A Haven on the Bay - Nicole Ellis Page 0,76

would you feel about having a roommate?”

Tia looked up sharply. Living by herself was lonelier than she’d expected, but she wasn’t keen on the idea of moving in with a stranger. On the other hand, it was a two-bedroom house. If sharing the space was what it took to live in this cottage, she’d seriously consider it. “A roommate?”

“Yeah.” Meg met her gaze. “I think it’s about time I moved out of the apartment over my parents’ garage. What do you think about sharing the cottage with me?” She quickly added, “I totally understand if you don’t want to though. You’re probably used to living on your own.”

Tia shook her head. “No. I’d love to have a roommate.” She grinned impishly. “But, I don’t know. How do you feel about mint chocolate-chip ice cream? If you don’t like it, that’s a dealbreaker.”

Meg laughed. “I love it. I wouldn’t complain if we had a freezer full of ice cream.”

Tia crossed the small room and held out her hand to Meg, who grasped it firmly. “Deal.” They shook hands, then both dissolved into a fit of laughter. Meg appeared as giddy about the opportunity to live there as Tia was.

Shawn and Zoe had gone down to the first floor while Meg and Tia checked out the bedrooms.

“Meg?” Zoe shouted up the stairs. “Celia called and said there’s someone waiting for you at the Inn.”

Meg paused on the landing outside the bedrooms. “Who is it?”

“I don’t know.” Zoe’s voice floated up to them. “But you’d better check it out.”

Meg shrugged and Tia followed her down the stairs to go meet Zoe and Shawn outside.

“So, what do you think?” Shawn asked.

“I love it.” After living in a series of small, rundown apartments, Tia could hardly believe she’d get to live on the resort property. She swallowed hard and swiped at her eyes. “Thank you both.”

“No problem.” Zoe beamed at her. “I’m so glad you like this idea.” She turned to Meg. “You’d better get going. Celia said whoever it is didn’t seem very patient.”

“I’m going, I’m going,” Meg grumbled. She took off at a brisk walk, covering ground quickly.

“Who’s waiting for her?” Tia asked out of curiosity.

Zoe’s eyes twinkled. “You’ll see. We had surprises for both of you today.”

Tia laughed. “Okay, then. I hope hers is as good as mine.” Before heading back to the Inn, she took a final look at the cottage and her heart warmed. There was no way Meg’s surprise could be anywhere near as wonderful as what they’d given her.

20

Meg

Meg strode purposefully away from the cottage, but slowed her pace as she rounded the bend. Whoever was waiting for her at the Inn could afford to wait a few extra minutes. It was too wonderful a day to hurry, and she wanted to savor what had just happened.

When she and Zoe had initially discussed fixing up Cottage Twenty for Tia, Meg hadn’t intended to ask Tia to share the space. They’d chosen that particular cottage because Tia had mentioned to Zoe how much she loved it, not because of its size. After seeing the interior, though, Meg had been struck with a sudden desire to live there too. It made sense—Zoe, Shawn, and Celia already lived on the property. If Meg lived there, too, she’d be closer to work and readily available if something came up at the resort or one of the events.

Her brain was a mess of jumbled thoughts, but the stillness of the narrow gravel lane running in front of the cottages and the sound of the waves lapping at the sand below the cliff brought peace to her heart. Postponing her dream of renovating the barn hadn’t been something she’d foreseen, but was for the best. They were only about a week and a half away from October and the barn wasn’t anywhere near empty enough to begin renovations. At this rate, she’d be lucky to have it done by January or February.

Thinking about how much junk remained in the barn saddened her and she paused for a few seconds to gaze back toward the cottages. She was too happy about the prospect of living at the resort to allow her worries to ruin the day. Visions of morning jogs on the beach and evenings spent with friends and resort guests on the Inn’s porch filled her head. And, although she’d lived on her own for a while, it would be nice to have a roommate again.

When the Inn came into sight, Meg noticed a