Chapter 1

TAYLA

A fresh start in a new town, I mused as I parked outside my cousin Logan’s house.

I switched off my mini’s engine and stepped out, the chilly sea breeze dancing around my bare legs.

It was June, and Logan had mentioned that summers here were usually scorching, but today was dreary and gray.

Just an off day, I figured.

The front door of the white beach house swung open, and a six-foot-tall blond man came barreling towards me.

Oh, shit!

Was he planning to tackle me to the ground like we used to do as kids?

His muscular arms enveloped me, lifting me off the ground and spinning me around.

“You made it! Your mom called twice to check if you arrived safely,” he said, giving me a tight squeeze.

“Logan! I need air!” I gasped, batting at his hands around my waist.

He set me down, and I looked up at him.

“You shrunk!” he teased.

“No! You just grew taller,” I retorted.

He threw his head back, laughing heartily.

“So, I’m not the shorty anymore?” he asked, reminding me of our childhood banter.

Back when we were kids, during our families’ summer get-togethers, I used to tease him about his height because I was always taller. That was until now.

I hadn’t seen him since he was fourteen and I was thirteen.

He popped open the trunk of my mini and grabbed my lone duffle bag.

“Is this all you brought?” he asked, his brow furrowing.

“Didn’t really have time to pack much,” I mumbled, looking down.

“Shit! Sorry,” he said, effortlessly slinging my bag over his shoulder.

“You’ve been hitting the gym too?” I asked.

He laughed awkwardly and slipped his arm around my shoulder, guiding me towards his house.

“A lot has changed since we were kids,” he said.

He opened the front door and ushered me into a hallway.

The walls were painted a soft cream, adorned with a few pictures. A staircase led up to the second floor.

He closed the door behind me and set my duffle bag at the foot of the stairs.

“I’ll show you your room in a bit. Jess made some iced tea for you,” he said.

I followed him down the hallway and into a spacious kitchen.

A beautiful girl with big brown eyes was pouring iced tea into glasses at a kitchen island. She gave me a warm smile as we entered.

“You must be Tayla? Logan’s cousin?” she asked.

“And you’re Jess, right?” I asked, studying her.

“Jess is my other tenant,” Logan explained, accepting a glass of iced tea.

Jess had short, black hair, shaved at the back, and multiple piercings in both ears.

Her lips were full and pink, and she had stunningly long, dark eyelashes.

She handed me a glass, and I thanked her.

“Jess is a neat freak, so if you don’t want your stuff to disappear, I’d suggest keeping it in your room,” Logan advised.

“Duly noted,” I said, taking a sip of my drink.

“Jess also works at the same restaurant where you have your interview. So, if you get the job, you’ll already know someone,” Logan added.

I nodded.

Logan had set up an interview for me at a local restaurant in two days, giving me time to settle in before starting work.

“We should totally hit that beach party tonight,” Jess suggested.

“The one at Raffiel’s beach?” Logan asked.

Jess nodded.

“It would be a great way to welcome Tayla to town.”

“I’m not sure if a Raffiel’s party is the best way to welcome Tayla, Jess. We need her to stick around and help with the rent,” he said, running a hand through his hair.

Logan owned this three-bedroom house, but his job didn’t cover the mortgage, so he rented out the other two rooms to make ends meet.

He had bought this house with his ex-girlfriend, and when she left him, he was stuck with the bill.

“It’ll be fine,” Jess assured him.

“Who’s Raffiel?” I asked.

Logan shook his head.

“Nobody important,” he said.

Jess gave him a puzzled look.

“I don’t have money for a party,” I told them.

“No need for that here,” Jess said.

“You just bring a bottle,” Logan added.

“Do you have a swimsuit?” Jess asked.

“I do, but it’s cold and cloudy…”

Just then, the sun broke through the clouds, and the temperature started to rise.

“The one thing you can count on in Bluewood Cove is the weather,” Jess said, laughing.

“I’ll show you to your room,” Logan said, finishing his drink.

I followed him out of the kitchen. He hoisted my bag over his shoulder and led me upstairs.

He pointed down a corridor to the left.

“Mine and Jess’s rooms are down there, along with the bathroom. You get this side of the house to yourself, which overlooks the beach,” he said.

He opened a door, and I followed him into a bedroom.

There was a double bed, a dressing table, and an empty desk with a single chair.

The bed was covered with a cream and yellow duvet, matching pillows, and a large cream blanket folded at the foot.

“There’s a wardrobe and a small drawer for you to use,” he said, pointing at the furniture.

He set my duffle bag on the desk and sighed, running his hands down his shorts.

“Don’t worry about rent this month. Jess and I have got you covered. When you do start contributing, it’s due at the end of every month,” he said.

I gave Logan a gentle hug.

“Thanks, cousin. I owe you,” I said warmly.

He laughed it off and gently nudged me back, heading for the door.

“I’ll let you unpack. We should leave for the beach around four.”

I watched him leave and close the door behind him.

Unzipping my bag, I started to put away my clothes in the drawer and hung up the ones that needed hanging in the wardrobe.

My room had a single window, framed by yellow curtains, that could be unlatched and lifted to let in the fresh air.

I moved to the window, pushing it open and sticking my head out to breathe in the salty sea air.

As a child, I spent my summers in this town, and my love for the sea never faded.

My view was of a well-maintained backyard, enclosed by a six-foot fence. Beyond the fence was a grassy embankment.

Over the embankment was a stretch of golden sand and the soft, rhythmic crash of the sea waves.

The loud cries of gulls echoed nearby, and down the beach, I could make out the silhouette of a large, luxurious house about a mile away.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

I jumped, hitting my head on the window frame as I pulled back inside.

Jess was standing in my doorway, one hand holding my iced tea and the other frozen mid-knock.

“I did knock, but I don’t think you heard me,” she said, her smile warm.

“I’m sorry. I was lost in the view,” I admitted.

She set my tea on the small drawer and joined me at the window, sticking her head out.

I watched as she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

I followed suit, poking my head back out.

“Your room has the best view,” she commented, her eyes still closed.

“Why didn’t you take it?”

“I need to be the first one in the shower in the morning. Logan takes forever in there,” she explained.

She opened her eyes and pointed towards the house I had been observing.

“That’s where the party is tonight,” she informed me.

“You know the owners?” I asked.

She made a face.

“Not really. Logan knows them better than I do. We only go to the parties there and don’t really mingle with the owners or their crowd,” she explained.

“Their crowd?” I asked, curious.

Jess turned to me, opening her mouth to respond when Logan’s voice echoed from my doorway.

“Are you making lunch, woman? I’m starving,” he said, grinning.

Jess rolled her eyes and we both retreated from the window.

“I swear you’d die without me,” she muttered, trailing after Logan down the hallway.

“Lunch in twenty minutes, Tayla tot!” Jess called out as she descended the stairs.

I grimaced at my new nickname and shook my head.