AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I haven’t eaten anything but donuts today,” she said, laughing.
“My kinda meal.”
The situation was a little awkward. She wasn’t in any condition to entertain him. What did he want?
“Did you want to come up?” she said, nodding toward the porch.
“Love to,” he said, relaxing. “Want to see that little pup you got, too. Did you think of a name?”
“I did. Her name is Brulee.”
She opened the porch gate, and little Brulee came right over to her.
“That’s perfect for Cypress Cove,” he said, bending over to pet her. “Brulee Angel.”
“Yep. Has a nice ring to it. Have a seat,” she said, pointing to a chair. She wasn’t inviting him inside. “Do you want coffee?”
“You got anything cold? It was hot on the water today, believe it or not.”
“Not a breeze to be had,” she said, holding her finger out. “I might have to sleep in the living room tonight.”
“We have air conditioners at the hardware store,” he said. “I should have brought one around.”
“You don’t have to,” she said. “Have a seat. I’ll be right back with lemonade.”
She shut the gate so the puppy wouldn’t get out, and went inside. Brulee was frolicking after Steve. In a minute, Maggie returned with a tray of lemonade and cheese and crackers. Steve stood by the railing, holding the puppy.
“So what brings you out here?”
“Like I said, I tried calling just to talk. In town was pretty miserable with the heat. Everyone is waiting for the fall to really kick in. My dad closed the store at one when the AC couldn’t cool it off, so I got in the boat and came here. I promise I won’t make a habit of it. I wouldn’t have come up if you weren’t in the yard.”
“I’ve had more company since moving here than I had in Jacksonville for the year I lived there.”
He grinned, taking a sip of lemonade. “I bet. Someone young moving in to the area is a rare event here.”
“I don’t think I’ve seen a lot of young women.”
“That’s my point.”
“So what you’re saying is that I should invite all of my friends here for a getaway.”
He laughed, slapping his leg. “It would be a big hit among the locals, let me tell you.”
“Tell me about yourself,” she said. “You and your dad run the hardware store, correct?”
“Right. I do what you saw me do yesterday, the techy stuff. A couple of times a year I run into New Orleans for workshops and seminars to keep up with the latest innovations. The dish on your roof is state of the art. I’m so impressed with the reception you’re getting that I think it might help us do away with towers unless someone is in a really low point. It doesn’t get much lower than here, however. I guess this is pretty boring.”
“No, it’s not. Do you have any hobbies?”
She realized she was acting like this was a job interview, but she didn’t know what to say to him, having lost the ability to make small talk when Russ had turned into a schmuck.
“I’m taking a welding class so I can do outdoor sculpture. I like movies. I like puppies. What about you? I see you went to UM?” He pointed to her T-shirt. University of Miami.
“Welding sounds fun! I did go to UM. I don’t know about hobbies yet,” she replied. “Up until now I’ve been busy with college and getting a job and all that that entails. Now that I’m lucky enough to be here, I’m sure I’ll get interested in something. Fixing up the cottage is a priority. I don’t mean making it modern, either. I want to keep what’s here, just restore it or fix it.”
“That’s a noble task. These old places have a lot of history. Do you know much about your grandfather Langtry’s family?”
“Not really. I guess I should look into it.”
