Page 5 of Rain Delay

“I started a fire in the kitchen.”

“Literally?”

I nodded. “Not on purpose, obviously. I heated oil in a pan to sauté onions and took my eyes off it long enough for it to start on fire. By the time I threw my towel on top to smother it, the flames were too high so it caught on fire too and burned the whole stove up. Before I knew it, the grease traps and ventilation system got involved, then the sprinklers went off. They had to evacuate the restaurant. The kitchen was a total mess and when I offered to help clean up, I was asked to leave and not return.”

“Shit. That’s brutal.”

“Yeah. Finn and I had a pity party for a couple days in Aspen and then I decided to come here to hopefully figure things out. I haven’t called my dad because I really don’t want to hear the disappointment that will be in his voice. I’ve always loved this place and hoped it might inspire me.”

“According to my mom, he’s kind of freaking out. Not that it’s any of my business, but you might want to at least let him know you’re here and that you’re okay.”

“Does your mother always know where you’re at?”

“Yeah. I mean, obviously not every second of every day, but she at least knows what city I’m in. And I usually talk to her at least once a day. Especially since my dad died.” He shrugged. “If a simple phone call stops her from worrying, it’s the least I can do.”

I rested my head against the back of the couch and looked up at the ceiling, letting out a sarcastic laugh.

“For the past week, I thought I was acting like an adult taking care of myself and now I feel like a rebellious teenager who ran away from home.”

His low chuckle echoed around the room and seemed to vibrate through my body, making my stomach feel like I’d just gone down the first hill of a rollercoaster. I placed my hand over the affected organ in an attempt to settle it down.

“Just let him know where you’re at and tell him you’d like to be alone. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

Rusty swung his legs to the floor and stood. I didn’t have to shift my gaze too far down from the ceiling to look at his face. How tall is he anyway?

I didn’t realize I’d said that out loud until he smiled and answered.

“I’m 6’5”. Why?”

Geez, no wonder he looks like a giant to me. At 5’3” I’m a bit height challenged. And for some reason, my curves make me seem even shorter. The man in front of me is the total opposite. He’s well-muscled but his long arms and legs give him a lanky look.

I shook my head before my mind could focus on the fact thateverythingabout the man is big.

“Just curious.”

“I’m gonna head up to bed. It’s been a long day.” Finn lifted his head and Rusty walked over to scratch him under the chin. “I’ll see you tomorrow, buddy.” Shifting his gaze to me, he added, “I’ll be out of your hair by noon.”

It took me a couple seconds to process his words and once I did, my eyes rounded. “What? Why?”

“It is your father’s place,” he said. “You came here to be alone so it’s only right that I leave.”

“My dad offered the house to you and I barged in. I’ll go.” I looked down at Finn then back up to Rusty. “But if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to hang out tomorrow to give him a break from the car.” His eyes narrowed and I continued before he could turn me down. “It’s a big house. I’m sure we’ll be able to stay out of each other’s way for twenty-four hours.”

He nodded once. “Okay. We’ll give it a try and see how it goes.”

That said, he scratched Finn’s head one last time and I watched him walk through the living room toward the stairs. Finn rested his head against my lap and looked up at me with his cognac-colored eyes. Leaning down, I kissed his forehead.

“One day here then we hit the road again. If you have any suggestions where we should go, I'm all ears.”

Chapter Three

Rusty

I paddledup to the dock and grabbed onto the ladder. After climbing up, I reached down and pulled the kayak out of the water then hefted it up onto my shoulder. Walking toward the house, I looked around taking in the sandy beach to the right and the blue sky above. This place is really beautiful. The pink house is even growing on me.

I’m glad I got up and out on the water early. It’s barely eight and the heat and humidity are off the charts. The ocean breeze kept me from getting too overheated, but it also made the water super choppy and my workout was that much harder.

After storing the kayak in the rack under the porch, I stepped under the outdoor shower to wash off the salt and sand. I’ll get a real shower after breakfast but right now I just want to eat. I’m starving.

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