Page 10 of Exile

“Continue.”

“I was planning to go home after my months-long trip through Canada, but then I…” I stopped myself, thinking that giving her every detail wasn’t necessary. “I remembered what he went through, did a quick Google search, and read that he lives here.”

That was a lie, and she didn’t seem to know much about the internet because she didn’t argue. She sighed heavily, muttering under her breath, “Damn paparazzi. I told the Sheriff not to let anyone close to his house.”

I was almost positive that there were no pictures of Caspian anywhere online, not from when he retired from Hollywood. And I was also certain that nobody other than a few people—and all of Hilton Beach—knew he now lived here.

Either way, I was glad she stopped questioning me.

Theresa got up and grabbed her empty mug. She studied me once more, then said, “Be brave.”

Brave?

“He’s rarely in a good mood.”

That’s good to know.

“I just hope he won’t slam the door in my face. I still have to try.”

She laughed. This time, it was a real laugh.

She was laughing at me.

Thanks, Theresa.

“Good luck, child.” She dramatically turned back around. Her eyes met mine again. “He’s a complicated man. Private, stubborn, and not exactly warm. But he’s not heartless.”

That didn’t come as a surprise.

“I know. I can sense that he’s not heartless,” I told her with a tight smile.

She nodded once, clearly wanting to leave, but she couldn’t just yet. She wanted to keep telling me about my grandfather.

“He’s done a lot for this village. Even if he doesn’t advertise it, we owe a lot to him. He’s not a bad man. He’s just…not an easy one.”

I absorbed her words in silence. They didn’t erase my doubts but added another layer to the picture I was trying to piece together of who he was.

“Well, I guess I’ll find out for myself,” I said, my voice quiet but steady.

Theresa nodded, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “That you will. Just…don’t take it personally if he’s a bit rough.”

“Noted.”

After setting her mug on the counter, she left the bakery and said bye to the barista.

I stepped out about fifteen minutes later, and I stopped for a moment to feel the warm sun shining on my face.

Today, I would see Caspian King. And no matter how it went, I was ready to face whatever came next.

Chapter 3

DARWYNN

I paced back and forth until the afternoon came, and after another trip to the general store and cooking myself an early dinner, I was finally ready to walk over to Caspian’s house and knock on his door.

My heart was hammering against my chest as I walked along the gravel path that led to his house. The small home sat at the edge of the water, and the peeling paint and uneven porch gave it a kind of charm. It looked like the kind of place someone went to escape the world.

Clearly, Caspian King had succeeded in that.

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