“Very funny, Brynleigh.” I feel a blush creep up my neck.Was I that obvious? “Well, I’m done for the day. I guess it was a good thing I dropped back by. I was just checking in to make sure everything was going well with Mrs. Simon’s dog boarded in the back. He’s playing in the open area for a Little Bit. Please put him back and check in on the kittens before you lock up. Amy and I will come play a little with him this evening, and I’ll do another feed for the littles. See ya later.”
I fish my keys out of my pocket, pushing out the door as Brynleigh hollers goodbye, still giggling to herself over my reaction to Sydney. Brynleigh’s a good secretary, but she knows me too well. She’s a cute blonde with big blue eyes, but as Mark’s little sister, she’s completely off limits. I’d never really looked at her that way. Since I met Mark in high school, I’d known her since she was little. That practically put her in little sis territory. I’ll always see her as little Brynnie.
The ride home is quick, and it is already getting close to six. As soon as I pull the parking gear and hop out of the truck, I can hear Amy barking her head off at the window, all excited for my arrival. I open the door to my favorite, four-legged friend, wiggling her butt like crazy with a ball in her jaw. I reach down to rub her head in hello and grab the ball from her. She follows me to the kitchen while I pull out a beer from the fridge, the sound ofher paws padding behind me as we walk out to the deck to start up the grill.
I ignite the grill then launch the ball out toward the beach. Amy happily scampers off to retrieve it. I have a half-pound of hamburger with my name on it in the fridge. As much as I love cooking, I would rather be cooking for two rather than just myself. In that second, I wonder if Sydney would like my cooking. As I slap my burgers on the grill, I entertain the idea of having her here sipping lemonade while barbecuing some chicken. In my mind, it looks pretty good. I don’t immediately scoff at it. After I finish eating my two small cheeseburgers with some sour cream and cheddar chips, I sit back and just enjoy the sound of the ocean while Amy lays at my feet chewing on her ball as happy as can be.
Mabel’s granddaughter… Thinking about it, I could see some similarities. I could see her apparent love for animals, and then there were her eyes. Obviously, I couldn’t really go off any other looks since I didn’t know Mabel when she was younger, and I just met Sydney so I don’t really know her character yet. I figure, though, if Mable left her the house, then they must have been really close. Sydney likely has many of her traits.
Hopefully, she’s more of a handyman; oops…make that handywoman, than Mabel was. I would be more than willing to help Sydney fix anything if it meant getting to spend some time with her. Ah, after we’d moved into this place, Mabel always seemed to have something that needed help fixing. The fresh lemonade and fruit were always worth it. I also figured she kept asking for my help not only because I was good at it, but because I suspected she was rather lonely. She said her daughter lived in New Hampshire, but she didn’t get very much time off to come visit. I do remember her saying that her only granddaughter was going to school in Missouri. Mabel always spoke fondly of her. I don’t remember her ever mentioning a name though.
I look down the beach toward the old house. It really is a beautiful home. Jenna had always talked about someday living in one like it. She loved the huge bay windows and the widow’s walk. She also found the back patio charming with the way Mabel always had tons of flowers everywhere in every color imaginable. From this distance, I can see a few lights shining throughout the house. I’m not close enough to be able to see her moving around.
“Good thing…” I mumble out loud, reaching down to scratch Amy behind her ear. If I could see, I probably wouldn’t be able to quit looking, and I’m not really fond of the whole stalkerish vibe that would be sending.
“Come on, Amy.” I pat my thigh to get the dog’s attention. “Time to go inside.” Amy gladly gets up and nuzzles my hand, so I affectionately rub her behind the ear again before standing to head inside. I glance one more time toward Mabel’s place, feeling drawn to Sydney.That woman is already turning you inside out, and you’ve barely talked to her. I sigh at my inner monologue, shaking my head. Jenna would want me to move on and be happy, but for some reason, I just can’t help but feel a little guilty.
Chapter 3
Sydney
Friday morning, I rouse to the sounds of a hungry kitten. After waking every two and a half to three hours throughout the night, I am dead tired. It will be a while before I can lengthen that time because this little rascal needs tons of nutrition. I made a little makeshift bed right next to mine with a really warm fleece blanket and a mini stuffed animal for the kitten to snuggle. The kitten had really cuddled up to it, and a pang had cut through my heart for the loss the kitten might be feeling after being separated from its siblings.
She is already growing on me. So what should I name her? I yawn as I plop the nipple into her mouth, watching in delight as her little mouth greedily gulps down the milk. Boy, she sure is going to town on this bottle. From what I can tell, this little booger is going to be ornery just from the way she squiggles constantly. So something sweet and spunky would suit her. Shedoesn’t look like a Zoey, and she doesn’t have any mittens or socks, just spots. Spot is too normal of a name and kind of sounds more masculine than feminine. Bitsy sounds fun, and this little runt kind of looks like one. I hold her up to look her in the eyes as she laps leftover milk off the nipple and mumble, “Welcome home, Bitsy.”
Midafternoon, Bitsy curls up on the bench at the bay window while I unpack my books onto the massive, dark wood bookcase. Thank goodness Nana had loved to read as well. I let some of the books that looked interesting stay out but put away the rest in bins above the garage. Almost all of the shelves are now filled up. I’m going to need more shelving and more books. I giggle at that thought. There will never come a point when I think I have too many books. I stand back to admire my handiwork.
The doorbell rings. Bitsy lets out the cutest little chittering sound, standing up to stretch her front paws before her back legs, obviously curious but not fond of the disturbance to her sleep.
“Who do you think it is, Bits?” I scratch under her chin and walk to the front door. I haven’t met anyone yet other than Colin. All of my boxes were accounted for, so I wasn’t expecting anyone. It couldn’t be Colin because I hadn’t given any of my information to him or his secretary. I look through the pane to see a petite, black-haired, partly Asian woman. I open the door and smile at the lady.
“Hi there! I’m Ava! I live two houses down! You must be Mabel’s granddaughter! Oh, you have her eyes!” She thrusts a pie into my hands. “It’s apple. I figured I couldn’t go wrong with that one.”
“Thank you so much! I love apple pie. And yes, I’m Mabel’s granddaughter, Sydney. It’s nice to meet you, Ava.Would you like to come in for a drink and a slice of this pie? It looks wonderful and smells heavenly!”
Ava nods her head enthusiastically, her straight, black strands of hair bouncing with the movement, and I move to the side to allow her to step inside. I usher Ava out to the patio and hurry back to the kitchen for supplies. I bring out some lemonade, Nana’s recipe, along with utensils and plates. We get so into our conversation, learning about each other and sharing stories about Nana, we eat half the pie without even noticing.
“That pie was delicious, Ava,” I state, pointing my empty fork down at my bare plate for emphasis. “I’m really glad you shared it with me.” Ava beams at my praise.
“So, have you met any of your other neighbors yet?” Ava asks curiously. She seems to have such a sweet personality and a smile to go along with it.
“No, but I met the cute vet in town yesterday.”
“You already met Colin?” Her eyes widen as she sets down her glass of lemonade. “He is pretty gorgeous, isn’t he? You lucked out on neighbors, missy! You got him down the beach, and Jane is on the other side between you and me. You’ll love Jane! We should really do cocktails one night! Or wine? Wine is good,” Ava rambles as I choke on my lemonade.
“Did you just say that Colin is my neighbor? He didn’t mention that,” I croak as I finally clear the lemonade from my throat.
“Nah, he probably didn’t. Colin’s rather shy most of the time. He’ll make small talk, but he doesn’t really get to talking until you get to know him. He really needs to get back out there and start socializing again, but he’s been that way ever since Jenna died…” Ava’s words get kind of quiet and taper off at the mention of Jenna, so I know it must have been a personal loss for her too. I’m still curious. Before I can ask, Ava begins explaining. “Jenna was a friend of mine. We met when I movedin down the road. It was about a year before she passed. Jenna was Colin’s wife.”
I want to know more, but I can also see that now is clearly not the time to talk about it. After all, we just met, and I want to enjoy the time getting to know her. We chat for another hour, and Ava invites me over for dinner and cocktails next Tuesday so I can also meet Jane. She describes Jane to me as a bold, dark blonde that is anything but ordinary. In my mind,One Tree Hill’sHilarie Burton pops up. Jane is married, unlike Ava, but typically answers saying her husband will just have to fend for himself for dinner. Ava exchanges cell phone numbers with me, and we plan on lunch here again tomorrow.
By the time Ava leaves, it’s already time to start dinner. Something quick and simple sounds ideal since I’m still stuffed from the pie. I settle on grilled cheese and a small bowl of tomato soup that I enjoy out on the patio while watching the sun set. Bitsy even manages to pick at a tiny bit of kitten chow softened with some water. The little fur ball will be pudgy in no time.
So, Colin is my neighbor and a widower. A sexy one at that. I wonder how long it’s been since Jenna’s death. I should probably dial back on the flirting next time I run into him. Without more details, I should be careful. I don’t want to overstep. It would be hard though considering how that man made me feel yesterday. I snort to myself.How does he make you feel? You don’t even know him yet.Where had that thought come from?
I hear barking that seems to be getting louder each second coming from Colin’s way down the beach, and look over to see a beautiful chocolate lab running like the wind in my direction.
“Amy!” Whistle. “Come on girl! Come back!” I tense, hearing an all too familiar voice calling from the man running on the sand toward my house. Rushing off the porch to meet thedog and keep it back from Bitsy, I smooth out some invisible wrinkles on my shirt as he draws closer. He’s even better looking now than he was yesterday at the clinic. Barefoot, wearing a dark blue Henley tee and a pair of jean shorts with his hair a little disheveled from relaxing at home; the man is lethal. A shadow of stubble runs along his jawline, and I want to know how it feels under my fingertips.Girl… get a hold of yourself.
