TV? Who lives with no TV?"
"Sam and Anna. You'll be able to see whatever you want on your computer, there's wifi, but no, they don't have any actual televisions."
"It seems strange since they are always on the celebrity entertainment shows."
"That's part of why they don't have them. Anyway, I think you'll love it out there. Sleep well, because I'll be calling you early."
Julia stood up and walked with Holly to the door. Holly gave her a big hug, and Julia said, "Thanks for doing this, Holly. I feel better now."
"No problem. Talk to you later."
After shutting the door, Julia cleaned up the dishes in the little kitchen. No TV--she still couldn't quite grasp the concept. For the past few years, her whole life had revolved around commercials for products her agency represented. What would it be like to not think about advertising for a while? Right now, it seemed almost scary. It had been her whole life. What would she be without it?
* * * *
Cody was down at the beach house, after receiving a call from his father. Holly was sending a friend to stay at Sam and Anna's place. His Dad needed to wait for a shipment for his hardware store, so he'd asked Cody to check out the house.
He wondered what this friend of Holly's would be like. Holly made friends with everyone, and the people around her were an eclectic mix. He and Holly were similar in that they were both a bit extroverted. Cody made friends easily and, in fact, many of his old girlfriends had stayed in his life as friends.
Finished with taking the coverings off the furniture, he made sure the heat was coming on nicely. It was a chilly morning out here by the water. As he prepared to leave he heard someone at the door. He walked over and opened it to discover a woman struggling with a large handbag, as she searched for keys.
"Oh! Who are you?" she asked.
Cody took in the very slim, almost skinny, tall, black haired young woman. She was quite pale, and looked as if she might be ill with such smudged shadows under her dark blue eyes. "Sorry to surprise you--I'm Cody Grainger, Holly's brother."
"Cody...yes, I remember that name."
He motioned her into the doorway. "Can I get your bags from the car?"
She wandered into the kitchen, and then walked straight through to the living room. A large sliding glass door took up part of one wall, and she stood there looking out.
"Miss?"
"What--oh, sorry, I'm just blown away by this view. It's incredible." She turned to look at Cody. "And, it's Julia Tremaine, not miss."
"Are your bags in the trunk, Julia? If you give me your keys--"
"Yes, please, that would be great if you could get them. I'll go out with you. My laptop, and some other stuff, is in the back seat."
Cody and Julia unloaded the car while dark grey clouds went skidding by quickly overhead. "Is it going to storm?" Julia asked in a worried tone.
"Not a bad one, normal for this time of year. I'll show you where the candles and flashlights are, just in case." He walked her through the house, pointing out features, while she admired the layout.
"I love how spacious it is, without being too big."
"Yeah, Anna came up with the design and they both picked out the materials and furniture. Here we are, back in the kitchen." He opened the retro-styled blue refrigerator. "Holly told me to bring you some groceries to get you started. I didn't know what you liked, so I brought you the basics."
"Is there coffee?"
"Yes, here, I'll show you how this machine works. It's just like the fancy model they have down at the bakery." He noticed Julia shivering. "Hey, are you still too cold? I'll turn up the heat."
"Thanks. Is that the bakery Holly owns, and Anna worked at?"
"Yep, the bakery made famous by Anna and Sam's romance. Tourists and fans of his books come here just to buy something from the bakery, if you can believe it. People can be crazy."
"Maybe, but it's perfect marketing."
"Well, I still say they're crazy. Of course, I don't complain. Being Anna's brother, I get the overflow down at my shop."
"And what do you do? What kind of shop?"
"Bait and Tackle shop, down at the docks. I've also got a little charter fishing business started up this year."
"Bait and tackle? Like slimy worms?"
He laughed at her repulsed expression. "We have more than worms. Yes, there's live bait, but we focus a lot on the fishing gear people need to go out for the larger fish you get around here. I gather you aren't a fan of fishing."
"The idea of it doesn't appeal to me, but to be fair, I've never fished in my life, so I don't know."
Cody shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "Never fished? Been a while since I met someone who never fished. We'll have to change that while you're here."
Julia laughed. "I think you'll have to do some fast talking to get me to fish."
"You don't know what you're missing." He watched her as she hugged her sweater around her body and strolled over to the window.
"It looks pretty dark out there. Is this house safe, so close to the beach in a storm?"
"Yes, all the materials are made of stern stuff, able to stand up to the winds, even the glass is special. Plus, notice how the house is perched up here, higher than the beach below. It's never been flooded by waves due to the location on high ground. But the nice thing is, you just follow the steps and walkway down to the beach, and you're right at the water."
"That's good to know--about the strong materials they used. I know I'm being a scaredy-cat about the storm. I've always been nervous about thunderstorms. My mother always said that, as a child, I used to get hysterical during them."
"I've found if you just explain storms to children you can take away a lot of the fear. I have to do it sometimes when I'm out on a boat with tourists and a squall comes up. Didn't she do that for you?"
"No, she usually just sent me to my room and told me to face my fears."
Cody gaped at her in astonishment. "As a kid? Your mother did this?"
"Yes...I guess i
t sounds bad...."
"Uh, yeah, it does. She sounds--look I don't even know you or your mother, but that sounds like a hell of a way to deal with a child's fears."
Julia turned away quickly and said in a bright tone, "Coffee's ready--let me see if I can find some mugs."
He stared after her as she walked by him. She was about two inches shorter than him, and yet with a frailty about her that made him feel protective. Right then he decided to stay with her through the storm, which announced itself loudly with a crack of thunder.
"Damn!" He heard the shattering of a mug where she'd dropped it.
"No worries. I'll get the vacuum if you get the big pieces in the trash."
"That thunder startled me."
"If you don't mind, Julia, I'll stay until the worst passes us by. There's no point in my driving in this."
He observed how her breath went out in a little whoosh of relief and her face lightened up. "That would be great. Do we have anything here for lunch?"
Cody plugged in the vacuum. "Some deli meat in the fridge, some rolls in the cabinet." He turned on the machine and had everything cleaned up in minutes.
"Let's have sandwiches then, and ignore the storm."
He wasn't sure the storm could be ignored, with it blowing hard right outside the big window in clear view. Rain smattered against the glass and thunder rolled in the background. "So, what do you do in the city? I bet you're a model."
She laughed, a full-throated laugh with her head thrown back, long black hair cascading down her back. "Me? A model? Um, no. I work in advertising. Tremaine Advertising Agency. I'm an ad executive, and I handle commercials for products."
Cody frowned at her. "You mean you sell stuff? Like deodorant and laundry detergent?"
She frowned back at him. "Hey, don't look down on it. It's an art form, really."
"Selling deodorant is an art form?"
"We don't just sell--represent--deodorant."
"Sorry, I always wondered who worked on some of those commercials that drive people crazy. I didn't expect it to be someone as nice and as smart as you are."