The Friendly Cottage

by Susan Hatler

  “Wasn’t that the night you kissed Brian?” Janine blurted, then clapped both hands over her mouth. But it was too late.

  Olivia dropped the cookie she’d been holding. It fell back on the plate with a little soft clatter. “Brian Watts? Wendy’s brother, Brian?”

  Janine’s hands came away from her mouth. “I’m so sorry, Megan. It just popped out from the shock of the blue moon!”

  Olivia’s eyes went round. “Wait, let me get this right. Megan kissed Brian Watts and you knew and didn’t tell me?”

  Janine blushed. “I sort of knew.”

  Olivia’s gaze flew to my face. “Am I out of the loop now? Have I been working too much? How long has this been going on?”

  Her words pelted my brain like verbal bullets. “Only since last Friday.” I held my palms up to ward off more questions. “He kissed me under a blue moon. By the bay,” I added.

  Olivia leaned back in her chair. “Well, I’ll be. . . I always thought you two would make a cute couple.”

  “You did?” I shut the laptop and fiddled with my teacup. “I’ve had feelings for him forever. Except there are so many reasons why we should never be a couple.”

  “I don’t see any,” Janine chimed in. “Unless you just really like Jackson. I’d understand if you did. He’s pretty great.”

  “I like Jackson, just not in that way,” I answered quickly. “It’s not that. Brian is never going to leave Blue Moon Bay and he’s been abandoned before, by his parents and by his sister. But I made my aunt a promise that I’d visit Italy. I never thought I’d go for a year, but working as a painter would be a dream come true. So, if this contest pans out I might have to leave.”

  Olivia sipped her tea before saying, “But you would come back.”

  “Brian doesn’t do long-distance relationships. Remember Monica?” I ran my fingers through my hair and stood, too nervous to sit down any longer. “What if the legend does come true for us and we’re separated forever?”

  Janine’s gaze went from Olivia’s face to mine. “What? I read the plaque and it says if you kiss someone under a blue moon then you’re with them forever.”

  Olivia shook her head. “It’s says that you’re in love with that person forever. You don’t necessarily get to be with the person. The couple in the legend parted ways. He had to leave and she had to stay behind.”

  Janine’s expression fell. “Oh, Megan. That’s awful!”

  “Tell me about it.” I dropped my forehead on the table. All those childhood years I’d spent dreaming of being kissed by the bay under a blue moon and it seemed that instead of getting a happily-ever-after, all I was likely to get was a goodbye.

  I parked at the Inn at Blue Moon Bay, which is where I’d agreed to meet Brian for our date. Our first official date. I still had a hard time believing it. I got out of the car and the butterflies in my belly broke into flight as I stared at the inn’s charming façade. It might make things easier if I just turned around and left without ever going on our first date.

  Less investment would equate to less heartbreak. Right?

  No way could I will myself to leave. I had to see Brian. He’d texted that I should meet him out back, so I walked around the side of the inn and paused. My heart flipped at the sight of the gazebo lit with pretty lights and decorated with daffodils, my favorite flowers. The white and yellow colors were so bright and cheery. I was touched that he’d remembered. Where he had gotten so many of them was anyone’s guess. But they ringed the door that led into the gazebo and my eyes lingered on that door. . .

  Brian stood there, decked out in a suit and tie. Not just any suit and tie either, a stunning and formal marvel of black linen and white cotton ironed until it was crisp. The corners of my mouth curved upward at how handsome he looked. But I also found him adorable in a t-shirt and jeans.

  The sun had gone down a few moments earlier and dusk lingered on in little pockets of purple and rose. The sea was low and quiet, an indigo and ebony expanse that echoed the vault of the star-pricked sky above us. Brian was in the light and he stood out in such sharp relief to the shadows that I wanted to grab a pencil and paper to sketch him so I could remember every detail of this moment for the rest of my life.

  I walked toward him, my heels sinking into the soft grass with every step. My spring dress rustled and whispered as I went and when I reached him he held out one hand.

  I put my hand in his and tingles of delight ran up my arm. Shiver.

  “Hi.” He looked nervous, which I found completely charming as I said hello. He led me into the gazebo and my mouth sagged open at the sight. He’d set a table with elegant linens, perfectly matched with lovely china, flatware, and stemware.

  He pulled out my chair. “Do you still like your steak medium rare?”

  “Yes.” I stared at him in astonishment. In all of the years I’d known him, I’d never heard of him going to this much trouble for anyone he dated. Not even Monica and they were together for nearly a year. The steak was perfectly seared and looked delicious. I picked up a fork. “Brian, how did you do all this? How did you know I like daffodils?”

  He leaned across the table. “We’ve known each other for a long time. You think I didn’t listen when you talked?”

  I didn’t know what to say so I just stared at him. This was all so pretty but Brian looked dreadfully uncomfortable. I recalled his distaste for stuffy and formal. I could only guess that he’d gone to all of this trouble for my benefit. He must not know how much I loved it when we sat on his couch with pizza and beer.

  “Can I tell you something?” I raised a brow, hoping this wouldn’t hurt his feelings. “This is all so incredibly sweet and romantic. But fancy isn’t really us. Would you mind terribly if we took our plates down to the beach?”

  Brian heaved a sigh. “Would you mind?”

  “No.” I stood and reached for my plate. “In fact, I’d love it.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that.” He released the knot in his tie, pulled it and his jacket off. I grinned and kicked off my shoes. We carried our plates down to the beach, carefully balancing our wineglasses and sipping along the way. “You surprised me tonight with the fancy gazebo.”

  “I wanted you to know that you’re worth it.”

  My heart fluttered. “That means a lot.”

  The tide was low and we plopped down on the sand right near the tide line. I balanced my plate on my lap and dug in.

  Brian cut into his steak and asked, “How’s your painting coming along? I mean, if you don’t mind my asking?”

  “I don’t mind at all. To tell you the truth, it’s been slow to start. But today I had this great idea and if I can pull it off then I think it’s going to be amazing.”

  His gaze stayed on my face. The moon touched the planes of his face, highlighting his cheekbones and his strong jaw. “You sound happier than I’ve ever heard you sound,” he said.

  “Painting makes me happy.” It did, but I was also happy to be there with him. The evening felt bittersweet. After all, if I won the contest then I’d go to Italy, the place my aunt had loved and wanted to get back to, the same place she’d made me swear I would visit one day. And that would also mean saying good-bye to Brian. I didn’t want to think about that.

  The waves rolled up, tickling our bare feet. I chewed a bite of stuffed potato and asked, “How’s the inn doing?”

  He turned his head to look back at the place. His smile widened. “We’ve been at full capacity. The renovations are underway on the two buildings that needed it. I just finished reworking the stair railings in both buildings. They’re finally freed from all layers of paint.”

  His enthusiasm made me smile. I sipped wine then planted the base of the glass in the sand very carefully before shifting my plate so I could get another bite of the tender and delicately seasoned meat. “You really love working with wood, and the inn.”

  “They’re two of the three things I love most in this world.”

  Those words made my heart stop
. I wondered what he meant by that but he didn’t elaborate. Instead, he lifted the plate off my lap and pulled me closer. I rested against him, loving the feel of my cheek against his strong chest. His hands were on my waist and mine pressed against his flat abs. I glanced up at him and his mouth came down on mine. Then I forgot everything but the taste and feel of him. Longing swam through me. Everything in me wanted more time with him than we might have. We had to talk about it at some point. But I wasn’t ready to break the wondrous spell he’d cast over us.

  Our kisses went on and on until we lay down against the sand, all thoughts washing out of my mind. I went limp against the sand, his mouth devouring mine, his body hovering over me. And then a sudden giant swell ran into shore and crashed right over us.

  I came up for air, sputtering and trying not to swallow the salty water. The shock of the water—cold and unexpected—broke us out of our embrace. Brian’s hair stuck up in a point near the front of his head and I guffawed. He still managed to look hot even after being doused by a wave. I started laughing. I couldn’t help it. Brian fought back a laugh and then he gave in.

  He smiled. “This could only happen to us.”

  “I know!” My wineglass washed by and I made a grab for it. My plate was still up there, sitting neatly on the sand but what was left of my dinner had washed away.

  He stood and held out a hand. “Come on, we can’t have you freezing out here.”

  I let him pull me to my feet and then I spoke, saying the only thing that was on my mind. “You’re my best friend, Brian. I don’t want to lose you.”

  He pulled me close and I snuggled against his warm body as I shivered. “You’ll never lose me,” he whispered, his breath warm against my ear.

  I lifted my lashes. “But if I leave . . .”

  “Let’s not think about that,” he said. The pained expression on his face stopped me from saying anything further.

  When he was young, his parents had abandoned him and his sister, leaving them at the inn with their grandma and only returning for sporadic visits that were few and far between. I knew how much that had hurt him. Then Wendy left for college and never returned—until last fall when their grandma passed away. I didn’t want to leave Brian. Ever.

  But I couldn’t promise that either. If I won that contest then I had to go to Italy. It was my aunt’s dream for me and it was my dream, too.

  So I kissed him, wrapped my arms around him, and pulled him tightly against me. His mouth was firm and warm and salty just like the sea. He held me close and I never wanted him to let go.

  Chapter Eight

  It was a glorious day for a sidewalk fair. The noontime sunshine sent a transparent sheet of lemony-yellow light down onto the adobe and stucco buildings, picking out the ocher and carnelian in the red-tiled roofs. The whole downtown area of Blue Moon Bay was built in the Spanish Colonial style, and it seemed exotic and precious with that sheet of light bearing down, the cloudless blue sky overhead, and the street vendors set up in front of the shops.

  The day was made even better by the feel of Brian’s hand around mine. We stopped at a small booth selling handcrafted beaten silver jewelry and Brian pointed to a specific piece. “Look, that’s beautiful.”

  “What?” I stared down at the selection of jewelry and at the bracelet he’d pointed to. It was stunning, a single silver rope with a clasp made of some semi-precious stone that had been carved to resemble the blue moon. The moon, cradled in a slim circle of silver, was what caught my eye and my heart flipped in my chest. Did Brian know there had been a blue moon the night he’d kissed me out on the beach? If so, what did he think that meant?

  Brian picked up the bracelet and then slid the silver rope around my wrist. The metal felt cool against my skin at first, then quickly warmed as he hooked that little moon clasp. Then he smiled down at me, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “It’s perfect.”

  Brian asked the vendor how much it cost. It wasn’t over-the-top expensive but it was pricey enough that my fingers immediately moved to the clasp to hand it back. Before I could take it off, Brian whipped out his wallet and paid for it.

  “You don’t have to do that,” I protested.

  “Of course I don’t have to. I want to, though.”

  How could I say no to that or to the real and wonderful smile on his face? I couldn’t. I stared down at the carved moon, my heart aching. This was my first easy and perfect relationship and, with any luck at all, I’d be flying off to Italy in a month and then it would end.

  Brian lifted his head and sniffed. “Do you smell churros?”

  I laughed, swatting him playfully on the arm. “How can you smell churros when there’s so many scents from all those food trucks?”

  “I have a refined nose.” He took my hand again and we started walking. “Besides, I lured you out of the dress shop on your lunch break with the promise of actual lunch so I must feed you now.”

  “Churros aren’t lunch, you know,” I said, teasing him.

  “Depends on the churro.”

  “Guy logic.” I giggled. There’s no fighting it. The lines for the food trucks were long, snaking along the sidewalks and there was no way to tell which line went to which truck so we just picked one. Brian leaned against me and my heart hammered in my chest. The smell of his cologne and that good smell of wood that always surrounded him wafted up my nose. I leaned back against him, thinking he must’ve been working on his frame that morning. The line inched forward again. The end of the contest was also getting closer.

  It was getting way too close.

  I gave myself a mental shake. I’d finally gotten the one guy I’d always wanted and the odds were against it lasting. I should be making the most of our time together and enjoying it while I could, not moping around.

  “How are things going at the inn?” I asked.

  He rolled his eyes. “We have a problem.”

  “Oh, no. The plumbing again?”

  He shook his head. “It’s Addie Richards.”

  I blinked. “Who?”

  He moved forward in line. I did, too. Our bodies brushed, hip to hip, and my legs felt like spaghetti. “She’s a long-term guest and she’s . . . problematic. She showed up in a priceless classic car with no top, a parrot, and a whole lot of luggage.”

  “Did you say she has a parrot?”

  He nodded. “I did.”

  “The inn allows pets, though, right?”

  “Yes, but this bird is giving us fits. Addie carries him around on her shoulder and she’s somehow managed to teach him how to do stand-up comedy. Not to mention he meows like a cat every time he spots a dog. Which there are plenty of, at the moment. The dogs are going wild, trying to find a cat that doesn’t exist, and the other guests are demanding to know what time the comedy show starts and why they hadn’t been invited. Oh, and then there’s the car.”

  I smashed my lips together to keep from laughing. “What about the car?”

  “It doesn’t have a top. Addie’s terrified of rain—even though I’ve assured her of the drought and the weather channel’s prediction—so every day she steals the table umbrellas and puts them in the back seat of the car to protect the seats in case it rains. Because she’s so old, she manages to enlist the assistance of other guests in protecting her car from the not-going-to-happen rain, which has yet to fall.”

  “What a circus.” I laughed.

  “She also has a habit of dressing up in a full-blown evening dress, taking a position in the lobby, and serenading the other guests in the foyer. Unfortunately, she’s tone deaf, mostly deaf, and very loud as well. Oh, and the parrot sings harmony. The parrot is also quite tone deaf.”

  I convulsed with laughter. I could guess how Wendy, who was such a control freak, felt about a guest with a parrot capable of wreaking so much havoc. “How’s Wendy dealing with all of that?”

  He grimaced. “A lot better than you’d think since she’s not around as much lately. She’s been contracting a lot of real estate listings. I
f her real estate business gets much bigger, we might have to hire someone to help out at the inn.”

  My cell phone buzzed in my purse. “I’m expecting a call. Let me see who that is.” I fumbled in my bag, found my phone and saw the number of a client from my web designing business. “Um, can you hold my place in line? I really need to take this.”

  He nodded. “Of course.”

  I skipped out of line and headed to a small corner of a building that was slightly deserted. I answered the phone with a cheery, “Hi, Bob. How are you?”

  “Hi, Megan.” His tone came back gloomy. “Not good. I just wanted to touch base with you on that money I owe you for the website you designed for my business.”

  Yes! Bob was months overdue paying me and I really needed the payment. The dress shop hadn’t been doing so well lately and my hours were decreasing every week. “I’m glad you got in touch. Are you able to overnight a check to me?”

  Silence. Uh-oh. My gaze flew back to Brian.

  “Business was really bad this month, Megan. I mean bad. I still can’t afford to pay you yet and I know it’s been long outstanding. I’m really sorry. But I have to wait until next month.”

  My shoulders slumped. The amount of money in my bank account was abysmal and the paycheck I’d get for my reduced hours at the dress shop would barely pay my rent. There was a clear deficit and this was not good. Not good.

  “I understand, Bob,” I said, feeling sympathetic. Boy did I ever understand. “But I really need that payment as soon as you can get it together. It’s been nearly six months and we agreed that you’d pay me no later than ninety days after I finished the site.”

  “I know. I hate to do this to you, but I’m in a bind.”

  So was I. Now more than ever, the job in Italy looked like my only hope. Not only was it my dream to paint for a living, but with a steady income I could live without worrying about paying my bills. Sometimes I felt like the most frugal person in town. All of the splurges other people seemed able to afford were always out of my reach.