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He grinned and led her into the house.
“We’re not staying for long, but I need to get the keys to the vehicle.” He strode through the spacious Victorian-inspired white home.
“Is this your place?” Olivia asked.
“Yes,” he said, opening a cupboard in the entrance and pulling out a set of keys. “Let’s go.”
He was so excited they were here. It had been ages. He couldn’t wait to show her around the beachside town.
“Wait. Fletcher. This place is absolutely beautiful.” Olivia tugged on his hand, stopping him.
Right.
Yes.
It was.
Fletcher stared at her, then nodded as he glanced around the house. He knew what she was seeing. The wraparound porch with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a breathtaking view of the bay. The open concept living space gave it a modern yet cozy feel—a warmer one than his modern penthouse in Manhattan.
This had been his parents’ second home where they had vacationed as kids. When Jonathan had said he was selling it, Fletcher had immediately made him an offer.
In fact, he knew he’d overpaid for it, but didn’t care. The value of the house had doubled since then, but it wasn’t about that. It was a place that held memories back when the family was happy. At least, as far as he could remember.
Had Jonathan been loyal to their mother then? Is that why?
Fletcher would have been way too young to know the answer, and he couldn’t trust his father to be honest. Whatever the truth, it had been a happy time in Fletcher’s life.
He rarely came out here, but occasionally Fletcher, Daniel, and Hunter, along with a few friends, would take a weekend and fill the house with whiskey, poker, and laughter.
Daniel had offered to buy half, but Fletcher had declined. No matter where his life took him, he’d keep this house for their family. It was likely that, when Harper had children, she’d want to bring them here. He wanted it to continue to be the Dufort vacation home, no matter what their family looked like.
One day, he might even convince his mother to return.
When they were younger, all three of the boys had ridden their bikes, learned to swim, spent hours on the beach playing and licking ice creams. Then, as they’d gotten older, they had exchanged their bikes for girls and beer.
“We vacationed here when I was growing up. Me, Daniel, and Hunter,” he said, quietly. “I’ve had it redecorated but, yeah, I love this house.”
She leaned into him, and his arm went around her as they stared out at the windows at the bay. His eyes dropped to Olivia’s face, and he saw a longing he’d never noticed before.
Damn.
He could see her in a home like this, with kids, sipping an iced tea on the porch as the sun went down.
He wanted that for her.
In fact, God damn it, for some reason he wanted to be the one sitting next to her.
Dangerous thinking.
He needed to stop. He had promised her, after all.
“Come on,” he said. “You’ll love this, I promise you.”
He fired up the Model E Tesla and let it warm up before backing it out of the garage. A few minutes later, they roared down the road, the wind in their hair.
“Oh my God, I feel so free,” Olivia cried, throwing her arms in the air.
Fletcher grinned.
