Chapter Ten
Cass spent the next few days focused on work. She’d spoken with her father and they’d agreed to start clearing the sites they’d bought and begin to tear down those small houses that couldn’t be salvaged. She made a schedule and emailed her father a list of properties where the demolition could start right away. He called her in response, happy to hear that at least some progress was going to be made.
“Your mom and I are driving down on Friday. We booked a room for the night at that inn where you’re staying.”
“You got a room at the last minute? You’re lucky. They’re usually booked solid. Someone must have canceled for the weekend.”
“Not the weekend, just Friday night. We’re supposed to be going somewhere on Saturday, I forget where. One of those invitations your mother says yes to and tells me about later.”
Cass called down to the reservation desk and reserved a room for her parents, then emailed instructions to the job foreman, Ted Sterling. She’d worked with him several times before and he knew she’d be on-site to make sure things were being done to the letter. She had few concerns about the quality of the work when things were in Ted’s hands, but she’d had run-ins with him in the past over her authority. He never failed to make her feel she should have been born male if she wanted to have her hands on the construction end of her father’s business. While she always made it a point to try to start fresh with him on every new job, sooner or later he’d say something to get under her skin. She was certain he believed she ran back to her father every time, though she never had. She’d be the first one on the job site when he arrived on Wednesday morning.
“Getting a Dumpster over that bridge is going to be dicey,” Ted told her when she met him at the property she’d designated lot number one. “They’re pretty heavy.”
“Maybe we won’t need a Dumpster. Maybe we can use pickup trucks. I plan on using a lot of the material from the takedown houses in the new construction, so whatever is salvageable is going to stay right on-site.”
“You do know that’s going to triple—quadruple—the time to take these places apart if my guys have to go board by board, brick by brick?” He tried to mask his displeasure, but she wasn’t deaf to the undertone, a mixture of annoyance and impatience. “Which means it’s gonna cost you more than you planned.”
“I have planned for it, so we’re good. My father’s aware of it as well. It can’t be helped.” She explained the rationale of being able to use the original wood and bricks as a marketing hook. “So I’ll see you and your crew at seven tomorrow morning on lot one.”
“We’ll be there.”
“Good. Bring a couple of pickup trucks and some tarps in case it rains before we get to reuse the material.”
Cass was on the job site at six forty-five the next morning, a large cup of the inn’s coffee in hand, when the first of the crew arrived. By seven, all hands were accounted for. She explained what she wanted and ignored the rolling eyes and shaking heads of the crew. She stood in the driveway and watched the chimney of the old Morrison house come down, brick by brick, just as she’d requested, but not before she’d photographed the building from every angle.
Ted took her aside, her printed-out list in his hand. “So I’m a little confused on the scheduling here. We’re going to take all these places down before we start building anything new?”
“We’re going to dismantle until I find out where we can build a dock to bring in the materials to start the new construction.”
“You’ve already started building a dock on the other side of the island.”
“Yeah, well, that one’s off the table.” She explained that the sunken ship was responsible for the work stoppage.
“So you think you can build something over here to bring stuff over from the mainland?” He turned and looked toward the bay as if scouting for a location.
“I do.” She willed herself to remain calm. She didn’t want her face or her words to reflect the doubt she was beginning to feel, especially since she hadn’t had any indication from Owen that Jared would be depth-finding for her.
Ted took off his baseball cap and ran a hand through what little hair he had left. “You know we use different crews for demo and construction, right? And that the guys we use to build the houses aren’t going to be the same guys you use to build the dock?”
“Do you honestly think you have to tell me that? Really? Is this my first rodeo?” She made no attempt to hide the sarcasm in her voice. She leveled him with a stony gaze and went to her car to calm down. The situation was stressful enough without having the foreman lecture her on any aspect of the job. She knew he thought she’d be calling her father to complain about him, so she deliberately took a folder from the car, laid it out on the hood, and pretended to be reading while she drank her coffee and tried to appear calm.
She’d been questioned by subcontractors as well as Deiter’s own construction people before, and she’d always handled it with as much good humor as she could muster, but she wasn’t in the mood on this project. She had a lot riding on it—her reputation, her father’s money—and she wasn’t about to admit to Ted or anyone else that if she couldn’t build the dock and thereby couldn’t get what she needed onto the island, she’d have to try to sell the already-cleared lots to someone else to recover at least some of her father’s investment. Giving up on Cannonball Island was the last thing she wanted.
Her fingers itched to text Owen and ask him if he’d spoken to Jared yet, but she knew there was no point. If he’d done so, wouldn’t he let her know? Besides, he’d called her on Monday night to let her know they’d be diving for the next couple of days if the weather held.
She walked back to the house and went through it with the crew of five, pointing out what she wanted them to save—and therefore carefully remove—and what they could trash. She addressed everyone’s concerns and answered their questions. The water-damaged counter in the kitchen could go; the wide boards covering the outside wall would stay. The window glass should be removed carefully, but the rotted frames were beyond salvaging. Cass stepped back to give the guys a wide berth while they worked.
“Sorry about that, before, you know . . .” Ted told her as she walked past.
She nodded that she’d heard and had sort of accepted his sort-of apology as she always did and returned to her car, this time intending to call her father and let him know the work had begun. As she reached through her open driver’s-side door for her bag, she heard an engine out in the bay. Habit made her turn to the sound. Jared’s boat was forty feet off the beach.
She shielded her eyes with her hands. Several men stood on deck, but the sun was in her eyes and she couldn’t distinguish one from the other. She leaned against her car, her eyes fixed on the boat, waiting to see what would happen.
Ten minutes later, one of the men on deck dove overboard and swam to shore, long arms plowing through the waves until he reached shallow water. He stood and walked ashore, his shorts weighed down by water to just above the scandal line, his bare chest gleaming in the sun, an Adonis rising from the sea.
Oh. My. Heart.
“Hey, Cass. Guess what?”
She had to clear her throat before she answered. “Hey. Owen,” she managed to squeak out.
He slogged across the sand, water dripping, his dark hair stuck to his forehead, and he crossed the road, his bare feet leaving prints on the warm macadam. She wanted to look away, but she couldn’t. She’d thought he looked good in a polo shirt and jeans, but in less than that by half, he was mesmerizing.
He approached the car. “I’ve got great news.”
“What’s that?” She had to force herself to focus on his face. The rest of the view was that good.
“Jared measured the depth at fifteen feet right about where he is now. Which means you can probably get a permit to build your dock because you won’t have to dredge.” Owen stood with his hands on his hips. “Unless, of course, you think your people are going to be wanting to bring in some really huge crafts. So go ahead and tell your dad things are looking pretty good and he can go ahead and send his engineer down. Jared has a printout so the engineer can see what we saw, but it all looks pretty good.”
“Thank you. I’ll tell him. Thanks for remembering.”
“Sure. I know it was important to you.”
“And tell Jared I said thanks.”
“Will do.”
“I thought you were diving all week.”
“The pump on the dredge engine is malfunctioning, so Jared’s taking it back to their shop and picking up another.”
“Is he waiting for you to swim back out?” She nodded in the direction of the boat.
Owen laughed. “No, he’s on the phone with some girl he met at a bar in Annapolis over the weekend.” Owen glanced over his shoulder. “Is your father planning on putting in a boat ramp?”
“I don’t think so. He’s not going to be offering a marina. He just wanted a place where the owners who want to come and go by water could moor up for a few nights. They’ll have to winter over somewhere else. He’s not going to be offering fuel or anything else.”
“Just a place to tie up.”
“Exactly. And I think he only planned on maybe having room for six boats at the most. First come, first served.”
“I get it. Makes it sound more exclusive. Good plan.” Owen looked toward the house. “So what’s doing here?”
“The first demo has begun. This is one of the complete teardowns.”
“They doing it all by hand?”
Cass nodded. “I’m trying to save as much as possible. This one doesn’t have a whole lot that we’ll be able to use, but I want anything that can be saved.”
“It’ll be interesting to see how much you can salvage from each house.”
“I have a pretty good idea. I went through every place and made lists. I can tell you how many floorboards should come out of that house and go into the reuse pile.”
“I’ll just bet you can.” He turned and his eyes held hers. “I’ll bet you’re damned good at everything you do.”
“So they tell me.”
He was close enough that she could have reached up and smoothed the wet hair back from his face, but here, in front of one of her crews, she’d have died first. Instead, she backed up a step or two. “You’re welcome to come see what we’re salvaging from this place.”
“Thanks, but I think I should go back to the store and shower off the bay. I swear I can almost feel that sea grass reaching up from the depths to slash at my legs as I swam by.”
“Do you have visions of crabs chasing behind you, claws outstretched, hoping to lop off a toe or two?”
“I didn’t, but I do now. Thanks for that.”
“Anytime.”
“So Friday night is the rehearsal dinner. Want to tag along?”
“I can’t. Sorry. At least, I don’t think I can.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“My dad and mom are driving over to see what we’ve done, so I’ll be showing them around. I already booked a room at the inn for them.”
“I’d invite you to bring them along, but that wouldn’t be much fun.”
“Probably not.”
“If anything changes, text me, okay?”
Cass nodded, and for a moment she thought he was going to kiss her. The moment passed, and he turned and headed for the dune and the path that led to the back of the store. She watched until he disappeared from sight.
Holy crap, she thought. She’d been adamant about remaining impervious to his charm, but it wasn’t his charm that was wearing her down. It was the sight of that toned, tanned body emerging from the Chesapeake. How did a girl guard her heart against that?
“THIS IS LOVELY.” Linda Deiter took her time looking around the inn’s lobby. “Just what I’d expect an old inn on the Chesapeake to look like. It’s casually elegant but homey at the same time.”
Cass’s mother took in every inch of the lobby décor. Dressed in a white linen shirtdress that amazingly hadn’t wrinkled on the trip from Baltimore, she looked the part of the wife of a successful builder. Gold bangles were on her wrists, and diamonds on her fingers. From her coiffed hair to the fat natural-pearl earrings to her designer sandals that Cass knew had cost a bundle, Linda Deiter was a showstopper. At sixty-five, her skin was still luminous and her eyes were still bright. Cass prayed the beauty her mother had been born with was hereditary so Cass, too, could shine as naturally when she was her mother’s age.
“I’ve enjoyed staying here. The owners are very friendly and there’s always something to do.” Cass took her mother’s arm and walked with her to the stairwell, pausing to point out various paintings that hung on the walls.
“There’s your father.” Linda waved and caught her husband’s eye.
“Did you check in?” he asked from halfway across the room.
Cass watched fondly as her father wrestled with the sunglasses that had fallen from the top of his nearly bald head. As stylish and put together as Linda was, Brian Deiter was . . . not. He had a talent for always looking just slightly in dishabille even in custom-tailored suits. Today he wore a polo shirt that had pulled out in several places from the waistband of his navy-blue shorts. Both his wife and his daughter had always found it oddly endearing.
Linda nodded. “All you have to do is have our bags sent up.”
“Bags? Plural? I thought you were only staying for one night.”
“We changed our minds. We did have an event for tomorrow night, but it was one of those things your father couldn’t have cared less about, and frankly, I didn’t really want to go. So we had a good excuse to beg off—we had to come see the progress our daughter’s making on a big project. It sounded good, and it’s tough to argue when a parent plays the kid card.” Linda squeezed Cass’s arm. “Besides, I feel as if it’s been months since I’ve seen you. I missed you.”
“Aw, that’s nice, Mom, but it hasn’t been all that long.”
“Maybe it just seems it.”
They climbed the steps to the second floor, Brian huffing and puffing several steps behind them.
“Why isn’t there an elevator in this place?” he complained when they reached the second floor.
“The building’s well over a hundred years old, Dad. They didn’t have elevators when the place was built.” Cass repeated what she’d been told when she’d asked the same question.
“They never heard of retrofitting?”
“There is a service elevator in the back hall somewhere, but I think they didn’t want to disturb the historic ambience of the lobby.”
“They can keep their ambience,” he continued to grumble. “I’ll take an elevator over ambience any day of the week.”
“You could use the exercise,” his wife told him. “You’re getting a little paunchy.”
Cass watched in amusement as her father tried to pretend he hadn’t heard.
Her parents’ room was in the wing opposite Cass’s, and by the time they arrived, the bellhop was there with their bags and the room had been opened for them.
“I should have hitched a ride up with you,” Brian muttered as he tipped the young man.
“So what’s your plan, guys?” Cass went to the French doors and opened them, then stood back on the balcony so her parents could admire the view. “What’s on your agenda?”
“Well, first thing I’d like to see is this island you and your father have been raving about. I’ve looked over your preliminary plans, and I love what you’re wanting to do there. Such sweet little houses. And who thought of using original materials in the new construction? My girl.” Linda made no attempt to hide her pride in her daughter.
“I gotta agree, Cassie. I think we’re all gonna be real proud of this project once it’s finished.”
“Well, before we can finish, we have to start. Did you call the state about the permit for the dock?” Cass stepped back into the room.
“I had Lee call. She’s the engineer I’m using here, Lee Stafford, so she’ll handle that.”
“I love that you can see so much of the Chesapeake from here, Cassie.” Linda was still on the balcony. “Brian, come out here and see this view of the bay.”
Brian rolled his eyes and did his wife’s bidding, and Cass smiled to herself. For all his occasional bluster, Brian was putty in the hands of his pretty wife, and everyone knew it.
“Like I’ve never seen the bay.” He was still muttering. “Yes. Pretty. Lovely view. Let’s show your mother the island, then get lunch.”
“How about showing your wife some lunch and then we’ll look at the island?”
Cass voted with her mother, and they headed downstairs to the dining room, which Cass had highly recommended.
“Tomorrow maybe we can grab breakfast or lunch at this sweet place called Blossoms on the other side of town.” Cass described the restaurant for her parents.
“That sounds darling. Let’s save that for dinner,” Linda suggested.
“I won’t be around for dinner. I have a wedding to go to. Alec Jansen’s getting married tomorrow, Dad.”
“Nice boy, Alec. We couldn’t have gotten this project off the ground without him. Him and that woman in the general store. Topaz?”
“Ruby,” Cass corrected him.
“Of course. Ruby Carter. Wonderful lady.” Brian shifted from one foot to the other while they waited to be seated.
Crab in several forms was on the menu, so they each ordered a different dish to share and chatted easily through lunch. Brian was obviously eager to get out to the island, so no one lingered over their meal. Cass started to offer to drive, then remembered her sports car was best suited to two passengers, so she let Brian drive.
“This place looks almost deserted,” Linda exclaimed after they’d driven over the bridge and onto the one paved road on the island. “Oh, wait, there are some cars parked up ahead.”
“That’s one of our job sites, Mom. Those cars and pickups belong to our work crew. That’s the first of our houses to be taken down. Stop, Dad, and let’s give Mom a tour.”
Brian pulled over to the side of the road and parked.
“Well, the house has a view of the bay and it’s nice and close to the beach.”
Cass knew her mother had tried to find something positive to say, as she always did. “It’s okay, Mom. We knew it was a teardown when we bought it.”
“Oh, good. I was hoping it wasn’t one of your rehabs.” Linda and Cass got out of the car and Brian followed. “Because it looks like something that should be torn down.”
In her pricey designer sandals, Linda headed up the sandy driveway to the shell of the house. Workmen were stacking bricks from the chimney and pulling old nails from the floorboards they’d already removed and were tossing the nails into a bucket. Cass wasn’t sure what if anything she’d do with those old iron nails, but she thought they might be worth saving for some unforeseen project.
The men stopped momentarily when Brian appeared on the scene, but, at a signal from Ted, returned to their tasks.
“We’re going to enlarge the footprint of the house,” Cass told her mother when Brian and Ted stepped to the driveway to talk. She took her mother by the elbow and led her carefully to the back of the house. “At one time there was a patio back here. I’d like to restore it and have it extend the full length of the house.”
Linda nodded thoughtfully as Cass described where the different rooms would be in the house. “Well, you weren’t kidding when you said these places would be small. Two or three bedrooms and two baths.” Linda frowned. “That’s not much of a beach house, Cassie.”
“I think of them as little getaways. They aren’t intended to impress. They’re supposed to be cozy, comfortable little cottages where you can come and relax without all the trappings that complicate life.”
“They’ll certainly be cozy.”
“I’m going to be keeping one for myself. I have it down to two sites, but I can’t decide between them.”
“A little place like this would be perfect for one person.” Linda nodded. “This would be a nice little weekend place for you.”
“I’m thinking of making this my home. I spend so little time in my condo in Baltimore, and I think it’s because I don’t love living there.”
“You think you’d love living here?” Linda frowned.
The sound of pounding feet drifted from the road, growing louder as the runner drew closer. Cass glanced around the corner of the house, a smile on her face. She had a pretty good idea who the runner was.
Owen spotted her and raised a hand in greeting, then diverted from the road onto the overgrown lawn.
“Hey, Cass.” He was dressed as he had been the last time she’d seen him running, though this time his shirt was still on.
“Hi, Owen.” She took several steps to meet him. Her mother followed her around the corner. “No diving today?”
“Jared’s not back yet. I don’t think he’ll make it back till Monday or Tuesday. He has plans for the weekend.” Owen noticed her mother standing at the corner of the half-demolished building. He smiled and waved.
Cass turned to see her mother staring. “Mom, this is Owen Parker. Owen, my mother, Linda Deiter.”
“I’d shake your hand, Mrs. Deiter, but I’m afraid I’m a little sweaty right now.” He seemed both apologetic and slightly embarrassed.
“It’s quite all right.” Linda nodded but didn’t join them.
“So no change in your plans for tonight?”
Cass shook her head. “I should show my parents around town and have dinner with them. They decided to stay through Sunday, so I should spend at least one of their two nights with them.”
“I got it. How ’bout I pick you up before the wedding instead of meeting you there? No reason for us both to drive. It should be a fun time. It certainly will be interesting.” Owen smiled wryly. “Our mom decided to come to the wedding after all.”
“How long’s it been since you’ve seen her?”
“Too long. I tried to get together with her on my way back here a few months ago, but she was busy. Anyway, what’s a Parker wedding without a little drama?” He glanced behind her and realized her mother was still standing there. “Speaking of moms, I think yours is waiting. I’ll see you tomorrow.” With a wave toward Linda, Owen turned and jogged off across the lawn.
Cass noticed he stopped to say something to Brian, but she turned her attention back to her mother.
“So I don’t want to take you inside because it’s dangerous, but I think you get the idea of what I want to do, right?” Cass stood with her hands on her hips.
“Who was that?”
“Owen Parker. I told you.”
“But who is he?” Linda seemed to be searching Cass’s face.
“He lives on the island. His great-grandmother is Ruby Carter.” Cass tried to think of something else to say other than He’s the guy who sets my pulse racing and who turns my knees to mush.
“What does he do?”
Cass thought it over and found herself opting for the most socially acceptable answer. “He’s a professional diver.”
“No, I mean what does he do to stay in shape like that?”
“Oh.” That had been the last thing Cass expected her mother to say. “Well, he runs a lot.”
“Whatever else could be said about this little island of yours, one can’t complain about the scenery.”
“Mother!”
Linda laughed. “Cassidy, you’re blushing. Now might be a good time to tell me what else I might want to know about Owen Parker.”
“He’s the brother of Alec’s bride.”
“The wedding that’s tomorrow? The one you’re going to?”
Cass nodded. “I’m going as Owen’s date.”
“I see. Now, tell me what you think you can do with all that glass that’s piled up over there.”
Cass walked around the entire property outlining the new house and elaborating on its design. They met up with Brian out front and agreed that the house, when completed, would be an interesting property.
“And right across from where the new dock’s going to be,” Brian pointed out.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Dad. Wait and see what your engineer has to say after she talks to the state.”
“I have a good feeling about this, Cassie. I think it’s going to be fine. Owen just told me about the natural depth in the bay there. He thinks we’ll be fine.”
“Tell me again why you didn’t want to build the dock over here in the first place,” Linda said as they walked to the car. “And how do you know Owen?”
“I thought the river was a more picturesque setting than the bay side,” Brian said somewhat sheepishly. “And I met Owen at the meeting we had some months ago in the general store when we got some of the islanders together. He’s Ruby Carter’s great-grandson.”
“So Cass said.”
Linda got in the car’s front passenger seat and Cass got in the back.
“Ruby and Owen were both very helpful to me when I was trying to buy up some of the unused properties. He and Alec tracked down some former residents so we could negotiate the sales through the Realtor.” Brian slid behind the wheel. “So where to now?”
“Just drive slowly around the island so Mom can see the point and we can point out the lots we bought.”
The drive took less than twenty minutes. As they approached the point, Cass noticed the tent for Lis and Alec’s wedding reception had already been erected, and folding chairs were stacked under the canopy.
“That’s where the wedding’s going to be tomorrow,” Cass pointed out to her mother.
“Under the tent?” Linda asked.
“The ceremony is going to be on the pier at sunset, and then the reception will be under the tent.”
“Isn’t it going to be dark?”
“They’re bringing in tons of lights to hang in the trees all along the point, and that’s all I know. Lucy Sinclair—her family owns the inn—is apparently a very well-known event planner. She’s doing the entire thing, and except for the fact that there will be lights, she’s kept pretty much everything else close to the vest. I’m really intrigued to see what she’s going to do. Some of her weddings here in St. Dennis have been written up in magazines, so I’m prepared to be impressed.” Cass glanced over her shoulder at the cottage that stood near the edge of the trees.
“So is that like a little community-center type thing there?” her mother asked, apparently having followed Cass’s gaze.
“No. It’s the future home of the bride and groom.” Cass explained the history of the cottage and Lis’s love for it. She added proudly, “I helped redesign the interior, added some space to the back of the house, and bumped out the bedrooms. It’s lovely inside, maybe one of the most charming places I’ve ever been in. Lis was right to want to save it.”
“You really have become immersed in this place, haven’t you?” Linda turned in her seat to face Cass.
“I have. I can’t help it. It’s the sort of place that draws you in. There’s something very special about Cannonball Island, Mom. Dad was a genius to see here what no one else had seen in a hundred years.”
The rearview mirror captured her father’s smile.
“Take a bow, Dad.”
“I’m driving. I’ll bow later.”
Cass pointed out the general store to her mother, and Brian slowed as they passed by. Cass noticed a light in one of the second-floor rooms, and the thought that it was most likely Owen in the shower after his run brought a quick flush to her cheeks. She could imagine soapy water covering that broad chest and beyond, could almost see him with his head back and his eyes closed as the water streamed down his face and the length of his body.
Would she be a fly on that wall? Oh, yeah.
“Now show us around St. Dennis, Cassie,” her father was saying. “Maybe a bit of that walking tour you went on . . .”
“Take the second right after the bridge,” she said after taking one last glance over her shoulder. “And then the first left.”
She struggled but finally managed to block out the vision, willing herself to stop speculating what she might see should she be able to see through the second-floor walls of the old store.