Page 2 of Always, Plus One

As she visualized her way through the house, Ariel could see the care and attention that had gone into every aspect of the restoration—hard work, but work that she had been blessed to have had so much help with. Katie, Miles, Charlie and her family, all pitching in to make this dream a reality.

The hardwood floors were polished to a shine, and the wallpaper was carefully chosen to perfectly match the era of the house. The furniture was antique and carefully curated, adding to the sense of history and nostalgia that permeated the space.

As Ariel ended her morning meditation and opened her eyes back up on the porch, she felt a sense of awe wash over her. The restored Victorian house was more than just a building—it was a work of art, a testament to the beauty and craftsmanship of a bygone era. She knew that she would always remember the time spent resurrecting Leeside, a testament to the power of history and the beauty of restoration.

Katie emerged from the B and B, opening the front door to squint out, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Good morning, Mom," Katie chirped, stretching her arms. "How did you sleep?"

Ariel smiled at her daughter and patted the rocking chair that sat next to hers. "Like a log, thank you. I cannot believe it's opening day!"

Katie gave her a thumbs up with one hand, stifling a yawn with the other. "Everything is ready to go?” She plopped into the rocking chair and pulled the throw blanket from the back of it, unfolding it and snuggling under. Despite it being summer, the early mornings—especially here by the ocean—could still hold a nippy little bite until the sun was fully up.

“The kitchen is all stocked up, and Darcy is already here," Ariel replied. “There is some last-minute prep, and we have a new guest arriving today, so we need to make sure everything is in order."

Katie's eyebrows shot up. "Darcy? This early? I thought he only came out at night."

Ariel chuckled. "Be nice. Just because he doesn’t fit your Miami aesthetic doesn’t mean you can make fun of him.”

“Mom, the guy’s tattoos have tattoos. He does have the surfer hair, though. So I guess I can give him a pass. Especially after he made those cheesecake brownies the other day. That covers a multitude of dresses-all-in-black sins. I hope he doesn’t scare off any of the dinner guests tonight.”

Ariel sighed, but she tried her best not to let the worry lines on her forehead show—that was her tell that she was nervous, and Katie would fret over her. The last thing Ariel wanted was for her sixteen-year-old daughter to be worrying. She should be out enjoying her summer break with her boyfriend, Connor.

"Well, I'm grateful for his help, and with experience like he has, the Seaside can only benefit.” Ariel took the last sip of her coffee, emptying the mug. “And now, I’m going to see exactly what Darcy is up to. You want breakfast, honey?"

As if on cue, a tall, lanky man emerged from the front entrance. He had shoulder-length, black hair that was usually back in a ponytail but was now tousled and sticking out all over. His sharp, aquiline features weren’t classically handsome, but he had eyes the color of the ocean just at the shore—not quite green and not quite blue—and Ariel thought that his paleness would give way to the summer sun soon, making it harder for Katie to see Darcy as spooky. It was true that he had multiple tattoos—and the all-black ink on all of them stood out on the fair skin of his forearms and biceps.

He wore a broad smile on his face, which he was wiping with a kitchen towel. "Good morning, ladies!" he called out cheerfully.

Ariel stood from the rocker. "Good morning, Darcy. Everything okay?"

Her newest—okay,only—employee nodded. “I went to the basement to see about that root cellar.”

Katie yelped softly. “Ewww. You are a brave man.”

“Well, the stairs need fixing. I put a foot through the tread a few steps from the bottom and ended up onmybottom on the dirt floor. But after I recovered and recited all the lessons I’ve learned from watching many scary movies—”

“Not surprising,” Katie cut in.

Darcy threw the kitchen towel at Katie, and she caught it, laughing.

“It looks like there’s plenty of space down there to convert it to a wine cellar. And if you want to start canning anything, maybe some signature sauces or jams or relishes that guests can take home; it would be perfect storage for stocking that.”

“Great idea!” Ariel said. “I have a mango chili chutney that is to die for.”

“Red chili or jalapeno?” Darcy asked.

“Chipotle,” Ariel said.

“Nice,” the younger man said. “Smokey.”

“And on that note,” Katie said, yawning once more, “you two have a good morning geeking out over pepper selection. I’m going to get ready. Connor will be here in an hour, Mom, remember.”

As she passed Ariel, Ariel ruffled Katie’s dark hair—which was sun-streaked even more than it had been in Miami, where they’d lived before Maine. Katie had been spending a lot of days at the beach with Connor lately.

“We’ll have some breakfast for you in the kitchen,” Ariel said, and Katie flashed an “I love you” hand sign at Ariel as she disappeared into the house.

Now it was just Ariel and Darcy.

“What do you say, Boss?” Darcy asked. “You want to come take inventory of prep with me?”

---