“And that’s fine, but…” She groaned. “Okay, here it is. You know how my folks have always been into paranormal hunting?”
“Yeah…”
Another sigh. “Well…they’ve both taken some extended vacation time to go on some sort of cross-country trip with a group they belong to.”
“O-kay. I still don’t see what this has to do with you moving away though.”
“When I lost my job and realized the best thing for me to do was move, they decided to list the house as an Airbnb for the time they’re away as a source of income.”
“What? But…”
“That means I don’t have a place to live for the next three months. They leave on Monday which is when I need to be out as well.”
“Is that all?” Scarlett said, suddenly all smiles.
“Uh, yeah. It’s kind of a big deal. I’m going to be homeless on top of already being jobless, sooo…”
“So stay at my place! You know we haven’t decided what to do with it yet and it’s just been sitting vacant for months! This is perfect! Now you can stay and…”
Courtney held up a hand to stop her. “Scar, I appreciate the offer, but I can’t do it. I really…” She looked around the room and spotted one of the main reasons she was opting to move away. Forcing her attention back to Scarlett, she continued. “It’s just time for me to have a fresh start someplace that isn’t Magnolia Sound. I can’t do small town life anymore. I just can’t.”
Tears began to well up again in Scarlett’s eyes but Courtney wasn’t having it.
“And you cannot keep crying to get your way,” she said with a small laugh. Jumping to her feet, she looked down at her friend and grinned. “This is going to be a good thing for me and you should be happy! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to grab a glass of wine.”
Walking across the room, Courtney smiled and waved to people she knew but did her best to get to the bar as quickly as possible. Once there, she smiled at the bartender. “Moscato, please.” Once she had her glass in hand, she thanked him and walked out onto the back deck of the Magnolia on the Sound–the new B&B that Mason’s aunt owned. The house was over a hundred years old and recently renovated and it was quite possibly the most magnificent house she’d ever been in.
The weather was a little cool and she wished she had grabbed a sweater, but…it was peaceful outside and the perfect spot for a little quiet reflection.
Leaning on the railing, she looked out at the Sound as she sipped her wine. She’d never admit it to anyone, but she really loved it here. Not the B&B–although it was beautiful–but the small coastal town where she’d lived her whole life. She loved the beach and her friends and family, but…nothing was happening for her here. Not only was her job gone, but she hadn’t had a date in months and the men she did want to date–or rather, the man she wanted to date–was off limits.
And it sucked.
If it weren’t for the fact that the dentist she was working for had to retire immediately therefore leaving her unemployed, she probably wouldn’t have opted to move away. But considering the downward spiral her life was currently in, it seemed only logical to pick up and move someplace new and start over.
But yeah, the timing did suck.
She wanted to see Scarlett get married and luckily she was, but the thought of not being here when her best friend had her baby was a little harder to deal with. They had always talked about having their kids close together and hoping they’d be best friends too.
Hard to happen when no man has even attempted to touch me in almost six months…
That depressing thought had her taking a long drink of her wine and was thankful no one was there to witness her practically guzzling the whole thing down.
“Hey, Court.”
Or so she thought.
Turning, she saw Scarlett’s brother Kyle walking her way. He was super sweet, a total flirt, and completely harmless. There was zero attraction between the two of them and she considered him to be a good friend.
“Hey, yourself. Having fun?”
Standing beside her, he leaned against the railing as well and stared out at the beach. “I know this is just supposed to be a casual dinner after the whole wedding rehearsal, but I swear Mason’s mother has me feeling like