Chapter Four

Perry

I leave the diner with Bertie in tow, more irritated than I've been in a long while. Never have I been so pestered by another person before. Most all of the locals know to handle me with care—and not like the tender loving kind, more like the avoid-me-at-all-costs kind. After Brandi left me in the dust almost five years ago, I gained a reputation as the town recluse.

But it wasn't something that could be helped—not after the entire town witnessed the rise and fall of our relationship. I didn't want to parade my heartbreak around like a badge of honor. So I chose to hide away, forcing everyone out.

Well, everyone except for Fran and the few guys I've been friends with since my high school days. But they're different. They don't invade a person's privacy or gossip. Most days, anyway.

Once Bertie is settled in the passenger-side seat of my truck, tongue lolling to the side, I crank the engine and head to the bungalow. I'm supposed to fix a leak under the faucet in the main house's master bathroom before our guest arrives and I'm running out of time.

Jerica left no less than four texts this morning, all of which read something like, Don't forget to fix the leak, uggo! I don't spend all day running this biz just for you to fart out on me the second I need those man skills and muscles to come in clutch.

My sister is nothing if not annoying and overbearing. But she's got my number. She knows I'm a procrastinator. Plus, I might've already told her three times in the last two weeks that I'd fix the leak, and I haven't.

I sigh as I park my truck in front of my garage-renovated-to-resemble-an-apartment home. Letting Bertie out to roam the yard and do her business, I grab my tools from the floorboard of the truck and walk the fifteen or so steps toward the bungalow's back door. This property used to be my great aunt Lisa's home, but she left it to Jerica and me in her will. She never had any kids of her own but had a soft spot for us. Many of our summer days were spent running around this place from the basement all the way up to the attic. I swear the smell of sweet tea and salty sea air is somehow embedded into the walls...

I climb the steps two at a time, then push through the back screen door, letting it slap closed behind me. Now that we use the quaint, two-bedroom house as a summer rental, it's up to me to make the repairs and Jerica to fill the calendar with renters.

It's a nice side job for both of us and helps pay the bills, along with what I rake in from the fish I sell to local markets and restaurants. And let's be honest, it also gives Jerica an excuse to ride my case and force me to be a part of civilization , as she likes to say.

I make it to the master bathroom, drop my tools, and situate myself on the floor, facing under the sink, to get a good look at the problem. It's a more involved job than I originally thought, and I grumble a complaint as I reach for the tools I'll need to complete it.

Ah, well. I'll fix it quick, then head home to clean up my boat for Lola and her crew . I shake my head, remembering Lola's accusation and the disgusted look she gave me earlier. I lift my arm and lean down, getting a whiff of myself.

Okay, maybe she had a point. I should probably head directly to the shower after this.

I turn the water off, then take out my wrench and release the valve I need to before I start tearing the pipes apart to fix the issue. Vaguely, I register voices from outside. This old home's walls aren't paper thin, but there's also not a lot of insulation to keep the sound out. I chalk the noise up to people walking by since it's still a bit early for the renter to show up.

Just as I engross myself in my task, the front screen door opens with a creak, and the voices drift closer. "I think you'll just fall in love with this old place," Jerica says, her brash voice echoing in the large great room. "It seems right up your alley."

Shoot . She's early. I knew I shouldn't have cut it so close.

Another voice sounds and I freeze.

"I do believe you're right, Jerica. It looks positively lovely."

Shoot. Shoot. Shoot.

I jolt upright, needing to get out of here pronto, and knock my head against the top of the cabinet. A growl tears through me as I rub the spot on my forehead that's probably now as red as an apple and scoot out from under the sink.

"It's so exciting what you're going to be doing," Jerica continues, clearly smitten with Miss Brighton. "I mean, regular archeologists are cool, but you're like… super cool. Digging up treasure and stuff under water? That has to be exciting. Wait! Have you ever found pirate treasure?"

I roll my eyes at my sister's childish fantasies. I've tried telling her that real pirates were nothing like Jack Sparrow, but she refuses to believe me. Her enamored prattling continues, with Lola unable to get a word in. I chuckle to myself, thinking the annoying little woman might've just met her match with Jerica.

I quietly pack up my tools and ease to my feet, creeping into the master bedroom. If I'm quick, I might be able to make a seamless getaway out the back door before I'm spotted. But as I reach for the bedroom door, the voices grow closer.

"Let me show you the main bedroom next. It's so bright and airy in there, and if you leave the windows open at night, you can even hear the waves gently lapping against the shore."

I grit my teeth as another eye roll overtakes me. My sister sure is hitting the highlights hard with Lola. No doubt she's trying to impress her. Or worse, instantly befriend her like she does so often with the renters. It's gross how many Christmas cards she gets from people who just passed through for a fun weekend getaway.

Realizing I'm out of time, I hurry back to the bathroom, ease my bag of tools back down to the floor and grab the first thing I touch. I slide back underneath the sink, hoping I'll at least be able to hide myself. And when I bring the first tool I could grab up to "work," I groan at my stupidity. I grabbed a tape measure.

A. Tape. Measure.

What am I supposed to do with this?

"Oh, you were right," Lola says. "This room is so…airy." I hate the way I can picture her pink lips part in a smile as she speaks. An infuriatingly infectious smile, I might add. It's impossibly bright and beaming with her slightly crooked front teeth. I've never wanted to focus on an imperfection so bad as I do when that woman smiles. Even while she aggravated my last nerve in the diner, I couldn't force my eyes away enough times to erase the image of her loveliness.

Footsteps muffle against the carpeted floor, and I yank out the tape measure, pretending to do…something. I'm committed now. It's too late to reach for anything else.

"Oh!" Jerica startles. Her exclamation sounds half-surprised, half-embarrassed that I'm still stuck under here.

Before she can even utter my name, I clear my throat and try to mask the usual tenor of my voice. "Sorry. Almost done here." The last thing I want is for Lola to know she'll be living on my property for the duration of the summer. I hold the tape measure aloft for an interminable amount of time.

"Perry!" Jerica nearly shouts. "You said you had this handled."

My jaw creaks with how hard I grit my teeth. Curse my sister and her lack of empathy. Couldn't she at least pretend to be discreet for two seconds of her life? "I do have it handled. I'll be done in a minute."

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Mr . Perry Ford." Lola's smug tone has me letting the tape measure slip. It slaps closed, giving my blunder away.

Releasing a sigh, I drop the useless tool. "Nice to see you again, Miss Brighton."

"You're not exactly seeing me, though, are you?" The way she says it has me picturing her crossing her slender arms over that bright orange top she's wearing. "Though that's probably how you want it," she adds under her breath.

"Wait," Jerica cuts in. "Have you two already met?"

"Ah, yes," Lola responds. "Mr. Ford is going to be our water taxi for the duration of the project."

"Is that so?" A swift kick hits my shin and I groan. "That's quite the coincidence, isn't it, bro?"

Bro . She didn't have to say that. She probably added it for dramatic flair.

"Mm hm." I leave it at that, plastering my hands against my face. Why is this my life right now?

"Well, are you going to come out of there, or…" Jerica's freckled face hovers in the cabinet opening, eyebrows raised.

"Nope. Busy."

Her brow puckers as she spots the tape measure. "Doing what? Are you measuring the pipes?"

"Uh, yeah." I clear my throat. "That. Gotta get the right sized part."

It's a total lie, and I know she knows it by the way she narrows her gaze. Thankfully, she doesn't say anything else, except, "We'll just let my brother finish up in here while we check out the rest of the house."

I heave a sigh of relief at the sound of their retreating footsteps. Why can't I be more organized? More on time, less of a procrastinator? I've never hated my laziness more than I do right now.

Biting back a frustrated groan, I get back to work. But now that I know Little Miss Lola will be living on my property for most of the summer, I can't shake the sinking feeling that it'll be impossible for me to escape her disturbing quirkiness and annoying optimism.

And to make matters worse, she isn't gone by the time I'm done fixing the leak.

Doesn't matter. I can still sneak out the back door. Except as soon as my boot hits the floor with a creak, I'm stopped by my sister.

"Oh, Perry! Before you go…" Her flip flops slap against the hardwood as she catches up to me. I squeeze my eyes shut and turn to face her. "I told Lola that if she needed anything, you'd be right here on site and available to help." The clueless look she gives me speaks to how little she's able to read this situation. Can't she see that I'm trying to escape? "That's cool with you, right?"

My eyes flick to Lola. She rocks back and forth on her heels with an expectant expression that tugs at something deep inside me. Flippin' Jerica .

As my gaze cuts back to my sister, she blinks a silent threat that says I'd better comply with her demands, or she'll make my life even more miserable.

"Yeah, that's fine. Of course." I doubt my tight-lipped smile convinces anyone, but it's the best I can do. "I'm heading out. See ya." With a quick spin, I stalk out the back door, letting it bang closed behind me.

Of all the things I don't need in my life, a bright-eyed, pink-haired renter who also gets to order me around on my boat is the least of them.