The Sunset Cottages: A Willa Bay Novel

by Nicole Ellis

  Meg cocked her head to the side. “What is it? It looks like Davina’s journal.” She chuckled a little as she took the book from Tia. “Did you find one too?”

  Tia let Meg discover the answer to that question on her own. Meg’s expression as she opened the leather cover didn’t disappoint. “This is Davina’s too?” Meg asked in a whisper, already rifling reverently through the pages. “This looks like she wrote it a few years after the other one.”

  Tia nodded. “I found it in a box with some photos from the summer of 1927.” The corners of the photos were sticking out from the book, and she reached over and plucked them out, then handed them to Meg.

  Meg’s eyes lit up as she scanned the photos. “So Davina was around eighteen years old here?”

  “Yep,” Tia said. Excitement buzzed between the two women as they contemplated the newest key to Davina’s past. Tia bounced lightly on her toes. “Read the first page.”

  Meg peered at the page, then frowned. “It’s too dark in here for me to make out what it says.” She started for the door, keeping the book open as she walked outside. Tia followed close behind. They settled on the bench around the back side of the barn.

  “Oh my goodness,” Meg whispered in awe. “She was in love.”

  Tia nodded and moved closer to Meg so they could both see the pages. “I stopped reading after the first line because I knew you’d want to see it too.” It felt right to share her first real view of this journal with Meg, because Davina meant so much to her.

  After a few pages, Meg looked up. “Where did you say you found this?”

  “Under a loose floorboard in the closet of my bedroom in Cottage Twenty.” Tia closed her eyes, remembering how surprised she’d been to find it. “It was in an old cigar box, along with the photos and a few other trinkets. I haven’t had much time to check the other stuff out though, because Cal just gave it back to me this morning.”

  “Cal?” Meg’s forehead wrinkled. “Who’s Cal?”

  “He’s one of Shawn’s crew,” Tia answered. “He came to the cottage to deliver a message from Zoe right after I found the box. The lock was a little rusty and I couldn’t find a key, so he said he’d take it home and open it for me.”

  “That was nice of him,” Meg said absentmindedly, turning to the next page.

  “It was.” Tia’s heart warmed just thinking about Cal’s kindness. She’d always heard people in the Pacific Northwest weren’t friendly like those in the South, but she hadn’t found that to be the case in Willa Bay.

  Meg looked up at Tia. “Do you think Davina’s family may have lived in Cottage Twenty? I seem to remember Celia telling me that some of the household staff lived in the cottages, just like we’re going to do.”

  Tia shrugged. “I don’t know. Wouldn’t they have lived in the main building?”

  Meg screwed up her face. “I don’t know either. Maybe?”

  They read together for a few more minutes until Tia’s phone alarm went off, alerting her to an upcoming meeting with Zoe. Meg was caught up in the journal and Tia didn’t want to take it from her, even if she hated the idea of parting with it.

  Tia stood from the bench. “I have to get to a meeting. Do you want to hold onto it until later?”

  Meg looked up, blinking a few times as if coming out of a trance. She checked her watch and grimaced. “I have an appointment to get to also.” She tenderly closed the book and held it out to Tia. “Why don’t you read it first, then I’ll take a turn.”

  “Are you sure?” Tia tried to interpret Meg’s expression. The offer seemed genuine.

  “Yep. I’ve got a lot to do this week, but I’d love to read it later when I’m not so distracted.”

  A strange sense of relief came over Tia once the book was back in her possession. She and Meg walked back to the Inn together, then went their separate ways.

  Davina’s summer with Matthias would be on Tia’s mind all day. As it was Monday, they didn’t have any events scheduled, so Tia planned to delve into Davina’s writings after work – a good reward for the end of the day. Maybe she’d even enhance the experience by drinking a cup of hot tea and wrapping herself in a soft, cozy blanket while she read. A few minutes remained before her meeting, so she retrieved the cigar box from her office and brought it and the journal back to Zoe’s cottage for safekeeping.

  When Tia returned to the Inn, Meg had already left for her appointment, and Zoe’d texted to let Tia know she’d be a few minutes late. Tia took the opportunity to ask Celia if she knew anything about where Davina and Lorraine had lived when they were young.

  She found Celia relaxing in a corner chair in the living room with a mug full of coffee. Before they had restored the Inn at Willa Bay, it had served as Celia’s private residence for many years. Tia often wondered if she found it odd to share it with guests now. Today, though, Celia had the room to herself.

  The elderly woman smiled at her and said, “Good morning, dear.”

  “Morning.” Tia sat down in a chair across from her. She loved talking to Celia because it was like talking to her own grandmother, one of the few people she actually missed back home in Texas. Tia’s heart panged at the thought. Maybe she should go back and visit, because she doubted her Abuela was ever going to get on an airplane and fly halfway across the country to visit her.

  “So, I found another of Davina’s journals.” Tia perched on the edge of the chair.

  “Oh?” Celia leaned forward. “Where did you find it?”

  “In Cottage Twenty, under the floorboards.” Although she’d relayed the story about finding the journal several times now, it still seemed implausible.

  “Really?” Celia’s eyes sparkled. She’d been just as excited to learn about Davina as Meg had when Meg found the first journal, since Davina’s younger sister Lorraine had never mentioned having an older sibling.

  Tia bit her lip and glanced at Celia. “Do you think their family could’ve lived in Cottage Twenty?”

  Celia leaned back in the chair to mull over the question. “I suppose it’s possible. Lorraine and her husband lived in the owner’s quarters when I knew them, but it only has one bedroom. It would have made sense for a family to live in one of the two-bedroom cottages, leaving the owner’s quarters open for important guests.”

  Excitement welled in Tia’s chest. Davina may have lived in the same room that would soon be hers. What were the odds? Did the cottage have more secrets in store for her and Meg? She shook her head slightly. She wasn’t living in a fairy tale, but she now appreciated even more the opportunity to live in Cottage Twenty. She couldn’t wait until they were allowed to move in.

  As if she’d read Tia’s mind, Celia asked, “When’s the big move-in date?”

  “Only another week,” Tia’s voice rang with an enthusiasm that she felt to her core.

  “Oh, sweetie, that’s so exciting. I’m sure you and Meg will have a grand time living there together.” Celia’s eyes glazed over, as though she were imagining a long friendship of her own, perhaps with Lorraine Carlsen.

  “I hope so.” Tia wasn’t sure what it would be like to live with Meg, but she intended to do her best to make the cottage feel like home to both of them.

  The front door opened and Tia smiled at Zoe and Shawn as they entered the living room.

  “Hello,” Celia greeted them warmly.

  “Morning, Celia,” Zoe said.

  “Hey, Grandma.” Shawn didn’t seem as cheery as usual. He bent down to give his grandmother a kiss on the cheek. He then turned to Tia, his face drawn. He ran his fingers over his hair. “I’m afraid I have some bad news for you.”

  Ice ran through Tia’s veins as she steeled herself for what he had to say. Had her dream of living in the cottage been too good to be true?

  9

  Cal

  Over a week after Cal had returned the cigar box to Tia, he was securing a railing to the front porch of Cottage Nineteen when he caught a flash of red in his peripheral vision. He didn’t remember anyone on the
crew wearing a red shirt – they tended to prefer more sedate hues of blue and brown – so the bright color drew his attention. He turned fully around and found Tia standing behind him on the lawn.

  “Hey.” He smiled at her while removing the ear muffs he wore to protect his hearing from the cacophony of construction noise. “It’s nice to see you again.” He hadn’t seen her since he’d returned the cigar box, but had hoped they’d run into each other again.

  Her eyes widened, as though she hadn’t intended for him to see her watching. She stammered, “Oh, hi. I was just checking on the progress at Cottage Twenty and I noticed Shawn had started work on this one.”

  When Shawn had told them last week that the building inspector had informed him that all the cottages needed rewiring to bring them up to code, Cal had been a little disappointed – but he couldn’t imagine Tia’s dismay over learning her move-in date would be delayed even further. They’d all thought Cottage Twenty was close to being finished.

  Cal nodded and leaned against a post, swinging his hammer idly by his side. “I think he’s almost done with your house. He was able to get the electricians out there earlier than expected to rewire the place.”

  There was something about Tia that he couldn’t quite get out of his head. After they’d first met, he’d asked around about her and learned she was living with Zoe at the moment, but would soon be moving into the newly renovated Cottage Twenty with Meg, one of the resort’s co-owners. He suspected she was a few years younger than him, but she had an air of maturity that he found refreshing after his ill-fated marriage to Marci.

  Tia glanced in the direction of the last cottage on the lane. “Yeah, there’s still an electrician’s van out in front, but I’m hoping we’ll get to move in by next week.”

  “That’s exciting.” He stared down at the raw wood of the recently replaced porch steps. Usually, he was blessed with the gift of gab and able to talk to anyone about anything. Now, he was suddenly shy. “So, um, what was in the cigar box?”

  Her face lit up. “An old journal written by a girl who lived here in the 1920s, some photos, and some other mementos she’d saved.”

  “Really?” He’d been half convinced it would be full of junk, but Tia seemed thrilled with what she’d found.

  She nodded vigorously, her whole body bobbing with excitement. The skirt of her red-and-white flowered dress swung against her calves. “Meg found another of her journals in the barn a few months ago, so we were really excited to find this one.”

  “Have you read it?” Cal wouldn’t normally be interested in a teenaged girl’s diary, but Tia’s enthusiasm made him want to learn more about this one.

  “Most of it.” Tia shivered and pulled a dark blue cardigan closer to her body. She obviously hadn’t intended on having any long conversations outside on the chilly November morning, because she wasn’t wearing a winter coat. She looked up at him. “Did you want to see the journal?” He hesitated, and her gaze dropped to the ground. “I mean, you don’t have to. I just thought I’d ask.”

  If it meant a chance to spend more time with Tia, he’d take a tour of a garbage dump with her. “Sure, I’d love to see it.” He walked down the porch steps and stood a few feet away from her so they could converse more easily. “Maybe over dinner on Friday?”

  Without hesitation, she shot him down. “I can’t.”

  “Oh.” He stepped back awkwardly, a wave of disappointment washing over him.

  She smiled softly at him. “I’m an event coordinator, remember? I work most weekend evenings.”

  He wanted to slap his forehead. Of course she wouldn’t be free on a Friday night. On impulse, he asked, “What about lunch today?”

  She looked startled. “Today?”

  He grinned. “Yeah. Like in an hour?”

  She stared at him. Uncertainty filled her eyes, but she seemed to be considering his offer. Finally, she said, “Okay.”

  His heart leapt in his chest like a schoolboy’s. Calm down, Cal. It’s just a lunch date. Was it even a date? It was to him, but she might only be showing him the journal to be polite, since he’d helped her with the box. Whatever the reason, he’d take it.

  “I’ll meet you in the parking lot at noon,” he said.

  She nodded, wrapping her arms across her chest. “See you then.” She started to walk away, then looked over her shoulder and offered him a quick smile that gave him hope, before she scurried down the lane toward the Inn.

  An hour later, he stood next to his car in the resort’s parking lot, fiddling with the green four-leaf-clover keychain his niece, Linsey, had given him last time he’d seen her. She’d always been a perceptive kid, and she’d told him she thought he could use a little luck in his life, so she’d given him her prized good-luck charm. It may have been cheap plastic, but it was one of the most thoughtful gifts he’d ever received.

  Just before he could think he’d been stood up, he saw Tia jogging toward the parking lot. She wore a heavy jacket over her dress and a red knit cap atop her head. In her hands, she held a bundle that was much too big to fit into the small purse she’d slung over her shoulder.

  “Sorry. I got caught up in something.” Her words came out in little puffs of steam in the cold air. “I hope you weren’t waiting for too long.”

  “Nope, not too long.” He wasn’t going to tell her he’d feared she wasn’t coming. He gestured to his car. “Do you want me to drive? I was thinking we could grab sandwiches at Wedding Belles.” A look of hesitation drifted across her face, and he hastily added, “But we can drive separately if you’d like. I swear I’m not a serial killer, but I know you only just met me.”

  Her mouth twitched, then broke out into a small smile. “If you were a serial killer, would you tell me?”

  He shrugged and grinned back at her. “I don’t know. Maybe?” He scanned her face, hoping she was taking his words in fun. She was hard to read sometimes, her demeanor vacillating between reserved and outgoing.

  “I’ll risk it.” She walked over to the far side of his car. “Besides, I told Zoe who I would be with.”

  “Good plan.” He unlocked the car and they both got in.

  He’d asked Shawn for permission to take a longer than normal lunch in exchange for staying later that day, but he hadn’t told him why. However, if Zoe knew Tia was having lunch with him, soon everyone on the crew would know. Cal tended to keep a low profile at work and didn’t share much with the others, so he wasn’t sure how he felt about everyone knowing his personal business. His current outlook on workplace friendships was vastly different than it had been in his previous life as an outgoing commercial real estate agent, and he now preferred his privacy.

  He found a parking space close to Wedding Belles, the popular cafe on Main Street. It was much easier to find parking in the winter than during prime tourist season. In the summer, he’d counted himself lucky if he found a spot less than three blocks away from anything on Main Street. He shut the car off and Tia stepped out onto the curb, waiting for him to join her after he locked the car.

  They entered the restaurant and were seated immediately at a table overlooking the outside deck. All of the tables with their colorful umbrellas and wrought iron chairs had been put into storage for the winter, leaving the deck bare. He’d enjoyed sitting out there several times over the past summer and was sad to see it empty. But with the deck unused, the indoor seating along the windows had a beautiful view of the river channel below.

  He’d grown up in a bedroom community of Seattle, so he was no stranger to the beauty of Washington State. However, the area he was from had been more industrial than scenic, and he loved having nature as close as it was in Willa Bay. Tia seemed just as infatuated with the river view. That, or she was reluctant to make conversation with him.

  He attempted to break the ice. “So, are you from this area?”

  Her gaze broke away from the scenery outside and focused on him. “No, I’m actually from Texas – El Paso, to be exact. I moved up here last Jan
uary.” She took a sip of her water. “What about you? Are you a native Washingtonian?”

  He nodded. “I grew up about an hour south of here. I’ve only lived in Willa Bay for about a year.” Glancing out the window, his breath caught at the sight of a bald eagle perched high in a tree that grew near the river bank. “I still can’t believe how beautiful it is here.”

  “I know.” She sighed. “There are things that I miss about Texas, but I’ve come to love all the greenery in Washington.”

  The waitress came and they placed their food orders. When they were alone, Tia picked up the bundle she’d set on the table when they arrived, and removed it from its cloth wrapper. “Did you want to see the journal?”

  “Definitely. I was pretty curious about what was in the box, but I didn’t want to look at it before you did.” He reached for the leatherbound book and carefully flipped through the pages. They were covered in a neat, tight script that had faded slightly with age. “You said you knew about the box’s owner?”

  Tia tipped her head to the side slightly and pressed her lips together, then said, “A little. Meg and I knew Davina was the daughter of the family who built the Inn, but until I found this journal, we didn’t know what had happened to her. You know Celia, right? The elderly woman who lives at the Inn?”

  “Yeah.” He’d met her briefly at the end of the summer when she’d brought the crew lemonade for their afternoon break. “She’s a nice lady.” He looked up at her. “Is she related to Davina?”

  “Nope.” Tia’s eyes shone as she spoke. “But, she lived at the Inn with Davina’s sister, Lorraine, for over a decade, and Lorraine never spoke of her sister. It’s all a huge mystery. I haven’t quite finished reading this journal, but it seems to mainly be about Davina falling in love over the summer of 1927.”

  “Huh.” Cal stared at the open journal page. He’d never been a teenage girl, but he had sisters, and he was sure reading Davina’s inner musings would give him insight into why they’d acted the way they did at that age. He’d remembered them being pretty loony when they’d experienced their first real crushes in high school.