Love at the Lighthouse

by Kay Correll

  “No, not exactly. I was going to tell him that we should set a date, but then he surprised me with the present.”

  “What was it?” Tally cocked her head to the side.

  “He bought that beach house he’s renting and deeded it to me.”

  “No kidding.” Tally looked thoughtful.

  “I know I should be grateful, he’s always so generous. But it was such a big decision about where we will live and—well this might sound silly—I didn’t even get a say in the matter.”

  “That’s not silly at all.” Susan reached over and touched Julie’s hand. “Of course you’d want to be consulted on a big decision like that. No one likes someone else to take control of her life.”

  “He did apologize to me after he saw my reaction. I guess I wasn’t excited enough. To be honest, part of it just hit me so hard. I’ll have to give up my cottage. I mean, I can’t ask him to move into my tiny place. He’s used to living in really nice homes. But that cottage means so much to me. My first real house. I’m afraid any other place won’t really feel like my home. I told you I’m just having silly thoughts, aren’t I?”

  “No. You’re acknowledging how you truly feel. That’s not silly at all.” Tally scooted her chair up and leaned on the table. “You’ve worked hard at getting The Sweet Shoppe profitable and buying your first ever home. You should be proud of that. I think what you should do is sit down with Reed and really talk to him about how you feel. I know you’re used to keeping things bottled up inside to protect yourself, but you’re not that scared little girl anymore. You need to stand up for yourself. Tell Reed what you need.”

  Julie sighed. “I tried to tell him, but I was just so shocked.”

  “Then you need to try harder.” Tally pinned her with a listen-to-me stare.

  “You should listen to Tally. She gives good advice.” Susan lips lifted into a gentle smile.

  “I know you’re right. I will talk to him when he gets back from Seattle. Hopefully we’ll sort everything out and I will set a wedding date. I will.” She would, wouldn’t she? Something seemed to be holding her back and she wasn’t quite sure what it was. Was it really that she didn’t want to give up the cottage? And if that was it, how selfish was that? Reed had given up so much for her. He’d even moved to Belle Island and worked remotely. She needed to sort this all out.

  * * *

  Tally watched her friends head down the beach, arm in arm, going back to the inn and The Sweet Shoppe. She was worried about both of them. Susan had looked devastated about that Adam character. Tally would love to give him a piece of her mind if she ever saw him again. And that Russell had some nerve trying to swoop in and take the inn from Susan. What would Susan and Jamie do without the inn? It meant everything to them.

  And as long as she was thinking about clueless men, what was Reed thinking when he bought the beach house without talking to Julie. Didn’t he know her better than that? Didn’t he realize she was taking baby steps to adjusting to being engaged and trusting that he would be there for her?

  Maybe he thought buying the place would be a grand gesture to prove he was here to stay. Anyway, Julie needed to talk to him and sort it out. Reed was a good man, he’d listen and understand.

  Tally sighed. This was the reason she never dated anymore. It just complicated your life. She’d had her chance with love and romance. That was all in her distant past. She had her friends and Magic Cafe. Her life was good. It was.

  Tally turned to clean up their table. The cafe would be opening for lunch soon and she still had a long list of to dos before it opened.

  She gathered the dishes in a gray tub and carried them to the pass-through to the kitchen. She went and unlocked the door to the cafe and welcomed her first customers. As she sat them outside, she heard someone call her name. Her friend Paul and his new wife, Josephine, waved from across the restaurant.

  She motioned for them to come sit down. They crossed the distance, with Paul carefully leading Josephine with a light hand on her elbow.

  “Tally, so good to see you.” Josephine smiled as Paul held out the chair for her.

  “It’s good to see you two, too. It’s been a while.”

  “We were up in Mississippi visiting my sister. She’s living in my old house in Bay St. Louis and we also saw my niece and nephew in Comfort Crossing.” Josephine reached for the offered menu.

  “We had a nice visit, but it’s good to be home.” Paul settled into the chair across from Josephine.

  Josephine smiled at Paul. “Belle Island is starting to feel like home to me these days, too.”

  “That’s what we like to hear.” Tally watched the couple as they settled in and started sipping their coffee. The smiles they sent each other were like a magnetic connection. A connection that affected no one else in the universe. Paul deserved that.

  She and Paul had been friends for years. He’d helped her with business advice when she struggled with opening Magic Cafe. She’d given him her full support when he opened his art gallery on the island. She was happy Paul had reconnected with the love of his life. She’d never seen him so happy and content. It was obvious that Josephine adored him, too. A picture perfect happy couple.

  It appeared that some people were able to find never ending happiness on Belle Island.

  Chapter 10

  Adam finished up lunch with Mr. Burns. His boss had been only too explicit in his demands on closing the deal on the inn. Adam assured him that he would continue to work on it and had given Jamie their offer.

  “I’m counting on you, Adam. I’m not willing to go much higher than that original offer. They should stop being so ridiculous. They should be happy to get out from under the debt. Jamie always did think with his emotions instead of his head. Susan isn’t much better. They don’t have a lick of business sense between the two of them.” Mr. Burns slapped his leather folder shut. “You’ll take care of this?”

  “I’ll do my best, sir.”

  Mr. Burns got up and strode out of the restaurant at the Hamilton Hotel. The man always walked as though he owned the place, no matter where he was. His boss disappeared around the corner, leaving Adam to finish his coffee and ponder his fate. He wasn’t sure Mr. Burns was right. From what he had seen, he thought that Susan and Jamie had made a lot of smart business decisions regarding the inn. He just wasn’t sure this was a deal that Mr. Burns was going to win.

  But, of course, that left Adam in a very bad place. Not only would he lose out on the bonus, he was pretty sure he’d lose his job. Then what in the world was he going to do? It had taken him months to find this job. It’s not like jobs just grew on trees. He knew how to evaluate commercial property such as the inn. He knew how to turn them profitable. He knew how to negotiate a deal. But, if he lost this job, he’d not only be out his salary, he’d be out the bonus and he needed that desperately.

  He looked up from his thoughts to see the woman he’d seen with Jamie yesterday standing beside the table. “Mr. Lyons.”

  “Hello. I saw you at the inn yesterday, didn’t I?”

  “Yes, you did. I’m Cindy, Jamie’s wife. I’m here at the hotel heading up the rehab of the Hamilton.”

  “I heard he’d just recently married.”

  “You and Russell are staying at the Hamilton?”

  “We are. I hope that’s not a problem.”

  “No. Better here than at the inn.” The woman paused and looked directly at him. “Susan is really hurt, you know. Not that she’d show it. It was a rotten thing to do.”

  “I assure you I had no idea Mr. Burns was her ex-husband and I was not trying to just get information. I enjoyed her company.” He sighed. Enjoyed it more than he had with any other woman in a long, long time. “At first I was trying to figure out the best way to approach Susan and Jamie, I admit that. But Susan is… remarkable.”

  Cindy’s eyes widened then narrowed as she frowned. “So, you’re going to drop the whole buying the inn thing?”

  “I’m afraid not. Mr. Bur
ns is set on having the property.”

  “I heard he’s bought up property around the inn, too.”

  Adam wasn’t surprised Susan had already figured that out, so there was no use denying it. “He has.”

  “So he has plans to expand the inn? Make some kind of resort?”

  “Yes, a resort.” Adam was torn between blurting out the fact that Mr. Burns would most likely redo the inn into a resort that was barely recognizable as the old inn. It wasn’t his fact to tell. He had his job. A job he wished more than anything was no longer his to do. Of course, he might get that wish, because Mr. Burns might fire him.

  But he couldn’t let that happen.

  “Well, you might as well tell your boss that there is no way Jamie and Susan will sell to him. There is too much history, none of it good. I’m pretty sure they’d rather the bank take it back than Russell.”

  “But then he’d just buy it from the bank and the end result would be the same, but they wouldn’t get any money for it.”

  Cindy chewed her lip and looked thoughtful. “Well, they are in no danger of the bank repossessing the inn these days.”

  And Adam was glad of that, even if it meant he was going to fail.

  * * *

  Cindy sat in a back office at the Hamilton Hotel. Her desk was spread with swatches of material and carpeting samples. Mr. Hamilton was in a hurry to get things ordered for the renovation. He’d bought the old Magnolia Hotel in Sarasota and wanted to update everything, inside and out. At times the project alternated between thrilling her and overwhelming her. But she kept her planner with her always with sections on all the details to make sure nothing fell through the cracks.

  “Cindy.”

  She looked up to see Mr. Hamilton standing in the doorway. Darn it, she always liked to make sure her office was picked up when she knew he was coming to town. “Mr. Hamilton, I didn’t expect you.”

  “Camille decided she wanted to come for a few days’ visit to Belle Island, so I came along to check on things here at the hotel.”

  “Things are going well. I’ll have the final choices for you to confirm in just a few days. Now that I know you are here in town, I’ll have them ready for you before you leave if you’d like.”

  Mr. Hamilton nodded. “That would be great. The photos you sent can only do so much. I do like everything you’ve planned for the hotel so far.”

  “I know, you said understated elegance. I’m hoping I hit that note for you.”

  “So far you have. I know my father prefers a darker, more opulent style, but I’m hoping that this new rehab will be successful for this hotel. If so, hopefully we’ll be able to update a few of our older properties.”

  “I’m excited to see it all come together.” Cindy knew it would be a long process and the biggest job she’d ever done, but she was confident she could make it work. Pretty confident, anyway.

  “Delbert, honey, I’ve been waiting forever for you. Are you about finished?” Mr. Hamilton’s girlfriend, Camille, entered the office.

  “I’ll be right with you. We’re just finishing up.”

  Camille walked over, stared at the swatches on the desk, and frowned. “You’re going to go with that color range?” She turned to Mr. Hamilton. “Delbert, your father won’t be pleased. He likes rich, dark colors.”

  “I’m trying to do something different. A bit more modern, still elegant, but a bit lighter in color. I think Cindy has done a great job so far.”

  Camille’s face held a definite I-doubt-it look. “Well, I’m going to the lobby. Don’t keep me waiting much longer.” She let out a long-suffering sigh. “I knew I should have insisted you drive me to the island first.”

  Mr. Hamilton shot an apologetic look at Cindy. “I think your options you’ve been showing me are great. I look forward to seeing the final choices this week. We need to discuss new furniture for the lobby, too. I’m also thinking we need all new poolside furniture, nicer furniture and I’m thinking of adding a poolside bar.”

  Cindy grabbed her planner and scribbled notes as her boss was talking.

  “Well, I should go. I don’t want to keep Camille waiting any longer. I’ll be back later this week without her and we’ll sit down and make some decisions.” He turned and hurried out the door.

  Cindy sat at her desk, overflowing with the piles of samples, and wondered how she was going to make her final selections to show Mr. Hamilton in just a few days. She’d thought she would have at least a few more weeks to make decisions and collect estimates. She was going to have to put in some long hours. She picked up her cell phone to call Jamie and tell him she’d be home late tonight.

  Chapter 11

  Adam drove over to Belle Island again that evening. For some reason the island lured him like a siren. He knew better than to go to the inn, so he parked his car in town and went to take a walk on the beach. He figured he’d watch the sunset and try to sort things out. He’d already stayed longer than he planned, and he didn’t have many more days that he could be away from home.

  Everything had turned into a colossal mess, most of it his fault, both here and back in Atlanta.

  He found himself walking towards the lighthouse and decided that was as good a destination as any other. He trudged down the beach, his feet sinking into the sand. He crossed to the hard-packed sand and continued around the bend until the lighthouse came into view. He walked up near it and stared out to the sea. Maybe he should make a wish like that crazy island legend encouraged.

  He looked both directions and didn’t see anyone who would witness his lack of sanity. He leaned down and picked up a shell that seemed to call his name. He turned it over in his palm, then squeezed his hand tight.

  “I wish… I wish I could have a do-over and make this right for everyone.”

  He tossed the shell out in the sea and sank to sit on the sand, watching the sky begin to burst into brilliant colors.

  A lone beach walker came from the other side of the lighthouse, looking mostly out at the sunset along the way. As the person got closer—before it was really possible to tell—Adam knew, he was certain, it was Susan.

  He stood and brushed the sand from his slacks. If fate was going to practically drop Susan in his lap, he was going to run with it. Adam knew he had to make another attempt to explain himself. He didn’t want her to think that his only reason for going out with her was to find out information about the inn. He was worried about her. He’d seen the look on her face when she’d seen Russell, and then Cindy had so bluntly confirmed he’d hurt Susan.

  He watched her approach and knew the exact moment Susan recognized him.

  * * *

  Susan stopped in her tracks. What was Adam doing back on the island? She thought she’d made it perfectly clear he needed to leave. Why was he here? The last person she had expected to see on her walk this evening was Adam, right here at Lighthouse Point. Her heart fluttered, a traitor to her feelings because she was not happy to see him. She wasn’t. There wasn’t a tiny thrill running up her spine at the sight of him, there couldn’t be.

  She was an old fool. The man was nothing but a liar.

  There was no place to run, no place to hide. But then why should she run? Why should she hide? It was her island. He needed to leave, not her.

  She stalked up to him. “I thought you’d left.”

  “I did. I came back.”

  “You have no reason to be here. We’re not selling. Go back home. Leave us alone. You tricked me. I can’t forgive that.”

  “Susan, please. Just let me talk to you. Give me five minutes. Please.”

  Adam’s face wrinkled, entreating her to give him a chance. She stared at him, then nodded, saying nothing more to the man.

  A look of relief swept across Adam’s face. “First off, I had no idea that Mr. Burns was your ex-husband. I don’t know why he didn’t tell me, but he didn’t. You have to believe me.”

  No, she didn’t have to believe anything he said, even if he did look sincere. But then, what
kind of judge of character was she, anyway? She’d certainly judged him wrong, thinking he was actually interested in her. She remained silent.

  “At first I hung around you because I wanted to figure out the best way to broach the subject of selling the inn. I admit that.” He paused and sighed. “Not proud of that, but it’s the truth. But as I spent more time with you, then I… well, I know it sounds crazy because we just met, but I started to care about you. Your life and Jamie’s. That kiss? It meant something to me.”

  Susan was not going to let him see the kiss had meant something to her as well. She’d never admit that. Besides, she still wasn’t sure she believed him. The butterflies in her stomach mocked her, taunting her as if to say the kiss did mean something and she’d felt something she hadn’t felt in years and years.

  “My boss promised me a bonus if I get this contract negotiated and finished. I… well, I really need that bonus, not to mention I need this job. The way he talked when he turned the task over to me, I thought it was almost a done deal and that you’d want to sell. I just wanted to get the best price for Mr. Burns and impress him.”

  “So, it’s all just about money to you?”

  He looked at her, a trace of pain flickering across his face. “No, it’s not just about the money, but I assure you, I really do need that bonus now, or I’d walk away from all of this.”

  Well, that was honest. He said it like it really was. He’d walk away from her except for the money.

  “Well, you had your five minutes. I heard everything you said. We’re not selling so I guess you won’t be getting your bonus.” She walked past him then turned back for a moment. “Goodbye, Adam. Tell Russell to leave us alone. I don’t want to see you again, either.”

  “I am sorry, Susan.” A look of sadness hovered over his expression. She could almost believe him. Almost.

  She turned around and started walking. She didn’t want to hear any more of his excuses.