Page 30 of Falling for the Grumpy Stranger

“Uh, are you talking about the house with the tall gables and window-dotted façade, the one we used to call the House on Haunted Hill? I don’t think lack of character is an issue. If anything, it’s got too much character. What did the contractor have to say?”

“Pretty much exactly what you just said. He’s going to come up with an estimate, but he says it’s an enormous project to renovate it and bring it up to code.”

“Good thing you’ve got the money,” I said casually and then froze. He was silent on the other side as well. Had I just blown it with my new friend? Typical Ella and her big mouth.

“How do you know that?” he finally asked. He didn’t sound angry, but the friendly banter tone was definitely gone. “Guess you’ve been doing a little research on the current Grimstone owner as well.”

Nonna always taught us that honesty was the only graceful way out of a tough situation. Even if it didn’t clear up the trouble, at least you knew you’d been honest.

“Not research, really,” I said quickly. “I think I mentioned my sister is dating Luke Greyson. He was at the cottage, and you’d mentioned you knew Luke, so I told him I was working on my article up at the manor and that you were the new owner. I might have asked him a few questions about you. I wasn’t trying to be nosy. I was just curious. He mentioned you sold a successful business and?—”

“Of course, he mentioned my arrest.”

“Since I showed up at your place and walked inside without a second thought, obviously, I wasn’t worried about it,” I said plainly.

“That’s true. It wasn’t really an arrest. I never stepped foot in a cell. It had to do with the accident, and I want to change the subject because this one always ties my gut in knots.”

“Of course. New topic. Does the contractor have a start date?”

He laughed. “Never got that far. Frankly, he was shaking his head, so something tells me he’ll find every excuse he can to avoid this job. What have you been up to this evening?”

“Oh my gosh, I forgot all about my big discovery. I had an unexpected visit from a neighbor. She didn’t have a flashlight. A very beautiful woman is renting the cottage next door. It’s unusual because people usually don’t come to Whisper Cove at this time of year.” Right then, as if timed, the wind took a howling swirl around the house. For a second, I really did expect to fly off to Oz.

“Ella?”

“Right. Sorry. Hurricane force winds howling outside have me a little panicked. My sisters are out, and I’m alone.”

“I could come over and sit with you until they return.”

“You don’t have to do that. It’s terrible out there.”

“Right.” He sounded disappointed, and frankly, I was a little miffed at myself for so quickly shooting down the idea.

“Unless you don’t mind driving in the wind and rain.”

“I think I can handle a two-mile drive in this weather. I’ve got a bottle of wine. Should I bring it?”

It seemed my unsettling stormy evening alone was starting to improve. Seconds earlier I worried that I’d blown it with my misstep, but he got over it quickly. “Wine would be nice. I’ll text you the address. It’s easy to find. Just head toward the ocean, and if you reach the actual water, then you’ve gone too far.”

“Water means too far. Right. Got it. See you soon.”

We hung up, and the fluttery feeling that took over not just my stomach but my entire body sent me to the sofa. I wrappedthe blanket tightly around me, like swaddling a baby, to calm the unexpected case of nerves. I had to face facts. I liked Rhett Lockwood. I really liked Rhett Lockwood.

Chapter Twenty-Three

RHETT

The flickering candlelight cast a warm glow over Ella’s flawless complexion. Sitting in a cozy cottage next to an amazing woman having a great and occasionally amusing conversation was hardly the scenario I imagined when moving to Whisper Cove. I was looking for a way out of society, a place to hide … if I was being frank with myself. Ella had changed all that for me. I no longer wanted to hide. I wanted to be part of society again … as long as Ella was part of it.

“So, theTitanic,” I said, still steeped in disbelief. “The actualTitanic?”

“Uh, yeah, pretty sure there was only one. It wasn’t as if any cruise line was anxious to revive the name after—well—you know.” Ella picked up her glass of wine and pressed her lips to the rim for a sip. I was mesmerized by everything she did. “I mean, Margaret’s death was caused by circumstances where one bad thing led to another. It’s hard to say ‘Oh wow, the house is cursed’ from that one tragedy. Her cousin rather quickly gambled away the whole house and fortune. I guess that does point to a string of very bad luck.”

“And stupid decisions on Magnum’s part. Does it count if the person caused the bad luck?”

“Good question, and I’ll certainly think about that when I’m writing the piece about him. But ole Wallace—man, he had great luck at the gaming table when he won the manor with a few turns of the card. But that luck ran out when he purchased a first-class ticket on a boat that was headed straight down to Davy Jones’s locker.” She took another sip of wine and looked up with an inquisitive brown gaze. “Where are you on the whole ‘Jack and the door’ debate?”

I laughed when she brought up the hotly debated scene from the movie,Titanic. “Rose should have moved over. There was clearly room on that door for the two of them.”

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