Page 15 of Visions of You

Maia laughed. “She’s being modest, Dad. April had them eating out of her hand.”

I shrugged but was pleased with the compliment. “The job isn’t too hard on days like this.”

I hooked a thumb toward the long building on the other side of the brick path behind me. “I got the tanks all changed over and the empties are lined up next to the air compressor.”

“Perfect. Wyatt and I will fill them. Why don’t you take the rest of the afternoon off and finish unpacking? You can start full days tomorrow.”

“You sure? I don’t mind staying to help.”

Warren nodded, and that sense came over me again. That I’d met him before.

“Take the afternoon off because tomorrow is an early start,” he said. “We’re going to have a staff meeting here at the dive shop at six forty-five a.m. That’s why I’m talking to Maia. Her brother Gabe is going to take over as the dive operations manager, so we’ll have a quick pow-wow about it.”

At last, I’d get to meet the mysterious Gabe! I looked forward to it. Every Markham I’d met was warm and friendly, which made a fun job even more enjoyable. Maia was smiling and didn’t look upset about the change.

“I’ll be here,” I said. “See you guys later.”

I left via the front entrance, which faced toward the beach cottages. I casually cast my gaze about, telling myself I wasn’t looking for Hot Grumpy Guy. I hadn’t seen him again since our encounter the previous morning, so maybe he’d left the resort. I didn’t know whether to feel disappointed or relieved. Just because I didn’t want a relationship didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy looking.

And Hot Grumpy Guy was most definitely enjoyableto watch.

An hour later, I opened my patio door and stepped outside, a cold bottle of beer in my hand. Maia had fully stocked the kitchen with initial supplies, and I sent a silent thanks to her as I tipped up the bottle of Queen Conch, a local craft beer from Conch Republic, the brewpub I’d passed on my way here.

A meow came from my right, and I swallowed quickly.

“You’re back again, huh?” I asked the gray tabby cat lying on the couch in a sliver of sunshine. He stretched and flexed his claws, purring. When I’d come out that morning to enjoy my coffee and watch the sunrise, he’d been lying on a nearby armchair. He was friendly and sat in my lap until I had to get up. When I set him on the floor, he’d ambled toward the shop.

Now he was back.

I sat next to him and ran a hand over his shiny gray fur. His pattern was striking. In addition to the standard tabby M on his forehead, he was white on his legs and belly, while darker gray stripes whorled dramatically in swooshes and circles on his sides.

After I sat on the couch, the cat climbed onto my lap and began kneading his front paws into my thighs. His claws pricked slightly, but I didn’t mind. “You’re welcome anytime, buddy. You probably have a name. You’re obviously well cared for.”

I stroked my finger down a white front leg, then paused as something odd caught my eye. Both of the cat’s front feet had an extra toe, almost like a thumb to the inside of each paw. I’d never seen an oddity like that before, but it didn’t appear to hamper his movement at all. As I stroked the cat’s back, he stretched out his front legs and lay sphinx-like along my thighs.

I took another sip of beer as my eyes slowly traveled across the bluff in front of me. I’d wandered to the edge this morning to find a sheer drop of about twenty feet. The waves lapped gently against the cliff, but I had no doubt the ocean was capable of much more forceful smashes. The bluff rose continuously to my left until it leveled out at the Markham cottages and Big House visible in the distance. The drop there was more dramatic, vaulting to more than a hundred feet.

As I looked toward the Markham residences, I got another surprise. A girl strolled along the bluff toward me. She was a safe distance from the edge and ambled with a free, easy walk that brought a smile to my face. Glancing up and seeing me, she broke into a wide grin and skipped toward me. The girl had long, golden-brown hair with a nice wave to it and was very pretty. Her chin tapered to a point and her dark-brown eyes glimmered as she smiled at me. It dawned on me this must be the niece Maia had mentioned.

The girl slowed to a walk as she stepped onto my patio. She looked around eight or nine years old. “Hi, I’m Hailey. You must be April.” She spoke confidently with no hint of shyness, and I couldn’t help it as my smile widened further.

“I am. Nice to meet you.”

“You, too.” She sat in a matching blue-and-white-striped armchair across from me and swung her legs back and forth. “I just moved here too. With my dad. Of course, I’ve been here lots, but now it’s home.”

“This is a beautiful island. I think we’re both lucky.”

“Definitely.” She studied the patio we sat on. “Do you like the Barn apartment? It’s where my dad and I used to stay when we visited, but now we live in a cottage next to Maia and her new husband.”

That was a surprise. Maia hadn’t said anything about my apartment being used by family. “I love it, but I hope you two didn’t move out on my account.”

Hailey shrugged, her hair bouncing. “The new cottage is really nice. I like it better because it’s closer to the Big House. I think my dad likes your apartment, though.” Then she cocked her head and glanced at my lap. “There you are, Hemingway!”

I laughed. “Is that his name?”

Hailey nodded. “He likes to hang around the Barn. Dad and I took him up to our cottage, but I’m not sure he wants to stay there.” She lifted her eyes to mine and smiled. “We can share him!”

“I already told him he’s welcome to come and go as he pleases. How did he get the name Hemingway?”

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