Page 5 of After the Vows

Technically, I haven’t begun my job yet but I will soon.

“Here? As in the island of Smuggler’s Hideaway?”

“Yes.”

She giggles. “Nice try. I know all of the police officers on this island. You aren’t one of them.”

I hold out my hand. “I’m Lucas Fellows, the newest police officer on the island.”

Understanding lights in her eyes. “I’m Addy. Nice to meet you.”

“Now you know I’m legit. Is the owner okay?

“Chloe’s fine. You can see for yourself.” Addy points to the woman standing at the mouth of the hallway.

No wonder the customer asked this woman out. She’s a complete knockout with her porcelain skin and shiny auburn hair. She’s tall, slender, and elegant. She should be on the cover of one of those fancy magazines my ex used to buy in bulk.

She’s wearing shorts and I can’t get enough of those long legs. I bet they’d feel wonderful wrapped around my hips. My cock twitches in agreement.

I clear my throat and force thoughts of Chloe’s legs out of my mind. I’m not getting involved with a woman when the ink on my divorce papers is still fresh. Besides, my focus has to be on my daughter, Natalia, now. My needs can wait.

“Do you want a table? Will anyone be joining you?”

“Nah. I’m not staying. I need directions to Treasure Trail.”

She grins. “Treasure Trail?”

“Please tell me I haven’t been catfished.”

She pats my hand. “Don’t you worry. Treasure Trail exists and I think I know what house you’re moving into.”

Her amusement has the hairs on my neck rising. What’s funny? Is the house I rented some kind of haunted house? Or derelict? Crap. Natalia’s joining me in a week. I need the house finished before she arrives.

She steers me toward the door. “I’ll give you directions.”

I worry her directions are some kind of ruse considering the looney smile on her face but I arrive at the house I recognize from the pictures the realtor sent me five minutes later. It’s not derelict. And if it happens to be haunted, I’ll hire a witch to get rid of any paranormal presence.

I dig out the keys the realtor sent me. Time to figure out if I need to search for a witch.

I climb up the stairs to the porch and unlock the door. The scent of lemon hits me the second I enter. Good. The extra two hundred dollars I paid for a cleaning crew was worth it.

The living room has an oversized L-shaped sofa facing a large television perfect for watching football on. Beyond the living room is the kitchen. It’s separated from the living room by an island with four chairs at it. Off to the side is a kitchen nook.

I’m curious about the backyard. I open the French doors and step out onto the back deck. The area is fenced in. Perfect for a dog.

I’ve always wanted one, but Holly claimed she was allergic. She wasn’t allergic. She was afraid a dog would claim my attention. My ex-wife needed to be the center of attention at all times. Which is impossible when you’re a police officer working shifts in a big city.

Ever since Holly left, Natalia’s been begging for a dog. I haven’t given in yet, but I plan for one of our first excursions on Smuggler’s Hideaway to be a trip to the pound to pick out a new pet.

I step back inside the house and climb the stairs to check on the bedrooms. There are three bedrooms and two bathrooms. I pick out a room for Natalia before returning to my truck to start bringing in the boxes.

I rented the house furnished but there’s still a lot to unpack – kitchenware, sheets, towels – and then there’s Natalia’s stuff. I admit, I might be spoiling her a bit much since her mom left us.

I nearly have my truck empty when a woman pedals by on a bicycle. She turns into the driveway next door and parks her bike before removing her helmet. She shakes out her auburn hair and…

Fuck.

No wonder the waitress at the brewery was laughing when she gave me directions to my house. She knew my new neighbor would be none other than her boss, Chloe.

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