No End to Love: A Love in Spring Novel

by Roberta Capizzi

  “I’m pretty sure the twins will be here more often than not, especially when Cay’s at the station. Kean’s an awful cook, so his chair at the table will never be vacant. And I wouldn’t mind stopping by for a warm, homemade meal every now and then. There’s only so much frozen food a man can take.”

  His mother half sobbed, half laughed, and he loosened his hug, giving her one last comforting rub on her back. She pulled back and dabbed at her eyes again.

  “You’re right. I’m just being a little emotional. I really hope Bobby sells his grandmother’s cottage to you. It’s a nice area, and it would be perfect for Sophie.”

  Adam nodded. “So do I. I’ve always dreamed of a house by the beach.”

  “When you two are finished with your heart to heart, could we get dessert?” Kean peeked through the kitchen door, sporting a wide grin. “Your daughter’s request, not mine.”

  “Yeah, right.” Adam tossed an oven mitt at him, and hit him straight in the face. “No sugar after five: it’s rule number one in the parent survival kit.”

  “Ah, come on, brother. A cookie won’t kill her.”

  Adam took the tray loaded with the sugar cookies he’d helped Sophie ice and decorate only a couple of hours before. He smirked as he held it out to Kean.

  “Go ahead. Give her as many cookies as you like. She’ll be having a sleepover at your place tonight. Have fun.”

  Kean’s hand froze in mid-air, only an inch from the tray. He looked at their mother, who let out a chuckle.

  “Fine, okay. It was my idea. Give me just a couple, I’ll stuff them in my mouth and won’t tell Sophie.” He snatched three cookies with rainbow sprinkles off the tray and popped one into his mouth.

  “Good boy.” Adam put the tray back on the kitchen counter and patted his brother’s back. “You’ll make a great father one day.”

  Kean choked on the second cookie he’d just bitten, and Adam laughed as he walked out of the kitchen to get Sophie ready for bed.

  He’d miss these family moments once he lived on his own, but deep down, he couldn’t wait to have his own place and prove he could take care of his little girl all by himself. Hannah had trusted he’d make it, and he intended to make her proud of him.

  * * *

  Hammering sounds and men’s voices woke Ellie on a Monday morning, two weeks after she’d moved to Spring Harbor. She got out of bed and pulled the blue darkening curtains, yawning as she tried to spot the source of the offending noises that had pulled her out of a dream featuring a certain handsome man with dark hair and brown eyes.

  When she didn’t see anyone in the back garden, she moved to the spare room that faced the street and pulled the curtains. A red and silver pickup was parked on the front lawn of the house next door. She squinted against the sunlight coming in through the window and noticed that the writing on the truck said, ‘Cavanagh Contracting’, which explained the reason for the hammering. The owners of the place must have hired someone to fix it up—it was in an even worse state than her own.

  After a shower and breakfast, she walked out the front door. A tall man wearing a yellow hard hat waved at her from the porch of the house next door.

  “Good morning,” he said, his dark eyes settling on her as he slid a hammer into the tool belt around his waist. “Sorry about the noise. I hope we didn’t wake you.”

  She shook her head, feeling a little tongue-tied. He was handsome, with cheek-length, curly, dark brown hair tucked behind his ears, a hint of a five o’clock shadow, and chocolate brown eyes. His handsome dark looks reminded her of someone, although she couldn’t remember who.

  He stepped off the porch and strode toward her, his swagger the very epitome of confidence. His smile, on the other hand, was the picture of amiability and kindness. Two contrasting features that she was sure had women swooning over him wherever he went. Too bad she wasn’t going to be one of those women, if that was what he hoped.

  He removed one of his work gloves and stuck out his hand. “Kean Cavanagh. Cavanagh Contracting. My brother just bought the cottage and needs to move in by the end of the month. I’m afraid we’ll be getting on your nerves a little over the next couple of weeks,” he said with a wink—a wink that didn’t cause anything to flutter in her chest.

  “Elise Hawthorne, I’ve just moved here from San Francisco,” she said, taking the big, slightly calloused hand he’d offered. Apart from feeling his strength, she didn’t feel any spark when their hands connected. Unlike the day she’d shaken Adam’s hand.

  “That’s a big change. What brings you to Spring?” Kean asked, interrupting her musings.

  Ellie pondered how much information she should disclose to this stranger, then decided to go with the short version, the one she’d been feeding—and planned to keep feeding—everyone.

  “This is my grandparents’ cottage. My grandmother passed away, and the house is mine and my brother’s inheritance.”

  “Who were your grandparents? I’m sure I knew them. Everyone knows everyone in Spring, in case you haven’t noticed yet.” He smiled, but apart from noticing that it was a beautiful and friendly smile, Ellie didn’t feel anything, not even a tiny flutter of wings. Good. She had no time for a man, anyway.

  “Roger and Lilian Daugherty. They used to spend the summer months here.”

  He smiled again. “Yeah, I remember Lilian. She used to come to my mom’s bakery a lot. I think she gave my mother a couple of her secret recipes, the last summer she was here. Have you settled in fine?”

  Ellie nodded. “I’ve been cleaning out stuff since I’ve come here, and I’ve noticed the house is in bad need of renovations. The roof seems just about ready to give in, and I wouldn’t want for it to happen in winter. Would you have time to look at it, while you’re here?”

  “Sure. I can have a look now, if you’d like. I can get an idea of the extent of the renovations and come up with a quote by the end of the week.” He stared at Ellie with his head tilted to the side, waiting for her reply.

  Those eyes. Why did they look so familiar?

  She shook herself from her trance when she realized she’d been gawking at him. “That’d be great, thank you.”

  After shouting to his co-workers that he was taking a break, he followed her through the rooms, jotting down notes on his phone as he found things that needed fixing.

  Once they were done with the inspection, he walked back out onto the porch with her, and stopped just outside the door to pick up his hard hat from the floor.

  “If you decide to go ahead, I think the roof is the most pressing matter. It doesn’t usually snow much around here, but you wouldn’t want it to collapse on your head on a cold winter’s night.” He went down the first step as he spoke. The wooden floor creaked under his weight, and he looked up from his feet to Ellie with a grin. “And I guess the porch is next.”

  “I’ll speak to my brother once you give me an estimate of costs, since the house is half his, too. But I think he’ll agree some things need to take priority.”

  “No problem.” He looked up at the roof of the house next door, yelled a couple of directions to one of the men, then turned his attention back to Ellie. “I’d better get back to my men, now. Wouldn’t want them to think I’m taking advantage of my status as the boss to slack off. We’ll try not to annoy you too much.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t mind a little company. I’m not used to living alone; it can get a little desolate at times.” She’d never lived on her own in all her life, and although she loved her little cottage and felt at home in Spring Harbor, she couldn’t deny that living alone wasn’t as exciting as some people said. Now that she finally had some company, she wanted to enjoy it a little longer. “I’ve just brewed a pot of coffee. Wouldn’t you guys like a cup?”

  Kean put his yellow hard hat back on and smiled. “Keep the offer for later, if you don’t mind. I’m sure the guys will love some fresh coffee when it’s time for a break.”

  He thanked her and crossed the invisible divisio
n between the two gardens. She watched him climb the ladder and waited until he reached the roof, then went inside and out into the back garden. Her plan for the day was to remove all the weeds and start returning it to its original state, just like her grandmother would have wanted.

  Bobcat was sprawled on the white Adirondack on the back porch and opened one eye at the sound of footsteps. When he saw it was Ellie, he yawned and went back to sleep.

  The gray tabby Siberian had shown up out of the blue a week after Ellie moved in. She’d put a bowl of milk on the back porch, and he kept coming back every day, until one day she found him curled up on one of the kitchen chairs and realized she’d been adopted by the stray furball.

  She’d been happy to find a companion, especially since she’d never been allowed to have a pet when she was a child. But Bobcat was either still too skittish or, now that he had free food and a home, he didn’t care too much about impressing his human friend with his best behavior. She shook her head in resignation as she walked past the snoring cat toward the toolshed. Men were all a major disappointment, no matter their species.

  Chapter Seven

  “Where do you want me to put this one, cuz?”

  Adam turned his attention from his daughter, who’d just risked getting squashed by a pile of boxes she insisted she wanted to help carry, to his cousin Cayden, whose head peeked out around the side of a big cardboard box.

  “Just leave it wherever you find room. I’ll sort them out later,” he said, picking up Sophie and setting her on the kitchen counter. “Now sit here while Daddy finishes bringing in the boxes, okay?”

  Sophie’s face puckered. “But I want to help you,” she said, her voice rising an octave.

  Why hadn’t he accepted his mother’s offer to keep Sophie in the bakery with her until he, Kean and Cayden finished moving everything into the new house? The answer was easy: Sophie had been so excited about the idea of a new house that she hadn’t shut up until he’d agreed to let her tag along. If she was this stubborn at such a young age, he didn’t want to imagine what she’d be like as a teenager.

  “You can be the moving manager. Make sure everything’s looking right and everyone’s doing his job.” Kean came up from behind him and put his blue Mariners cap on her head. He tapped the peak twice and she nodded. The cap fell over her eyes, and she pushed it up, giving him a toothy grin.

  “Yes. I can be the manger.”

  Kean laughed and Adam smiled. Sometimes his brother seemed to be a better father than he was, even though he didn’t have any kids. Kean always found the perfect things to say to steer Sophie’s attention from the thing she’d been so focused on to something else she could get just as excited about, and without her even complaining or making a fuss like she did when Adam told her she couldn’t do something.

  The thought of having to deal with her on his own now scared him a little, if he had to be honest with himself. For three years, he’d had the constant support of his family and his in-laws. Whenever he didn’t know what to do or how to make her stop crying, he had a support network in the house who’d know exactly how to help.

  “This is the last one,” Cayden said, bringing in the last cardboard box and setting it on top of another. “I don’t have to be at the station until late tonight, and the twins are spending the afternoon with their friends and will be staying at your parents’ tonight, so I can stay and help you unpack.”

  Once again Adam was grateful for his big, old-fashioned family and the support they provided. Kean had turned the rundown cottage into a livable, comfortable home for Adam and his little daughter. Cayden had given up his morning and afternoon off to help him move his stuff. Kacey had helped Sophie pack up all her toys, while Ryley had helped Adam haul the boxes into Kean’s truck. It just wouldn’t have been the same without their help.

  “Come on, let’s start in the living room.” Cayden turned his Spring Harbor Fire Department cap around and rubbed his hands together.

  Adam looked at the cluster of boxes, furniture, and plastic bubble-wrap around him, and wondered if he’d ever feel at home in these new surroundings. Kean had done one hell of a job, reroofing the cottage and finishing the renovations in less than two weeks. Adam had been determined to move in before Sophie started school, and Kean had hired an additional man to make it happen.

  The new basic furniture he’d ordered had been delivered just yesterday. When he left Seattle to come back to Spring, he’d given what little furniture he and Hannah owned to Goodwill. Kean had offered to help him bring his stuff to Spring back then, but Adam thought the few items would only be a painful reminder of what he’d had and all he’d lost.

  He’d been lucky that Kean knew a couple of furniture shops that had been able to deliver the basic items needed to turn the empty house into a home for Sophie and himself on such short notice. And he also had the few pieces of furniture he’d built together with his grandpa the first few months after coming home—when the old man thought that a few hours chopping and carving in the workshop in Adam’s parents’ barn would help him get over the pain. It hadn’t really made him miss Hannah any less, but at least this hobby he’d once shared with his grandpa back before he went to college had kept his mind busy. In a way, it had kept him sane.

  Even though it looked like a bomb had exploded in the living room, at least they wouldn’t have to sleep on the floor or buy takeout every night because he didn’t have kitchen appliances.

  “Daddy, I’m bored.” Sophie tugged on the hem of his blue t-shirt, which was now sticking to his back and his stomach. He closed the box he’d just opened and crouched in front of her.

  “I know, baby girl. But I have to finish unpacking all these boxes, so we won’t trip over things tonight.”

  “Can we play ball?”

  Why hadn’t she agreed to stay with his mother at the bakery today? He knew she had every right to be bored, but he didn’t have time for a break now. He had to take advantage of Cay and Kean’s help while they were here. He couldn’t go play with his daughter while his brother and cousin did all the work.

  “Not now. Let me finish unpacking first, then we can play, okay?”

  Sophie huffed, crossing her arms and squeezing her stuffed bunny in the movement.

  “Buzz is bored too,” she said, her tone turning whiny. “Can we watch Fwozen?”

  “The DVD player is still in a box. We haven’t set it up yet.”

  Sophie frowned. Her little girl’s brain probably didn’t care about cables and stuff. She only wanted to watch her favorite movie.

  “We’ll watch it tonight after dinner, okay?”

  She shrugged, squeezed Bugs to her chest and walked back toward the living room, where Kean and Cayden were busy unpacking. He’d forgotten how much he hated moves. The last time, Hannah had made it fun, but now he just wished he could close his eyes and find everything magically settled into place when he opened them again.

  If only it were possible.

  * * *

  “What are you doing?”

  Ellie looked up from the pot of pansies she was busy planting in her backyard, her trowel in mid-air in her other hand. A little girl with a round, rosy face, framed by wheat-blond, corkscrew curls that reached down to her chin, stared at her with big blue eyes under long thick lashes. She was probably three or four years old and held a pink stuffed bunny to her chest with her right hand. The tiny fingers of her left hand twitched the bunny’s ear.

  Ellie smiled and sat back on the heels of her feet. “I’m planting flowers to make my garden look nicer.”

  The little girl grinned. “I like your flowers. They’re beautiful.”

  She took a step closer and crouched down, mirroring Ellie’s position, then leaned closer to sniff the flowers. When she raised her eyes again, she scrunched up her nose. “They smell funny.”

  Ellie laughed. “Pansies aren’t like roses. They don’t really smell like flowers, more like grass and earth.”

  “Gwammy has woses in her gar
den. They smell nice.” She touched the petals of a purple flower and smiled with delight. “Ooh, it’s soooft.”

  The thing Ellie loved the most about working with little kids was the way they could get excited over small things adults took for granted. Like how soft a petal was.

  “I’m Sophie. What’s your name?” the girl asked, moving on from the conversation about flowers. Another thing kids were good at: shifting their interest from one thing to another at the speed of light.

  “I’m Ellie. It’s nice to meet you, Sophie.”

  “Dis is Buzz,” Sophie said, holding out the stuffed bunny for Ellie to see.

  “Like Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story?” Ellie asked, frowning at the unusual choice of name.

  Sophie rolled her eyes in a very grown-up way, as if she couldn’t believe why Ellie didn’t get it. “Noooo! Like Buzz Bunny!” she said emphatically.

  “Oh, I see. Well, nice to meet you, Bugs.” Ellie shook the bunny’s paw, making Sophie giggle. She looked past the little girl and frowned when she didn’t see a grown-up anywhere. She looked back at Sophie, who was now very interested in Ellie’s gardening tools. “Where are your parents, sweetie? Do they know you’re here?”

  Sophie pointed behind her. “Dis is our new house, we don’t live with Gwammy and Gwampy anymore. But Gwammy is coming to the beach to make sandcastles wif me. Uncle Kean said I could be the manger, but I was bored and Daddy said I can’t watch TV ’cause there are loooots of boxes in the woom.”

  “You can stay here with me for a while, if you want. If your Daddy looks for you, we’ll hear him calling, and you can go back inside.”

  Sophie smiled. A cute dimple flashed in her right cheek, and Ellie couldn’t help comparing her to a little angel from a picture book.

  “Would you like to help me plant the flowers?” Ellie asked.

  Sophie’s face lit up with an even wider smile, and she nodded. Ellie put a pansy plant into the soft ground, surrounded it with a pile of earth and handed Sophie the small green watering can. “Here, you can give the flowers a little water. I think they’re thirsty.”