Page 4 of After the Vows

I wait until she’s gone to collapse in my chair. I wasn’t lying to her. I am okay. I’ll always be okay. Chloe Summers will not let life get her down.

Chapter 2

Lucas – a man whose arrival on Smuggler’s Hideaway will cause heads to turn and hearts to yearn

Lucas

“You have arrived at your destination.”

I scowl at the GPS. I’m in the middle of nowhere. This can’t be my destination. I check the address I typed into the GPS. It’s correct – 5 Treasure Trail in the town of Smuggler’s Rest.

Damnit. Did I get catfished?

This is what I get for renting a house sight unseen. I should have known better when the address was Treasure Trail. I should have gone house hunting when I was on the island to interview for my position as a police officer on Smuggler’s Hideaway. But I didn’t want to be away from my daughter any longer than necessary.

Natalia is twelve and pushing for her independence but I need to protect her. After her mother – my ex-wife Holly – abandoned us, I don’t want her to ever feel as if I’ve abandoned her. I wouldn’t. Natalia is my world.

She’s at a tennis camp this week, which gives me the chance to get us settled into our new house. She’s not happy about moving but I couldn’t live any longer in the city where everyone looked at me and my girl with pity. I’m hoping that presenting her with a brand-new teenage girl’s dream bedroom will help smooth the transition.

I dig my phone out of the cup holder and dial the real estate agent.

“You have reached Buccaneer Rental Agency. We’re closed for the weekend. We’re happy to answer your enquiries when we return to work on Monday morning. Have a lovely weekend.”

Fat lot of good the rental agency is. I type the address into the map app on my phone.

“Shit,” I swear when the map app shows I’m at the exact location of the house.

I throw the phone onto the seat before doing a U-turn and heading back toward the town of Smuggler’s Rest. It’s a small town. I can find Treasure Trail without the GPS.

I take the first left when I arrive in town. I scowl when I notice none of the streets I cross have street signs. Maybe moving here was a mistake after all.

I pull my truck into a parking lot. I better ask for directions or I’ll be driving around town all day and night.

The parking lot is packed, but I manage to nab a spot in the rear. When I step out of my truck, the music hits me. Whatis this place?Five Fathoms Brewing.There’s a brewery on this small island?

The door slams open and a man stomps outside. I step to the side before he crashes into me.

“I wouldn’t go in there. The bartender’s a bitch.”

He keeps going before I get a chance to ask him what happened. It’s none of my business, I remind myself. I’m not on duty.

I enter the building. It’s an old barn, which has been renovated with wide wooden floors, stained wooden beams, and big glass doors looking out over the dunes to the ocean beyond.

A waitress immediately approaches me. “Did he bother you?”

“Who bother me?”

She waves toward outside. “The jerk who stomped out of here all mad claiming he was going to sue us.”

“Oh him. He didn’t bother me.”

She blows out a breath. “Good. He grabbed one of the owners when she wouldn’t give him her phone number. When she fought back, he got mad.”

I frown. “Was she injured? Do you need the police? I’m a police officer.”

“You are? Where?”

“Here.”

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