was due to begin the next day on the house; by mid-morning the crews Killian had managed to hire from the mainland would have arrived on the early ferry. Some of them, she knew, according to Hope who had continued to call her daily with updates, would stay on the island, lodging at the various guesthouses and with friends. Some would make the daily commute.
There wouldn’t be much for her to do on site other than make decisions about what she wanted doing to the house and what she was prepared to pay for, but there was one thing she could do and that was feed everyone. She loved to cook and thanks to her upbringing was not only used to cooking for large amounts of people but often cooking outdoors.
She bought stacks of disposable plates and cups, a coffee urn, a huge barbecue, okay that had been a little extravagant but, in her defense, she’d never owned one before and it had been on sale down at Samsons’ Hardware. She’d spent the last few days building up the fire pit and stocking up on fuel, which had largely involved long walks in the woods with her dog while she collected fallen branches and twigs.
She bought large pans and fresh produce, all locally grown, and loaded it all up in the back of her truck while she watched as the boats came in, unloading huge traps and crates filled with fresh lobster and fish. The fish she could handle, she had a real way with pan fried fish, but she was determined to learn to cook lobster, something she still had yet to try.
The thought of lobster rolls had her mind involuntarily turning back to Kelley, the sexy bartender who was not only determined to take her out on a seafood date but who’d been conspicuously absent for the last few days. She hadn’t seen or heard from him since the night of the storm when they’d fallen asleep in her shabby little one-man tent, and the next morning when he’d gone to relive himself and accidentally flashed a bunch of little old ladies.
The thought made her lips twist momentarily into an amused smile, but it soon vanished when she contemplated how quickly he’d abandoned his pursuit of her. She should’ve been relieved that he’d left her alone. After all, she wasn’t on the island looking for love she was there to discover her family roots and rebuild an old house, but damn it if she wasn’t a little disappointed that he’d apparently lost interest so quickly.
Still, she shouldn’t have been surprised. As a bartender he had women falling over themselves to get to him. She knew, she’d seen it with her own eyes the night she’d rolled into town. He could have any woman he wanted, even Hope had alluded as much. Why on earth would he want a prickly loner who lived out of her truck, with an oversized dog who’d tried to smother him in his sleep.
Her mouth twisted down and her brow furrowed. The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became, until it was an unpleasant slippery eel twisting and lurching in her belly. She was glad he hadn’t called or bothered to pursue her; she wasn’t interested in the slightest. If he wanted to go and sleep with some cheap bar slut, then he was welcome to.
She hadn’t realized that, as her inner voice ran away on a mental rant, she’d been walking aimlessly, following roads and paths away from the main docks and shops, until she wasn’t quite sure where she was. Looking up she saw a big friendly sandstone colored building with Midnight Middle and High School written across it in neat silver letters. Despite the fact that it was summer, and school should’ve been out, there were various cars scattered about and a bunch of kids heading out the main entrance.
Gripping Bailey’s brand-new blue leash in her hand Ava crossed the street and headed toward the building. She figured she could flag down someone and ask for directions back to the docks.
She saw a cluster of kids and moms not far from the entrance. She was already heading toward them when they parted and she stopped dead in her tracks, her mouth falling open in confusion. She blinked hard but the sight in front of her remained the same.
It was Kelley, standing in amongst the kids and parents, laughing and smiling. He wore his trademark blue jeans, but he’d