Just South of Paradise

by Grace Palmer

“Thank you for the ride,” Tasha says, glancing over at him as she unbuckles her seat belt.

  “Thank you for coming to audition.” Eddie smiles warmly. “I, uh, I’m excited that we get to work together.”

  Tasha meets his gaze and her stomach flutters. His eyes are like melted chocolate and she finds herself getting lost in them. Would it be so crazy to kiss him? She did only break up with Chuck a few days ago, but that seems like lifetimes away, like that world belonged to a different Tasha. And Eddie is so cute, and his lips look so soft …

  Eddie leans in a fraction of an inch and it breaks the spell. It’s too soon. Too fast.

  Tasha blinks and licks her lips, taking a deep breath. “Right, yep. Thanks again. I’ll see you at rehearsal.”

  She hops out of the car and marches up the driveway, heart bouncing against her rib cage. She makes it around the side of the house, out of sight of the driveway, and leans against the wall. The cool wood feels like heaven on her flushed skin.

  Tasha lets her eyes fall closed and tips her head back. She pictures Eddie, with his mop of hair, soulful brown eyes, and the little splash of freckles across his nose, and her lips draw into a grin. She starts to chuckle louder and louder, until it builds into a full-on belly laugh. She laughs until she runs out of breath, then sucks in a gulp of air and laughs some more.

  Tasha knows she looks crazy, but doesn’t care. Heck, maybe she is crazy.

  One thing’s for sure—coming home to Willow Beach has just gotten a lot more interesting.

  24

  Melanie

  Melanie cracks open one eye, then the other. She stares at her bedside table, or, more accurately, at the cell phone sitting on top of it. She fell asleep last night debating whether or not she should call Derek, and it is the first thought on her mind when she returns to consciousness this morning.

  There is movement in the bed next to her and suddenly a mound of wiry black fur emerges from under the blanket and shuffles toward her face, licking excitedly at her cheek and nose. Bandit seems to have a sixth sense for when she is awake. She doesn’t even need to move for him to know.

  “Good morning to you, too.” She scratches his head. “Let’s get you outside.”

  Melanie climbs out of bed and changes into a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. She shoves her phone in her pocket and picks up Bandit, and the two of them make their way downstairs. It is Melanie’s day off and she has no plans, other than obsessing over whether to call her ex-husband or not.

  He probably doesn’t even have the same phone number, she reasons as she waits for Bandit to do his business. She hasn’t needed to call Derek since the divorce and they haven’t exactly stayed in touch.

  Job accomplished, Bandit wags his tail proudly and waits to be picked back up. At this stage many dogs would just walk with their injured leg lifted, but Bandit seems to prefer being carried everywhere like the spoiled little prince he is. She’s going to miss him.

  Melanie goes back upstairs and pours some food in Bandit’s bowl. She fills herself a bowl of cereal and sits down at the table. After two bites, she realizes that it would be ridiculous to call Derek anyway. What would she say? She made a big deal the day before about how he was wrong to think that she was going to let him back in her life. It would send the wrong message if she then immediately tried to call him. Especially since she’d probably just end up babbling.

  “I’m not going to call him,” Melanie announces to the room, words slightly garbled due to her mouthful of food.

  Bandit looks up at her, chewing, then looks back down at his bowl.

  Melanie’s phone buzzes on the table in front of her and she nearly falls out of her chair. Her hand shoots out and snatches up the phone. What are the chances that Derek would call her while she’s dithering over—oh, it’s not Derek. It’s Colin.

  That might be worse.

  “Hello?” Melanie answers, heart still racing from the jolt of adrenaline.

  “Hey, Doc,” Colin says. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

  “Nope, not at all. Bandit and I are just having some breakfast.”

  “Great. Speaking of the little guy, do you think he’s ready to come home with me today?”

  Melanie looks at Bandit and her heart sinks to think that their time has come to an end, but he will be better off with Colin. Plus, she can still visit him.

  “He would love that.”

  “Great. I can be there in fifteen minutes, if that’s not too soon?”

  Melanie’s eyes widen and she self-consciously strokes the flyaways back from her forehead. “No, that’s fine. We will be ready for you.”

  They hang up and Melanie bolts to her feet. Why didn’t she just say she needed more time? She shoots around the apartment, getting all of Bandit’s things together first and then giving her face a quick wash, brushing her hair, and changing into a pair of jeans and a loose cotton tee.

  Colin arrives right on time and buzzes her apartment.

  “You ready to go?” Melanie asks, scooping Bandit into her arms and shoving his bed under her other arm. In the few days she has had him, he has amassed a lot of possessions. Melanie wonders if perhaps she has spoiled him a little, with all the toys, treats, bowls, and the cushy bed. She even rustled him up a little bandana with a cowboy pattern on it.

  She struggles down the stairs, fully loaded up with bags, and bursts through the exterior door. Colin takes a step back, chuckling.

  “I would have come up to help you,” he says, rushing to lighten her load.

  Melanie gratefully hands over a couple of the bags and the dog bed. “It’s fine. I made it.”

  Colin is every bit as handsome as she remembers. Rugged features, deep brown eyes, shoulders so sturdy they could support a zipline. She’d been half hoping he would’ve morphed into something hideous like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, just to ease the war raging in her head between him and Derek. As it is, though, that does not seem to be happening. He smells intoxicating to boot.

  They walk to where Colin’s Jeep is parked on the side of the road and load it up with Bandit’s things. “You know, I was thinking,” Colin says, scratching his head. “Bandit will probably relax in his new home a little better if you’re there, and I’d love to show you the work I’m doing. Will you come over for a little while?”

  Melanie grins. “I would love to.”

  “Great.” Colin’s lips break into a dazzling smile. “Hop in.”

  She gets into the Jeep and holds Bandit on her lap. The top is open, so the warm air strokes across Melanie’s face as Colin starts to drive, whipping her hair this way and that. Bandit loves it. He spends the whole time with his nose in the air, sniffing all the new scents.

  They drive along the oceanfront to where the road winds up and away from the beach. The sandy coast gives way to steep rocky bluffs where thousands of seagulls nest, and they soar and dive over a sapphire blanket that stretches all the way to the horizon. Melanie sticks a hand out the window and feels the air rush past her hand.

  “It’s nice up here, huh?” Colin comments.

  Melanie glances over at him. The morning sun paints his face gold and his smile burns brighter than ever. “It’s fantastic.”

  “Wait until you see the house,” he replies. “She needs a little work but we’re well on the way.”

  The road veers away from the cliffs and starts heading inland, and the stunning ocean vistas are replaced by a towering forest. After another mile or so, Colin turns off onto a small dirt road through the trees. The air is heavy with the scent of damp earth and moss.

  The road bursts through to a clearing and Melanie gets her first view of the house. It is as Colin described—a lovely Cape Cod design with a steep gabled roof, dormers poking out of the roof, and shutters on the windows. There is a small front porch leading to the front door, and sprawled on the lawn in front of it are various building supplies, including a big pile of two-by-fours and a sawhorse.

  As they get closer Melanie notices that the paint on
the white shutters and the blue siding is peeling and the roof is missing a few shingles. One of the windows is boarded up, too. She decides that this would be a spooky house to come across in the dead of night.

  “If you walk about a half mile behind the house, you reach the cliffs,” Colin says, as he puts the Jeep in park. “I watched the sunrise from there yesterday morning. It was stunning.”

  “I bet,” Melanie comments. “This place is incredible.”

  They hop out of the Jeep and Melanie carries Bandit up the front steps while Colin unlocks the door. It swings open with a creaky groan and she sets Bandit on the floor. “Go explore,” she prompts.

  The dog hops away into the house, tail wagging, nails clicking against the dusty hardwood.

  “Can I show you around?” Colin asks.

  “I thought you’d never ask.” Melanie smiles up at him.

  He begins the tour in the massive living room at the front of the house. The faded green wallpaper hangs from the walls in strips and the sun shines dimly through the streaky windows, but Melanie can just picture what this space will look like once Colin is finished with it.

  “So why this house?” Melanie asks, gazing around in wonder. “Why Willow Beach?”

  “Like I said, I’ve always wanted to settle down in a small town,” Colin says. “I’ve always hated the hustle and bustle of big cities. Anonymity is overrated. I wanted to move somewhere I could get to know the community, where I could walk into the hardware store or the coffee shop and people would know me, and would know what I’m about.”

  Bandit shuffles back into the room and makes a beeline for the grand fireplace on the far wall. He snuffles around the ashy grate and soon starts sneezing repeatedly. Colin laughs and walks over, grabbing the little dog and carrying him out into the hall to show her the next room.

  “I get wanting to live in a small town,” Melanie says. “But that still doesn’t explain why you chose Willow Beach. Why this small town?”

  They step into a sprawling kitchen with a sliding glass door at the far end overlooking an expansive, grassy backyard.

  “I nearly moved to a little place in New Hampshire,” he admits, setting Bandit down. “There was a similar project house and it was cheaper, with a little more land. I was getting ready to sign the papers on it when I came to look at this house out of curiosity.” He grins and leans against the refrigerator, a brand new stainless steel unit that hums happily. “I stopped at the Lobster Trap for lunch and had some lobster bisque. Everyone was so friendly, and so helpful. Plus it was the best lobster bisque I’d ever had. It seemed like fate.”

  Most of the counters and the island in the middle of the room are covered in plastic sheeting. Bandit seems to take issue with this and starts tugging on the plastic covering the island, knocking the paintbrush and screwdriver resting on top to the floor.

  Colin swoops in and lifts Bandit up once again.

  “You two are perfect for each other,” Melanie jokes.

  Colin grins, ruffling Bandit’s head. “Why’s that?”

  “You’re both accident-prone.”

  He laughs. “I suppose that’s true.” He nudges his shoulder against Melanie’s. “Come on, I’ll show you the rest of the house.”

  Colin walks her through the house, painting a picture of what it will look like when it’s finished. The study will have floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with all of his favorite works—from Dickens to Eliot to nonfiction titles covering every topic under the sun. The bedrooms will be decorated in lovely pastels with soft furnishings and an emphasis on natural light. He has purchased a clawed bathtub for the main bathroom that will sit under the window in the center of the room. Melanie can just picture soaking in it with a glass of wine and a good book.

  By the end of the tour, she has decided that Colin is building her dream house. Before this point, she didn’t even realize she had a dream house. She has spent the past few years trying not to plan for the future, seeing as how the last time she did that, the man involved uprooted everything. Now, Melanie dreams of a little house at the edge of town with a cozy attic and an herb garden in the backyard. In a few months, that house will exist right here.

  They finish the tour in the backyard, where the wind skims through the tall grass and the trees lean in on either side. “Do you like it?” Colin asks.

  “It’s amazing.” Melanie closes her eyes and breathes in deep. “You’re going to be very happy here.”

  “I hope so.” Colin’s smile is like warm caramel. “Do you want to walk to the cliff edge?”

  “Let’s do it.”

  They begin walking and Colin’s hand brushes against Melanie’s. Her heart pounds as his fingers interlace with hers, and she keeps her gaze low to hide her flushed cheeks.

  They walk until the grass gives way to rocky soil. Over the edge of the bluffs, the ocean stretches far into the distance. A few white, fluffy clouds pepper the sky, and the sun above spreads long fingers of light across the water.

  “I’m glad I chose Willow Beach,” Colin says, voice thick with unspoken emotion.

  “Are you?” Melanie looks up at him. His lips pull into a smile and he tugs her toward him, hands resting on her waist.

  “Of course,” he says. “If nothing else, I got to meet you.”

  Melanie’s heart flutters and she leans in, letting her hands rest on his chest. The wind ruffles his hair as he bends closer. Her eyelids droop closed.

  Colin’s mouth is warm and firm against her own. He pulls her closer as he deepens the kiss. Melanie sighs against his mouth. She bunches her hand in his shirt, sparks flying behind her closed lids. Colin’s kiss is gentle, almost reverent. He kisses her as though she is the most precious thing in the world.

  They break apart but Melanie continues to cling to his shirt. Her knees feel weak.

  Colin grins. “Wow.”

  “Wow, indeed,” Melanie says, chuckling.

  There is one second where Melanie’s mind is blissfully clear, and then the thoughts of Derek come crashing in like a punch to the gut. She feels wrong for having kissed Colin. But why should she? She and Derek aren’t together.

  Then again, she nearly called Derek this morning. And last night, she fell asleep thinking of Derek’s face bathed in moonlight on a Mexican beach. That old wound has come bursting open and Melanie suddenly can’t breathe.

  She turns from Colin and runs a hand through her hair, trying to calm down. Should she tell him? Should she tell him that her ex-husband has come back to town and has brought case upon case of emotional baggage with him?

  “You okay?” Colin asks, resting a hand on Melanie’s back.

  “Yes, of course!” she swings back around, lips pulled back into a smile. “I just realized what time it is. I promised my mom I would come by this afternoon and I’m going to be late.”

  Colin studies her, as though suspecting the lie, but nods. “Sure. I’ll take you.”

  “Thank you,” Melanie says with a grateful sigh, already stomping back toward the house. Her heart slams against her rib cage with every step.

  Colin grabs Bandit and locks up the house, then the three of them hop into the Jeep and he sets off toward town.

  “Are you sure everything is okay?” Colin asks, glancing over at her.

  “Mhmm.” Melanie nods and smiles. “Sorry for the abrupt departure. I guess time just got away from me.”

  She reaches for the radio and flicks on the local classic rock station, humming along as they crawl through the trees and reach the main road.

  Melanie wonders if she will even see her mom at the inn or if Georgia will be busy working. Either way, it’s only a short walk from the inn to her apartment, so it’s not a bad cover story. She feels awful both for lying and for cutting her and Colin’s lovely day short, but she needs time to think. That kiss … That kiss was everything.

  So why did her thoughts immediately fly to Derek?

  Melanie’s phone buzzes and she pulls it from her pocket. She opens th
e text and her heart begins to crash against her ribs.

  It’s Derek. It’s Derek, and he wants her to meet him on the beach in front of the inn.

  Melanie stares at the screen, jaw tight. How is this happening?

  “Everything all right?” Colin asks.

  Melanie snaps back to the present and shoves the phone in her pocket, smiling apologetically. “Yes, totally. It’s just my mom wondering where I am.”

  “I’m sorry for keeping you from her.”

  “No, no, you’re fine.” Melanie shakes her head. “This is my bad; I’m the one who forgot.”

  Guilt builds in Melanie’s throat. She should tell him. It’s not fair to lie and get him to drop her off at the inn when she is going there to meet with her ex-husband. It was different when she just needed some space, but now she is actually being shady.

  Wait—is she not even going to question whether she should meet with Derek or not? Has she already decided to do it? Just like that?

  Well, she is going there anyway … Plus, the beach is neutral ground. It’s not like she’s going on a date with him.

  Melanie is so overwhelmed with her thoughts that she doesn’t even notice them driving through town, and the next thing she knows, Colin has parked in front of the inn.

  “Thank you for coming by today,” Colin says.

  Bandit licks her face, wagging his tail.

  “Thank you for having me,” Melanie murmurs as she pushes Bandit away. “You sure you’re going to be okay with this little troublemaker?”

  Colin smiles. “I’m sure we’ll make do.”

  They exchange a lingering look, and Melanie wonders if Colin will kiss her again. She doesn’t know what she would do if he did, so to forestall that, she leans in and gives him a chaste peck on the cheek. “Thanks for the ride.”

  With that, she hops out of the Jeep and bounds into the front entrance of the inn.

  Reception is blissfully empty. Melanie leans against the wall while she catches her breath and waits for Colin to leave. She hears his tires crunching along the driveway and then the engine rumbles as he drives away.