Chapter Two

 

It had been a long time since I’d been in Cheshire Bay at Christmas. Years. Many, many years.

A lump formed in the back of my throat as I recalled when exactly that was. Mom wanted her last Christmas to be at the beach house; her dying wish. Fourteen years ago, we packed for a couple of weeks to spend Christmas and New Year’s at the family home, passed down for a couple of generations.

Sadly, we didn’t make it that long.

Mom’s health took a turn, and we were home three days before the new year had even started, one person less. After that, I couldn’t handle coming back, and used every excuse under the sun to stay home and far away.

Yet, thanks to a wedding my sister was having on Christmas Day, here I was.

After Dad’s untimely passing eighteen months ago, Lily had returned under the assumption of cleaning the place up to sell, but instead she found love in the neighbour next door, Eric. She had finally found her happiness, and deep down, I was truly happy for her.

I flicked on my right turn signal at the major intersection. There were no lights in the small town, and all directions were marked based on right- or left-hand turns. My turn was the second right off Main Street, which was also the second longest road in Cheshire Bay, and the family beach house lay at the very end of it.

Even though I wasn’t a Christmas person, the twinkle lights sparkling in every direction were beautiful, as were the lawns decorated with Santas, snowmen, and one purple dragon, a left over from Halloween by the looks of things. The homes were quite different than the condos back in the city. Which I still hadn’t told Lily about, and this trip wasn’t the right time either.

I glanced into my rear view mirror; Jesse and his truck were still following. Was he afraid another tire would blow? It was too weird.

Cautiously, I continued driving down the lane, watching as Jesse pulled in front of a house three doors down from my childhood summer home. Grabbing my handbag and phone, I exited the vehicle and stared as he ambled over.

The streetlights overhead cast a shadow over his eyes, thanks to the ball cap, but it was still easy to see he was a handsome guy. Broad shoulders, tall, a day’s worth of stubble on his face. A gentle swarm of butterflies took flight, and try as I might, I couldn’t get them to simmer down. I hadn’t felt flurries like that since I’d met my husband, and that was too many years back.

I cleared my throat. “I think I have a stalker.” A bubble of a smile formed on my lips against my better judgement.

“Nah.” He adjusted his jean jacket and glanced toward the house. “I am as curious about you being ahead of me as you probably are about me following you.” He nodded toward the last house. “You’re staying at the Bed and Breakfast? Thought it wasn’t open yet?”

Right. Lily had mentioned since she was living next door at Eric’s, she was turning our old home into a B&B. But not until after the wedding.

“I know the owner.”

“Really?” He stepped closer, tipping his head to take me in.

In a small town like this, everyone knows everyone else. And they know your business too. If the population exceeded a thousand people, I’d be shocked. Doubt crept across his features.

For good measure, I pointed. “That used to be my summer home.”

“No shit.” Jesse stepped back and whistled. “You’re here for the wedding?”

“You know about that?” Not that it should’ve surprised me. Lily probably had the whole area on alert.

“It’s Cheshire Bay. Everyone knows about that.”

“You going?”

He was cute, probably a little younger than me. He could be fun to dance with, maybe have a couple of drinks with, and forget about my skyscraper sized problems.

“Nah. It’s a pretty exclusive event.”

My heart squeezed a little, figured it was too good to be true. “That sounds like Eric’s involvement.”

Eric was the calm to the hurricane that was my little sister. Had this been ten, even fifteen years ago, the whole town would’ve been invited. I, for one, had been intrigued by her changes on her last few visits to Vancouver.

I opened the back door of my car and grabbed a couple of suitcases, setting them on the gravel road.

“Let me help.”

“Oh, I’m good, honestly.”

But he already had his hands firmly around the handles. “Lead the way.” A small, impish smile impossible to ignore settled on his face.

I walked up the sidewalk and hesitated before climbing the stairs. Flashbacks of helping mom down them and into a warmed vehicle smacked me across the face like a cold bite of winter. Had we known in that moment they’d be the last time she graced the landing…

Blinking away the heartache, I shivered.

“Everything okay?”

I inhaled a sharp breath of cool ocean air, readjusting my personal items. “It’s just been a while, and I wanted to make sure I had the right address.”

It was all lies, but whatever. Finding courage from the depths of my soul, I climbed the four steps and knocked on the door. No answer, so I knocked again with a little more force.

“Mona!” A high-pitched squeal came from beside me. From the house next door. “Let me grab the keys.” She walked back inside, but I heard her yell out. “My sister’s here.”

Eric, her fiancé, came to the door, along with a couple of others I didn’t recognize. “Good seeing you again, Mona.” He nodded. “Hey, Jesse.”

“Eric.” Jesse cleared his throat and gave me his full attention, followed by a once over. “So, you’re the Mona I’ve heard rumours about.”

My eyes went large, although there was really nothing bad for anyone to remember. That had all been Lily. I was the straight and narrow one. The mother figure type. Old before my time, at least according to the very few friends I had.

“What have you heard?” A slight panic cracked through.

He chuckled, the sweetest laugh I’d heard. “Nothing. Just that the big sister was coming. Remember, small towns talk, and neighbours talk a lot.”

Clearly.

My nearly identical sister, albeit a year and a half younger, crossed the tiny stretch of snow-covered grass between the houses and nearly bowled me over with a hug as blonde hairs flew from her face. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

I patted her back until she broke away. “Me too.”

It had been too long. Even though we had lived only a few miles from each other when she had lived in Vancouver, it wasn’t until she moved back here and found herself that things between us started improving. She’d grown and matured a lot, and I didn’t feel the need to mother her anymore. After all, she was now one herself.

“Oh, hey, Jesse.” She straightened her thick sweater.

“Where’s Henry?” I’d been dying to see my little nephew.

“Sleeping.” She fumbled with the keys and finally, got the right one into the lock, opening the door.

We stepped into the front entrance, cold enough to be mistaken for a large walk-in refrigerator. Our breaths weren’t visible, yet, but it was cool enough to know the furnace hadn’t been running. For hours at least.

“Oh no.”

Lily stormed away to the utility room while I walked down the hall into the living room we once used to hang out in. Only it was different. So different. Long gone were all the knick-knacks and clutter, instead it was calm and homey. It also looked like Beth, her decorator friend, had her hand in the changes. The place was amazing, and seeing it, freed the guilt I’d had about staying here. It looked like any other beach house down this strip, not like a house full of memories, although it was damn cold right now to even make that a possibility.

“The furnace is broken.” Lily returned with a pout.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, the pilot light won’t stay lit.”

I was impressed my little sister knew that. I sure as hell didn’t. That was Charlie’s job. A blue job he called it – one that only men should know how to do. I was relegated to the pink jobs – cooking, cleaning, baby-making. Although I was a complete failure on the last one.

“It’s too cold for you to stay here, Mo.”

“Why don’t you stay at my house for the night?” Jesse’s voice called out from the entrance.

I’d totally forgotten he was there. “Oh, thanks. But I’ll be fine.” Staying at a stranger’s house wasn’t high on my list of things to do.

Lily jumped in. “She can sleep on the couch.” She shrugged and gave me a weak smile. “It’s all I’ve got. There’s no spare bed in Henry’s room.”

I patted her arm. “The couch is more than fine.” I’d slept on worst. Especially recently.

Jess cleared his throat. “Don’t be ridiculous, Lily. I have a spare room. She can stay there until the furnace is fixed. Then she’s not a sudden imposition on you.”

“She’s never an imposition.” But Lily rocked back and forth on her feet, weighing her choices.

However, Jesse was right, like it or not. With her baby and the wedding, the last thing Lily needed was someone in her personal space, something I understood all too well.

I flipped my gaze between the two of them. “I’d hate to impose on you, Jesse, I can get a motel room.”

“Have you seen the motels here? They haven’t been updated in sixty years, and I think most still have the same original furnishings.” He walked to the door and lifted my bags. “I have the space, and it wouldn’t be an imposition at all.”

My heartbeat quickened. I didn’t know this guy from Adam, but he had already come to my rescue once. However, was he safe enough to stay with for the night?

I sent a quick look to Lily, who leaned in close. “He’s a good guy. Recently divorced. He’s been in Cheshire Bay for years.”

Really? “I don’t remember a Jesse though.”

“That’s because he bought the old William’s place a few years back. Renovated it too.”

“And the wife?”

She lowered her voice even more. “Couldn’t handle small town life.”

I nodded. Small towns were a complete 180 from a city life, that’s for sure.

“I trust him, as does Eric. We’ve hung out on the beach many times before.”

Searching my body and soul for any alarm bells, I gave in with a gentle sigh.

“Don’t worry. I won’t say anything to Charlie.” My sister patted my arm.

My head bobbed in a way I hoped she understood the importance of keeping her mouth closed.

Not that Charlie would care.

Not anymore, but still.

Heading toward the door, I gave a quick wave to Lily as she locked up.

“I’ll call a repairman in the morning, and we’ll have you back by tomorrow night.” She gave me another hug, and a small kiss graced my cheek. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

“Get inside. You don’t want to catch a cold before your wedding.”

She saluted me with a giggle and hopped over to Eric’s place – her place. “Why don’t you drop your stuff off and come back over for a Christmas drink or something.”

“Sure, I’d like that.”

I walked down the short sidewalk and joined Jesse. “So, I guess we’re temporary roommates?”

“Guess so.” He winked. “You don’t snore, do you?”

“Oh god, I hope not.” The very thought was embarrassing, and now I was terrified of making the unladylike sound. Good thing I’d brought a book to read, so I could stay up late and not fear any kind of deep sleep.

“I’m just kidding. The walls are fairly soundproof.”

We walked past Eric’s house and his neighbour before stopping in front of Jesse’s.

I hadn’t paid any attention on my drive in, but Jesse’s place was covered in Christmas decorations. Although the lights weren’t turned on, judging by the number of strings and hanging stars, he could give Clark Griswold a serious run for his money.

Lily’s house didn’t have a speck of Christmas, which suited me just fine, as I didn’t celebrate it anyway. But this? Jesse’s was way over the top. And if the outside was this grand, what was the inside like?

On second thought, maybe my sister’s couch would be better.