Chapter 2

"Ihave someone coming to check in to the property over off of Cockle Street the day after tomorrow. The last couple to stay there were really quiet, so I don't think the turnover will be too much of a mess." The sun beat down on my neck as Drew droned on about which properties he needed me to pay attention to over the next week. Cleaning all the houses was hard work, but it kept me busy and he paid me pretty well. Not to mention that it kept me motivated toward my main goal.

"Not a problem. I'll get on it first thing this afternoon." I grabbed the list of all the properties that needed cleaning from him before climbing on my bike and heading back toward my lot. I flipped my hat around so the bill would take some of the heat off my neck as I rode down the road through town. It was still early in the season and the tourists hadn't really started overwhelming the streets yet.

This was my favorite time of year, right before it really picked up. The mornings were cool and misty, and you could hear the surf crashing on the beach. It never got too hot during the day thanks to the breeze blowing in off the ocean. Not many people my age hung around here, and most of my friends had moved away after school. There wasn't much to my sleepy little town.

My lot wasn't far from the beach itself, just an empty plot of land surrounded by shrubs for some privacy. I had parked a camper in the middle of it. It wasn't a lot and, while the upkeep got annoying sometimes, it didn't cost very much.

Oreo greeted me the second I opened the door. My little tuxedo cat was the best decision I'd ever made. Otherwise, things got a little lonely around here. Whenever I came home, she was always at the door, eagerly rubbing against my legs, filling the space with her loud purr.

"Hey there, pretty girl." I bent to scratch under her chin. Oreo swatted at my hand before skittering away into the camper. She jumped up onto the bench seat, pawing at the bowl that sat on the counter before letting out a loud meow. "I hear you. I'm not going to let you starve."

After pulling off my hat and dropping it on the counter, I opened the cabinets to retrieve a can of cat food. Oreo twirled excitedly, the volume of her purr picking up. I emptied the can into her bowl and moved it to the floor. She hopped down and scarfed down her breakfast as I filled the second bowl with water.

Maybe it was a little odd to be so content living such a quiet lifestyle at twenty-two, but I enjoyed the simplicity of it out here.

When Mom and Dad died in that accident three years ago, my plans took a sudden turn. No one expected the road between Aberdeen and Ocean Shores to be that icy that early in the season. Dad knew how to handle harsh road conditions, but he'd lost control of the car all the same.

Sometimes I hated being so far away from big cities. It wasn't just from loneliness, but prices at the IGA store were inflated for tourists, so I had to take a trip to Aberdeen, thirty minutes away, a few times a month to stock up. Whenever food was on sale, I'd buy it in bulk and store it in my large chest freezer I kept locked and attached to my power supply. It was only Oreo and me, so I didn't have to spend too much. But Oreo was my princess, so I fed her whatever she wanted.

Oreo rubbed against my legs again, snapping me from my thoughts. Her fur was silky smooth, and I petted her gently as I picked her up and held her against my chest. I climbed up onto my bed and snuggled with her while I thought about how my morning had gone.

"Things are going to get busier here soon, pretty girl. I might not be around as much to spoil you."

Oreo lifted her head as if she was listening, but I knew better.

"I went out to the beach this morning, watched the sunrise, and thought about Mom. She always loved sunrises in the summer..."

My eyes burned as I talked to the damn cat. She hadn't even been around while my parents were alive. They would have loved her, and one day, she'd hopefully get to live in the house I grew up in.

My phone pinged with an incoming message, causing me to break my chain of thought again. Oreo gave me a look of annoyance as I sat up and fished it from my pocket. The message was from Drew. What the hell had he forgotten to tell me this time? He really was an alright guy to work for. He currently owned my parents' house, promising to keep it safe for me until I could afford to buy it back from him.

Drew: Forgot to tell you that you'll have company this summer.

Me: That sounds ominous…

Drew: It might be.

My heart jackhammered in my chest. There was no possible way he was about to drop that bombshell on me over a text message. I quickly hit the call button and pressed the phone to my ear, listening to it ring until he answered.

"What do you mean, I'm going to have company this summer?"

Drew's laugh was husky and deep from years of smoking. "I mean, you won't be cleaning these houses by yourself this year."

His words did nothing to settle my spiked heart rate. My palms sweated as I gripped the phone tighter. "And just who is helping me out this summer?"

"Calm down, won't you? Last I remembered, you two didn't totally hate each other, unless something's changed. You remember my nephew Nathan?"

And that was it. The bombshell I'd been expecting. That was the one thing that would mess up my entire season. Nathan Grant had waltzed into my life at fifteen, and we'd spent every summer together until he turned eighteen and went off to college. The summer that he promised he would come back, but never did. That was the year he crushed my heart. I never should've given it to him to begin with.