After All (Cape Harbor #1)(46)

“She’s good at what she does, that’s for sure. Hard worker.”

“You sound like you’re recommending her for a job.”

He shook his head and brought the brown bottle to his lips. “Thanks for the beer.”

“Uh-huh. How long is she here for?”

Bowie cleared his throat. “Until the job’s done, I imagine. Carly hired her to redesign the inn. I do know Carly asked her to stay. Wants Brooklyn to put down roots for Brystol.”

“Have you met her?”

He nodded. “She’s a spitting image of Brooklyn. Walks like her, talks like her, even flips her hair like her. When I first saw her, this sense of déjà vu washed over me, and I thought I was back in school, seeing her for the first time.”

“I can’t believe she kept her a secret all this time.”

Bowie glanced at his friend. “She didn’t. According to Brystol, she visits every summer. Carly kept her hidden from everyone.”

“Why?”

Absentmindedly, he started to pick the label off the beer bottle, only to remember he was drinking one of those fancy IPAs everyone loved these days. “I don’t know, Roe. I’m tempted to ask her, but I’m not sure I’d like the answer.”

He finished his beer and took another one out of the cardboard case. He wanted to blame his increased drinking on Brooklyn’s return. It was only part of it. He was trying to numb his past from creeping up on him. Sadly, his attempts failed.





SEVENTEEN

As luck would have it, the coast was experiencing a heat wave with temperatures threatening to reach the high nineties. It was rare for this area to get above seventy-five. The days were mostly beautiful, even when it rained, and the nights cool. Except for this week. By the time Brooklyn woke up, she was in a full sweat. It was going to be a long day of labor under the scorching heat, which meant some unpleasant people.

She was the first one to arrive at the inn. Not uncommon, but as of late she and Bowie had an unspoken competition going on. She had no idea where he lived or how far he had to drive to get there, but there were mornings when he was already working by the time she got out of bed. Since her return to Cape Harbor, her sleep pattern had been off. There were nights when she stared out the window, looking out over the dark water and listening to the distant sound of the waves, waiting for her mind to shut. Other times, she was up before the sun and ready to start the day.

On this particular morning, she was the victor in beating Bowie to work, and she almost wished she wasn’t. Over the years, Brooklyn had mastered a lot of crafts. She could use a power saw with no problem. She could replace a light and even a light socket. Sledgehammer, nail gun, and paint machine were no match for her. What she couldn’t figure out was the old heating and cooling system. She pressed the button and waited for cool air to start flowing.

Nothing happened.

She pressed it again and waited. The inn was quiet, so she should’ve been able to hear the machine come to life, yet it sounded like the system wasn’t even on. She pushed the small button harder.

Nothing.

Sweat dripped down her face, and she wiped it away with the back of her hand. She looked around the utility room—for what, she wasn’t sure. The only thing she was sure about was that the unit wasn’t working. She would have to talk to Bowie or his assistant to figure out why, or she could just order a new one. Nope, she couldn’t. She had promised Carly that she would confer with Bowie on everything, even though that was never her style.

She gave up and went back into the main part of the inn. She’d act like an adult, and when Bowie arrived, she’d ask him to look at it, which she hoped would be soon because it was hot outside and inside, and she was starting to get cranky.

Brooklyn wasn’t watching where she was going when she came around the corner. “Oof,” her body exhaled, and she started tumbling backward. Strong hands caught her and pulled her safely into their arms, cocooning her. Her nose hit the man’s chest, and as she caught her breath, she inhaled deeply. Her savior smelled of Irish Spring and clean linen. There was only one person she knew who used that brand of soap. She stepped back and slowly lifted her head to see if she was right.

“Are you okay?” Bowie asked, his voice husky; his hands remained where they were, touching her arms. Their eyes locked, blue upon blue, staring into each other’s souls.

She felt the back of his fingers brush against her cheek. Her head tilted, pushing into his touch. Bowie smiled. She started to grin as well until she remembered where they were and what they meant to each other. It took her a moment to regain her composure. They were close, too close for her liking, and she needed space. She stepped back, far enough away that he couldn’t touch her.

“B?” He used her nickname, one that only her parents usually called her.

“The air conditioner isn’t working.” She changed the subject as fast as she could. She was good at avoidance. Ignoring the elephant in the room was her specialty.

“Let’s go take a look.” Bowie motioned for her to lead the way. She felt self-conscious with him following behind her even though he had done it a million times before.

She led him through the utility door. “Don’t let it shut; it tends to stick,” she said from over her shoulder.

“I remember.”

She should’ve remembered that Bowie knew. For years, she had blocked everything about Cape Harbor out, and now that she was back, she wanted to remember everything. All the good, while leaving the bad locked away. Bowie was part of it all.