Last Chance Harbor (15 page)

“But Pop, you were saving that for your vacation house.”

“Like I’ll ever have time to loiter around a vacation house,” John pointed out. “It’s yours if you want it. I’m happy to donate it to my daughter’s first home,” he said with a grin. “And I have boxes of travertine that will give that patio a nice European feel.”

She threw her arms around her dad’s neck. “Oh Pop, have I told you lately how much I love you?”

John grinned. “Not lately. You’re overdue, baby girl.”

“You really do want this house then?” Landon asked.

“Pop? What do you say? Is it in relatively good shape? Enough that we could renovate it.”

“Why don’t you talk to Mr. Jennings here while I go nose around the foundation. I’ll let you know in a few.”

Left alone with the owners, Julianne said the only thing she could think to say. “I’m sorry about your sister, Landon.”

“That’s nice of you to say. Eleanor was a very troubled woman for a good portion of her life going back all the way to her teen years.”

“I’m sorry,” she said again.

“We took the kids in…after it happened,” Shelby offered. “Cooper, Drea and Caleb were naturally devastated. Caleb less so because he was so young at the time. You work with young children so you understand we had to get them counseling.”

“Good call. Some relatives would resist that necessary step. I’m sure the children benefited from the wisdom of your decision. Are they upset at the thought of selling it?”

Shelby glanced at Landon. It was Landon who quietly said it all with one word. “No.”

About that time her father came back in through the back door and announced, “The foundation is solid, no cracks except the usual for a house this old in earthquake country. I’d say if Mr. Jennings agrees this would make a fine house for a first-time buyer.”

“What do you say, Mr. Jennings? Shall we talk price?”

“For years now I think this house has been a source of embarrassment to my children. That’s right, Shelby and I consider these kids ours. As I see it, we have two choices. Tear the place down and leave the lot vacant or sell it to someone who wants to fix it up.”

Julianne found herself holding her breath until Landon finally tossed out a price. She could tell it was low by the way her dad’s eyes got bigger as he stood behind Landon. Countering his already ridiculous low price would only embarrass them all. Looking straight into her father’s dark brown eyes, she understood his expression meant it was a go. She stuck her hand out to Landon. “Fantastic. You have a buyer.”

“There’s just one condition.”

Her heart sank. There always had to be a condition. “What’s that?”

“You have to paint the exterior some color other than the sickening pink.”

“Really? That’s your condition? Um, okay. Sure. I’d planned to repaint the outside eventually anyway. So that’s not a problem. Does that mean we have a deal?”

“How about we sign the papers next week?”

Julianne couldn’t help it. In her excitement she jumped into Landon’s arms. She then turned to her father, hugged him wildly back and forth. Shelby was next.

“Pop, do you believe it? I’m about to become a homeowner.”

“I know, baby. That’s my girl.”

For Ryder the
Saturday work at the school consisted of helping to haul out the week’s demolition mess to the on-site dumpsters. The stuff for recycling went into a different bin. Come Monday morning they would begin hanging the new sheetrock.

After slogging up a sweat for several hours, they broke for lunch at twelve-fifteen. He went over, sat down beside Troy so they could take their break together.

“What kind you got today?” Troy wanted to know as he opened the baggie and took out a tuna fish sandwich.

“Baloney and cheese.”

“Used to love baloney until I had to eat it every single day. Most days, cheese was a luxury.”

“Yeah, I know how that is.”

“You do? But you were in the military.”

“You ever chow down on an MRE? After eating a crapload of those you learn to block out the taste of any processed food and make the best of it, especially if you’re hungry.”

Ryder noticed Troy shoot a glance in Zach’s direction. The two men had been avoiding each other all day. “Is Zach still giving you a hard time about asking out his sister?”

“Some. But I asked Bree to dinner on Sunday anyway. She must’ve mentioned it to him.”

“Good for you.”

“I’m a little nervous about it.”

“The date? Hey, don’t let Zach intimidate you.”

“It isn’t that.”

“Then what? From what I hear you and Bree go back a ways, to grade school together. You already know each other. It isn’t like a blind date where you sit there squirming in your seat to pull out a few excruciating details just to fill the void of conversation.”

Troy laughed. “That’s true. The thing is Bree’s going to college to better herself, been going almost two years now. This May she’ll graduate with an associate’s degree in computers. She’ll probably head off to Santa Cruz or Santa Clara to get a better job. Me? I’m just a guy who works with his hands, a man who loves woodworking, and this.” He spread his arms wide to take in the scene around him. “I love to refurbish old buildings. This whole town, I figure there’s a lot of that in its future.”

“Like the museum? The old strip merchant storefronts along Main Street?”

“Exactly. You and I both know I’m not going anywhere else. Bree is.”

“I see. So you’re saying you don’t think you’re good enough to be with a woman like Bree?” Ryder thought of Julianne. He could relate to Troy’s misgivings. Hadn’t he thought the same thing about starting anything up with the schoolteacher? Why would a woman like Julianne be interested in being with a construction worker? “There are jobs in Santa Cruz and Santa Clara,” Ryder pointed out.

“But I like it here. I’ve established myself with Logan. I don’t want to start over anywhere else.”

“Then you should probably make that clear before you take it to the next step. It’s funny you should mention the way you feel. Because—”

“You’re attracted to Julianne Dickinson,” Troy finished for him.

“No, I’m not,” Ryder stated. But in the same breath of denial, he noted the disbelieving look on the younger man’s face. “Hell, was it that obvious?”

“Not to anyone else, no, but when you were showing her the plans for the remodel, there was a whole lot of…chemistry between you two.”

“I’m staying away from women in general.”

Again, Troy saw the humor in Ryder’s words. “You’re kinda young to be swearing off women, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

“I got burned by one toxic female. I don’t intend to make that mistake ever again.”

“At least you didn’t get accused of killing one.”

This time Ryder chuckled. “Okay, you’ve got me there. But if I ever find this particular woman, I might be tempted to make sure she never does the same thing she did to me to anyone else.”

“I don’t know the details and you don’t have to tell me. But the thing is I can’t see Ms. Dickinson doing a number on anyone. She doesn’t fit the manipulator or user mold. She comes across like a nice person. They wouldn’t want her as principal if she wasn’t.”

Ryder lifted a shoulder. “I’m sure you’re right about that. What do I know about school stuff anyway? Until last week I hadn’t set foot inside a classroom since I was eighteen, never even went through the doors of a college or university and I show up here to rehab this place—”

“Looks like we have something in common then.”

Ryder slapped Troy on the back. “You’re saying I shouldn’t let the fact that Julianne’s educated keep me from asking her out? Is that it? Okay, I’ll make a deal with you. You don’t let what you do for a living stand in your way with Bree and I won’t let it stand in the way of mine. How’s that?”

“Sounds like a plan because the women we’re interested in are hot.”

“They are that. But in matters of the heart, when it comes down to attraction, I don’t think how much schooling a person has means a damn thing or at least it shouldn’t.”

“So does that mean you’re going to Julianne’s party?”

“Yeah. I’ll have to move my ass to get home, do the milking, finish some paperwork, and then cleanup. Now that we’ve had this heart to heart, I wouldn’t miss it.”

“I wish Bree could come. She’s working tonight though.”

“After it’s done, stop by the bar as her shift is ending. Timing is everything. Take her a plate of food leftover from the party.”

“That’s a great idea. Who knew you were such a thoughtful, romantic guy, Ryder?”

“Yeah, I’m a real prince.” He’d forgotten how it felt to look forward to an evening out. He needed to dust off his manners and his ability to impress a woman—because as he saw it, he had some time to make up for.

That evening, as
soon as Ryder walked through the door at Promise Cove, the size of the crowd blew him away. He’d heard rumors all week about the entire town getting an invitation. But for the first time he understood what that entailed and how it played out for real. The house that had been so calm and serene the night before when he’d sat down to dinner was now a sea of faces, some familiar, some not. They filled the house with laughter and chatter. So many that he wondered who was left to mind the store or rather the stores. He knew that McCready’s was still open because Troy had mentioned Bree had to work her regular Saturday night shift. But other than that he couldn’t bring to mind a single business that didn’t have someone here in attendance. The mayor and owner of Murphy’s was in a heated discussion with Ross Campbell, the proprietor of Coastal Pharmacy about who was the best hockey goalie, Patrick Roy or Tony Esposito.

Bypassing that dispute, he nodded in the direction of the veterinarian Bran Sullivan, who’d soon retire letting Keegan and Cord take his place. He walked by a group he recognized from the Fanning Marine Rescue Center. P
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He said hello to Janie Pointer, the owner of the Snip N Curl, who’d cut his hair last month. He exchanged small talk with his work buddies, Zach Dennison and Drake Boedecker, before running into the mystery writer, Ethan Cody.

“In my spare time I’m reading your latest book. I’m halfway into it and haven’t yet decided who the bad guy is.”

Ethan grinned. “That’s what I like to hear. Let me know if I start getting predictable.”

“Not in this one you don’t. Is there really a treasure lost off the coast around here?”

“You bet. This place used to be a smuggler’s den. There are all kinds of cargo ships that hit the rocks around the area and broke up. Who knows what treasure lies out there in the bay. Be sure to ask Nick about exploring the little island off the cove here.”

“That sounds like fun. Wish I had more time to do that,” Ryder said as he spotted Troy guarding the buffet. After excusing himself, Ryder headed toward the feast on the dining room table.