Page 57 of Fall Love

Neve has independent insurance, and the coverage isn’t the same as mine with Hessfield Holdings behind me.

Thankfully, Neve doesn’t argue. Instead, she stays quiet as I drive back toward her home. Only I veer off before the turn for her place.

“Where are we going now?” She turns her head toward me as I wind down the long path covered by trees before breaking through to a cedar-shingled home.

“You’re staying here?” She stares at the two-story place in aged gray with white trim.

“I own it.” I stare back at it. “My parents used to own it, but I bought it from them. They never come here.”

“Neither do you,” she mutters.

“Actually, I try to get here at least once a year.” I glance at her beside me in the new SUV, my arms draped over the steering wheel. “It’s one reason I feel sick that I’d never seen you before. How have I missed you? You live right next door.”

Neve glances around me like she can see through the bloom of hydrangeas and over the hill that separates us.

“That schoolhouse was once part of our property, but when my parents sold the place to me, I sold off that sliver of land to cut down on the taxes.”

“I got that house for a steal,” she whispers.

Because I didn’t need the money. I thought the land would go to someone who wanted to build a big house on a slip of property. Instead, I learned the new owner restored the schoolhouse that was once our ‘secret’ fort.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t very neighborly,” I admit, squinting back at the house. “But when I came here, I typically came to escape.”

“Are we escaping now?” she whispers, like she’s conspiring with me.

“Maybe.” I wink as I press open my door and head for hers.

Through the front windows of the house, you can almost see through to the back, and as we enter my place, I try to see it through Neve’s eyes. Typical coastal comfort with nautical motifs and large furniture that’s a little worn from years of use.

“I spent most of my summers at my grandparents’ in town. My parents eventually bought this place with the intention of visiting family more often, but as the years passed, they rarely came here. They mainly rented out this place.”

I watch as Neve takes her time wandering through the open concept space. The living room and kitchen are three times the size of her home. There are four bedrooms upstairs, and I would have taken Neve there next if she hadn’t stopped at the back doors to admire the view.

An unobstructed view of the bay and the ocean in the distance. A large porch runs the length of the house, covered by the overhang of the upper level.

“Can we escape out there?” she whispers, like she’ll disturb the scenery.

“Of course.” When I open the back door, a breeze rushes into the house.

Two classic Adirondack chairs face the water at one end of the porch, but the other end has a swing, gently rocking in the ocean air.

Neve moves toward it, gingerly taking a seat.

“Let me get you something to drink. I’ll be right out,” I say, my throat clogging from the sight of her on that swing.

Her hair blows in the wind. Her eyes close, and she tips up her head as if seeking the sliver of sunshine seeping onto the porch.

She looks like she belongs here.

The perfect picture of someone belonging to me.

CHAPTER 21

[Neve]

Tate’s place is absolutely gorgeous. Not ostentatious like some homes along the coastline can be, but comfortable. Bigger than quaint, but still cozy, and situated in a way that he can’t see the schoolhouse from here, although I’ve seen this house on my walks to the cliff. A staircase rests between both homes but was never used much by either of us.

I was always working.