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At the marina, he made a U-turn and drove north on Main Street. “Up at the stop sign, make a right.”

She led him to her house, a tiny shotgun in a street of shotguns and cottages.

“It’s a real shotgun,” he said. “I love this place.”

“It needs a lot of work.”

Itching to see what it looked like on the inside. He needed a project. “It’s a gem.”

“Hurricane Katrina did damage and they rebuilt it but I have done nothing since. Fifteen years is a long time to neglect a house.”

“Okay, well, don’t worry about that, okay? I won’t judge your house.”

Taking a deep breath, Calista had the strangest feeling she was about to embark on a journey with a grown-up; something she had not done in years. They sat in the car for a while, looking up at the house. They took each other’s hands again.

“I’m glad I waited,” he whispered. “No ex-wife.”

She squeezed his hand, giggling. “Me too. This should be easy enough. We’ll get to know each other again. No other people to interfere. Just my two little innocent children.”

Looking at him, she smiled again. “Let’s go inside.”

Chapter 2

The sun’s rays beat in through the living room window at Bayou Cottage as it descended lower in the sky, aiming for the horizon. Brulee woke up first, squinting at the bright light, and jumped off the couch to find a cooler spot.

“Ugh. It feels like summer in here,” Maggie moaned, shielding her eyes. She threw the afghan off her body and slid her feet onto the floor to go close the blinds. “I’m drenched. I’d better get in the shower.”

She climbed the stairs, trying to wake up. It was such an eerie feeling, like she’d been drugged. The shower helped. Back downstairs, she let Brulee out into her yard while she stood with a giant glass of ice water, hoping it would work some magic.

“I promise to take you for a walk later, puppy dog. Right now, I feel like a dishrag.”

Back inside, she got her phone. Justin had sent her several texts, so she quickly answered.

I fell asleep on the couch. Sorry! I must have needed it because I was out cold for two hours.

Her phone beeped, Justin calling. “It’s okay. I’m still miffed about Austin Macon sneaking around like that. He knows exactly whose property that is.”

“Justin, it’s okay. He left with Calista. It’s a new romance in the making, I think.”

Jealous Justin was a recent phenomenon. There might have been a hint of it early on that she had ignored when workers he knew were on her property, and he found excuses to hang around or would show up unannounced.

“Okay, that’s good, I guess. I’m on my way home. I’ll bring dinner.”

It would be his father’s cook’s Cajun food or something her mother, Rose, had made.

“Thank you,” she said. As long as she didn’t have to cook, she didn’t care what he brought home. “See you soon!”

“Love you.”

“Love you, too, Justin.”

She sat out on the porch, watching the sun’s glow on the headland. Then she thought of the rescue so keyed in Kelly’s number.

“You saved the day. Justin is grateful,” Maggie said when she answered.

“I felt ridiculous, but there was no way of knowing if the guy was a jerk or not.”

“You were fine.” Maggie explained what had happened after Kelly had left. “How’d everything go there today?”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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