She was halfway through brushing her teeth the next morning when somebody knocked on the cottage door. Luckily she was decent – if you counted jeans and a tank as decent – so she spat out the toothpaste and wiped her lips on a towel before running to the front door.
“Hey.” Ember smiled at her as the door opened. She was holding Arthur on her hip, a huge baby bag slung over her other shoulder. It looked like a full body workout. “I hope you don’t mind me popping over, but I’m meeting a few friends for coffee, and since you’re new around here I thought you might like to join us.”
“That sounds great,” Autumn agreed with a smile. “When are you meeting?”
“Um, now?” Ember wrinkled her nose. “I meant to text you last night, but Arthur’s been teething and I completely forgot. It’s just a casual thing, coffee on the beach with the girls. They’re all lovely and I know they’re dying to meet you.”
“They are?” Autumn pretended to grimace. “Why does that make me feel like I’m the new kid at school?”
Ember laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s just a small town and you’re big news. Come for coffee and they’ll soon find something else to talk about.”
“Okay. Give me ten minutes and I’ll be there. Where shall I meet you?”
“We’ll be on some blankets in front of Déjà Brew. I’ll put your order in. How do you like your coffee?”
“A no foam latte would be great.”
Ten minutes later, Autumn was walking down the beach toward the group of women and children sitting on overlapping blankets. At the last minute she’d decided to change into a pair of shorts. It didn’t seem right to be wearing jeans on the beach.
“Hey.” She smiled at Ember as she reached the group.
“Hey.” Ember sat Arthur on the blanket and scrambled to her feet. “You found us. Everybody, this is Autumn Paxton, new owner of the pier, and new tenant in our cottage.” Arthur started to crawl away, and she reached out to lift him back on the blanket again. The little guy giggled, his long eyelashes sweeping over his face.
“Hey,” a familiar voice greeted her. “We met at the coffee shop. I’m Ally, and that girl over there is my stepdaughter, Riley.”
“And I’m Brooke, and the boy she’s playing with is my son, Nicholas,” the cool blonde said, offering Autumn her hand. “I think you might have met my husband. He runs the Silver Sands Resort.”
“Um yeah, I might have while I was staying there.” Autumn desperately tried to remember his name.
“Aiden Black,” Brooke said helpfully, her face full of kindness. “He’s in the coffee shop talking to Ally’s fiancé, Nate.”
“I’m Caitie,” the brunette next to Autumn held out her hand, and Autumn shook it. “I used to live in New York, too. And so did Harper.” She pointed at a petite blonde-and-pink haired woman holding a baby. “But now she lives here with that cute little baby of hers and her boyfriend, James.”
“You’ll meet him later, I’m sure. He’s a doctor, so he seems to always be working,” Harper said, grinning. “And Hi. It’s great to meet you. And don’t mind Caitie’s pained expression. It has nothing to do with you. She’s had a water phobia for years, but she’s trying to beat it.”
Autumn was desperately trying to remember everything they said, but it was a losing battle. There were just too many of them, and too much information flying about. She felt like she was watching a tennis match, her head moving from side to side every time somebody said something.
She took a deep breath, and smiled.
“You have a water phobia?” She asked Caitie. At least she could remember that. “That’s really brave,” Autumn said, glancing at Caitie, whose lips were tightly closed. “My mom had a phobia about flying, so I know how bad it can be to face them.”
“Thank you.” Caitie’s expression softened. “I’m getting there.”
“And I love your baby’s dress,” Autumn said to Harper, whose little girl was bouncing around on her lap in a frothy yellow and white sundress. “It’s so pretty.”
“She makes all of her own baby clothes,” Ember told her. “And a lot of Arthur’s too.”
Harper kissed her baby’s downy head. “Do you have children?” she asked.
Autumn shook her head. “No kids.” She took a deep breath. They were all being so friendly. She didn’t want to be the one to clam up. “I’m recently divorced, so no prospect of them in the near future either.”
“I’m really sorry.” Ember’s expression was thoughtful. “I know how hard breakups can be.”
“Here’s your coffee,” Ally passed it to her. “And help yourself to pastries. Freshly made.”
Autumn sat on the blanket and sipped her latte, listening to the other women as they talked about work, boyfriends, and families. They asked her questions and she answered them openly, but for the most part she was happy to sit and observe. Ally reminded her a little of her sister, Lydia. She was forthright and funny and a little bit wild. Brooke was motherly and calm, always making sure everybody was happy. And Ember was friendly and welcoming, or as much as she could be when Arthur was constantly crawling everywhere and she had to chase him.
“Have you been invited to join the Angel Sands Chamber of Commerce yet?” Caitie asked her.
“Not yet. Should I be happy about that?”
Caitie shrugged. “It’s not so bad. It’s run by Frank Megassey. He owns Megassey’s Hardware store on Main Street. I think he’s been running the chamber for the last two hundred years.”
Autumn laughed.
“Don’t let him suck you in,” Ally warned. “Before you know it you’ll be running the Angel Day Fair and organizing for the Christmas lights to be strung along the boardwalk. If you see him coming, run.”
“Frank’s okay,” Caitie told her. “Apart from the fact he talks a lot.”
“You can sit in the back with Caitie and me,” Ally reassured her. “We just eat cupcakes and heckle.”
“You heckle,” Caitie pointed out. “I sit there and look pretty.”
“Who’s pretty?” a deep voice asked. Autumn looked up to see a tall, dark-haired man grinning down at them. His hair and body were wet, droplets clinging to his skin, and he was holding a surf board in his hands.
“I am,” Caitie told him, grinning. “Or at least I should be to you.”
“And you are.” He leaned down to kiss her nose. “How are you holding up, baby?”
“I’m good. Autumn’s been distracting me. Autumn, this is Breck, my fiancé.”
Autumn reached her hand out. “It’s good to meet you.”
“You too. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“You have?” She should be used to the small-town talk by now. But it still shocked how everybody knew each others’ business.
Then she saw Lucas walk up behind him and recognized her new landlord immediately, from when he and Ember helped her move into the cottage.
And behind him was Griff, wearing a half-wetsuit unzipped and hanging from his waist, exposing his tan, muscular chest and oh-so-broad shoulders. She felt her stomach do a flip.
“Hey, Autumn.” Lucas gave her a wave, and she grinned back.
Griff’s eyes locked with hers, and her lips curled up. “Hi,” he said with a smile that sent her pulse racing.
“Hey.”
“This is Autumn?” Another man joined Griff and Lucas, slapping them both on the backs. “Hey, it’s good to finally meet you. I’m Jackson.” He wasn’t as tall or as broad as Griff, but he was still a good looking guy. “How are you settling in?”
“Really well.” She smiled at him as he sat down on the sand next to her, being careful not to get her wet. “I’m loving Lucas and Ember’s beach cottage. I used to play white noise to get to sleep in New York, but now I get to nod off to the sound of the waves.”
“And you’re planning on being here for a while?”
“I think so. I’m still hashing out the details, but if the weather is always like this, then I’m in.”
“It really is,” Jackson told her. “The best thing about living here is the climate.”
“And the ocean,” Breck pointed out.
“Well, yeah.”
“And the mountains,” Lucas said. “If you like hiking.”
“I do like hiking,” Autumn told them. “I didn’t get to do a lot of it in New York, but I’d try to get to the Catskills at least once a year to climb some hills.”
“You got your hiking boots with you?” Griff asked.
“Um, yeah. They’re somewhere in the cottage.” Still in the box she’d packed them in.
“I can show you a trail later if you want,” he said, his voice nonchalant.
“Today?” Autumn blinked. It was a simple friendly offer. Her skin didn’t need to heat up like it was on fire.
“Yeah. If you’re not busy.”
“I’m not busy,” she said quickly. “And I’d love to check out some trails.”
Jackson looked from Autumn to Griff, a bemused smile on his face.
“Okay, then,” Griff said, ignoring his friend’s questioning gaze. “I need to go home and wash up. I’ll pick you up at your place at one.”