The new cell phone rang. Even though she knew it could be only one person, she checked the caller ID.
"Hi, Grandpa."
"Honey, how are you? Have you found somewhere to settle yet?"
"No. I'm just passing through a tourist trap for the night."
"Is it nice?"
"Can't beat the view." She walked back out to the deck.
"Go out tonight and have some fun."
Tiffany sighed. "I need to rest before I hit the road in the morning."
"You need to make friends again. He cut you off from everyone."
"I have friends."
"Oh? Is that why Trent's the only one looking for you?"
"He's looking?" Tiffany's heart sank.
"You expected otherwise?"
"I hope he hasn't turned on you."
"It's not me you need to be concerned about. Just take care of yourself and don't worry too much. He's still here in town, and he doesn't know what kind of car you're driving, where you're headed, or anything. It's driving him crazy. He told me as much, before I had to hang up on him. I don't know how you put up with him for so long. I can't take five minutes over the phone."
"That's one reason I was sick so much. I've been healthy since leaving."
"That's what your old grandpa likes to hear. Now get out there and try to make a friend."
"Right."
"I'd best be going. Got my poker game tonight. I need to win back last night's losses from Frankie."
"Tell the boys I said hi."
"Will do. The offer still stands to send one of their grandsons to protect you."
"I'm fine. It's like you said, Trent doesn't know where to look. That's all the protection I need. You've given me everything else."
"Get out before going to bed, hon. Bars are full of people looking for someone to talk to."
"They're also full of guys looking for something I have no interest in right now."
"Just tell 'em you're gay. That's all the rage these days."
Tiffany shook her head. "Goodnight, Grandpa."
"'Night, dear. Give a holler if you need to."
She ended the call and then tossed the phone to the bed without leaving the deck. The sound of the waves beckoned her, so she leaned against the railing again, losing herself.
After a while, she thought about what her grandpa had said. She wasn't going to a bar, but she wasn't against a little window shopping. Then she could at least tell him she had mingled with others. He would ask.
Tiffany went inside the room, showered, and put on fresh clothes. Fresh, but wrinkled. They still smelled of the detergent that Trent made her use. She hated it, but getting screamed at over soap wasn't worth it.
At first, she fought for herself, but after several unsuccessful arguments, she gave in, finding life easier if she gave Trent his way. He never backed down. Never. He'd kept her up until past two in the morning countless times, yelling and threatening her until she finally gave him his way out of pure exhaustion.
He thought everyone would give him what he wanted as long as he broke them down. That was how he had "worked" his way to nearly the top of his company. Only the CEO held more power than him, and even so, it was only a matter of time before one of them gave in and quit their power struggle. Tiffany's money was on Trent. The word 'no' was only a challenge to him.
Whenever Trent wanted a raise, he would storm into the CEO's office, demanding it. Trent always walked away with his raise. Every time.
It was the same with his family. When he wanted something from his parents or siblings, he threw a temper tantrum until he got it. They always told him what a jerk he was, but Trent didn't care. He had gotten his way.
Tiffany put on the final touches of eyeliner and examined herself. Her long, dark hair was already starting to curl. She hadn't had the space to pack her flat iron. Oh well, it wasn't like she was trying to impress anyone.
There was no way she was getting involved with a relationship anytime soon.
The dark circles remained under her eyes from so many late nights. It had been typical of Trent to work late and then wake her to yell about whatever had pissed him off that day. By the time he was done, he was snoring away, but Tiffany would be so wound up with stress that she couldn't get herself back to sleep. That was probably the exact thing Trent wanted.
Perhaps some retail therapy would get her to stop thinking about him.
She grabbed her purse and made her way down to the hotel lobby. At the front desk, she asked the clerk where good shops were.
Three
Jake locked the store, shooing away some tourists who wanted in. "There's no such thing as a twenty-four hour shop around here. This is a beach town, ladies."
One of the girls pouted, giving him puppy-dog eyes. "Please."
"Sorry. I've already closed the register for the night." Not that he couldn't open it again, but he wasn't going to. He needed a break after such a long and tiring day. During the off-season, working all day wasn't so bad. It was the kind of town where he could leave the store for a few minutes and nobody would bother anything. Tourist season was a different beast altogether.
Puppy-Dog Eyes switched from sad to a big smile. "You're cute. Are you a model?" She twisted a strand of her hair around a finger.
"Yeah, you're so buff," said a redhead. She reached for his arm.
Jake stepped away, barely missing her touch. "Don't try to butter me up. The store is locked."
She pouted. "I'm not. You should be on magazine covers, though." She looked him up and down, looking hungry. "Got plans for tonight?"
"Actually, I do. But if you make your way to the beach, you'll find all kinds of available men."
"Fine. They probably have pop, anyway. We don't need yours." She stuck her nose up.
Jake chuckled. "That's right. You don't."
The girls scampered off, trying to get into another shop, which was also closing.
He put the shop key into his pocket and made his way to the quieter part of town where the locals tended to hang out. It would be nice to grab a beer and talk with some guys before heading home to his parents' house to discuss business.
Everything was packed. The tourists must have figured out where the good food was. It was always a matter of time. Even though everyone made the effort to point the tourists closer to the beach, they always managed to overrun Jake's favorite places.
But it was what paid the bills year round.
The Robertson's deli didn't look busy, and all of a sudden the "Oceanic," a large sandwich overflowing with fresh shrimp and tasty veggies, sounded delicious. Jake's stomach rumbled. He went in and ordered an extra-large sandwich with a side of chips.
When he walked over to the tables, Jake stopped in his tracks. The pretty brunette from earlier sat at a table eating a bagel. She was looking at her phone, and she was wearing something different—more seasonally appropriate.
Normally, he didn't take any interest in the tourists, but this one had him curious. Why was she alone? And why did she look so sad? Perhaps his curiosity was because of his own underlying sadness about Sophia, his beautiful sister taken too soon.
He walked to her table. "Didn't want the frozen dinner?"
She looked up. It took her a second to recognize him. "Oh, uh, yeah. I'll have that later."
"Mind if I sit? It's pretty busy in here." There were two empty tables next to hers, but he wasn't going to bring that up.
"Sure."
Jake tried to read her, but couldn't tell if she was just being nice, or if she really didn't mind his company.
He sat down. "I'm Jake Hunter. I've lived in Kittle Falls my entire life. You'd be surprised how glamorous it is."
Her lip twitched, but she didn't even crack a smile.
"So, what's your name?"
Her gorgeous, green eyes widened, and then she paused. "It's Elena."
"Pretty. It suits you."
Her face turned bright red.
"Sorry. I didn't mean t
o embarrass you."
"It's okay." Elena looked away.
Jake frowned. Did she not like him, or just want to be left alone? "What brings you to Kittle Falls?"
She turned back toward him, her expression remaining serious. "I'm just…. Well, I'm making a fresh start."
That made sense. "So you decided to come here of all places?" he asked.
"Just passing through."
Disappointment washed through him. Why? He had just met her. "How long will you be staying?"
She shrugged, taking a sip of her drink.
"If you'd like to see the sights only the locals know about, I'd be happy to show you what this place really has to offer."
"Really? Like what?"
"Well, not much, truthfully." He hadn't expected her to take an interest in a tour.
She looked confused, and rightfully so.
Jake raised an eyebrow. "But I do owe you a latte."
"You do?"
"I've got your five dollars, remember?"
"Oh, that. I told you to keep it."
"And I want to spend it on you."
Elena looked skeptical. "Do you woo all the tourists with coffee?"
"You're the first, actually."
She sat taller. "I suppose there's no harm in that. So, how long have you worked in the store?"
"Since I was in diapers."
Elena's eyes widened.
Jake laughed—a bit louder than he meant to. "Sorry. My parents own the shop, and it's been my second home for as long as I can remember."
"So, you've worked there your whole life?"
"I took a couple years off. My parents can't work now, so I'm back."
"Why? Are they retired?"
"They're in mourning. We all are, actually."
"Oh. I'm sorry. Who passed away?"
"My sister."
She put her hands over her mouth. "That's terrible. I'm so sorry."
Jake cleared his throat. "She was ready to go. She had been sick a long time." That was probably not the topic to discuss with a girl he'd just met. Sure, Sophia had been his life for the last two years, but Elena wouldn't want to talk about death. "You don't know how long you'll be staying?" he asked.
"Not long. This isn't a vacation, unfortunately."
"That's not something I hear often around here. What made you stop here?"
She looked uncomfortable. "I was just tired, and I saw a sign for a hotel."
"You must be on a road trip. I've always wanted to go on one. Is it fun?"
"Not by myself."
"Oh." Jake bit into his sandwich. He needed to find something to ask her that didn't make her uncomfortable or shut down. So far, he hadn't found anything other than a tour of the boring part of town. It didn't help that he hadn't had a girlfriend, or even a date, in a couple years.
They finished their food in silence. She didn't look eager to get away, but he wasn't keeping her engaged in conversation either.
"Are you ready for that latte?" he asked. "Or we could have ice cream instead. There's a shop not too far away that's said to be the best in Cali."
"Is it?"
"I wouldn't know. I haven't tried every ice cream parlor in the state."
"Oh."
Dang it. That was supposed to be funny. "All kidding aside, it is a lot better than anything from the store. They make it fresh."
Her eyes lit up. "Really? I've never had fresh ice cream."
"You have to try it."
Jake gathered their trash and threw it away. As they walked down the street, a football flew through the air, heading right for Elena's head.
"Watch out!" Jake said.
Elena turned to him, looking confused.
He jumped in front of the ball just before it smacked her in the face. It fell to the ground as Jake crashed into a newspaper and magazine stand. A corner dug into his skin as he put his arms out to catch himself. A stack of entertainment magazines flew onto the ground.
"Nice block." Dimitri, the stand owner, held out his hand and helped Jake up.
"Thanks." Jake laughed, though he was embarrassed. He dusted himself off and turned to Elena, who was picking up the fallen magazines.
She handed the stack to Dimitri. "I'll let you organize these. I'm not sure how you had them." She turned to Jake. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." His side was burning, but he wasn't going to let on. "Just glad to have kept the football from you."
"Stupid tourists," Dimitri said, and then looked at Elena. "No offense."
"None taken." She seemed to be holding back a smile.
A short, stocky teen in a Cowboys jersey ran up to them. "Can I get my ball back?"
"Watch where you throw it," Dimitri said, glaring at the kid. "Next time you might not get it back." He then said something in Russian to him, not that the boy had any clue what it was. Jake was pretty sure he was either swearing or telling the kid off. Everyone knew to keep the tourists happy, so it was better if he didn't know what Dimitri was saying.
Jake tossed the ball at him.
The kid caught it and ran off.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Elena asked. "You're bleeding."
"I am?" Jake felt his side, and sure enough, his shirt was ripped and he could feel warm liquid.
"You need bandages? Dimitri has bandages." He dug through a box behind the magazines and held up a first aid kit.
Elena snatched it. "Let me take care of that."
"It's just a scratch," Jake said. "I'll handle it."
"No. Let me." She reached for his shirt.
He was used to taking care of Sophia, not having someone take care of him. Elena put her hand against his side and chills ran down his back. Maybe having her help wasn't so bad.
"Do you have a garbage bin?" she asked Dimitri.
"Of course."
Elena handed him the bloody pile and taped some gauze to Jake's side. "I can't do anything about your shirt, but I did get all the sand out of your gash."
"Now I owe you ice cream more than ever."
"I think I should buy you one. You saved my face—literally."
Four
When they stepped into the ice cream shop, Tiffany looked down at her hand. It was covered in Jake's blood. "I'd better wash up."
"Do you want to pick out a flavor first?" Jake asked.
"Surprise me."
"But I don't know what you like."
Tiffany shrugged. "I'm not picky. How could I complain about free ice cream?"
"Any allergies?"
"Nope. Go crazy." She went into the bathroom and washed her hands several times until all the blood came off. She couldn't believe that Jake had injured himself to protect her. Trent would have shoved her out of the way, giving her a gash before he would have risked hurting himself. Or he wouldn't have bothered saving her at all, and she'd have come away with a broken nose. Before he belittled her for being such an easy target.
Tiffany glared at her reflection. Why couldn't she stop thinking about Trent? She had obviously stayed with him too long—he wouldn't even leave her thoughts when she had an extremely handsome guy giving her attention.
She thought of Jake's big, beautiful brown eyes that sparkled when he smiled. His nine o'clock shadow only added to his charm.
It was too bad that Tiffany wasn't looking for a boyfriend, because he would've been perfect. Well, not perfect. She'd learned the hard way that no one was perfect. She wasn't going to stick around to find out what was wrong with Jake.
Tiffany would get her ice cream and then get out of town the next morning, never looking back. Jake would forget all about her as soon as she left anyway. There were plenty of pretty girls running around. At least she could honestly tell her grandpa that she had spent some time with a real, live human.
Tiffany looked herself over to make sure she didn't have any more blood on her, but everything looked good. She left the bathroom and found Jake sitting at a table by the large picture window, holding two ice cream cones. Butterflies da
nced in her stomach as she watched him looking out the window.
Jake had a gorgeous profile, and he looked thoughtful. Even though she'd barely just met him, from what she could tell, he appeared to have a gentle strength about him. Not a scary strength. If she was ever going to open up to someone again, it would have to be someone like him.
Would she ever be ready? She rubbed a sore spot near her shoulder. Her physical bruises hadn't even healed yet. The emotional ones would take a lot longer.
Tiffany held her breath as she looked Jake over. A strange mixture of feelings ran through her. Part of her begged to give Jake a chance. Maybe he could help to heal Tiffany's hurts. On the other hand, whatever his faults were, they could possibly just add to her wounds. The other part of her wanted to run out the door, and never give him a chance to hurt her.
"It's just ice cream," she whispered to herself. She walked up to the table and cleared her throat.
Jake grinned when he saw her, and held up a cone. Her insides melted a little. Jake was even more handsome when he smiled. The skin around his eyes crinkled just so, and the brown sparkled.
Tiffany went over to the other chair and sat. She tried to look at the ice cream, but couldn't help looking past to Jake.
"I got chocolate chip mint and blueberry. Take your pick." He moved them back and forth, distracting her from his beautiful face.
Both looked delicious, but she found herself more interested in getting to know him than tasting either flavor. "Which do you want?" she asked.
"Nope. You choose." Jake's eyes twinkled as he moved them closer to her.
Looking the cones over, she picked the blue one. It reminded her of the ocean. Green made her think of the backyard of the home she had left.
"Good choice." Jake handed her the cone with blue ice cream.
Tiffany raised an eyebrow.
"Mint would have been an equally good choice." He grinned, further softening her toward him. "These are my two favorite flavors. You would have been happy with either one. Trust me."
Tiffany looked away to regain her bearings, and took a taste. It melted in her mouth. "This is really good!" She turned back to him, seeing how excited he was that she liked it.
Seaside Surprises_A Sweet Romance_The Seaside Hunters Page 2