Finn's Fantasy (Maine Men #1) - K.C. Wells Page 0,20
was starting to feel like home. Pity it’s a rental. The apartment he’d moved into in Augusta back in January had felt like a stopgap, a bridging place till he found somewhere more permanent. Joel knew deep down he couldn’t live in a city again. The lure of the coast was too great. He wasn’t concerned about winter in Maine—they’d moved to Augusta when Nate was two—so he knew what to expect from the climate. Of course, when the snow lay eighteen inches thick he might change his mind, but Joel didn’t think so.
I could live here. Joel liked the village and the beach. Any stores he needed were within easy reach, and if they weren’t, there was always Portland or Kennebunk. He’d taken on the cottage because he liked the area, and it hadn’t taken long to acclimatize. Granted, the cottage wasn’t perfect. The decor was a mishmash of styles, the furniture an eclectic mix, and there were parts that needed a severe upgrade or fix. But it served its purpose. It had given him a taste of life on the coast, to the point where he felt he didn’t want to look any further.
Maybe I need to check if any properties around here are for sale.
His musings came to a halt when Bramble walked to the back door and sat there, whining.
Joel shook his head. “You were supposed to do that on the beach.” He opened the door, and Bramble went tearing outside. It wasn’t as if he could run off, as the yard was fenced in. Beyond it was nothing but trees. Joel stood on the deck, waiting while Bramble did his business. He glanced along the back wall of the cottage, and a flutter of movement caught his attention. There was some kind of moth on the wall, its wings spread wide. From his position, Joel couldn’t see what kind it was, but its markings piqued his interest. He took a step toward it to see how close he could get, but the wood shattered, and his foot disappeared through the deck.
“Christ.” There had been a brief flash of pain, but thankfully the deck was not too high, and he’d only gone through it to a depth of a few feet. Careful to avoid splinters, Joel pulled free of the broken wood. Bramble trotted over and sniffed at it, and Joel grabbed his collar. “That’s it. You’re not coming out here anymore. You’ll end up getting splinters in your nose or paws, or maybe your butt.” He led Bramble inside and shut the door.
Joel gave his ankle a rub, but the ache had already subsided. He walked over to the table, picked up his phone, and scrolled through his contacts till he found Mr. Reed, the landlord. When Mr. Reed answered, Joel related what had happened.
Mr. Reed sighed. “Sounds as if I need to add a new deck to the list. I am so tired of this.”
“I’m sorry, but this is not my fault,” Joel remonstrated.
“Oh, I’m not saying it is. It’s just that the list of things to be done to that place is never-ending. For one thing, I have to keep replacing furniture. You know that armchair, the one with the sailboats? I got it from Goodwill. One set of tenants spilled red wine over the last one. Since I took on the property, it’s been a never-ending search for cheap, second-hand furniture, because buying new just isn’t feasible. People don’t seem to look after anything these days.”
Joel wanted to argue that he wasn’t one of those people, but Mr. Reed continued.
“I know the place needs an upgrade. I was intending to do that over the winter, but family matters meant I had to put that on the back burner. And the way I’m feeling right now? I’m seriously thinking of getting out of the property rental business.” He chuckled. “I’m sorry. I think this comes under the heading of too much information. You don’t need to hear about my problems.”
Joel’s heart hammered. “If you’re serious, I’ll buy the cottage from you.”
There was silence for a moment. “Excuse me?”
Joel didn’t stop to think too much about it. “Well, it sounds as though you’ve had enough of the place. So… I’ll buy it. Of course, the price would have to reflect its present state, and how much I’d have to lay out for the work that needs doing.” And I can’t believe I’m even contemplating this. All he knew was that he wanted this.