CHAPTER 7
Stepping out onto the back porch, Austin inhaled deeply. He needed to get out in the fresh air and clear his head.
Karen had just given him the B&B’s books, and it was clear that accounting wasn’t her or Sly’s strong suit. Unfortunately, it wasn’t his either. That, along with the repairs and updating that needed to be done as quickly as possible, was making him feel like the walls were closing in on him.
Part of the reason he’d always spent his summers in Whisper Lake was because it was the B&B’s busiest time of the year and he helped his grandparents out. The other part was that it gave his mom, who did her best but got overwhelmed easily, a much-needed break. This was the beginning of the season, and the last thing Austin wanted was for guests to have a bad experience and not return because of things he could, and should, have fixed, years ago.
Sly and Karen had done a great job over the past six years, but he was kicking himself for not getting here sooner. Now he was here, and the reality that his grandparents’ legacy rested on his shoulders was setting in. Wrapping his fingers around the wood railing, Austin let his head fall forward as he blew out a breath.
As much as he wanted to believe the only thing bothering him was B&B-related, he knew that wasn’t the case. A certain blue-eyed, brunette beauty that was going to be sleeping across the hall from him for the next week was taking up quite a bit of real estate in his brain at the moment, as well.
First, he’d envisioned her in the kitchen. That in and of itself had been out of character and unsettling, to say the least. Then, like he’d conjured her up, she and the kids were there when he’d walked in from getting his stuff. Checking in. It had taken him a few moments to realize what he was seeing was real and not just a mirage. Like a thirsty man in the desert seeing an oasis. That’s what he felt he’d found when he saw her—she was his oasis.
He wasn’t sure if it was luck or fate that had them in this situation. Not that he believed in either. He also wasn’t sure if it was good or bad.
From what Trevor had told him at the gas station, she was a single mom. Austin had grown up with a single mom, and like Cuba Gooding Jr. so eloquently put it in Jerry Maguire—when you’re dealing with a single mom, you don’t “shoplift the pootie.” He knew he needed to stay away from her, and from Trevor and Charlotte. But that was going to be about as easy as fitting a square peg in a round hole.
Sara. Her name kept repeating in his head.
When she’d looked back over her shoulder as she’d followed Karen down the hall and she’d stared directly into his eyes, it had almost knocked him on his ass. His chest had constricted as his heart had pounded ruthlessly against his ribs. The intensity crackling between them was undeniable, and also something he was going to desperately try to ignore for the rest of her stay.
He was still working on putting the pieces of his life together. He’d had it all planned out—his career, his wife, his family. Until everything had changed. In the blink of an eye with one bullet, he’d lost his career. Then, just a few months later, he’d returned home ready to start the next phase of his life and lost his fiancée. If Trevor’s story was any indication, Sara’s life was going through a transitional period as well. Combining the two could only be a recipe for disaster.
Ignoring her, and what she made him feel, was his only option. The problem was, with their living situation, that was going to be a lot easier said than done.
A drink. That might help.
When he’d spent summers here, he’d gone to Lanterns but only the restaurant portion, never the bar area, it might be time he visited there. It wasn’t that he’d never had a drink in Whisper Lake. He’d spent his share of nights down at the lake drinking, hanging out with friends, sitting around bonfires.
Those were good times. He smiled at the memories as he made his way across the street and past The Drawbridge Diner. He decided not to take the shortcut that was a locals’ secret and go the long way through downtown and check out all the preparations for the festival that kicked off the next day like a tourist. This town definitely knew how to throw a festival. From what he remembered, it wasn’t just the Start of Summer Festival. They also had one for 4th of July, end of summer, Halloween, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Valentine’s Day. Since he’d only spent his summers here, he’d never been to any but the ones in the summer.
“Stone? Is that you?”
Austin looked up and immediately recognized the man in front of him. “Kade?”
“Hey, man.” Kade McKnight pulled him in to a one-arm man hug. “Good to see ya. I heard you might be coming back.”
“Yeah, I’m back.” Austin did the traditional two pats on the back and stepped back. “How you been? How’s Patrick? And Ethan?”
During his summers in Whisper Lake, all of Austin’s free time had been spent with Kade McKnight, Patrick Walsh, and Ethan Steele. He’d hung out with all three guys, but he’d been closest to Patrick because of their shared love of all things dirt bike related. They’d gone out on the tracks as much as possible. Austin hadn’t seen him in over twelve years. Since he’d lost his grandparents, he hadn’t really had anyone to fill him in on all things Whisper Lake. The only one of the guys he’d kept up with—and only from the news—was Kade, who’d become a world champion MMA fighter.
Kade put his hands in his jeans pockets and his head dropped. “He actually passed away a couple of years ago.”
“Oh shit.” Austin couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. “What happened?”
“Brain aneurism.”
“Damn. What about the twins?”
The last time Austin had seen Patrick he was pushing a double stroller around the lake that held his twin boys.
A grin tugged at Kade’s mouth. “The boys are good. They just finished their freshman year.”
A sick feeling that was all-too familiar sank in his gut. He knew loss. He’d lost his father when he was three. His mother when he was seventeen. His grandparents when he was in his early twenties, and numerous fellow soldiers over the years. But to hear about Patrick leaving his boys so suddenly was heart-wrenchingly tragic.
“And what about Ali?” Patrick and his little sister had a really close relationship. From what Austin remembered, their mom was a hot mess and Patrick had taken on a lot of the responsibility of raising Ali. He always made sure he knew where she was, who she was with, what she was doing. He was a lot more like her dad than a brother.
“Actually,” Kade’s smile grew wider and he lifted his hand revealing a platinum band around his ring finger. “She’s my wife.”
“Holy shit!” Every memory Austin had of the two of them involved them fighting. His Grandpa Cliff used to love the show Moonlighting and he used to joke that the two of them make Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd look like best friends.
“Yeah. You should come say hi. She’s over at the shop.”
“She still has the shop?”
“Yep.”
Patrick’s grandfather owned the rental shop at the lake. It worked out well for when the kids were growing up because they were able to take out jet skis, paddle boats, and boogie boards anytime they wanted for free.
As they made the short walk, Kade talked about how Patrick had named Ali and Kade as the legal guardians of the twins, but he’d gone to rehab right after Patrick passed instead of coming home. He’d moved to LA right after high school to pursue his career in MMA.
When he came back a year after they lost Patrick, Ali was doing her best to raise the boys that had turned into teenagers since their dad passed. But KJ had anger and rebellion issues and Ricky was withdrawn. Kade told Austin that he’d been scared he wasn’t going to be able to keep his word to his friend and make sure they were okay, but he vowed that he’d spend every day he had on this earth trying.
Kade restored some of Austin’s faith in humanity, which had taken quite a hit. Not only from the horrors he’d witnessed overseas, but also from the betrayal he’d come home to. It was nice to see there were still bona fide, good people in the world.
“Man, those boys are lucky to have you,” Austin told his friend.
“No.” Kade shook his head. “I’m the lucky one. Those boys are my life. And every day I wake up and still can’t believe how lucky I am that Ali is beside me. She owns me, and always has.”
Austin could see the genuine love shining in his friend’s eyes as he talked about his wife. Before today, Austin would’ve thought what Kade had described was impossible. He’d always believed love at first sight was a myth perpetuated by rom-coms and romance novels. Now he didn’t know what he believed. Something he sure as hell couldn’t describe had happened to him the second he’d laid eyes on Sara. He’d had a primal reaction to her. If that could happen to him, anything was possible.
When Austin had met his ex-fiancée, he’d been attracted to her. But it had been nothing like what he’d felt earlier today. In the four years he and Brielle had been together, he’d never felt anything close to what just looking into Sara’s eyes had inspired in him. Maybe that was why things had worked out the way they had.
“Hey, babe,” Kade called out when he opened the door to the shop. “Look who I found.”
As they walked in, Austin saw that Ali wasn’t alone. She was standing at the counter, deep in conversation…with Sara. This was a small town, but it felt like everywhere he turned, she was there. And he had to admit, he wasn’t mad about it.
“Austin!” Ali’s face lit up when she saw him. “I heard you were back.”
She rounded the corner and threw her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry about your grandparents.” She said softly as she hugged him.
He closed his eyes and spoke quietly, “I’m sorry about Patrick.”
They held each other for a beat, letting the weight of their losses pass between them. Apparently, it was a beat too long for Kade’s liking. “Okay, okay, you said hi.”
Kade pulled Ali out of Austin’s arms and encircled his arms around her.
Ali giggled as she wiggled away from him. “Kade, I want you to meet someone.” The woman held out her arms like a model on The Price is Right and Sara was the prize. “This is Sara.”
Sara smiled, looking uncomfortable as she lifted her hand in a small wave. “Hi.”
“Hey,” Austin nodded.
“Sara,” Ali repeated. “The beautiful, incredible, talented, amazing Sara from the What the F blog.”
Okay…beautiful, incredible, and amazing he knew. Talented he could’ve guessed. But he had no idea what the What the F blog was.
Apparently, his friend did.
“Oh.” Awareness dawned on Kade’s face. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Especially after you featured Jess and Ethan’s proposal.”
Jess and Ethan were engaged?! The only Jess Austin had known in Whisper Lake was Jessa Myers. She was Ali’s best friend and had been really sick growing up. He remembered it was something to do with her heart because every summer they had a mud run for the American Heart Association for Jess.
He didn’t get the chance to ask if it was the same Jess before Kade turned to him. “Sara, from What the F blog, this is Austin Stone from New York. His grandparents owned the B&B, and growing up, he was here every summer.”
“I kinda feel like I got gypped on my description,” Austin said to Kade, his voice flat.
“Don’t worry.” Ali snuggled up to her husband wearing a wide smile and a wink. “You should hear what people are saying behind your back. You would definitely feel vindicated.”
“Really?” Austin knew gossip traveled fast in this town, but he figured with the festival, his return might just fly under the radar.
“Oh, yeah. Your ears should be on fire.” Ali’s grin grew even larger as she glanced over her shoulder. “You’ve already met, right?” Ali’s eyes bounced between Austin and Sara.
“We have.” Austin smiled. “Where are the kids?”
Sara’s mouth parted as she sucked in a tiny breath of air. “They’re in the office watching YouTube videos.”
As he stared into Sara’s eyes, he was vaguely aware that Kade and Ali were standing beside them. But really, all he saw was the crystal blue stare that hypnotized him. His brow rose and his heart was pounding in his chest as he asked, “Were you the cause of my burning ears?”
A deep pink flush flared on Sara’s cheeks as she rushed to clarify, “I just said you were nice.”
Somehow, the fact he’d made her blush so easily made him want to do it again, this time in a much less public place, and show her just how not nice he was.
Ali’s head fell back and she laughed. “Actually, Mrs. D is the president of your fan club.”
Bummer.
“Hey, I have an idea.” Ali snapped her fingers as she spun back toward Sara, who still looked a little shaken. “Every year the locals go up to Foster Pond and have a barbeque the night before the summer festival starts.” Ali pointed at Austin. “You’ve been, right Austin?”
“Yep.”
“You guys have to come.” Ali smiled with glee. “You can meet Jess.”
“Umm…” Sara’s eyes shot to Austin, and she froze like a deer in headlights.
It probably shouldn’t have made him feel a swell of pride that she looked to him, but it did.
Kade slapped his hand on Austin’s shoulder. “Yeah, man. I’d love to catch up. And I know that Ethan would love seeing you. Plus, Mr. Myers is making his famous ribs.”
“I love ribs,” Austin grinned.
“Great. Then it’s settled. Ali clapped her hands together. “We’re all going out there around six.”
Just as Ali made the declaration, Charlotte, Trevor, and a teenager that looked like the spitting image of Kade, of all people, walked out of the office.
“Austin!” Trevor and Charlotte both shouted when they saw him.
“KJ, this is Austin. He was a friend of me and your dad’s.” Kade introduced him to Patrick’s son.
“You’re Cliff and Alma’s grandson.” KJ smiled as he shook Austin’s hand. “My dad talked about you a lot.”
“Don’t believe everything he said.” Austin teased.
“Yeah,” Kade nodded. “He liked to exaggerate.”
Kade and Austin chuckled, since they both knew that out of the four friends Patrick and Ethan had practically been choir boys and Austin and Kade had a wild streak.
“I’m going to take the kids back to the B&B and freshen up.” Sara picked up Charlotte who was lifting her hands up toward her. “Can I get the address to the pond?”
“I’ll drive.” As soon as the words left Austin’s mouth, he realized it sounded like a statement and not an offer.
Instead of being offended by him crossing a line he had no business crossing, Sara scrunched her face up in a way Austin found equal parts sexy and cute. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” He might be confused about a lot of things right now, but whether or not he wanted to take her and the kids to Foster Pond for the annual BBQ was not one of them.
“Okay,” she agreed hesitantly, tilting her head with an expression he easily read as her thinking he had no idea what he was getting himself into.
They said their goodbyes and headed back toward the B&B together. Charlotte wiggled to get out of her mom’s arms and before they crossed the street, she placed her chubby little hand in his. The small gesture had his heart swelling and floating like a helium-filled balloon.
Maybe Sara was right…he had no idea what he was getting himself into.