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Ryder locked the cottage door behind him and paused on the front porch to zip up his thin running jacket. The morning was fresh and cool, with a layer of mist clinging to the ground and settling in puddles in the hollows. He breathed in deeply, catching the scent of cedar and the underlying tang of the ocean carried on the gusty breeze.
He’d made it to day three of being dry and felt pretty damn good about it. Last night he’d fallen asleep almost as soon as he’d crawled into bed, except he had been woken twice by nightmares. By sheer force of will he’d avoided the temptation to grab that bottle from the pantry, but he was all too aware of its presence, waiting there.
He’d decided against pouring it out. That bottle was a test, and he wasn’t going to fail it. He’d allowed what had happened overseas to eat away at him until he was only a shadow of the man he’d been before, but no more. Either he found the strength to face and deal with it now, or he was looking at a lifetime of misery.
A run was exactly what he needed. His job required him to stay in top condition, and not only that, increasing his exercise was part of his plan to deal with his demons, instead of drinking them away.
He started out at an easy rhythm, the soles of his running shoes tapping against the surface of the road. The neighborhood was quiet, the houses set far apart and back from the roads, nestled between areas of forest. His breath fogged the air, his blood pumping with each stride.
He re-traced his route from the drive in last night in reverse, winding his way back down the hill as the scent and sound of the ocean became stronger. At the bottom twenty minutes later, he reached the far northern end of Front Street, the town’s main drag.
It was busier this morning, all the little businesses open for shoppers. He passed several restaurants and specialty stores, a few gift shops and a museum. Partway down the street, his eye caught on a sign down the street on the opposite side.
Whale’s Tale was painted on a wooden oval sign out front, the script painted above a humpback fluke. The nutcrackers he’d noticed last night stood guard on either side of the brightly painted, yellow front door trimmed with garland glittering with white lights and shiny, multicolored baubles.
The incredible smell coming out of the place drifted to him from two blocks away, making his mouth water. Roasted coffee and something sweet and buttery.
He’d already given up booze. He wasn’t passing up freshly baked goodies too.
Slowing as he got closer, he crossed the street at a walk, allowing him a minute to cool down and catch his breath. Through the large windows at the front of the cafe he could see the bistro-style tables set up inside, the lineup at the counter and the pastry display cases on either side of the cash register. There was another room at the back, stacked with bookcases.
When he walked in, he spotted a pretty blond woman behind the counter wearing an apron, and a tall teenage boy busy working the espresso machine behind her. Ryder got in line to wait his turn, and more people quickly came in behind him. A young family who looked like they were dressed for a day outside, and an elderly man behind them.
The blonde behind the counter gave him a friendly smile when he reached the front of the line. “You must be Ryder. I’ve seen a picture of you at Molly’s,” she added when he gave her a startled look, then stuck out a hand. “I’m Poppy, Noah’s wife. Molly’s told me all about you.”
He shook it, careful of his grip pressure. “Nice to meet you finally.”
“Molly’s really excited you’re in town. How’s your first day in Crimson Point so far?”
“Good, but I have a feeling something from that pastry case will make it fantastic. What do you recommend?”
“A latte and a frosted cinnamon roll, or maybe a blueberry streusel muffin. Honestly, you can’t go wrong. Everything’s made from scratch each morning.”
Sure smelled good. “I’ll go with your first suggestion.”
She called out the drink order to the teen, then went to the pastry case to pick out a cinnamon roll. “This is one of your neighbors, by the way. Finn.” She nodded at the boy. “He and his mom live in the house between our place and your cottage.”
The kid glanced back at him and gave him a polite smile. Ryder nodded at him and pulled out his wallet, but Poppy waved his money away. “Nope, this one’s on me,” she whispered.
“I appreciate that, but—”
“No buts. You’re Molly’s cousin and came all the way from North Carolina to visit us.” She shooed him toward a table. “Go sit down and I’ll bring it over when it’s ready.”
Ryder stuck a ten in the tip jar and found himself a table with two chairs over at the side window. Molly had told him how friendly everyone was around here, and it was definitely noticeable. He liked the vibe of the town so far, and scanned the café as he waited.
“Wow, you guys are busy in here,” he said when she brought over his cinnamon roll and drink a minute later.
“Never a dull moment,” Poppy said with a good-natured laugh.
He scooted his chair over as she lowered herself into the one opposite him, leaving the teenager to deal with the other customers. “So, you run this place?”
“Own it, run it, practically live in it,” she said with a smile, sipping on her own coffee that smelled like cinnamon. “You seen Molly yet?”
“She got called into work last night, so she’s home sleeping right now. I’ll see them this afternoon.”
“Great. You’ll meet Noah soon too, and probably the rest of our little circle within a couple days. We’re a close-knit bunch,” she added, a twinkle in her warm brown eyes.
He’d spent all of five minutes in her presence, and he already liked her. He was good at reading people, and between his gut and what Molly had told him, Poppy was the real deal. “This cinnamon bun is crazy good,” he told her, taking another bite.
She beamed at him. “Thanks. Personally, I think it’s the cream cheese icing. Oh, look, it’s Danae. Great timing.” She waved at someone near the door, motioning at them to come over.
Ryder turned to glance over his shoulder and stilled. The dark-haired woman standing just inside the door smiled and raised her hand in greeting, then wove her way over to them.
For the life of him, he couldn’t seem to look away. She was tall and trim, around his age, maybe late-thirties or early forties, and her eyes were the most incredible ice blue, made all the more startling with the contrast of her dark brown hair and eyebrows.
“Saw the lineup and thought I’d better get my butt over here to snag a cinnamon bun before they were all gone,” she said with a killer smile that revealed a dimple in her right cheek, her curious gaze flicking from Poppy to him.
“Good idea. This is Ryder, by the way, Molly’s cousin. He’s staying in the cottage around the corner from you. Ryder, this is Danae. Finn’s mom.”
“Oh!” Her eyes lit up and she held out a hand. “Hi, neighbor.”
He shook it, for some reason feeling a little tongue-tied. “Hi.”
“And how’s my favorite Whale’s Tale employee doing?” Danae asked Poppy, hitching the strap of her purse up higher on her shoulder.
“He’s doing fantastic, just like I knew he would.”
“Good. Glad to hear it.” She met Ryder’s gaze once more, eyes twinkling. “I like to come in and spy on him from time to time while he’s at work. Privilege of being his mother.”
“I’d do exactly the same thing,” Poppy said, rising. “Have a seat and I’ll have him bring your order over. You want your usual?”
“Yes, please.” Danae stopped and raised her eyebrows at him. “You mind?”
“Not at all,” he said, a little surprised, but pulled his chair in so she could get by him. She was wearing a lab coat over her sweater and jeans. “Just come from work?”
“Yeah, the vet clinic’s just down and across the street. I work for Sierra. Noah’s sister. You met her yet?”
“No.”
“You will soon enough. So, you’re here to spend Christmas with Molly?”
And to get his shit together. “Yeah, I’m here until New Year’s Eve.” He found himself glancing at her left hand and noticed her ring finger was bare. Single mom?
“You’ll love it here. My son and I just moved down from Seattle about a month ago, and it’s a great place. Not that he’s very happy with me about the move,” she added, glancing toward the counter.
Okay, definitely a single mom. A hot one. Divorced?
It used to be easy for him to talk to women. Now he felt rusty. Clumsy. Her kid seemed like a sure way to keep the conversation going. “How old is he?”
“Fifteen, but pretty sure he feels more like twenty-one.” Her tone was dry.
“That sounds about right.” He’d been the same way at that age. Full of hormones and attitude.
He glanced behind him. The lineup was long enough that her son wasn’t going to be able to come over with her order anytime soon, and Ryder had suddenly run out of things to say. What the hell? “I’m gonna grab a refill.”
“Sure,” she said and sat back in her seat, her long legs stretched out before her.
He couldn’t help picturing them bare, or his gaze roving up the length of them, all the way up to the secret flesh between the juncture of her thighs.
He shook the thought away and stood in line, ordered another latte and offered to take Danae’s order over. Finn stopped in the act of sliding the order across the counter to him, his eyes fixed on the tat on the back of Ryder’s left forearm. “You a Marine?” he asked in surprise.
“Former. Just got out this year.” It still sounded weird.
He gave Ryder a proud smile. “My dad was a Marine.”
Was? “Yeah?”
Finn nodded, then Poppy called out another order to him.
Given the lineup, the poor kid was gonna be swamped for the next while. “I’ll take this over to your mom for you,” Ryder offered. “Looks like you’ve got your hands full.”
“Thanks.”
With a nod he headed back to the table, intrigued by the woman waiting there. “He said to say hi.”
“No, he didn’t,” she said with a laugh. “But thanks for saying so.”
He grinned and reached for his running jacket, draped on the back of the chair.
“You heading out already?”
“Yeah, need to get back and cleaned up before I go over to Moll’s.” And the trip back was all uphill, so it would take him longer.
She stood, gathering the to-go cup and box. “Want a lift? I’m heading home to grab something anyway.”
He’d planned to run back but spending more time with her sounded a lot more appealing than an uphill run. “That’d be great.”
“Follow me.” She waved at Finn, blew him a kiss that made him shake his head—but points to him for not rolling his eyes—and headed for the door, her long legs eating up the distance.
She had to be five-eleven, maybe even right at six feet. It felt strange that she could practically look him in the eye without heels on, but in a good way.
Outside, she crossed the two-lane street and turned left, heading toward the vet clinic a half-block down. “This is me,” she said, using her keyfob to unlock a purple MINI Cooper parallel parked at the curb out front.
She got behind the wheel while Ryder folded himself into the front passenger seat, adjusting his legs to keep his knees from hitting the dash. Her car was tidy, and it smelled subtly of perfume.
“I’ll resist the urge to pip the horn at Finn when we go by,” she said, turning on the ignition. “I’ve already embarrassed him enough for one day. Probably.”
Even if Finn was embarrassed, at least he knew his mom cared. “Yeah, go easy on the embarrassment,” he said as she pulled a tight U-turn and headed north up Front Street.
“I will. Not that I see him much these days.”
“What made you move to Crimson Point?”
“For a change of scenery, and hoping to make a fresh start. I came through here once with my husband years ago and thought it was adorable. He died three years ago, and it’s been tough, but especially on Finn. Mostly he avoids me now, staying holed up in his room playing video games online with his friends back in Seattle.” She was quiet a moment. “Pretty sure he resents me for dragging him here.”
That was rough. Had her husband died in combat? “Sounds like he’s being a pretty normal teenage boy.”
She grunted. “Maybe, but it’s new to me, and not my favorite stage. Anyway, what about you? Where are you from? You’ve got an accent like Molly’s, but stronger. North Carolina?”
“That’s right. Our moms are sisters, and they pretty much raised Moll and me together.”
She glanced at him. “Was your mom a single mom?”
“Yeah. And I’m pretty sure she didn’t love my teen years either,” he said with a wry grin.
Her lips curved, making that dimple reappear.
“Oh, good thing you took the ride back instead of running,” she said as she turned the corner onto the street where the cottage was. “Molly’s already here.”
A red SUV was parked in the driveway. Danae pulled in behind it. “Thanks for the lift,” he said.
“Anytime.” Those gorgeous, pale eyes sparkled with the smile she gave him. “See you around, neighbor.”
He sure hoped so. He wouldn’t mind seeing a lot more of her during his visit.
She pipped the horn at him as she drove away. Before he could reach for the door handle, it opened to reveal Molly standing there with huge grin on her face and Savannah balanced on one hip.
“Well, look who’s already making friends with the neighbors.” She reached out her free arm for him.
Ryder pulled her into a hug. “Good to see you. And you too again, little miss,” he told Savannah, who shrank from him and buried her face in her mama’s neck.
“Don’t mind her. She’ll warm up to you quick enough.” She stepped back, allowing him inside, and eyed him critically, either in nurse or concerned cousin mode. “You’ve lost weight.”
Of course she would notice. “Maybe a little.”
Her eyes searched his. “You gonna tell me what’s going on with you?”
Nope. “I’m good.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, pointing down the hall. “Just gonna grab a shower and change, then we can go.”
Savannah squirmed, pushing to be let down. Molly set her on her feet, and Savannah immediately took off, toddling around the room, examining everything she could see.
“She looks like Carter,” he said.
“I know. I’m glad I still have at least this part of him.” Her smile as she watched her daughter was full of maternal love and pride.
It suited her. “You seem happy.”
She met his eyes, hazel gaze warm. “I am. Happiest I’ve ever been.” Her smile faded. “But something tells me you’re not.”
Her words triggered a sharp hitch in his chest, the weight of guilt suddenly pressing on his lungs. “I’m okay, Moll,” he said and strode for the bathroom, glad to escape her scrutiny.
They both knew he wasn’t.
Either he figured out how to defeat his demons, or they would destroy him.
