Page 4 of Seaside Hideaway

Audrey finished her ice coffee before she shook her head. “I never expect to get a chance to talk to you when I come in here.”

“And that’s why I was thinking that we should try this new restaurant that just opened up. I thought maybe we could check it out together, grab some dinner. What do you say?”

“Today?”

Lisa nodded.

Audrey hesitated, her mind already jumping ahead to her evening plans. “I’d love to, but I’ve been meaning to work on my neighbor’s garden. It’s been neglected for a while now. I haven’t been over there in almost two weeks, and it’s starting to get messy.”

Lisa’s expression softened. “You’re still looking after Lily’s garden?”

Audrey nodded, a sad smile tugging at her lips. “I can’t just let it get overgrown. Lily loved that garden.”

“Do you think the house will ever be sold?”

Audrey shrugged, her gaze drifting out the window of Lisa’s cozy café. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen anyone come around, not even to check on the property. Lily never really talked about her family. I never asked what happened. But they must know about the house, or maybe they just don’t care,” she finished with a sigh.

Lisa reached across the table, giving Audrey’s hand a comforting squeeze. “I’m sure whoever they are, they’d appreciate what you’re doing.”

Audrey met Lisa’s gaze, a grateful smile on her face. “Thanks, Lisa. I just... I feel like I owe it to her, you know? After everything she did for me when I first moved here.”

Lisa nodded, understanding in her eyes. “Of course. But don’t forget to take care of yourself too, okay? The offer for dinner still stands, whenever you’re free.”

“Thanks. Maybe next week?”

“If it’s next week, I’ll be persuading you to do dinner and a movie.”

“Another Jake Griffen action thriller, whatever,” Audrey said with a flick of her wrist.

“It’s a tradition at this point.”

“Thankfully, there’s always a woman to distract me from Jake Griffen’s sweaty, chiseled body.”

“And that’s why you keep coming with me. Good luck with your afternoon project.”

“Thanks.”

Audrey watched Lisa walk away. She was so lucky to have a friend like Lisa. Audrey had spent a lot of time with Lily too, but it was always gardening or going for a walk on the beach. With Lisa, she got out of her comfort zone. Lisa always wanted to try new restaurants or go away for the weekend. Lisa even came to gay bars with Audrey when she was feeling particularly adventurous, back when she’d first moved to Morro Bay.

That was only four or five years ago, but it felt like a lifetime ago. Audrey couldn’t even imagine going to Los Angeles or San Francisco for the weekend like they used to. She’d almost accepted that she wasn’t going to be in a serious relationship again. Yes, the divorce had left her feeling bitter, but even as the years went by, and she found a new place to call home, she hadn’t felt that need to put herself out there again and try to meet someone new. She didn’t need to. She was happy just the way things were. Every once in a while, Lisa tried to set her up with a friend of a friend, but even Lisa might be ready to give up on her.

Audrey sighed, her thoughts drifting back to her neighbor’s garden. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness as she thought about Lily. The older woman had been such a comforting presence in her life, always ready with a wise word or happy to just sit together on the deck and watch the sun set. Lily had been the first person to make Audrey feel truly welcome in Morro Bay, and even though it had been two years since she’d died, Audrey was missing her more with each passing month.

Audrey paid and got another iced coffee to bring with her to her next job. As she pushed open the door of the café, the warm California sun embraced her once again. She squinted against the brightness, her hand automatically reaching up to shield her eyes. The walk back to her truck was short, but Audrey found herself taking her time, her mind still lost in thought.

She climbed into the driver’s seat, the hot leather sticking to the back of her thighs. The engine roared to life, and Audrey reached for her shades, sliding them on, ready to get back to work.

3

Piper picked Natalie up in the afternoon, more than ready to get on the road after having one of the most relaxing weeks in recent memory. As much as she enjoyed that alone time, she was ready to jump into this project. It had been taking up space in her head for more than a year, and it was time to finally get started on it.

Even now, Piper still couldn’t believe that her grandmother had bypassed her son and left Piper the house. Piper never doubted how much her grandmother had loved her, but if she had, the fact that her grandmother had taken her in when her own parents had thrown her out, would have told her everything she needed to know.

But still. It was a big deal for her grandmother to have changed her will, and Piper didn’t have to speak to her father to know that he would have been pissed to have been completely left out of it.

And now, Piper had every intention of honoring that decision. She had plans to keep a lot of the house the same, to keep the things that reminded her of her grandmother the most, but with a fresh coat of paint and some updates, the beach house could be Piper’s little hideaway when she needed to escape the madness of her life in the spotlight.

As Los Angeles faded in her rearview mirror, she merged onto US-101, the freeway carrying her inland through the San Fernando Valley, enjoying the freedom of driving without worrying about paparazzi spotting her in traffic which was a rare thing.

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