Page 10 of The Cottage on Pelican Bay

Zara loved the pier and recalled the walks she and her mother would take across it to the cottage. Vaughn told her that while living in the mansion, occasionally he would jog back and forth across the pier in the mornings. At night the pier would light up, thanks to timers that came on at dusk and went off at daybreak.

When she had reached the Catalina Cove city limits, she had contacted Vaughn to let him know she’d arrived in town. She had contacted her sister-in-law, Sierra, as well, who invited her to lunch at the restaurant she owned, the Green Fig. She said that she’d prepared Zara’s favorite soup as the “soup of the day”—black bean with crab meat and andouille sausage. That was Vaughn’s favorite as well. He’d raved about it so much that she’d tried it and was glad that she had. It was totally delicious.

An hour later she had finished unpacking and was headed to the shower, looking forward to meeting Sierra for lunch.

Zara entered the Green Fig soup café and was greeted by Levi Canady, Sierra’s assistant manager. Levi, an ex-cop who’d retired early from the police force due to an injury, was a childhood friend of Sierra’s father’s. “Hello, Levi.”

“Hello, Zara. Sierra and the ladies are waiting for you. Right this way.”

The ladies? Following Levi toward the back, she beamed in happiness when she saw the women seated at the table. They were friends of Sierra’s that Zara had gotten to know and considered friends as well. First, there was Velvet, who’d recently gotten engaged to the town’s banker. The huge diamond ring on her finger was blinding. Then there was Ashley—a very pregnant Ashley—who was married to Ray Sullivan. Ray owned a boat tour company as well as the water-taxi service in town. Their baby was due this summer.

Also seated at the table was Vashti Grisham, who owned Shelby by the Sea, the local bed-and-breakfast inn, and was married to Sheriff Sawyer Grisham; Bryce Witherspoon-Chambray, who was the daughter of the Witherspoons, who owned a popular café; and last but not least was Donna Elloran, who like everyone other than Ashley, was born and raised in Catalina Cove.

“Welcome home, Zara!” The women cheered and then stood to give her welcoming hugs. Although she’d lived in Boston for the past few years, the one thing she liked about returning to the cove was the people who would be there to welcome her back.

When everyone had returned to their seats and she’d taken hers, Zara grinned at a beaming Velvet. “Congratulations, Velvet, and that ring is gorgeous. Sierra told me about the school board meeting. I’m dying to know what happened when everyone found out you’re an heiress, and when you returned to school the next day with that rock on your finger.”

Velvet laughed. “Most people were shocked, believe me. But it didn’t matter. I knew who my true friends were and couldn’t care less for anyone who wanted to befriend me after the fact.”

“And just to let you know...” Bryce barely held back a laugh and said, “Once word got out that Jaye and Velvet hadn’t been strangers like the townspeople assumed, but they had been involved in an affair that had lasted three years, and that Jaye’s sole purpose for being in Catalina Cove was to get back the woman he loved, and going so far as to orchestrate the buying of a bank and becoming her neighbor to do so, Webb Crawford is still walking around town with egg on his face. He definitely made an ass of himself for even thinking he had a chance with Velvet.”

“Same thing for his sister Laura,” Donna added. “I heard she left Catalina Cove to travel abroad and hasn’t returned yet. She’s probably too embarrassed to show her face after all those outbursts she made at the meeting while trying to make Velvet look bad.”

Zara laughed, knowing there was never a dull moment in Catalina Cove, and appreciated her friends giving her an update. “So, tell me about the wedding, Velvet,” she said.

Total happiness spread across Velvet’s lips. “The wedding will take place the first week in August in Phoenix. Reid Lacroix will be giving me away. Jaye and I will live here until after the wedding and then we’re moving to Phoenix.”

“So you won’t be teaching in Catalina Cove after this school year?” Zara asked.

“No. I’ve already gotten hired at the high school where I taught when I lived in Phoenix before. Jaye and I plan on building a summer home on the ocean property he purchased for me in Reid’s new development. We’ll return to spend every summer in the cove.”

“What about that guy you were tutoring after school?” Donna asked. “Allen Bordeaux’s son.”

Velvet showed her happiness and excitement when she patted her hands together. “Lenny finished all the classwork he needed to do and passed all the exams. That means he will be attending high school in the fall and has already been accepted to play on their varsity baseball team.”

“That’s wonderful.”

Zara then turned her attention to Ashley Sullivan. “Do you know what you’re having yet? Boy? Girl? Or another set of twins?”

Ashley threw her head back and laughed. She already had an adorable set of three-year-old twins. A boy and a girl. “Don’t you dare suggest more twins. According to my doctor, Ray and I are having another son.”

“That’s great and congratulations to you and Ray.”

At that moment the waitress came to take their orders. After the waitress left, Donna announced that she and Isaac were expecting another baby. Right in time for Thanksgiving. They were hoping for a girl this time but would be grateful for any healthy baby they got. Phones were passed around to show recent photos of everyone’s kids, and Zara provided information about what the fashion trend this fall would be like.

“Okay, Zara, you know what we’re all dying to ask,” Vashti said, grinning from ear to ear. “We were all at Sierra and Vaughn’s celebration cookout and saw your reaction to Saint and his reaction to you. It was obvious the two of you were shocked at seeing each other.”

“Things were so hot between you two that for a while we all felt like we were in a heated furnace,” Donna added.

“That’s what I heard,” Zara said, shaking her head.

“And I happened to notice how he kept his eyes on you at Vaughn and Sierra’s wedding,” Bryce said, cocking a curious eye.

After taking a sip of her water, Zara tilted her head at Bryce, snickered and said, “Umm, you don’t say.”

“We do say, and just so you know,” Vashti interjected, “in school Saint was a very well-liked and popular guy. He was captain of the football, basketball, track and swim teams. A real hottie. He graduated the year before me, Bryce and Vaughn did.”

Bryce piped in with a grin, “And unlike a lot of guys he was always kind, and his popularity didn’t give him an ego. He was handsome and had a great-looking physique even back then.”

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