Finding Home Again (Catalina Cove)

by Brenda Jackson

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  WHEN BRYCE HEARD the sound of her doorbell, she crossed the room and, after taking time to make sure it was Sawyer, opened the door. “Sorry Vashti sent you out tonight, Sawyer, after being out on Kaegan’s boat all day. You have to be tired.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Until I make sure everything is safe here Vashti won’t go to sleep, so let me check out back. Lock the door behind me until I return.”

  He went back out and she locked the door behind him as instructed. She went back into the living room to drink the rest of her wine. Tonight she’d done things in reverse. Wine first, then she would take a shower. Although she hated Sawyer coming over to her place for nothing, at least Vashti had sent Sawyer and not called the police station for one of his deputies to come and investigate. While out on the ship Bryce had heard Sawyer mention that he’d traded shifts tonight with Deputy Bob Fireside. Everybody in the cove knew Deputy Fireside would find any excuse to flash the blue lights on his patrol car.

  She stood when she heard the knock at her door that signaled Sawyer’s return. She put down her wineglass, quickly went to the door and checked out the peephole before opening it. “Mr. Chelsey’s cat, right?”

  Sawyer shrugged. “Not sure. Your garbage bin had been turned over and there were footprints near your back patio.”

  “Footprints?”

  “Yes.”

  Bryce nodded and smiled. “They’re Mr. Chelsey’s. It wouldn’t be the first time Butterball got out and he had to come in my backyard to get him. The footprints looked like a pair of sneakers, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then the case is solved. It was Mr. Chelsey’s footprints since he always wears sneakers.”

  “I’ll go next door and verify it was him.”

  Bryce rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Sawyer, you’ve been hanging around Vashti too long or vice versa. The two of you are getting paranoid in your old age. If it makes you feel better, I’ll ask Mr. Chelsey about it tomorrow when I see him.”

  He stared at her for a minute with that Sheriff Sawyer Grisham look, and she stared back and saw for herself how tired he was around the eyes. It was near midnight and Vashti said he’d just gotten home a short while ago. That meant he had stayed out on Kaegan’s boat for over fourteen hours.

  “It embarrasses Mr. Chelsey whenever people know he’s outside at night looking for his cat. How do you think he’s going to feel if you show up on his doorstep questioning him about anything tonight?”

  Sawyer rubbed a hand down his face. “Fine. But if you hear any more noise tonight, call me or the station. And don’t assume anything and go out to investigate on your own.”

  “I won’t, Sawyer. I promise.”

  “Now lock your door.”

  Then he was gone. She locked her door and went back into the living room to finish off her wine.

  * * *

  THE NEXT MORNING Kaegan rolled out of bed and made it into his bathroom to start his day. He figured it would be a nice day to fish from the pier in his backyard. The bayou was brimming with over sixty species and he hoped that he’d luck up and catch a few bass, which were his favorite.

  He left the bathroom moments later and got dressed for the day. When he’d gone to bed last night he should have been too tired to do anything but sleep. However, thoughts of Bryce stayed on his mind. Dreaming about her and reliving that kiss had taken precedence. He also thought about her silence on the ride back to the dock, as well as his own.

  Kaegan needed time to think. Although he didn’t regret kissing her, he wondered if he’d crossed the line in doing so when she’d made it clear all she wanted between them was friendship. He’d been determined to change her mind about that but hadn’t intended to rush her. Now he was wondering if that kiss would have her scampering in another direction. One that was far away from him.

  He was about to fix his breakfast when his cell phone rang. He picked it up and saw the caller was Walter Kerner. Why would his attorney be calling him on a Sunday morning? He clicked on the phone. “Good morning. What’s up, Walt?”

  “Today might be your lucky day. I need you in Boston as soon as possible.”

  Kaegan was surprised. “Boston? Why?”

  “That warehouse on the harbor that I was telling you about might be going up for sale. If and when it does, you need to jump on it.”

  Kaegan leaned against his kitchen counter. His business was doing great in this region, but after taking on the Chappell Group as a client and seeing how profitable such a venture had been, he’d decided to expand his business to other areas. He now had the capital to do it and had more than one willing investor. Not only did Reid LaCroix think expanding was a good idea, but Ray also did.

  Ray had discovered he was just as wealthy as Reid, thanks to a business deal he’d closed in his final days as Devon Ryan. Ray had let Kaegan know if he ever decided to expand, he would gladly come on board as a silent partner. Kaegan would admit that he was excited at the prospect of Chambray Seafood Shipping Company doing business in a New England state.

  “I need you to take a look at it and talk to the present owners. And if that doesn’t work out, I think you still need to check out the area. The Boston Harbor is the place to be if you want your business to expand to include lobster.”

  Kaegan was well aware that although the Gulf had several species of lobster, it was a known fact lobsters in the Atlantic, around Boston, were more plentiful and tastier. It was a market he was ready to explore. “That sounds good to me.”

  “Then I need you on the next plane. Just get to the airport around three. I’ve made all the arrangements and you’ll probably be gone for at least three days.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “That long?”

  “Yes.”

  That meant he needed to let Willa know that he would be out of the office. Of course, he would also let Ray and Sawyer know. His thoughts shifted to Bryce. She probably wouldn’t want to know. At this point she probably didn’t care. Besides, after yesterday maybe distance was what they needed more than anything.

  She had that exam tomorrow and he could call and wish her luck. But he’d done that already. He would wait and congratulate her on passing the exam when he got back, since he was certain she would ace it.

  “Okay. I’ll leave for Boston today.” After jotting down the pertinent information, he ended the call.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  BRYCE HELD HER BREATH as she punched in the control number on her laptop for the exam she’d taken yesterday. She had walked out of the testing center feeling confident about how she’d done. However, by the time she’d gotten home, she’d been a nervous wreck. She’d told everyone not to call her until after ten this morning because she couldn’t check her grade until then.

  After entering the number, she briefly closed her eyes, too nervous to look just yet. When she opened them, she smiled and then threw her fist up in the air in victory. She had passed with a ninety-eight.

  At that moment she was both happy and relieved. It was over. She would now be able to sell, negotiate and market real estate in other states. That meant she wouldn’t just be confined to Catalina Cove. She leaned back in her chair, staring at her test score again. The test had been hard and there had been tricky questions. But Kaegan had taught her how to focus on the key words.

  Kaegan...

  Bryce owed a lot of credit for her passing the test to Kaegan’s study techniques, not to mention the time he’d spent drilling her for three nights straight. She owed him and would thank him when she saw him in the café in the morning. Because she’d needed to study, she hadn’t helped out at the café for the past few days. This morning she’d known not to even think about going anywhere until she’d seen her grade results.

  She couldn’t wait to tell everyone. However, she knew the first person she wanted to share her good news with w
as Kaegan. She was about to pick up her phone to call him when her phone rang. It was her mother.

  Bryce smiled—she’d told everyone not to call her before ten, and here it was barely ten fifteen. “I passed, Mom!”

  After her mother’s call, she received calls from Vashti, Ashley and several other friends in town. Even Jeremy called to see how she’d done and to congratulate her. He told her he was in court this week, but had taken the time to call her while on recess. That had been thoughtful of him and she told him how much she appreciated him calling.

  She thought about calling Kaegan, like she’d intended to do earlier, but was a little disappointed that although she hadn’t reached out to him yet, he hadn’t called like the others. She could only think of one reason for him not doing so. He was still upset over their tiff on Saturday. In that case, she would wait for him to call her when he’d gotten over it. She refused to feel disappointed about anything today. It would be an upbeat day for her since she had a reason to celebrate. She had studied hard, passed the exam, and now the next chapter in her life presented endless possibilities. She would talk to Vashti on how she could market herself. Her best friend was good at that sort of thing and had Shelby by the Sea to show for it.

  Bryce decided to eat breakfast, then go into the office. Pia had been holding things down for the last week while she’d studied.

  A couple of hours later Bryce was leaving her house to go into the office. She saw Mr. Chelsey outside in his yard and waved to the older man. She then remembered the incident on Saturday night and asked, “Did you ever find Butterball Saturday night?”

  Mr. Chelsey smiled brightly. “Yes, I did. I hope that I didn’t disturb you while I was out looking for him.”

  “No, you didn’t bother me. I’m just glad you found him.”

  “Me, too. Have a good day, Bryce.”

  * * *

  KAEGAN ENTERED HIS HOME. He was happy to be back, although he was glad he’d made the trip to Boston. He’d been busy from the minute he’d landed. Walt had made sure every minute had been used wisely and to his advantage. He was embarking on a whole new phase in his life and a part of him couldn’t help but be excited.

  Boston Harbor was a beautiful place but he was concerned whether or not he and the owner of that warehouse could reach a satisfactory agreement. Just in case, he would look at other properties near the harbor.

  Kaegan’s thoughts shifted to Bryce. He had thought about her every day he’d been gone and had been tempted to call her more than once but knew she would have been studying on Sunday and Monday. A part of him felt certain she’d passed her test and couldn’t wait to see her to find out.

  A couple of hours later he was walking into his shipping company. Willa smiled when she saw him. “Hey, boss, welcome back.”

  “Thanks. Any problems while I was gone?”

  “None that we couldn’t handle. We got that shipment off in time for the Oklahoma Oyster Chow-Down this weekend. The committee sends their thanks for such prompt service.”

  Kaegan smiled. “We want to keep our clients happy.”

  He glanced at his watch. “I’m only here for a few. Then I have an off-site meeting.” He’d talked to both Reid and Ray and both wanted to meet with him in a few hours.

  * * *

  “I’M SURE KAEGAN is happy that you aced your test,” Vashti said.

  Bryce tossed a file in the inbox of her desk while talking to Vashti on the phone. “I wouldn’t know since I haven’t heard from him. According to my parents, they haven’t seen him in two days. Of course, they are concerned since he usually drops in at the café almost every day. They figure that he must be pretty busy.”

  “Sawyer mentioned he left Sunday to go out of town on an unexpected business trip.”

  Bryce sat up straight in her chair. “He did?”

  “Yes. I thought you knew. Otherwise I would have mentioned it.”

  No, she hadn’t known. “We didn’t exactly part ways Saturday the best of friends.”

  “Oh? You didn’t tell me that part.”

  Bryce rolled her eyes. “Mainly because you got hung up on the part I told you about—the kiss. Then if you recall, I heard noise in my backyard and we ended the call when you sent your husband over to investigate.”

  “Sawyer mentioned he’d found footprints in your backyard.”

  “Belonging to Mr. Chelsey. I spoke with him yesterday. Butterball got out again and he was looking for him.”

  “Well, still, you can never be too careful.”

  “I just hate Sawyer came over here for nothing. He looked tired.”

  “Hey, don’t have pity on him. He might have looked tired but he wasn’t too tired to rock my world and his own when he got back, trust me.”

  Bryce couldn’t help but giggle. “I guess being pregnant hasn’t slowed you guys down.”

  “Not at all.”

  “Well, I need to get back to work. It’s going to take me the rest of the week to get caught up in my office. And I appreciate you and Ashley taking the time to meet with me next Thursday for lunch.” She had reached out to Vashti for marketing tips and Vashti suggested she include Ashley. Ashley and her business partner, Emmie Givens, had founded StayNTouch, a highly successful social-media-network firm. Hopefully the two of them could give her suggestions on how to jump-start her career.

  Ashley had been kind enough to invite them to lunch. Presently, she and Ray were living in the house Ray owned before they married while their new home on the ocean was being built. According to Ashley, they expected the house to be finished before the babies arrived.

  A few hours later Bryce was entering her home. She’d just placed her purse down when her phone rang. She dug it out of her purse and clicked it on without glancing to see who was calling. “Hello.”

  “Hello, Bryce, this is Kaegan.”

  The deep, throaty sound of his voice was like a long, sensuous stroke down her spine. Sliding down on the sofa, she said, “Yes, Kaegan, how are you?”

  “Fine and I understand congratulations are in order. I’m glad you passed your exam. I told you that you would.”

  “Yes, you did. Thanks for your help, Kaegan. I’m convinced I would not have passed without your study tips.”

  “Glad I was able to help. Sorry I didn’t call sooner but I had to make an unexpected trip to Boston. I just got back in town around noon today.” He paused then added, “I started to call you on Sunday to let you know I was leaving but didn’t want to interrupt your studying.”

  His words lifted her spirits because she’d assumed he was still upset about Saturday. If he’d thought of calling her before leaving town that meant he hadn’t been.

  “How was Boston?” she asked him.

  “Nice, as usual.”

  “I’ve never been there, but it’s on my bucket list of places I’d like to visit.”

  “Really? I’ll be going back next month. Would you like to go with me?” he asked her.

  Bryce arched an eyebrow. “Why would you ask me that?”

  “Well, you just said it was on your bucket list of places to visit and I extended the invite to you as a friend. The thought of us staying in the same hotel room never entered my mind, Bryce, if that’s what you’re afraid of.”

  She swallowed. “I’m not afraid of anything.”

  “Okay then, consider the invitation out there. In fact, now that I think about it, you coming with me might be a good idea.”

  “Why would you think that?”

  “You’re the first person I’ve told other than my investors, but I’m expanding my business to the Boston area. There’re a couple of warehouses on the harbor that I’ll be looking at. Since you’ve passed your exam that means you’ll be licensed to handle the sale when it’s made, right.”

  “Yes.” She couldn’t downplay the excitement that began flowing through
her. “You would actually hire me to represent you?” she asked, trying not to sound too enthusiastic at the prospect.

  “Any reason why I shouldn’t hire you as my real-estate broker? Vashti always said you did an outstanding job with trying to sell Shelby by the Sea. It wasn’t your fault the deal fell through.”

  He was right. It hadn’t been her fault that the Catalina Cove zoning board wouldn’t approve the permit for a new tennis resort. Things turned out for the best when Vashti decided not to sell and, instead, run the inn herself. “It will take a week for my passing grade to be registered in the system with other states and then I can begin practicing as a broker.”

  “I can wait until then.”

  She tried not to feel all happy inside. “You sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. Think about it, Bryce,” Kaegan said. “If you aren’t able to do it then I’ll connect with a broker in Boston.”

  “I’ll be able to do it,” she said quickly.

  “That’s great. Are you free Saturday of next week to discuss it more?”

  “Yes.”

  “Great. I’d like to invite you to meet me at my place.”

  “Your office?”

  “No, my home. I’d rather not anyone know about my expansion plans yet. You can present me with locations on the harbor you feel might interest me.”

  She could definitely do that, although it meant going out to his place on the bayou. She couldn’t help but recall what happened the last time she was there and what he’d said. But this time he was inviting her for business and not a party. “Fine. We can meet at your place next Saturday morning, around eleven. Will that time work for you, Kaegan?”

  “Yes, that time will work for me. Goodbye, Bryce, and congratulations again on passing your exam.”

  “Thanks and goodbye.”

  After clicking off the phone, Bryce summed up in her head what had taken place over the call. She was smart enough to take advantage of a business opportunity when it knocked on her door, but it would mean working closely with Kaegan for a while, and it also meant a business trip with him to Boston.