Page 27 of The Beach Cottage
Inside the refuge, she finished up for the night, locked everything, set the alarm and then left via the gate for the short walk to her beach house. She showered and put on a loose-fitting spaghetti-strap floral dress. As she towelled her hair, she wandered into the kitchen and studied the photographs strewn across the kitchen table.
Evie had given her a copy of the old photographs Bea found in her cottage walls. The beach house was featured so prominently in many of the images that Evie thought she might like to enlarge some of them to hang on the wall. The house looked new and fresh. Now it was sagging and filled with memories.
She poured herself a glass of water and sipped it while she flicked through the photographs. There was one in particular that showed the beach house in profile in a good light. That might do to hang on the wall in the entry. She loved that it was black and white. The retro look would work well with the décor in the place, since most of it was almost as old.
There was a knock on the front door, and she hung her towel over one of the chairs and hurried to answer it. Rowan smiled at her as he leaned against the doorframe, towering over her.
“Hi,” she said.
He straightened. “Want to go for a swim?”
“I just showered,” she said, touching her still-wet hair.
“Oh.” He looked confused for a moment.
“Come in. I’ll make a cup of tea.”
Another smile. “Okay, sure.”
He followed her to the kitchen, then sprawled across a chair in a way only confident men manage without falling to the ground. It made her want to slap him or laugh at him or kiss him very hard on the mouth. She wasn’t sure exactly which would come first, but it provoked her in a way that only he could manage. The fact that he bothered her so much hadn’t escaped her attention. In fact, she’d thought about it constantly ever since his return to the island. But she still couldn’t understand it.
Bea was right about him. He wasn’t so bad — in fact, he could be downright thoughtful at times. And he’d been a good friend to her brother over the years. Rob had admitted as much many times. He was handsome and athletic, two things she very much appreciated in a man. And he did have perfect abs. But that grin — perhaps that was it. His grin was so provocative. And his eyes. He looked at her as though he might devour her at any moment, like she was a delicious piece of his favourite cake. And the smile said he wouldn’t feel one bit bad about it. That had to be the reason her temperature rose around him and her stomach did flips.
No doubt he was looking at her like that while he sat at her kitchen table, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of noticing. Instead, she busied herself filling the kettle with water and setting it to boil, then cutting another slice of the red velvet cake that she’d brought back from the wildlife refuge with her after Sam devoured three pieces. She’d have to remember to take some more substantial food with her tomorrow in case the girl showed up again. It was clear she was ravenous, the poor little thing. Never having had children of her own, she wasn’t entirely sure how much they should eat at that age, but Sam’s hunger seemed out of step with her size.
Expecting Rowan’s eyes to be on her, his smile lazy and suggestive, she spun in place, her cheeks warm, but instead found him staring at the photographs splayed over the table.
“What are you doing with these?” He glanced up at her, his green eyes darker than usual.
“Evie thought I might like to keep them, since they’re of my beach house, and this place is part of my heritage. I’m the only one in the family still living on Coral Island.”
“I wasn’t expecting to see photos of my family here, that’s all…”
Penny set the plate of cake on the table in front of him. “Yes, of course. Sorry, I didn’t think about it, but I’ll make sure to get you a copy if you like. Do you have many from back then?”
“No, none really. My parents didn’t take many photos. Although now I’m seeing these, I wonder who the photographer was, since both parents are in the images. And yours are too.”
Penny studied one of the photos. “You’re right. Who could’ve taken them?”
“Maybe it was a neighbour.”
“Maybe… Do you see your stepdad anymore?” She wanted to find out everything about this man who kept showing up in her life. She was ashamed to admit that as long as she’d known him, she’d never really asked him much about himself. He was a mystery to her.
She poured two cups of tea and put one in front of him.
“Thanks,” he said, picking up a piece of cake and taking a bite. “Wow, this is delicious. You’re a really good cook.”
“You sound surprised.”
He took another bite. “I’m going to have to come over here more often.”
She sipped her tea, revelling in his enjoyment. Nothing made her happier than bringing another person joy. Except maybe taking care of animals. It was a close race — bringing joy to humans and animals were the two things she loved most.
“In answer to your question, no I don’t ever see my stepdad. And I don’t want to. My dad left before I was even born. Mum told him she was pregnant, and he took off. They weren’t married, and she was very young. But then she met my stepdad, Buck. He was good to her and promised to take care of her. She was scared of the future. Her parents weren’t happy she was pregnant, but they fully intended to let her live at home and bring the baby up there. But then her father died, and her mother couldn’t pay the bills. They knew they’d have to sell the beach house and that’s when Penny’s family bought it. At least, that’s what Mum always said. So, she married my stepdad to have some stability for me when I was born. Of course, it turned out to be a complete disaster, and she finally had to divorce him.”
“Wow, that’s horrible. I’m sorry that happened to you and your family. That must be what these photos were about — the beach house passing from your family to Penny’s?”
“Probably. After Buck left, things got a lot better. Mum has her bakery and café, and she seems fine. She’s not the same person she was when I was little—things happen that change us, I suppose. But she’s living her life, and at least she’s not under his thumb anymore.”
