Page 38 of Falling for the Grumpy Stranger

There was a touch of pity in her smile. “I’m sure.” I wondered just how many men Aria had to give the same little talk to after being left broken by Ella. It sure seemed that she’d doneit before. And since I was feeling a little broken myself, I didn’t mind.

“That burger will be right out.” She got up. “I’ll put an extra scoop of fries on the plate.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

ELLA

Ishould have been working, but the morning had gone so dreadfully, I allowed myself a few hours of diversion, namely looking at all the things I didn’t need on Etsy. After favoriting a hundred items, spending thirty dollars on a pair of personalized socks and a hairband with cat ears, I pried myself off the site. I could have spent the next hour doing research about Grimstone Manor, but I really didn’t want to think about the cursed house or its moody owner. I was pretty moody myself this morning once I’d heard the ex-wife had shown up. I tried to decipher my reaction and could only conclude that I’d felt a touch of jealousy. I found that hard to believe because jealousy wasn’t in my nature.

“Argh, stop evaluating the darn thing, Ella,” I told myself as I pushed aside my laptop. “It’s done, and it didn’t last much longer than a sneeze.” I got up and pulled on my shoes and coat for a walk on the beach. The sun was trying its hardest to shine through a flurry of clouds. The breeze had settled into nothing more than a tickle, and there was even a touch of warmth in the air.

Last night’s storm had plastered the back patio and table with leaves and debris. The path on the way down to the sandhad two long troughs where the rain slid down in rivulets. I patted them even with my feet as I hiked. It was a fairly nice day compared to the last few days, so it wasn’t surprising to see my new neighbor down by the water. She was wearing a lavender tracksuit and doing yoga stretches in the soft sand. She had a figure to go with her face, and she was as limber as a wet noodle.

Monica spotted me and sat back on her heels to wave hello. I was somewhat disappointed that my plans for solitude and a long walk had been interrupted, but I didn’t want to be rude. I waved back and reached where she was standing by the water.

“I didn’t expect to see anyone down here today,” she said. “With the weather and I figured everyone would be at work.” She looked at me, expectantly, apparently waiting for me to explain why I wasn’t at work like the rest of the world. The insinuation that I was a lazy unemployed person stiffened my spine.

“I work remotely. And you?” Her spine didn’t stiffen because she was so darn limber.

Her laugh wasn’t warm. It sounded practiced. “I’m working on my fortune as we speak,” she said cryptically.

I assumed she was a stock trader or investor or someone who could be making a “fortune” while wearing a tracksuit on the beach. I truly didn’t need to know. “That’s nice. Enjoy the day.” I tried to get back to my original plan of a quiet, reflective walk, but I was thwarted again.

“So, you’re not the least bit curious how I’m doing that?” she asked as I turned away. I was already unimpressed with our winter neighbor.

I looked back with a smile. “Nope.” I set off again.

“That house on the hill,” she called. This topic interested me more.

I stopped and spun around in the deep sand just fast enough to pull some wet sand over the tops of my sneakers. “Yes? What about it?”

“Oh, it’s nothing really. I’ve been taking walks around town for exercise. Not much to see, is there?”

I was mad at myself for turning around. “Depends whose eyes you’re looking through. Some people don’t know how to appreciate it because they can’t see its hidden beauty and charm.”

She pulled her lips down. “I’ll just have to take your word for it,” she said snidely. “That house is certainly not a hidden beauty. I saw you walking down the road from it, so I thought maybe you had a connection to it.”

I was done with our conversation. “Think anything you like.” I turned around. The sand that fell in my shoes rubbed against my socks. I hurried off not wanting to be stopped again. Our conversation had ended, but I got a creepy feeling that she was staring at my back as I walked away.

I reached the other end of the cove and was glad to see she was gone when I turned around. I leaned against a rock and stared out at the water. With the wind finally taking a much-needed break, the water was smooth, almost glassy, like you’d see on a hot summer morning. But that was where the similarity ended. While it was an awesome swim beach in summer, it required a wetsuit in the winter. My phone rang in my pocket, and I chastised myself for bringing it along. I pulled it out.

“Hey, Aria, I’m out on the cove.”

“What did you do to that nice man?” she asked sternly. Aria did the bossy older sister thing better than anyone.

“Nice man? Oh, you mean Rhett. I didn’t do anything.”

“Really? Because he came in for lunch looking as grim and dour as the first time I saw him. I let him know that you were—” She paused.

“That I was?” I asked.

“Never mind. Not important. Anyway, I told him not to take it too personally and that you were the same way with everyone.”

After my somewhat contentious conversation with the neighbor, this was the last thing I needed. I really should have left my phone behind.

“Well, thank you very much, miss lonely hearts club president. You don’t know what went down, and I’m pretty perturbed at how quickly you assumed I made a mess of things and then just as quickly, you threw me under the bus. Flighty, right? That’s the word you used? I know because I’ve heard you categorize me as flighty when it comes to men many times. I’m not flighty. Just have a short attention span and how come you never call Ava flighty? She’s constantly breaking up with men, and she leaves a much bigger trail of devastation in her path than me. I just leave behind a few bewildered expressions. She leaves behind broken hearts.”

“That’s because she usually stays with men longer than it takes to bake a loaf of bread.” She paused again. “Sorry, El. You’re right. I just assumed. What happened?”

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