by Tina Kashian
“Last ditch at what? You want me to be her caregiver?” This wasn’t something Lucy had considered, and she was surprised Max would think she would be a good fit. Nothing in her past had prepared her to take on such a big role.
Max shook his head. “No way! She’s completely self-sufficient.”
Lucy felt a moment’s relief, but she knew not to let Max off the hook. “Then why does her nephew want to force her out?”
“He’s a full-time landlord and has properties all over the Jersey shore. He’s also her only living relative and sole heir.”
Lucy shot Max a confused look. “I still don’t understand. He wants to evict his own aunt?”
He shrugged. “Like I said, she can be eccentric. You have to meet her to understand.”
Max killed the engine. They left the car and headed to the front door. Max knocked and waited. No answer. He knocked again. Still nothing.
“Mrs. Lubinski must be out. But it’s okay. She left me a key.” Max pulled a key from his shirt pocket and opened the door. Lucy followed him inside.
It was old lady décor. Sixties kitchen with a lime-green refrigerator, tiered curtains, wallpaper with roosters and matching decorative wall plates displaying more roosters. One of the cabinet doors had been left open to reveal a shelf liner with a print of—she could have guessed it by now—roosters.
It smelled like old lady, too. A combination of Jean Naté and BENGAY.
“Your rental is upstairs. I originally thought you had to share a kitchen, but the upstairs has its own. There’s only one front door, but I thought you’d like that the upstairs comes furnished.”
Having to enter through the main house was a deterrent, but an already furnished apartment was a plus. After working at a Philadelphia law firm for eight years, Lucy had quit after reaching the proverbial glass ceiling and had come home without anything other than suitcases of business suits, panty hose, and high heels, none of which she’d worn since stepping foot in Ocean Crest.
Thank goodness for small miracles.
She hadn’t expected to stay in Ocean Crest, but family and friends, and an ex-boyfriend who’d turned into a current boyfriend—Azad—had a way of changing a gal’s mind.
They climbed a set of stairs to the second floor, where Max opened a door and they entered the upstairs apartment.
“There’s no lock on this door,” Lucy said as she closed it behind them.
“No. That’s part of the agreement, but Mrs. Lubinski says she won’t intrude on your privacy.”
Lucy wasn’t sure how she felt about this part of the agreement, only that she wanted to be sure her privacy wouldn’t be violated.
She followed Max into the kitchen. The table had a floral plastic tablecloth, but at least the refrigerator was white. Clear plastic slipcovers covered a plush pink sofa. In the bedroom, a light-blue bedspread embroidered with more flowers was draped over a queen bed. The bathroom was tiled in pink with a matching pink sink and toilet. The toilet tank was covered with a pink rug, and a crocheted toilet paper doll sat on top.
“It’s a bit outdated,” Max said.
“A bit?” Clearly, he’d slipped into real estate mogul mode if he was downplaying the place as only slightly outdated.
“I know what you’re thinking, but there’s more,” Max said.
Lucy eyed him speculatively. “More plastic?”
“No, silly. More that I want to show you. Come look.”
She followed him out of the bathroom and down a hallway with a carpet runner covered with a plastic carpet protector. He opened pink vertical blinds to reveal sliding glass doors that led to a wood deck.
She froze. “Oh my gosh.”
“This is what I wanted you to see,” Max said.
It was beachfront and ocean view. Stunning. Nothing else mattered. The plastic-covered sofa, the blinding pink, the crocheted toilet paper doll. Nothing but this.
She opened the sliding glass doors and walked onto the deck and clutched the railing. She stood there, blank, amazed, and shaken.
It was late afternoon, and the sky was an amazing mix of pinks and blues. The sand dunes that protected the beach danced beneath a breeze, and seagulls circled above. The ocean was calm, an endless blue line in the horizon. She inhaled the scent of salty, fresh air. A gentle wind cooled her cheeks.
Patio furniture was arranged in one corner of the large deck, a glass-topped table and four chairs. A long, wooden staircase led from the deck directly down to the beach. She wouldn’t have to leave her apartment from the front door to get to the beach. She could picture herself sitting outside every morning with a cup of coffee as the sun rose. She could also envision herself jogging the beach, the sand spraying the backs of her calves, the early morning rays kissing her cheeks.
She also understood why Max had said she’d have to enter through the front door. The deck stairs were a plus, but she couldn’t get into her apartment this way unless she trekked through a lot of sand.
“Why doesn’t Mrs. Lubinski want to live on the second floor and rent the first one?” She asked as Max joined her at the wooden railing.
“She prefers not to walk up and down the stairs. Didn’t you notice the BENGAY smell?”
How could she miss it?
“She lowered the rent when I told her about you. She thinks you being here will hold off Gilbert,” Max said.
She dragged her gaze away from the view to eye Max. “Who’s Gilbert?”
“Her nephew.”
Lucy knew better than to get involved with someone else’s family business. She had her hands full with her own family and the restaurant. Her parents were supposed to be semiretired, but Angela and Raffi Berberian still managed to have their fingers in everything. Her father, especially, interfered whenever she wanted to make a change at the restaurant. He’d even given her a hard time when she’d sought to update the wooden shelving to stainless-steel in the storage room. Her father was the most stubborn man she knew.
Max led her back inside and closed the sliding glass door. “Well, what do you think about the place?” Max asked.
Lucy scanned the apartment, already envisioning the changes she’d like to make to the décor. “Yes. Definitely, yes. I’d be crazy not to take her up on—”
Footsteps sounded on the stairs from below, then a little old lady brandishing a baseball bat came tearing through the door. A growling shih tzu snarled at her feet.
“Out! I don’t keep cash here!”
She wore a hot-pink velour sweat suit. A sweatband kept her steel-gray curls back from her face. Lucy took in the woman’s full face of makeup, complete with slashes of blush across her wrinkled cheeks and bright pink lipstick. The dog’s lower row of teeth flashed as it continued to growl. A topknot kept a tuft of hair out of its beady eyes.
Oh my God. Max had said eccentric, not crazy!
Lucy backed up a step until her hip jabbed the corner of the kitchen table.
Max raised his hands and bravely approached the pair. “Mrs. Lubinski! It’s me, Max. I told you I was bringing someone to see the place today, remember?”
The lady halted, then lowered her bat an inch. “Oh. Why didn’t you say so earlier? I thought I was being robbed.”
Lucy tried not to gape. Robbed of what? Did she stash silver coins inside the lime-green refrigerator?
Mrs. Lubinski eyed Lucy up and down like a picky buyer at a yard sale. “What’s your name?”
“Lucy Berberian.”
“You smoke?”
“No.”
“Drink?”
“Only on occasion.”
“Have a boyfriend.”
“Recently.”
“See him often?”
“He works for me.”
Mrs. Lubinski nodded once. “She’ll do.”
She’d gotten Mrs. Lubinski’s approval, but her little dog didn’t appear to agree. The growling continued.
Lucy’s head spun. Eloisa Lubinski’s questions had come at her with the speed of a Ga
tling gun. “Um.” It was all Lucy could manage as she pointed at the shih tzu.
Mrs. Lubinski bent to pet the little beast, and he stopped growling. “This is Cupid. He’ll get used to you.”
Cupid?
The aggressive little dog was as far from the Greek god of affection as one could imagine. Lucy cleared her throat and managed to find her voice. “One thing. I have a cat.” She wasn’t sure how Gadoo would feel about Cupid. Or Cupid about Gadoo. The house was only two blocks away from the restaurant, and Gadoo could travel back and forth as he wished. Another plus for the location. As for the landlady, the jury was still out.
Mrs. Lubinski scratched her headband. “A cat, humm. I don’t like cats. Is he an outdoor or an indoor cat?”
Tricky question. Gadoo was mostly an outdoor cat despite his recent escapades of sneaking into the restaurant through the storage room door. She’d go with past history. “Outdoor.”
“Well, as long as your feline stays clear of Cupid, we should be fine.”
“Okay.”
Apparently decided, Mrs. Lubinski turned and headed for the stairs. “I have a swim aerobics class in a half hour. You can move in today.”
Chapter Three
“I can’t believe you’re moving out.”
Lucy’s stomach dropped as she looked at Katie. It was the following day, and boxes were scattered around them on Mrs. Lubinski’s second floor. “Don’t make me feel any worse than I already do.”
Katie bit her lower lip. “I’m sorry. I knew this time would come, but I’m going to miss you.”
“I’m going to miss you, too. But I’m not leaving Ocean Crest. I’m only a few blocks away from you and Bill. Now you can have a place to visit.”
Katie had been Lucy’s best friend for years and they’d survived Ocean Crest High School together. People had often wondered how they could have been so close—they were opposites in every way. Katie was a tall, blue-eyed, natural blonde, whereas Lucy had dark curly hair, brown eyes, and was five feet three inches tall after a strong cup of caffeine. Katie also grew up eating apple pie, and Lucy was a first-generation American with Armenian, Greek, and Lebanese roots.
“I can see why you were so excited,” Katie said as she set down a box on the kitchen table and walked to the sliding glass doors that led to the deck and peered outside. “The ocean view is amazing.” She turned away and eyed the plastic-covered couch. “Although the furniture needs a bit of updating. I can picture you and Azad relaxing on that plastic. You two just might stick to it permanently.”
The two burst out laughing just as Lucy’s parents came up the stairs, arms loaded. Her father, Raffi, held a box of dishes while her mother held clothes on hangers.
“What’s so funny?” Angela asked.
Raffi gave Lucy a kiss on the cheek. Her father was a bear of a man, with a paunch and thinning, dark, curly hair streaked with gray. He could be highly opinionated and overbearing, but he was also affectionate when it came to his two daughters. “Where do you want these?”
“On the kitchen counter,” Lucy said.
Angela eyed the place. “I don’t like it, Lucy.”
“Why don’t you move back home, honey? You know you are always welcome,” Raffi said.
“You can have your old bedroom. I kept it the same,” Angela added.
Heck no.
She already worked in the family business, was dating the man her parents had always wanted for her. The last thing she needed was to return home. Before she knew it, they’d give her a curfew.
“We talked about this, Mom,” Lucy said. “I want my own place.”
“Fine,” Angela said with a huff. “It seems safe.”
Lucy stopped herself from rolling her eyes. “It’s only a short walk from Kebab Kitchen. It’s very safe.”
Her father nudged her mother. “We’ll go back to the car and get the last of your things.”
As soon as her parents were out of sight, Katie stopped unpacking and went to the window. “They’re talking about you.”
Lucy joined Katie at the window to see her parents arguing and gesturing at each other. Lucy sighed. “Looks like my father is trying to calm down my mom. Eventually, she’ll come to accept it.”
“At least they showed up to help,” Katie said.
Azad had offered to help, but with her parents here, they needed him to oversee the restaurant and kitchen for the lunch shift.
Hours later, all of Lucy’s belongings had been moved in. Her clothes hung in the closet, and even her dishes—what few she had—were in the cupboards. After brief hugs and promises to visit them at their home soon, her parents departed. At last, Lucy was alone with Katie.
“Now we can officially celebrate.” Katie reached in her bag and pulled out a bottle of wine and an opener. “Grab two glasses and meet me on the deck.”
Lucy headed for the kitchen to search the cupboards. She found the two wineglasses she wanted just as Katie screamed.
* * *
Lucy rushed out to the deck to find a man facing Katie. Medium-built, he had blond hair and the beginnings of a goatee. He was well-dressed, in a navy sports coat and slacks, but had some sand on his black leather shoes. For a brief instant, Lucy wondered if he was a salesman, then dismissed the idea. A salesman would go to the front door and knock, not show up on the rear patio. Katie moved toward the sliding glass door, her face pale.
“Who are you?” Lucy demanded.
“I wanted to meet my aunt’s new tenant.” His voice was calm but firm.
She eyed him with renewed interest. “You’re Gilbert?” Most women would find him attractive, but Lucy found him disturbing because he was standing on her deck.
A self-satisfied smirk crossed his face. “Good. She mentioned me. What’s your name?”
“I’m Lucy.”
He shot her a dark look, ignoring Katie, who stood watching the exchange with wide eyes. “Well, I just want you to know it won’t work, Lucy.”
“Pardon?”
“You staying here cheap. I know why my aunt’s renting to you. She thinks with you here, I can’t force her into an assisted living facility.”
Lucy didn’t appreciate his arrogant manner or his opinion of Eloisa Lubinski. The fact that he would force his aunt out of her own home told her, very clearly, what type of man Gilbert was. She’d come across men like this during her tenure at the firm, adversaries who had no empathy for others and who wanted to line their own pockets no matter the consequences.
She lifted her chin and boldly met his glare. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. From what I’ve seen, your aunt is quite capable of living on her own. She even takes water aerobics.”
He huffed. “She’s cracked.”
Lucy’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not very nice.”
“She’s my aunt. I can call her what I want.” He pointed a finger at her. “As for you, I’ll be seeing you often.”
Lucy’d had enough of his threats, and she stiffened her spine. “I don’t think so. I’m a legal tenant and you are not allowed to trespass here.”
“We’ll see about that.” Gilbert turned on his heel and headed down the deck stairs and disappeared around the corner. She assumed he was headed to visit his aunt. Good luck. Mrs. Lubinksi wasn’t home.
“What was that all about?” Katie asked.
Lucy turned to her friend. “Like he said, he wants to put his aunt in an assisted living facility. Apparently, he’s her only living relative. He thinks she can’t live alone.”
“Is he right?”
“I don’t think so. Max says Mrs. Lubinski is eccentric but not crazy or unable to manage by herself.”
Katie eyed the pristine beach below. “This is prime real estate. He could get a good amount for it.”
Lucy drew in her lips thoughtfully. “Despite what he said, I hope he gives up trying to evict his own aunt.”
“If he bothers you again, call Bill. A man in uniform with a gun is always a great deterrent,” Katie said.<
br />
“Good grief, I hope it doesn’t come to that. My mom will make me move back into my old bedroom.”
* * *
Lucy’s running shoes pounded on the boardwalk. She breathed in the salty air and let out a long breath. It was the following morning, and she’d begun her day with a jog.
After stretching on her deck, she’d run the short distance on the beach to the boardwalk ramp. She wasn’t a natural-born runner like Katie, but since returning home to Ocean Crest, Lucy had made the effort to start jogging and had been committed to the exercise.
She’d come to love the early morning trek on the boardwalk. The Ocean Crest boardwalk was an eclectic mixture of shops and eateries. Tourists jogged, walked, and rode rented bicycles and surreys up and down the two-mile stretch. Pizza parlors, tattoo parlors, T-shirt shops, custard and French fry stands all vied for her attention during the summer season. Lucy waved to Madame Vega, the fortune teller and tarot card reader. She smiled at the Gray sisters as she passed the novelty shop run by two elderly spinsters.
Near the end of the boardwalk was Haven Candies. Saltwater taffy and homemade fudge was famous on the Jersey shore. Tourists were hard-pressed to walk by without making a trip inside the candy shop. Handmade fudge, and taffy, and chocolate-covered everything—blueberries, strawberries, Rice Krispie treats, Oreos, and Yodels—lured passersby. All were on display behind the shop’s endless, glass counter. If you could name it, Haven Candies could dip it in chocolate.
Lucy stepped inside and the scent of chocolate wafted over her. As she gazed at the delights behind the glass counter, she could almost feel the added extra inches on her waist and hips. The candy store took temptation to a different level.
Behind the counter, Melanie Haven was serving a family of four, parents with two young girls dressed in beach cover-ups. In a white-and-blue-checked shirt and matching apron, Melanie was attractive, with short auburn hair, brown eyes, and a slim build. She had inherited the shop from her parents years ago.
Melanie had attended the same Ocean Crest High School as Lucy, but Melanie was older and had graduated a year before her. Since returning home, Lucy had been meaning to see Melanie, but time had gotten away from her. The bonfire was the first true opportunity to catch up with her friend.