Terra bursts through the swinging door, now holding a laptop. Her eyes move to the guy standing in front of me and rightfully looking at me like I should be committed. “I see you’ve met my brother Logan.”
“Logan? Yes. I guess I did.”
“You’re telling strangers I’m a grump now?” Logan asks his sister, an eyebrow arched.
“You’re growling at me, grump,” Terra replies and Logan grunts and leaves, disappearing with his coffee through the kitchen door.
I put down my empty coffee mug. “So, I’m sorry about that…mentioning the grump thing.”
“Whatever. He is. I say it to his face constantly,” Terra looks up from the laptop screen. “I really like what you did with Patti’s website. It’s quirky but professional, just like the business.”
“Thanks.”
Terra spins the laptop toward me, and the website on the screen is one I don’t recognize. The background is navy blue and the accents are goldenrod. The font is a formal script and there’s no real imagery except some stock photography ocean pictures and one of a lobster in a tank. “Does this website scream multi-generational business run by simple Mainers who care about their community?”
I lean closer and scour everything I can see on the site. I don’t have time to figure out how to give her a constructive, honest answer before she continues to speak. Well, rant, actually.
“Does this bougie monstrosity make you think of a restaurant with a weekly seniors’ special? The kind of place old Mr. Butterfield comes to eat his weight in lobster and nap or where Mr. Hobbs comes for chowder before visiting his wife’s grave every week? Or a place that donates leftovers to homeless shelters or participates in local fairs and has a lobster shaped float in the Fourth of July parade?”
“No. Definitely not,” I say emphatically. “This is a fancier place. Maybe in Portland? The kind of place that tourists flock to for trendy holiday meals but locals avoid.”
“Exactly! You’re hired!” Terra exclaims. “As long as you didn’t tell Logan why you’re here.”
“What? No. I didn’t tell him, but why does that matter?” I ask.
“My brother Declan, you haven’t met him, he’s currently at some business seminar or convention or some garbage in Boston,” Terra explains, leaning closer. “He had this site built last year by some fancy agency in Boston that didn’t even do research. They just went off his vision.”
Terra makes exaggerated air quotes as she says that last word and then rolls her eyes. I have to bite back a smile. “I love him, but he doesn’t see this restaurant for what it is. And he doesn’t listen when we all say that we like it homey and simple. So I’m taking control and retooling the website. But the less people who know about this in my family, the better.”
“Okay…” I reply cautiously. “Who knows and who doesn’t? How many of you are there? Aspen acted like she was referring me for some spy operation and now I understand why.”
Terra nods. “There’s so many of us, I’ve lost count. Let’s see…Logan can’t know. My brother Finn also shouldn’t know. He has a big mouth. Nova, who works here, is Declan’s wife. She doesn’t like the current website either, but I don’t want to put her in the position where she has to lie to him. Basically, don’t say anything to anyone but Jake and me. Ultimately, you’ll report to me and only me and shouldn’t talk about it with any other Hawkins or Hawkins-adjacent person. Is that okay?”
I nod. “But I haven’t even told you my rates.”
“Will it be more than you charged Patti? Because I called her when I was in the back and she told me what you charged her, and we can totally work with that.”
“I can charge you the same rate as Patti,” I say.
Terra grins and extends her hand. “Deal!”
I shake it but can’t help but advise, “I have a contract that I usually have clients sign with a payment schedule and a scope of the project. To avoid any confusion.”
“Did Patti sign that?”
“She did…well, she drew a star on the signature line,” I admit, and we both start laughing.
“In Ocean Pines, a person’s word isn’t made more significant by a signature,” Terra explains. “But of course I’ll sign it.”
“Okay. I’ll email it to you later tonight, with the app quote,” I say and get off the stool. Terra grabs a business card from a holder by the register and pulls a pen from her pocket and scrawls her personal email on the back.
“Sounds great. I like you, Chloe. This is going to be a great partnership.”
“I think so too,” I say as I wave good-bye.
Despite my hip still aching and the smoking car I have to drive home in, I feel lighter and happier leaving Hawkins Lobster Shack than I did walking in. It’s such an unfamiliar feeling that I almost get uncomfortable. Happiness and contentment hasn’t come easy in recent years.
In the corner of the parking lot, next to a beat up, old, green SUV, is Logan. As he’s fighting his way out of those rubber overall thingies, his Henley lifts and I can’t help but glimpse his abs and the dark chestnut treasure trail. He kicks at the pants and finally steps out of them. Now he’s bending over to pick them up, and his ass is pressed against his jeans and damn, that’s a work of art too.
He finally notices me as he tosses the pants into the back of his SUV. He gives me a sheepish grin, and it’s so appealing my lips automatically respond with a matching one.
“Hey. So you waitressing for us?” He blinks when my smile drops and I stare back confused. “You were meeting with Terra, so I just thought it was for a waitressing gig. We’re looking for a part-timer.”
“No I…” I remember Terra said to keep the website gig on the down-low. “I didn’t get it.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“It’s not the end of the world,” I reply and pull my car keys out of my purse. “I’ve got to focus on renting out my apartment anyway.”
He stares at me a little longer than feels normal before he nods. “Hope you have better luck finding a roommate then.”
“No, not a roommate. I inherited this big old house. There was a storage room and double garage on the ground floor that I turned it into a two-bedroom apartment so I can rent it out for extra cash,” I explain and then scold myself. Shut up Chloe. He doesn’t need to know this. “Anyway…nice meeting you.”
I quickly walk over to my car and don’t realize he’s following me until I toss my purse onto the passenger seat and his deep baritone is right behind me. “How much for the apartment?”
“What?” I do that silly thing people do where they say ‘what’ even though they heard the question. I shake my head a little. “Oh. Umm…I was thinking six hundred a month.”
“That’s cheap. What’s wrong with it?” Logan wants to know. “Bad neighborhood? Faulty plumbing? Are you a serial killer?”
I laugh – a short burst of noise – and cover my mouth immediately, which makes him grin. It’s a hell of a grin. “I’m not a serial killer. I promise. The second bedroom is tight. Can probably only fit a twin bed but the plumbing is fine. I hired a pro for that and the wiring. And the neighborhood is on the west side, walking distance to the ocean. Rent is on the lower side because I care more about the right tenant than the money. I need to feel comfortable with my choice since the person will be under my roof and it’s the only roof I own. Well, the bank owns most of it, but you know what I mean.”
“I don’t suppose you take pets?” Logan asks, his expression is bordering on a frown expecting me to say no.
“I’m a huge animal lover so I definitely wouldn’t exclude pets.”
“I’d like to rent it,” Logan says firmly. “I’ve been looking for a place for a while. It sounds right.”
“You don’t want to see it first?”
“Yeah. I can see it. What about now?”
“Umm…I guess. Yeah,” I say awkwardly. This is all so unexpected.
“Cool. What’s your address?” Logan replies and pauses. I must look as un
sure as I feel because he smiles at me again, this time all his brooding and angst seem to be gone. “I promise, I’m not a serial killer either. And you know who my family is,” he says as he points to the restaurant.
We both laugh and then I tell him the address. “I’ll just grab my pup so you can meet him and head right over.”
I nod and get back into my car as he jogs towards his. The weirdest job interview I’ve ever had is quickly turning into the weirdest day. I can’t help but wonder what the heck will happen next?
2
Chloe
I stare down at my two dogs and point at them like an angry school marm. “You two behave, okay? Even if this guy doesn’t rent the apartment, I have to work with his sister, so don’t make me look bad. Keep the snarling and barking to a minimum, okay?”
Boss and Stevie—the most finicky, vaguely psychotic chihuahuas on the planet—hate everyone but me. They once chased a delivery guy down the stairs, and now he hurls the packages in the general direction of the front door instead of stepping foot on the porch.
Thirteen year-old Boss stares up at me, blinking like he’s innocent, and seventeen year-old Stevie ignores me completely and walks away, heading to her bed by the fireplace. It’s not completely an act of defiance. She’s deaf.
The first thing I did when I got home was head to my rental unit and open all the windows. It still smelled strongly of fresh paint. I admired my work, quickly, as I went. I was proud of this apartment. It took blood, sweat, and tears and all my spare cash, but it was worth it. The income would keep me in the house, and allow me a chance to pay off my bills and maybe fix that smoking car.
But did I want Logan Hawkins—the grump, according to his family—as my tenant? It would be weird and precarious with the secret job, and also, his hotness was a problem. I didn’t plan on renting to eye candy. I mean, some women would find that a bonus. But I’m looking forward to being very detached from whomever rents from me. I wanted it to be a transactional business relationship and nothing else. Could I keep it that way with a guy who looks like him? Would I flirt? Do I even remember how to do that?
A car engine grabs my attention, and I look out the window in the living room to see Logan pulling up to the curb in front of the house. I walk over to the door. Stevie and Boss get up from their beds and trot behind me. I open the door and step onto the wide wooden porch that circles the front and sides of my elevated Craftsman. “Hey. You found it okay.”
“Yeah. I know Ocean Pines like the back of my hand,” he says and runs a hand through his thick hair as he walks around the back of his SUV. “Also, I’m a paramedic, so I know these streets well.”
Okay, that is definitely a plus in my books. Since my car crash, I have a strong admiration for paramedics, nurses, doctors, basically everyone who kept me alive. I don’t mention that to him though, because I don’t want to bring up any of my baggage, so I just smile and nod. Then I notice something moving in his back seat. Something brown and furry and so damn big I think for a moment it might be a bear. Logan smiles up at me, which makes me smile back down at him. Until he swings open the back door to his Pathfinder and the biggest dog I have ever seen in my life jumps out. My mouth drops from a smile into a giant, gaping circle. Stevie and Boss start to growl from beside my ankles.
“Chewie, sit.” Logan commands and the beast listens.
“What the hell is that?”
He freezes. “My dog. Chewie. Short for Chewbacca.”
Boss starts towards the steps, and I pick him up immediately. “I’ve seen smaller horses.”
Logan looks down at the monster and pats his chocolate brown head. “He’s big boned.”
“What breed is he?”
“Newfoundland.”
“Did they name them that because they’re the size of Newfoundland?”
A big grin breaks across his face at my joke, and I’m not going to lie, he goes from a ten-out-of-ten to a fifteen-out-of-ten on the hotness scale. Then the smile fades and his expression clouds with worry. “You didn’t say there was a size-restriction on pets.”
“You didn’t say your dog was the size of a Canadian province.”
His face falls. “He is really well-trained and quiet. Doesn’t bark hardly at all, I swear,” Logan sighs. “If I work a night shift, Terra takes him. He’s rarely home alone.”
“I just…I mean he could eat one of my dogs and not even notice. And trust me, they might give him reason to. They’re slightly…well, to be blunt, they can be bullies,” I say. Before Logan can respond, Stevie bounds down the steps, which takes me by surprise because I can’t remember the last time she moved that quickly. Before I can scoop her up, Logan rushes forward and picks her up. He scratches the top of her head. Chewie raises his enormous head to sniff at Stevie’s dangling paws. “Hey sweetheart, what’s your name?”
“That’s Stevie and she’s very old and—oh God!”
Suddenly, Logan puts Stevie on the ground in front of Chewie. Stevie’s entire body is about the size of Chewie’s paw so when he bends down and they’re nose-to-nose, I gasp. I’m worried Chewie will scarf her down like she’s a peanut M&M and he’s me on my period. Boss squirms in my hands and whines as I rush down the stairs to save Stevie. Clearly, Boss is eager to meet this new monster too.
“He’s a gentle giant, I would stake my life on it,” Logan says and lifts a hand to his heart. “Let him say hello, too.”
I slowly bend down and put Boss on the ground because Logan seems to be right. Stevie’s tail is wagging and so is Chewie’s as they continue to sniff each other. Boss darts for Chewie and growls, which makes my heart pound in fear. Chewie turns to Boss and then drops down onto the grass and rolls over, offering Boss his gargantuan belly. Even Boss looks startled by Chewie’s instant surrender, but he recovers and goes straight to sniffing Chewie’s privates. Stevie joins him.
“Okay, enough, we are not making a doggie porno here,” I say biting back a smile. “Let me show you and Chewie the apartment.”
I pick up Stevie in one arm and whistle for Boss to follow me and he does. Well, actually he follows Chewie as we make our way around to the side of the house where the door to the newly renovated suite is. I hesitate. “It’s not huge, like I said. Everything is new but not high-end or fancy.”
Logan is standing right behind me, an impatient look on his face. “I’m a small-town paramedic who moonlights as a fisherman for my family restaurant. What about that screams fancy to you?”
He looks amused more than annoyed as he waits for me to respond, but I have no idea what to say so I just open the door and motion for him to go in. I thought the ceilings were fairly high but now that Logan is standing in it, I realize they aren’t. If Logan extends his arms fully above his head, his fingertips would definitely touch. But if it bugs him, he doesn’t say anything. Instead his eyes sweep over the kitchen and across the small peninsula into the living room. “Nice countertops and is that a working wood stove?”
I nod. “Pellet stove. Brand new. I splurged on that because it’s electric baseboard heat and didn’t want you…I mean whoever rents it…to freeze.”
There’s a twinkle in his eye at my blunder but he doesn’t say anything. Five minutes later, after he’s glanced in both bedrooms and looked at the bathroom briefly, he turns to me in the middle of the living room. “So, can I sign the lease? I brought checks for first and last too.”
“Oh,” I blink. Stevie barks in my arms, so I put her down. She immediately walks over to Logan and puts her front paws up on his shin, indicating she wants him to pick her up, which he does without hesitation. The dog who hates everyone. Huh. “Well, I have an application you can fill out.”
“You have other people interested?”
“I haven’t even listed it yet,” I confess and feel my cheeks heat for some reason. “I was actually going to put it on a couple rental sites today.”
“Well, now you don’t have to,” Logan says and pushes up his sleeves. It’s freezing and they’
re predicting snow any day now, yet he didn’t bring a coat. He nervously runs a hand through his hair again, which somehow doesn’t mess up the perfect wave it’s got going on. “I swear we are both model tenants and I really need this place.”
Chewie is wandering down the hall toward the bedrooms, and Boss is following along behind him. Then he wanders back and Boss follows. He’s looking up at Chewie like he’s just found a long lost relative, which is hysterical but I’m too flabbergasted to even chuckle.
“You know this is a very quiet neighborhood,” I say cautiously because I don’t want him to have regrets either. “Everyone who lives here, except for me, kind of looks like an extra from Grace and Frankie.”
His face softens with what looks like despair as he interrupts me. “I don’t smoke. I don’t drink. I haven’t been to a party in five years let alone thrown one. And the reason I need this apartment is because I have a son named River who just turned five. My ex has custody and I see him for a few hours every other day, but I’m hoping to get him for entire weekends and holidays, which is why I wanted a two bedroom. Yours is the best one in the best area that I can afford.”
So now he’s not just a handsome, hard-working, quiet paramedic who my snarly dogs seem to love, he’s also a dedicated single dad too. Jesus, even my dark, cold heart can no longer deny this guy. I take a deep breath. “Let’s sign the lease.”
3
Logan
It’s the Monday after Thanksgiving and as I glance at the lighthouse shaped clock on the wall behind the counter, I can barely read it because Nova’s already got the Christmas decorations up and it’s covered in tinsel garland. Tiny, multi-colored lights line each window and approximately seven hundred tiny lobster stuffies wearing Santa hats hang from strings across the middle of the windows, making it almost impossible to see out. Of course, the white-out snowstorm happening out there isn’t helping either at the moment.
The Winter We Collided: A Small Town Single Dad Romance (Ocean Pines Series Book 2) Page 2