Chapter 3

Three

Everett

“ S o, how you liking Blossom Beach?” Charley, the front desk girl at Serendipity, asks with an armful of plates and silverware. If I had to guess, I’d say she’s probably around thirty, and she’s quite chatty. Not that I mind.

A grin spreads on my face. “Probably too soon to tell for sure, but I like it here so far. It’ll be better once I’m settled in an actual house, though.”

“You mean, living in an inn isn’t ideal for you?” Her eyes brighten with a playful smile.

“Well, I don’t know. Having breakfast prepared for me every morning is a pretty sweet perk.”

Chuckling, she asks, “What did you do before moving here?”

“I’m an elementary school teacher.”

“Oh, that’s so cool!” She disappears into the back, coming out a moment later, the plates and silverware gone, and a wet rag in her hand as she starts wiping down a table across from mine. “Are you continuing to teach here, or do you have a different plan?”

I nod. “I’m going to teach. I got a job at the school up the road. What about you?” I ask. “Are you from here?”

“Born and raised.” Her warm expression makes me think that’s a good thing.

Charley disappears into the back again as I finish the rest of my breakfast. I finally have a meeting with my grandma’s lawyer in a couple of hours. We were supposed to meet earlier this week, but he came down with the flu and had to reschedule. Thankfully, this place had availability, and I extended my stay.

I had to go down to the school and fill out a bunch of new hire paperwork on Monday, and get my fingerprints taken care of because those usually take a couple of weeks to clear. Thankfully, they were able to put a rush on it since school starts soon. Aside from making it to the beach last week and the coffee shop in the mornings, I haven’t done much exploring of this little town. I’m hoping to this weekend. It’s a change from Seattle, to say the least. I think it’s going to take me quite a while to get used to it, but I can see myself loving it here.

Something catches my attention out of the corner of my eye, and when I look out the window, I see Gemma sitting out on the patio, typing away on her laptop in the same way I’ve seen her do every single morning this week—except for today, obviously—at The Morning Vibe, the coffee shop down the street. She has a to-go cup with their logo on it beside her laptop, though, so she must’ve gone there earlier. But what is she doing here ?

“Hey.” I glance over at where Charley just walked back into the dining room. “Do you know her?”

“Who, Gemma?” she asks, coming to a stop beside me. “Of course, I do. Everyone here does. Why?”

“I’ve seen her at the coffee shop every morning this week.” I don’t know why I leave out the part about us meeting at the beach, but something about that story feels personal. Like I want to keep it for myself. No matter how brief it was, it felt good. It’s something I’ve thought of more than a few times in the past week. “How’d she get out there? Isn’t it blocked off to the public?”

I sound like a creep to my own ears, but there’s something about this woman that has me intrigued.

“It is, but her brother, Graham, works in the kitchen here,” she explains. “Gemma comes here to work sometimes, usually when it’s a nice day.”

“Is she married?” I find myself asking before I can stop myself.

God, I’m being nosy. I don’t recall seeing a ring on her finger, but I also don’t think I ever looked. I suppose she could’ve.

“Nope, she isn’t,” Charley chirps, a knowing smile on her face, clearly not finding my line of questioning odd.

After I finish eating, I head up to my room to shower and get ready for the meeting with the lawyer. When I pass by the window again on my way out, I eye her still sitting out there. I wonder what she does for a living. She’s always typing away intently on her keyboard, and she always looks so focused.

I can’t put my finger on what it is, but something about her makes me want to know more about her. And it goes beyond the fact that I think she’s an incredibly attractive woman… because yes, she is, but it isn’t just that. I want to get to know her, and I’ve felt that way from the moment I laid eyes on her at the pier. It’s the weirdest feeling, one I can’t explain, and that’s driving me nuts.

At about noon, finished with my meeting with the house keys in hand, I decide to run over to the coffee shop and pick me up a refill and a bagel. After going back and forth with myself, I double the order, on the off chance that Gemma is still at the inn when I return. Back at Serendipity, I attempt to go out onto the patio a few times, each time talking myself out of it. Because it’s weird, right? How we keep running into each other? I don’t want to seem like a weirdo.

“God, just fucking do it, Everett,” I hiss to myself.

Blowing out a breath, I finally head out there. She glances over her shoulder as soon as the door closes, surprise blooming on her face as our eyes meet.

“We have got to stop running into each other like this,” I tease, setting down the drinks and the bag of food on the table before pulling out the chair across from her.

“Hi, Everett,” she says with a warm smile. Today, she has on a black-and-white polka dot dress, with a white cardigan over the top. Her dark blonde hair is pulled out of her face into a braid that drapes over one of her shoulders. She looks fucking stunning. “What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been staying here while I get situated in town, but I’m checking out today. House is finally ready.” Sipping my coffee, I take her in. Her deep brown eyes shimmer under the sun, and the freckles I noticed on the first day we met at the pier appear darker today, probably from spending the last several hours outside. Her nails are painted a light blue color that matches the keyboard cover she’s got on her laptop. My eyes can’t help but notice how sexy her breasts look pressed together in that dress… Fuck, get it together, man.

“That’s exciting!” A warm smile brightens her face. “Bet it’ll feel great to get settled.”

Remembering the technical reason that I’m out here, I slide her coffee and the white bag of bagels across the table. “I brought you refreshments. I noticed you out here when I was eating breakfast, so I figured you may like a bagel, and I hope the coffee is okay. I asked the young lady who works there what your order was.”

Gemma watches me for a moment, a look I can’t quite decipher on her face. “That was sweet of you,” she finally says, a glint in her eye. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem.”

She takes a sip of the coffee, her eyelids falling closed as she lets out a moan of appreciation that I’m ashamed to admit has my dick perking up. “That’s so good.”

“So, I gotta ask… what do you do for work? You seem so focused whenever I see you. Which, at this point, is every single day.”

Gemma laughs, setting the coffee on the table beside her laptop. She must’ve gotten up and thrown the other one away at some point before I came out here. “I’m a writer.”

My eyebrows rise. “What type of writer?”

“Fiction,” she states. “I write romance novels.”

“Really?” I don’t know what I expected her to do, but I’m impressed. “That’s so cool. ”

Cheeks pinking up, she replies softly, “Thank you. I enjoy it.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever met an author before. Are your books in stores?”

“They are in some stores.” She nods, her smile contagious.

“Well, I’ll let you get back to work. I seem to always be interrupting you.” I chuckle, wanting to ask more, but not wanting to keep her from it.

Breathing out a laugh, she says, “You brought treats this time, so I’ll allow it. It was nice seeing you again, Everett.”

“Yeah, you, too.” I toss her one last look, taking in how beautiful she is as she brings her attention back to her laptop in front of her, and the way I’m dying to get to know more about her.

Back inside, I head up to my room and pack up my things. After I check out with Charley at the front desk, I toss everything in my car, plug in the address to my new house into my GPS, and I’m on my way. A few minutes into the drive, my phone rings.

Pressing the accept button on the screen, I say, “Hey, Mom.”

I’ve been so busy since arriving here, we’ve barely had time to catch up. It’s weird not living within driving distance from her anymore. Despite the strained relationship with my father, I’ve always tried to maintain a good one with my mom.

“Everett, honey, I miss you.”

Smiling at the sound of her voice, I say, “Miss you, too, Mom. How’ve you been?”

“Ah, same old same,” she mutters. “I’m at the salon now, getting a pedicure. How’s the weather there? What time is it?”

“It’s almost one,” I tell her. “The time difference throws me off. But the weather has been nice. A few cloudy days, a little rain, but not too bad. It was warm and sunny today.”

“And you’re doing all right over there all by yourself?”

Breathing out a laugh, I nod, as if she can see me. “Yes, Mom. I’m a grown man, very capable of being by myself and surviving.”

“I’m just asking,” she stresses, but I can sense humor in her tone. “A mother misses her only child , you know.”

“Yeah, yeah. How’s Dad?”

“Doing okay,” she mutters. “You know how he is, always keeping busy, never giving himself time to catch his breath.”

“Once I get settled, you should fly down here. I got the keys to the house today. I’m driving there now to check it out.”

“I’d love that, honey.” There’s a pause in conversation as I pull into the driveway. Finally, Mom says, “Honey, I gotta go. They’re about to get started on my manicure, and they need my hands, but I love you. Call me again soon.”

“Love you, Mom.”

Ending the call, I turn off my car and climb out. The house, from the outside, looks cute. Quaint. To be honest, I don’t know anything about it; how many rooms it has, if it has a backyard, nothing. Popping the trunk, I grab my bags out of the back and head inside. When I left Seattle, I sold almost all of my belongings, only taking with me what would fit in my car. The fresh start feels refreshing. And not having to pay for movers was a bonus .

Once inside, I set my stuff down in the dining room and take a look around. There’re three bedrooms, one of them looking like it was used as storage. I’ll have to go through all of it at some point, but not today. The last week has been… interesting, and even though life has been a bit slower paced, I’m feeling tired today—overwhelmed by all the changes that have happened in such a short time. Now that I’m here, in her house, it feels more real. At the inn, it was easy to feel like I was on a vacation, and now I think I need to allow it all to sink in.

It's clear right off the bat that my grandma loved this house. It’s evident in the unique touches. The trinkets and knickknacks placed all over the inside and the well-maintained flower beds outside. It’s like I can feel her when I’m here, and that fills my chest with excitement and hope, and maybe even a little reassurance that this was the right move.

As I glance around one last time before I get to work, I’m smiling.

Here’s to a fresh start.