Chapter 2

Andre

“I’m about to go. Are you coming with me today?” I asked to my shadow. Also known as Molly, my feline companion.

Molly jumped up on the counter and bumped her head against my chest, a meow of agreement ringing through the apartment before she went to where her sling sat on the counter. She was a spoiled cat. I carried her with me when I was working so she didn’t think I abandoned her.

“Sounds good,” I told her. I swore she understood me. My best friend, Landon, said I was nuts, but Molly did what I asked and answered my questions.

Sure, she couldn’t actually speak, not English, but she communicated.

I finished my coffee and set the mug in the dishwasher, then turned to get Molly and her sling. She rode in the truck with me without any issues, but when I was working, I kept her in the sling most of the time. For her safety.

Molly snuggled against my jaw as I locked the door, then settled on my shoulder for the walk outside to the truck. Most cats were skittish around loud noises, but the weirdo she was wasn’t fazed by them. Our vet checked her ears and said she wasn’t deaf, which was my first thought, but she didn’t flinch when a truck drove by or when I started up the lawnmower for the day.

I rolled down the window, enjoying the warm early June day, and drove across town to MacKellar Cove Inn. Getting the contract to maintain the property was a huge win for me and helped to make my company solid. Davidson Outdoors was a little over two years old, but after an agreement to help at the new local summer camp a year ago, I was struggling to keep up with the demand for my services and considering hiring help.

I pulled into the driveway of the Inn and noticed a new vehicle parked in the charging spot. I usually parked there since it was convenient for unloading the lawnmower, and the new charging stations weren’t used most of the time. I swung around the edge of the lot and parked on the far side, where I hoped I wouldn’t be in the way of any customers.

“Ready?” I asked Molly.

“Meow,” she replied, sitting on the seat next to me as I fitted the sling over my chest. When I was done, she crawled up into it and curled into a ball, safe and cozy.

Maybe it was weird, but hey, if they made slings for cats, I wasn’t the first person to need one.

I climbed out of the truck and went to the trailer. I lowered the tracks to drive the lawnmower off the back and started working on the chains securing it in place when I heard footsteps approaching.

“Morning,” Sebastian Parks said, offering me a cup of coffee.

I took the cup and looked at him. “You need a favor.”

Sebastian chuckled. “We do.”

I focused on Sebastian. “What’s going on?”

“Zoey and Piper have been thinking about setting up a fire pit. Somewhere for people to relax in the evenings. We were hoping you’d be able to help dig up the grass so we could set the pavers.”

“Yeah, that’s not a big deal. When do you want it done?”

Sebastian winced.

“That’s where the favor comes in.”

He nodded. “Yeah. They ordered the pavers last week, and it’s all getting delivered on Tuesday.”

“Two days? And they want the spot ready by then.”

“Yep.”

I sucked in a breath. “I’m heading out to Mountain View Retreat after this, and I’ll be there the rest of the day. I have a few residential clients tomorrow, but I could be out here either early or late.”

“How early is early?”

“Seven? Depending on how big the spot is.”

Sebastian cringed. “How late is late?”

I laughed. “Four?”

“That’s better. I’ll have the spot marked for you so you don’t have to worry about figuring it out. Gavin and I will be out here, too. Unless you want us to disappear.”

“Nah, all good. I should have some time on Tuesday or Wednesday to help set the pavers if you want. I’ve done a lot of that kind of work. Do you have sand and stakes and everything you need?”

Sebastian snorted. “Nope.”

“Sounds like you might need some help.”

“And some advice, I think. These women get ideas and forget to ask all the other questions.”

“Did they order a kit or something?”

“Yeah. It says it’s easy, but I have a feeling it’s not going to be so easy for those of us actually doing the work.”

“It never is. Usually the kits aren’t bad, though. Everything will fit together, and it’ll go fast once the prep work is done.”

Sebastian nodded. “I like the sound of that.”

“We’ll get it.”

“Thanks. I’ll let you get to it for today so you can get out of here. Sorry about your spot, by the way.”

“No worries. Obviously a good idea to have those installed. Am I okay over here?”

“Yeah, all good.”

“Thanks. If you need to move it, I left the keys inside. I’ll lift the tracks so you can just pull forward.”

“Hopefully not, but thanks, Andre.”

“Yep.”

Sebastian walked back toward the Inn, and I finished getting the lawnmower unloaded. I made sure I lifted the tracks and secured them, just in case.

I scratched Molly’s head and climbed onto the lawnmower. I shoved my earplugs in and started up the machine. Molly didn’t budge as I spun around to the edge of the property.

The hum and the rhythmic movements of the lawnmower soothed me as I made my way over the expansive landscaping of the Inn. The view was unbeatable, and the day was gorgeous. Sunlight sparkled off the water, and the breeze lifted my hair. My arms heated with the warmth of the sun. Life didn’t get better.

I made a turn and felt a tingle of awareness. I was being watched.

I looked around the yard but didn’t see anyone outside. Most of the guests stayed indoors when I was cutting the grass. But someone was watching me.

I kept going, trying to ignore the feeling, but I knew someone was there. I looked up at the Inn before I turned to go back toward the water and saw the curtains pulled back in one room. A woman stood in front, arms crossed, full on glaring at me.

I made my turn, wondering about her. It was after nine, so not crazy early for a weekend. The Inn served breakfast from eight until eleven, and Piper assured me guests were up and moving by nine every day. But this woman was not happy.

On my next turn, I glanced up and found her still glaring at me from her window. With my sunglasses and hat on, she couldn’t tell I was looking at her, which gave me plenty of time to appreciate her full curves and the silhouette of her figure in the window.

Her hips were wide. Her waist was thick, but dipped in a little from her hips. Her breasts were full and tempting. The curve of her neck led to a narrowed jaw and pursed red lips, an up-tipped nose, and eyes I couldn’t wait to see up close. I wondered what color they were as I let my gaze slide over her dark brown hair. It hung over her shoulders, telling my mind I missed something.

She was wearing lingerie. Lacy, damn near see-through, sexy, hot-as-fuck lingerie.

I swung the lawnmower around and shook my head. Fuck. I was staring at a woman who was dressed like a siren and probably not alone.

I shifted in my seat, trying to adjust my hard and heavy dick. I could not be thinking about the woman in the window, no matter how hot she was.

I kept my gaze on the grass in front of me as I kept going, ignoring the pull of her. I was not going to look up. I couldn’t. Glancing up once was unavoidable. Staring at her again was wrong. She thought I couldn’t see her, but she was not alone.

I needed to keep my distance.

* * *

I finished work the next afternoon and headed back to MacKellar Cove Inn. Molly was along for the ride again, curled up on the passenger seat.

When I parked, Sebastian was talking to a woman near the electric car. I recognized her as the one who’d been glaring at me the day before. The one I stared at in her lingerie.

I busied myself getting the equipment ready to dig out their grass for the fire pit, avoiding checking out the woman who was making me twitchy.

She was even more stunning from twenty feet away. Her dark hair was tied back in a low ponytail. She wore a pair of pants that draped around her legs and waved in the light breeze. Her top was loose and looked like it was barely hanging onto her figure.

I watched her out of the corner of my eye, wondering where in the world whoever she was there with was because she was tempting all on her own.

Sebastian finished his conversation with her, then met me as I backed the excavator off the trailer. “We’ve got everything marked for you.”

“Sounds good. Hopefully, this doesn’t take too long.”

“Much faster than if Gavin and I were out here with shovels.”

I laughed. “Yeah, that would be a pain. You gonna go with me?”

Sebastian pointed around the side of the Inn. “I’ll meet you there. You’ll see it when you get around the edge of the building.”

I nodded and took off in the direction he pointed to. He was right. They had it well marked with stakes and orange tape strung between the stakes. When I got closer, I saw orange paint marking a circle on the grass, just inside the stakes.

I parked the excavator and climbed off. Molly lifted her head and meowed at me. I rubbed her chin and said, “We’ll be going again in a minute.”

She bumped my hand with her head, then curled back into her ball and settled again.

Sebastian joined me a second later, reaching for Molly and rubbing her back through the side of the sling. “She’s doing okay?”

I snorted. “She’s spoiled rotten and loves every minute of it.”

Sebastian laughed. “Sounds about right. Are you getting a little cage or something for the summer? It’s going to get hot with her up against your body all the time.”

“Yeah, I ordered something last week. I’m not sure how she’s going to like it, but she’s been a sweaty mess a few days already. I can put the crate on the floor by my feet or behind me. She’ll still be with me, but she can feel the breeze, too.”

“She’ll like that,” Sebastian said, cooing at my cat.

I chuckled. “Yeah, she will. Was that the guest with the electric car?”

“Yeah, Joelle.”

“She’s here with a significant other?”

“No. She’s alone. I don’t really know the deal. Car died on the side of the road, and I brought her here the other day. Zoey tried to get a little information out of her, but she’s pretty tight about what’s going on.”

“Do you think she’s in danger?” I asked, worried about the woman I was allowed to be drawn to again.

Sebastian shook his head. “I didn’t get that feeling, but she’s definitely running.”

“Wow. She doesn’t look like typical a MacKellar Cove guest.”

Sebastian snorted. “Yeah. She’s pretty polished for us. But she’s been really nice. Staying until Sunday, but she seemed like she’s not in a hurry to leave.”

“Where’s she going to go?”

Sebastian shrugged. “No idea.”

Gavin walked up, clapping me on the back to let me know he was there. “What don’t you have any idea about?”

“Joelle and where she’s going to go when she leaves.”

“Dude, she’s… yeah. I feel bad for her. Piper and Zoey are trying to make her feel comfortable, but she’s not saying much about what she’s doing here.”

“Maybe she doesn’t want anyone to know,” I said.

“Probably,” Gavin said. “Are we ready to get started?”

“I’m set. Want me to stick to the line or the stakes?” I asked them.

“The line should be where the pavers go, so maybe a little beyond them,” Sebastian said.

“Works for me.” I climbed back onto the excavator and powered it up.

Sebastian and Gavin moved the stakes out of the way for me to drive into the circle. I started at the edge of the circle and dug into the grass, taking a chunk out of the ground.

The work was slow and methodical. I didn’t want to dig too deep, and I didn’t want to tear up the grass that wasn’t being touched. I moved around the area, digging to the center, and stacking the grass I removed onto a pallet sitting nearby.

Sebastian and Gavin followed behind me and reset the stakes after I cleared a section to keep guests from wandering into the area and getting hurt. When I finished removing all the grass, I did my best to level the remaining dirt for their project to start off with as few issues as possible.

“This is perfect,” Sebastian said when I turned off the equipment and climbed down. “Next, we have to get the sand out.”

“Do you want to do it now?” I asked.

Gavin shook his head. “We’re worried someone will end up walking through it without realizing it. We don’t want to have to level it twice.”

“Yeah, I don’t blame you for that. Let me know if you need anything else, though. I told Sebastian I can help out.”

“We might take you up on that. I think we’re going to get this done Wednesday morning, first thing. Delivery is tomorrow, but it sounds like it might be later in the day,” Gavin said.

“I can be here Wednesday. I’ll make sure I have some equipment, too, just in case we need to fix some things up.” I patted the excavator, knowing the kits weren’t always exact with the dimensions.

“Thanks, Andre. We really appreciate it.”

“Of course. I’ll see you guys then.”

“Have a good night,” they said.

I headed back to the truck and loaded up, definitely not noticing Joelle’s car wasn’t there as I pulled out of the lot.

I parked my truck behind Blossom & Grow, Landon’s florist shop, and unhooked the trailer. Landon let me keep my equipment at his shop and used it when he needed it for his property. I walked out to the field behind the shop, where I knew he’d be.

“Hey,” I called as I got closer.

He looked up from the row of plants he was tending. The hostas were full and ready to be transported to pots for the shop. Landon rocked back on his heels and stood. “You done for the day?”

I nodded. “Yeah. They had the area marked and ready for me. It didn’t take long.”

“Ready for a beer?”

“Always. You good?”

Landon nodded. I could see the stress in his eyes. About once a month, he had a breakdown. It had been a while since his last one, but I was waiting for it. Breaking up with his girlfriend of more than three years was hard on him, as expected. He hadn’t been the same, but as spring rolled around, he got into his garden and was holding it together.

Or maybe I just wasn’t around to see the breakdowns.

Landon led the way inside his shop and up the stairs to his apartment. He opened the fridge as I let Molly out of her sling.

She meowed and ran to him, rubbing on his legs and looking up at him until he reached down and scratched her head.

I smiled. He complained about her all the time, but he loved on her when she was around and even bought a litter box and food for her so she was comfortable when we were at his place.

“I’m still allergic to you,” he told her.

She meowed in response, then moved away to the water bowl under the window. She had a drink and gobbled up some food while we settled on the couch.

“How was your day?” I asked him as he turned on the TV.

He found a baseball game and set the remote down. “Fine.”

“That sounds exciting.”

He snorted. “I saw Reegan today.” His ex. He hadn’t seen her much in the nine months since they broke up.

“She came by here?”

He shook his head. “I had to go to Al’s Hardware and stopped to grab groceries after. She was there.”

“Did you talk to her?”

“Said hi.”

“That’s it?”

“I don’t know, man. Our lives were… fuck, we were together for years. I thought we were going to get married. Now, we’re like strangers.”

“You wanted different things.”

“Yeah. But it still blows my mind. How did I not see that she wasn’t in the same place I was?”

“She didn’t want you to see. She was happy with things as they were, and she couldn’t handle more. It sucks, but you’ll find someone who wants what you want.”

He snorted. “Sure. Are you jumping off the marriage train, too?”

I grumbled. We both wanted to settle down. Families, kids, wives, houses with picket fences, so to speak. Being single was not a lot of fun.

“Maybe I should sign up for that dating app finally,” Landon said.

“Maybe we both should. Get out of the ruts we’re in.”

“I thought you signed up a while ago.”

I shrugged. “I never finished my profile. Maybe it’s time.”

“We’re not getting any younger. Or any less single.”

“Fuck. Let’s do it.”

Landon grabbed his phone. “I’ll get a date before you do.”

I snorted. “Not with that ugly face.”

“Good thing they don’t have pictures on the app.”

“So you admit you’re ugly?”

“Fuck you.” He laughed.

My job was done. He was smiling. All I wanted was to see him out of his funk, even if it was just for a little while.

Mission accomplished.