by Natalie Ann
“Nope, she didn’t want the honor. Her senior year, she handed the crown over to a classmate with Down syndrome. Told everyone that it wasn’t fair to be queen twice and she gave it to the runner-up instead.”
So Celeste was a saint on top of having a sunny disposition. Oh yeah, let’s not forget she was a walking miracle, whatever that was supposed to mean.
Not that Caleb believed in miracles. Just the opposite, actually. Miracles didn’t happen to him; they failed him. Cut a hole in his heart and left him to bleed out alone. Left him to pick up the pieces that were remaining and find a way to move on.
“How much longer is the paint going to be?” he asked, trying to figure out what else he needed so he could walk away from this ridiculous conversation.
“Almost done, just another minute. Do you need some brushes or pans today?” Billy asked, and Caleb was thrilled the topic had changed.
“I’m all set, thanks.”
Billy took a tiny bit of paint and put it on the outside of each lid, then slapped the top down hard and printed out the order slip. “Here you go then. Just take this to the register and they’ll ring you up. Have a great day.”
“Thanks,” Caleb said, nodding his head and walking to the front, paying quickly and making a beeline for his truck, only to be brought up short.
“I’m sorry,” the woman from the store he was trying to avoid said. She had her hand up and was rubbing the head of his German shepherd.
Some guard dog he ended up being. Gigantic head sticking out the window, tongue flopping to the side, and his eyes all but rolling around in his massive head as Celeste briskly rubbed his fur. Then she reached her hand under his chin and gave him a tickle, the dog’s head wobbling around in glee.
If dogs could talk, he’d swear the dog would be begging for more attention like Billy in there was.
“Don’t you know not to pet strange dogs?” Caleb asked.
“He looked lonely,” Celeste said. “No one should be lonely.”
Caleb grunted. She was like a little Pollyanna. Where the heck did she come from? “He just loves attention.”
“What’s his name?” she asked, her voice like a soft caress. Okay, maybe she had some magical powers in her voice, because he could see how someone could be drawn in.
“Sparky.”
“That’s a cheerful name,” she said, rubbing the dog one more time on the head, which got her a lick in return.
Man or dog, always a sucker for a beautiful woman, he thought. Good thing she didn’t know how Sparky got that name—she might not think it was so cheerful then. “Let’s go, boy, head back in the window.”
Sparky turned his head, eyed him once, then let out a sigh but did as he was told. Caleb walked around to the bed of his truck and put the cans in there. Celeste followed suit. Guess it wasn’t just Billy that couldn’t take a hint.
She held her hand out to his. “I’m Celeste McGuire. Thanks for letting me pet your dog. I’ve seen his head hanging out the window of your truck multiple times. Sorry I didn’t recognize you up close in the store.”
She was more observant than he thought. As much as he wanted to walk away, he wasn’t that much of an ogre, regardless of what people said. He returned her handshake. “Caleb Ryder.”
“You must be new to the area. I’ve only seen your truck for about six months now.”
Yeah, she obviously knew what was going on around town. He’d been in the area close to a year, but purchased the truck about six months ago. “Yep,” he said, not adding anything else.
He didn’t want to get close to any locals. He just wanted to go back to his cabin in the woods and be alone. He was better that way. It was better for everyone.
“It was nice to meet you, Caleb,” she said, her smile never leaving her face. He got the feeling she was humoring him now, but let it go.
“You too,” he said, and walked around the bed of his truck, climbed in the driver’s seat, and started the engine.
He didn’t look in the rear-view mirror at her while he was pulling out of the parking lot. Not really.
Universe
“You’re such a traitor,” Caleb said to Sparky when they drove by McGuire’s B&B on the way home and the dog hopped into the backseat, then ran over behind Caleb to get a better look at Celeste’s house.
The dog didn’t respond, not that he expected him to. Once they were out of view of the B&B, Sparky’s considerable form jumped to the front seat again and sat on the passenger side.
Celeste had said no one should be lonely, but he guessed she had no clue what that was like. It looked like she was the Pied Piper and all she did was open her mouth, with the sound of her voice drawing everyone in.
Hell, even he seemed almost mystified by it and that was saying a lot.
Hardened, that’s what he was told he was now. He didn’t deny it. No, he mastered it. Do what you can to survive, he reminded himself.
He parked his truck in front of the falling-down beat-up old garage. His next project was to tear it down in a few weeks so a new, much bigger one could be built.
He could do it himself, but he’d need help and didn’t have anyone he could call. Even if he did, he probably wouldn’t ask anyway. He never wanted to be indebted to anyone—friend, family, or foe. Life was simpler that way.
Sparky jumped out of the driver’s door after Caleb climbed out. The dog ran toward the side door to wait while Caleb got the cans of paint.
Once inside the house, Sparky went over to his bed by the glass doors and lay down to take his normal mid-morning nap while Caleb climbed the stairs to the enormous loft and got to work in silence.
***
Celeste had wondered if she’d ever get a close-up look at the stranger in the truck that drove by her house once every few weeks. He probably drove by more, but she wasn’t always outside.
Still, she was curious who he was, but didn’t even know who to ask. She liked to know who was in the area of her business.
It was a precautionary move. Yeah, sure it was, she told herself.
She wasn’t being nosy. Not like so many other people in this area. Having grown up here, she knew how small towns could be.
Sure, they had tons of tourists in and out all summer long. Not just her B&B, but others, as well as hotels, resorts, and the houses that people rented. It was hard to keep track of everyone, but the tourists tended to stand out more.
Though Caleb stood out, it definitely wasn’t in the form of a tourist.
Actually he fit in a bit around here as a local that either lived in the woods or on the lake. There were two types of locals in Lake Placid. The locals that had second homes and vacationed here—those with money that you saw a mile away.
The second type were the locals that were more down to earth. That was Caleb. Down to earth, even on the grouchy and simple side.
And the lonely comment she’d made, well, that was more in regards to him. Sparky didn’t look all that lonely to her. She recognized the dog the minute she came out of the store and could have sworn Sparky recognized her, too.
She knew enough to not pet strange dogs, and though Sparky was definitely intimidating in his girth, he was all but drooling as he stared at her when she walked to her car. Which happened to be parked right next to Caleb’s truck. Talk about luck. Sometimes the universe had some tricky moves up its sleeve and she took it as one of those times and decided to introduce herself.
“What has you smiling so prettily over there?” Nancy asked.
Celeste had waved to the sisters that were sitting in the sun on her dock as she opened the back door. They must have been waiting for her, because they got up and returned to the kitchen.
“Oh, just thinking of someone I ran into in town.”
“Only a man can put a smile like that on a woman’s face.”
Celeste giggled. These two ladies had been a hoot for the three days they’d been here. She was glad they booked a week and was going to miss them something fierce when they lef
t.
“Well then, I guess you know the answer.”
“Do tell,” Sue said, walking over and opening the refrigerator and grabbing the pitcher of lemonade.
She loved that her guests felt enough at home to help themselves. That was part of the experience she wanted to give them.
“Not much to say. I’ve seen his truck on the road several times for months now. I just ran into him at the hardware store.”
“Please tell me you introduced yourself,” Nancy said eagerly.
“Of course I did. I was raised to be polite.”
“Polite,” Sue said laughing. “There’s nothing polite about it if he’s hot. Is he hot?”
Celeste thought it was funny the conversation was bouncing back and forth between the sisters and her. It was almost like a routine with them, alternating questions.
“I think he could be.”
“Hmm,” Nancy said. “Possibilities. That’s even better.”
They were just a riot. And yes, she did see possibilities there with Caleb. It was kind of hard to tell, but she had a feeling they were there, just hidden deep. His beard was pretty scruffy, his hair messy and his clothes wrinkled, but there was a wounded look to his eye.
A look that said, “Just leave me the heck alone and we’ll all be happier.”
Only Celeste had never been one to walk away from a wounded soul before. She had her own wounds, so she knew what it was like. At times, part of her felt like she was spared to help others. And because she was one of the lucky ones, that’s what she decided to do with her life. Bring some comfort and maybe joy to others.
“For now, I know his name. So that’s something, don’t you agree?” Celeste asked.
“It’s a start,” Sue said. “What’s your next move?”
“I don’t have one,” Celeste said. “I’ve got a business to run, and another one to work on.”
“Really?” Nancy asked. “What business is that?”
“A local plastic surgeon often has patients fly in from out of town for his services. A few have stayed here in the past and some of his staff thought it’d be a nice business move to open up a small B&B next door for patients only. They can recover and relax on the lake before they return home. I’m going to run part of it while his staff come in and care for them, too.”
The sisters looked back and forth at each other, their faces lighting up. “What types of things does he do?” Sue asked.
Oh boy, looks like she might have sparked some interest here. She’d have to think about this some more and talk to Max. See if there was a way she could get some brochures on site.
“He can do pretty much anything and his staff is awesome.”
“I’ve always wanted Botox,” Nancy said. “Maybe now is our chance. What do you think? Think our husbands will even notice if we have anything done this week? How is the availability for appointments?”
Celeste rolled her eyes. “I’m going to stay out of this conversation. I don’t want your husbands to come back and blame me for anything they may not approve of.” She walked over and pulled open a drawer. “But if you happen to see this card right here on the counter, I’ll pretend I didn’t leave it lying around.”
She walked out of the kitchen, listening to the sisters as they talked back and forth over whether they should make the call or not reminding her of another set of sisters that stayed with her months ago. Ones that had received services from Max’s office.
This little business venture might turn out to be much more than she ever envisioned. She was an entrepreneur after all, so a profit was always a good thing.
See, the universe working in crazy ways again. Nothing like a diagnosis of melanoma to bring her in contact with someone that could create possibilities in her life.
There’s that word again. Possibilities. And those thoughts went right back to Caleb.
If she knew which house was his, she could bring him some cookies or a cake. Welcome him to the area, even if it was a little late. Better late than never, as her grandmother would say.
Since it was her grandmother’s house she’d turned into a B&B, maybe she should listen to the wise woman that everyone said she took after.
The woman that loved and nurtured so many. A midwife in her earlier years. One who helped birth her and Cole much earlier than they should have been delivered. The woman that probably saved their lives back then when she recognized something was wrong when the doctors brushed it off.
It seemed only natural that Celeste would take this home and turn it into something her grandmother always thought it should be, but never had the time or ability to make happen.
But Celeste made it happen, turning her dreams into reality. Those dreams of this place were what kept her going during her treatments.
Goals and dreams. Possibilities of things to come. Things she wanted to see through and make happen. Promises she made to herself that if she survived she’d do.
Here she was, doing what she always wanted, and was thrilled to say she was able to wake up each morning enjoying what she loved.
Maybe she needed another goal though. One besides the project with Max next door. A more personal goal. It’d been so long since she’d had a personal goal.
A man maybe. Her life had always been so busy that she never had much time for a relationship. She wanted one, always, but not too many people liked what she did for a living…among other things.
They didn’t understand why she spent so much time and energy on her home and caring for others. Of course growing up in this area limited her contact with most people, too.
And tourists just wanted a quick fling that she had no interest in. Sure, she’d tried it, and enjoyed it, but she was beyond that now. Now she wanted something more stable.
Now she wanted a challenge. A challenge in the form of a man that probably wanted nothing more than to be left alone.
To Visit
Caleb pushed back from his desk and started to rub his temples, thankful at least that it wasn’t the smell of paint that was causing his headache.
Instead, it was the app he was working on. Writing the code was the easy part for him. Seeing the start and finish…easy too. The hard part was seeing the middle. Seeing the next step to bring him to the end. No, correction—he saw it, but he always changed his mind on which was the best way to go, then second-guessed when he finally did decide.
That had always been his biggest flaw and the reason he sold his company for millions. Sure, it was nice to retire early, do what he wanted to do and hide in a cabin in the woods, working when he wanted.
But the truth of it was, that was just the excuse he gave for selling the company…that it was nice to retire early and the offer was too good to pass up. When it came down to it, it was more about the fact that he hated making decisions. He hated being the boss, but refused to give up control to anyone else.
That last year before he sold the company, control was the last thing he was willing to compromise on. Professionally or personally. His fingertip grip on the ledge of sanity was only staying in place at that time because he was hanging on with every fiber of his being.
That left a few options for him: find a partner he trusted, which he didn’t want. Or sell and walk away, then figure out his future as it came. Walking away ended up being the only healthy option.
It took about six months of being a hermit after he’d left town to realize he needed something to do. There were only so many things he could fix on the houses he bought and then sold, trying to find more solitude and a place to escape his past.
He stood up and walked to the glass doors overlooking the lake. It was peaceful here—the most peaceful place he’d found to live in the past few years.
With more hope than ever before, he prayed he stayed. There was something about this space that made him wish it might be the place for him to come to terms with things.
Needing a break, he walked back to his desk and pulled up the email he hadn’t checked in days. Not too m
any people contacted him anyway. Normally just advertising.
When he opened it up on the screen he saw exactly what he always did. Some hot chick looking for a good time—delete. A miracle hair growth pill—delete. Credit card scams—delete. His mother—delete. Nope, he stopped himself, he couldn’t, even if he wanted to.
Emails from his mother were like the old saying about gray hair. If he deleted one, ten more appeared the next day.
Not in the mood to read it just yet, he scrolled down some more and saw another email from NB Innovations. Someone from that company had been reaching out to him for over six months. He’d deleted the first few, but like his mother’s emails and gray hair, Zach Monroe, Chief Operating Officer, just sent double the amount.
He was getting ready to delete all the old emails when his eyes landed on one sent from the owner, Nick Buchanan, a few months ago—owner to ex-owner of a software firm—Nick had said.
Caleb had sat on the offer to meet with Nick, then finally replied back stating he wasn’t interested in working for anyone back then.
Nick had thanked him for his time and said that if Caleb ever reconsidered, to just let him know. It’d been months now, so he had no clue what the new email could be about that he received yesterday.
Opening it up, he read it quickly and swore at his rotten luck. It figured that Nick was now living in Lake Placid, and he hinted that he knew Caleb was in the area, too. He could just be guessing though, but Caleb didn’t think so. He figured Nick probably knew all along.
Maybe it was time to think about it. What could it hurt to talk to Nick and see what he had to say? It’s not like Caleb had to work; he didn’t. He had plenty of money, plenty of investments, and made a pretty penny on the apps he developed and sold.
But he missed working on bigger projects. He missed writing some serious code. He’d have to think about it some more.
The house was quiet, and though he liked it that way, it wasn’t helping to relieve his headache. Sometimes the silence was worse, making him think about everything he lost, and what he had no control over.
