Page 13 of The Lighthouse Inn (Shattered Cove 4)

Chapter 5

Jasmine

Jasmine pushed with all her weight to close the lid on the bucket of plaster. She wiped her hands on her mud-speckled jean shorts. She studied her handiwork and stretched her aching back. The second coat of plaster on the drywall would set by tonight, especially with the windows open.

A bead of sweat trickled down her temple. She lifted the bottom of her shirt and wiped her face and forehead.

Ding-ding. Ding-ding.

She pulled her phone from her pocket and silenced the alarm. Almost time to pick up Zoey from preschool. Jasmine made her way to the kitchen and grabbed a glass before filling it with tap water. She drank the cool liquid, quenching her thirst. She peeked out the window, beyond the back deck to the ocean in the distance. It had always been a source of calm for her. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought she’d actually get to live here—to have her vision become a reality. Pride swelled in her chest. Zoey will know that her own dreams can come true because of my example. Jasmine had done something right.

She glanced at the clock on the stove. Time to go.

Jasmine grabbed her keys and purse, then threw in a juice box and bag of crackers. Zoey always got hungry on the drive home.

She headed out through the front of the inn, making sure the sign with her number was front and center for the guests, should they need anything from her. As she pushed through the door, the fresh spring air wrapped around her like a soft pillow. She inhaled, the sweet scent of rose hips melding together with the salty sea air in perfect harmony. She pulled hard to open her car door with a squeak. The rickety old Toyota Corolla was barely hanging on. But it ran. What more could she expect from a twenty-year-old car?

She slid into the hot vehicle, her legs sticking to the leather seat cover, the tears held together with tape. The heat was stifling. She cranked down the window manually. She just needed to get it started and then she could get a breeze going.

She pressed the key in and turned.

Click.

Please no.

She tried again.

Click. Click.

“For fuck’s sake!” She slammed her hand on the steering wheel. This was the last thing she needed right now. She could barely afford groceries for her daughter and their guests. Now she’d need to call Lincoln and hope he could fix her car. Again. And pray it didn’t cost too much. Not that she could even afford a hundred-dollar repair at this point. Tears pricked the back of her eyes. She inhaled long and deep through her nose and let it out.

“It won’t always be like this.”

She pulled out her phone and exited the car, dialing the one person she could always count on.

“What’s up?” Bently answered.

“Can you do me a huge favor? My car won’t start and I need to get Zoey from preschool.”

“No problem. You need me to call Link?” Bently asked, the sound of jangling keys filtering through the phone.

She clamped her eyes shut, holding back her frustration. “No, I can handle that.”

“Okay. We’ll be over soon. Might stop for ice cream first. High Tide Diner just opened up the summer treat window.” Her brother was truly the best. He’d do anything for her. He already had.

She swallowed and pushed away the dark cloud of memories that always seemed to hover around her. “Thank you, Bently.”

“What are uncles for?”

“See you soon.”

“Yup,” he said before ending the connection.

Jasmine inhaled and looked towards the inn. An outsider might say the old white Victorian-style building looked like something from a postcard. But she saw every hour spent sanding down the surface for a fresh coat of paint. The palm prints she and Zoey had added to the sidewalk. The hours her brothers and their friends had toiled bringing this place to life. This was her home. The haven of safety she’d created for herself and her daughter. Their lighthouse in the storm. Nothing could hurt them here. She’d make sure of it.

Picking up her phone again, she dialed Link. He answered on the second ring. “Let me guess—that piece of shit finally kicked the can?” Link laughed.

Jasmine grabbed her purse as she spoke. “It won’t start.”

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