WindSwept Narrows: #2 Cassidy, Abby & Mia

by Diroll-Nichols, Karen

  “How do you know that?”

  “Spoke to the real estate guy…very eager…I did some background checking and it’s very well made,” he let his eyes travel the length of the property, noting where the neighbors were. “And no neighbors close to the master bedroom.”

  “No…I…” Abby frowned and walked the length of the deck, peering into the window of the kitchen. “I don’t know how much we’d have to come up with…I’ve always rented before. Buying a house…”

  He heard her doubt but each time he woke alone in the night, he had spent it working on his argument for this one.

  “Well…we’re not buying it to make a quick turnaround. This house is solid, three car garage, three bedrooms and a large office. Two and a half baths…I don’t see us needing anything else.”

  “Cade…when my mother and I argue…we slam doors…but we eventually work things out,” Abby drew her tongue around her lips.

  “And you don’t think we could? I don’t slam doors…now and again I have the urge to hit something…like that construction guy I saw hitting on you and Cassidy this morning,” Cade had seen the man talking to them about mid-morning. He’d seen the stance both women adopted, their expressions and body language telling him all he needed to know.

  “Umm…you saw that?” Full lips pulled into a tight pout, her tone more than a little high pitched and far too casual.

  “Hmm…did you talk to Simon?”

  “He’s not working with Simon’s crew. He’s part of the separate firm hired to do the garage and parking areas,” Abby brought her thumb up, chewing on her nail. Rules of being a couple. How much do you confess? “I’ve handled jerks like that most of my life, Cade…so has Cassidy.”

  “Abby, I trust you. And I know you can and have taken care of yourself. What I don’t like is that guys still haven’t learned not to be jerks,” Cade admitted flatly. He didn’t need to mention that he had tracked down the man’s supervisor and had a nice chat with him regarding his business contract.

  “He didn’t care much for our answers,” she admitted, her nose wrinkled at the memory. “He was a little crude.”

  “Guys are like that…but rarely around their ladies,” he told her with a wink that made her smile. He held out his palm, the surge that shot through would never get old when she came to him without questions. “So…the house thing…how about we look over the inside first, then talk money again?”

  Abby nodded, leaning back against him while he tapped a button on his phone. She listened to him. The confidence and self-assurance such a strong part of her attraction to him.

  “Estate agents are hungry…he’ll be here in fifteen minutes.” Cade set her on the wall. “I’m going to look around the garage and parts not easily accessible.”

  Abby considered this. That meant bugs.

  “I’ll wait here.” She curled her legs onto the wall, leaned on her knees and stared into the quietly flowing waters a hundred yards down the beach. Trees dotted the sides, around people’s homes and there were even a few tall pines that would shadow the back of the house when the sun was setting.

  Two male voices invaded her peace a short time later. The roof was new, the appliances all stainless and less than a year old. The owner was transferred and was interested in selling quickly.

  “Abby?” Cade called to her from the now open patio door, his hand out to her. Her fingers closed around his as she stepped over the raised step and into the shade of the interior. Empty it looked huge, she thought.

  “Miss Murray, Jack Harper,” he extended his palm with a firm shake. “Your fiancée tells me you wanted a quiet place by the beach.”

  “My…yes….we do…this is beautiful,” Abby wandered into the kitchen, fingers running over the marble tops and opening the cabinets and drawers.

  “Well…take your time and look around…there’s a lot to take in. The garage is open and has a fully viable apartment on the second floor. It’s more of a split level house, than two story. The kitchen is sunken and the master suite and bath are above it.”

  “It’s an interesting design…” Abby walked up the four stairs to the master suite, peering into the huge walk in closet and master bath. There was a half bath beneath the stairs, off the kitchen. She had seen Cade and Jack Harper go outside, Cade’s hands out and gesturing to something on the eaves of the house, nodding when the agent answered his question. She wandered to the back. The rooms were larger than she was accustomed to and the office was lined with built in shelves in the same blue grey as the house itself. Plenty of closet space in the halls.

  Abby moved back to the main room and stood in the center. The floors were all hardwood. She pulled her phone out, tapped over some buttons and slid one of the ear pods in place, listening to the opening strains of the music. She closed her eyes and extended her arms. She sunk slowly to the floor, the music in her ears, but her voice filling the room.

  Cade and Jack Harper looked at each other.

  “Is there a radio in the house?” Cade asked.

  “Not that I know of…that’s a Christmas song,” he answered, following toward the song.

  “A very well done version…” He listened to the clear, high voice and had to smile. They stood silently on the deck, listening to the song come to a finish.

  Abby sat still in the center of the floor, her hands clasp in front of her for a long minute before she moved, pulling the ear pod free and tucking her phone back into the bag she had over her shoulder. She stretched her hands high above her head and opened her eyes, freezing and squeezing her eyes tight.

  “I like singing…and…I wanted to see what it would sound like.” She accepted the palm Cade offered, climbing to her feet and just shaking her head. “I’m good…I’ll be outside,” she moved to the patio without looking back.

  Cade spent twenty minutes talking to the agent, joining Abby on the patio to let him contact the owner with the offer.

  “Abby?”

  “I’m listening.” She had stretched out on the wall, face tilted up and eyes closed.

  “Do you like it?” He asked simply, moving her legs to the side and sitting to face her astride the wall.

  “I like it a lot,” she met his stare.

  “Trust me to handle things?”

  “Cade…if we are a couple…”

  “We’re more than a couple, Abby. We’re friends. Companions and lovers. We’re partners.”

  “When I met you, I was…” She studied him for a long minute. “I thought…no, I was worried that you were…I should have known better. I never thought about the cost of the bike…”

  “Honey…I’m getting lost…”

  “I thought you were homeless, Cade…” She blurted out.

  Cade brought his palm up and rubbed his neck. “I’m staying in a hotel right now. I didn’t want to put a hotel address on an employment application. I have my stuff in storage. I’ve saved money all my life. I have a four door SUV with a bike trailer on the back. I own them both. I don’t have any debt.”

  Abby blinked slowly, digesting the new information. “You know none of that mattered…until you started talking about…living together and buying a house…a house with a beach…it just…the payment…I own my little car…”

  “So we’re two thrifty people who want to buy a house.”

  “Cade…it’s half a million dollars!” Abby whispered hoarsely. “Million!”

  Cade almost burst out laughing. “Actually, I made them an offer of four hundred and thirty thousand. I think they’ll take it.” One eye closed when her feet hit the decking, pacing. Boots on Abby made an interesting sound when she paced. Firm, strong and loud. He sat back, hands hanging loosely between his knees, waiting patiently.

  “You haven’t even asked me if I have money in savings,” she said, continuing to pace, her hands wringing as she moved.

  “Abby…”

  “This is a very large step, Cade. Big.”

  “I think we can handle it,” he assured her. “We a
ren’t a couple of kids, Abby.”

  “This is…”

  “So let’s do the Oprah moment thing…tell me about your finances.” This time he did laugh. “Abby…we’ve talked about sex and condoms…this is easy.”

  “I have a four oh one and about fifty thousand in savings and then there’s the stocks but...not nearly enough to buy a house…well, not this house…”

  “But this is the house we want,” Cade said simply. “Never touch the four oh one. I’ll take care of the house, you take care of the furniture, how’s that? Between what we each have in storage…we need a good solid bedroom set, though. And I like the stuff your mother has…sturdy and kind of rustic…not that white or untouchable crap.”

  Abby stared at him.

  “Abby?”

  “Congratulations, Mr. Rollins…Miss Murray…” Jack Harper stepped onto the deck, beaming and offering his palm. “You’re now home owners.”

  Both men looked toward the little yelp, Cade was up and putting his arm around her waist, guiding her to the wall. “Breathe, honey…”

  “I have here the escrow information to transfer the money to,” he held out a sheet of paper to Cade. “And I’ll need some information from you both for the deed.” He frowned when another tiny noise left Abigal, her lips pursed and eyes closed. “Is she going to be alright?”

  “It’s a big step,” Cade told him. “Abby, I have to get this transfer done…why don’t you give him your information while I handle this?”

  “Yes…information…” Abby reached for her purse absently. “What did you need? I’m sorry…I think I’m in a little bit of shock…”

  “I understand. Buying a home is a big step,” Jack Harper pulled out a form from inside his case and sat on the wall, asking questions and filling in blanks. “This should speed through and you’ll receive all the ownership papers in the mail. Here’s a list of the utilities, I know you’ll want to get those started and in your names.”

  Abby let him wander off to join Cade in the kitchen, the men standing near the breakfast bar and finishing their business. She slid against the wall, her head between her knees, inhaling slowly and steadily.

  Cade excused himself and dropped to his heels beside her. “Honey….you okay? How about some water?” He handed her a bottle of cold water that had been stocked in the fridge.

  “Thank you,” Abby drained the bottle and handed it back. “I’m good…I am…I can handle this…”

  “Abby…” Cade worried for the first time if he was pushing too hard too fast. Topic change, his mind told him firmly. “That’s some set of pipes you have…where did you learn to sing like that?”

  “Choir…lots of choir practice,” Abby answered, blinking and meeting the concern in his eyes. There was so much concern there, she realized, her palm up and on his face tenderly.

  “Choir? Do we need to have a religion talk?” He groaned inwardly, wondering if he’d drifted from topic to topic in the wrong direction.

  “I’m not religious. No logic to it,” Abby answered honestly. “My father is…he’s a little more so now…since Mike was killed. But I really liked choir.”

  “You have a fantastic voice,” he offered his palms. “Let’s go inside.”

  “Thank you,” Abby walked with him, sighing softly. “We really own this house?”

  “We really do,” Cade agreed, lifting a ring of keys from the counter. “We can find a place and have some extras made. I’ll arrange for my stuff to be delivered next week. I think we can throw the furniture into the garage until we decide what we want to use and donate the rest.”

  “I don’t have any furniture,” Abby said, her eyes caught on the keys. “Just boxes of clothing and books…kitchen things…towels…just stuff…I can call the storage people and have it dropped off. Let me know when you’ll be doing yours and I’ll schedule it.”

  “How about you give me the information and I’ll take care of it? I’ve got a lot more flexible schedule than you do at the moment,” Cade locked the patio and stood with her in the center of the vaulted ceiling living area. He nodded slowly in approval.

  “I have that information at home…at my mother’s…I can’t believe how quickly…just poof….and you have a house…with taxes and utilities and…and…”

  “I think you need some food,” Cade, took her hand, locked the door, dropped the keys in his pocket and led her back into the fresh air.

  “No…no…” Abby looked at him, dragging her fingers through her hair. “Can we just ride for a little while? Please?”

  Cade mounted the bike, but stopped her, pulling her to his side, palms framing her face. “Abby…tell me…if I pushed too far…too fast, tell me…I can live here alone until…” he stopped when obvious dismay entered her eyes. “You don’t want me to live here alone,” she shook her head quickly. “You want to live with me…honey…what’s wrong? I can’t handle the silence, Abby…”

  “I’m afraid…I…this…us…it’s all so new, Cade…don’t you…you seem so sure…so positive…and I feel it…and…”

  “Doubt?”

  “No…not doubt…just…” her hands moved through the air at the same time she spun around and began pacing. She didn’t see relief enter his eyes. This was the Abby he knew. “A book…there’s no manual…no…guide…”

  Cade grabbed a palm as it was passing and pulled her back to his side. He put his hands around her face.

  “Honey, we’re humans…there is no manual. I think it falls into your list pages…we wing it and do the best we can. We talk and laugh and argue and work through things.”

  “Cassidy said…life is too uncertain…to lose a single day of just simply being happy. Not rich. Not powerful. Just happy. That’s what I want for us, Cade.”

  He gathered her against him, very aware of the shudder racing through him. One palm stroked gently over her head.

  “Abigal, that is the finest goal I could ever ask to share with a partner.”

  “We have a lot of things in common…simple things…” Abby murmured, feeling the tension of the last few hours flying free on the winds.

  “How about that ride?”

  Contentment surrounded him, her arms the most comforting, alive feeling he’d known in a very long time.

  “Cade? Do you think we have room for a garden?”

  Cade felt an incredibly silly smile grow on his face. “I think we have room for a few raised beds with good, organic soil. What did you want to grow?”

  “Tomatoes and cucumbers…maybe a few herbs…I like gardening,” Abby told him, using her palms and slowly moving them to his sides.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Cade watched her in the mirrors. He felt her fingers on his belt at his sides, they were still tight on the belt, but she was relaxing bit by bit, looking around as they rode. It was after seven before he pulled over to put gas in the bike, helping her down and hooking her helmet on the bike while she went in search of the restroom and some water.

  He was aware of the eyes on her as she walked toward him, holding out a large bottle of frosty water. They’d talked about gardening and furniture and things they liked to eat. They had a burger at a very crowded old fashioned looking joint and continued north. He saw the large sign on the highway and took the exit.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To see if they have a room available for the night,” Cade told her. “Call Janet and let her know you won’t be in tonight. I’ll go see about a room.”

  He pulled the bike into one of the smaller slots near the front, dropped the stands and hooked his helmet on the front. He looked over his shoulder to see Abby carefully put her helmet away and slide to the ground, bent at her waist and stretching.

  The inside of the Lodge was warm and inviting. He walked to the desk, absently gazing around and stopping. He started to speak and frowned.

  “Be right back,” Cade told the young woman at the desk. His smile was broad as he approached the table set next to the swinging kitchen doors. “T
his is not someplace I ever thought to see you.”

  Sam Franklin looked up from the report he had been reading. “Cade? I’ll be damned,” he was on his feet, palm out that ended in a guy type hug.

  Bella exited the kitchen in time to see the hug, a towel between her hands as she joined them, her gaze went from one to the other. The new guy was a little taller but otherwise they looked a lot alike. Both had short cropped pale hair, but the newcomer had bright silver eyes, she noted.

  “Hi, Bella Jeffries.”

  “Cade Rollins,” his palm was out, instantly noting the sparkling ring on her finger. Since he knew his friend very well, he knew the blonde with the short springy curls was his.

  “Can you join us for dinner?” Bella asked.

  “Yeah, the cook is fantastic,” Sam told him with a grin. “The food’s pretty good, too.”

  Bella offered only a sigh, her eyes wandering to the dark haired woman looking lost in her lobby. “Did you forget someone, Cade?”

  “Forget…hell…excuse me…be right back,” long legs carried him into the lobby, going to the desk first and securing them a room. Abby slid the room card into her purse, his palm at her waist as he guided her into the bright dining area. “Bella Jeffries and Sam Franklin…This is Abigal Murray.”

  “Nice to meet you both,” she noticed the name tags. “It’s beautiful here. I love the paintings and your décor.”

  “Thank you, Abigal. You’ll have to visit the gift shop in the morning,” Bella suggested. “How about some food?” She let the guys drift behind them.

  “Is it difficult cooking for so many?” Abby asked when she had collected water and food.

  “It can be a challenge,” Bella admitted. “But I really love cooking.”

  Abby nodded. “It would be an amazing venue for recipes. I can’t wait to see what Mia comes up with for the resort.”

  Sam looked at Cade, one brow raised. “I heard you were…” his words came to a stop when his shin received a sharp rap. “You were leaving Orlando.” He said with a small hint of doubt. He saw relief flood through his friend.

  “Sold everything and left Orlando many months ago,” Cade told him.