The life I’d carefully created for myself suddenly felt sad and lonely. I’d shut out as many people as possible, hadn’t gotten attached to the community where I lived because then it couldn’t be ripped away from me. But now, I’d had a glimpse of what it felt like to have a purpose in life, to have a person to share it with, and I wanted to get back home as soon as possible. The inn might not have been my dream, but it was my reality, and the future would be amazing as long as James agreed to let me buy him out.
I looked forward to the challenge of learning how to run the business side of the inn while encouraging Brook to handle the day-to-day operations. I wanted us to be partners in every sense of the word.
“Hey, space cadet, we’re here.”
I blinked a few times, realizing Grady was right. We were parked in front of my building. I couldn’t say I was home, because in my mind, home was officially wherever Brook was.
“You wanna bust ass today to get everything packed up and leave the rest?”
“I want to do whatever will get this done.” We hadn’t even gotten out of Grady’s car yet, and already I was exhausted. The entire flight, I’d alternated between making mental checklists of everything I needed to do before leaving New York and worrying about Brook and the inn. Speaking of…. “Let’s get inside. I want to give Brook a call and see how the morning’s going.”
“Surprised it took you this long. I figured you’d already be texting back and forth with your lover boy,” Grady teased.
I flipped him off rather than give him more ammunition to use against me. The truth was, the only thing keeping me from contacting him sooner was I’d peeked at the checkout log before I left this morning and knew he had more important things to do than soothe my frayed nerves.
Grady and I loaded our arms with packing supplies and started the trek up two flights of stairs to my apartment. Funny how I climbed three sets every day at the inn, but the stairs here felt like they went on forever. I slumped against the wall while I dug out my keys, wishing there was a way to fast-forward to the end of this trip.
“Have you talked to your dad at all?” Grady asked as he assembled boxes and stacked them against the living room wall.
“Does it make me an asshole if I admit I haven’t talked to him since I left for North Carolina?”
“No. You were doing what he wanted you to do, both by seeing what was going on down there and by living your life. Finally.”
“But I’m all he has.” Hell, for all I knew, Dad was still in the dark about my grandfather trying to make amends for nearly three decades of shitty behavior. I’m not sure how I’d feel about that if I were in his shoes. What would it be like to know your father regretted decisions he’d made but there was no way to sit down and truly mend those fences? Because his father was dead. There’d be no time for goodbyes or I’m-sorrys. I didn’t want to be angry with a dead man, but I was. He should’ve talked to us instead of doing this.
“Hey, you still in there?” Grady asked, knocking the back of my head.
“Yeah, it’s just… the past month has been a lot to take in, and I think it’s just now starting to hit me.”
The life I had now was nothing like the one I’d left behind in all the best ways. Now I needed to focus so I could get back to the life I hadn’t realized I wanted.
Chapter 18
(Brook)
BACK AT the apartment. Everything going okay there?
I rolled my eyes when I read Dane’s message. It didn’t matter how many times I told him he didn’t need to worry, it seemed to be his nature. And I should be happy that he cared enough to check in with me.
Yep. Things are good. I decided it’d be best if I didn’t mention that James was back. It was only a matter of time before the thug patrol started hanging out at the edge of the parking lot again. They hadn’t set foot inside the inn since Dane threatened one of them, but I wasn’t stupid enough to think they’d given up on pressuring anyone close to James for the money he owed.
The lull between checkout and check-in time was miserable with Dane out of town. Normally I’d putter around the breakfast room and library while chatting with Dane about what we’d do that night. Today I rushed through the work and had nothing better to do than hold down the stool behind the front desk. I knew Dane had a lot to accomplish in the first two days he was home, but I was bored so I texted him.
Packing going well?
Yeah. Grady’s cracking the whip. The sooner we get done here, the sooner we can get back to his place.
My chest burned at the reminder Grady was helping with the move. Logically I knew they were good friends, but the insecure part of my mind couldn’t forget they’d once been more. He’d been reluctant to tell me about their past at first, but when he saw how much it bothered me that he was sharing more about his plans with Grady than he had with me, he’d come clean. The whole while he’d reassured me that he wasn’t trying to keep me in the dark, but Grady’s wife was the person doing all the hard work.
And why hadn’t he told me he was staying at Grady’s once they packed his place? Or had he and I hadn’t paid attention? Hell, there’d been so much going on in the past few days, I didn’t trust my memory at this point.
My heart raced and a pit formed in my stomach when I noticed the black SUV pulled alongside the curb near the entrance to our parking lot. I shivered, the sense of being watched making the hairs on the back of my neck stand out. I’d been expecting their reappearance, but not quite so soon.
“James, your friends are outside,” I called out to him. It was well past time for him to man up and own the mess he’d created.
“Thanks.”
I jumped at the proximity of his voice directly behind me. Now was not the time to let my guard down.
“Why don’t you take a break while I handle this? Maybe you could go down to that mailbox you’re always talking to me about and see if there are any interesting notes. You don’t even need to punch out.”
I pressed my lips into a fine line, trying to bite back a snarky response. In all the years I’d worked for the Montgomery family, James had perfected the art of mocking my obsession with the mailbox. The fact he now encouraged me to walk down there in the middle of my shift told me he was just as nervous as I was about the SUV.
Despite knowing it’d be the smart thing to do, I didn’t want to leave James here alone. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
James clamped his hands on my shoulders and pushed me to the edge of the desk. “Please, do as I ask. I’m going to try holding them off, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to buy any more time.”
Just a few more days. My heart ached for Dane, wishing we could fast-forward to his return because he’d assured me he had a solution for the problem. Unfortunately he’d also made me promise not to say a word to his uncle about his plans.
“James—”
“Brook, this isn’t your fight,” he insisted, his hands still on my shoulders.
When I shook free from his grasp, I spun around, ready to lash out at him. He was damn right that this wasn’t my mess.
Without me to hold him up, he nearly crumpled to the floor. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to earn my brother or nephew’s forgiveness for what I’ve done, but I’m certain it’ll never happen if you’re harmed because of my mistakes. I will do everything I can to save the inn… for them, not for myself. My father doesn’t deserve me tarnishing his legacy.”
I hated that James managed to make me feel bad for him. Whatever happened, he’d brought it on himself, and yet the thickness of his words, as though he struggled to admit his mistake shut me up.
I reached out to him, shaking him gently until he almost met my gaze. “They’ll forgive you. It’s going to take time, but once the dust settles, they’ll see that you did some really stupid things because you were thrown into a situation you weren’t equipped to handle.”
“I hope you’re right.” The bells tied to the lobby door jangled before either of us
could say anything else. Beads of sweat dotted James’s forehead, and his body went stiff at the sight of the goon I’d kicked out of the lobby previously.
“Please, Brook, go. Give me an hour and come back.”
“Okay.” With our unwelcome visitor, it was easier for me to walk away. I’d already pissed the guy off once; no need to push my luck again.
Trouble in paradise. I typed out a quick text to Dane before jogging down the steps that led toward the beach.
The beach was packed with families and the summer sun beat down on my skin. This was my least favorite time of day to walk through the sand, but I needed the serenity offered by the mailbox. Eventually the crowd thinned to smaller groups with fewer children. I felt bad for the little ones who’d been dragged this far out by their parents; they were easy to spot because they were loud, whiny, and in one case, splayed out on the ground in a full-blown tantrum. Today, I felt their pain.
As always I dug through the mailbox for the oldest notebook. Instead of sitting on the bench like I usually would, I sank into the powdery sand, sifting it through my fingers. I closed my eyes, allowing the sounds of the waves rolling onto the shore to soothe my frayed nerves. Birds screeched overhead, reminding me I was in my safe place. I cracked my eyes open when the peace was fractured by the melody of instrumental music playing.
“Sorry, is this okay?” The newcomer to the mailbox reached for her phone.
I placed my hand on her arm. While unexpected, the song wasn’t unpleasant. We all came out to the mailbox for our own reasons, and if she wanted to meditate I wasn’t about to stop her.
“It’s fine.”
“Are you sure?” She dug to the bottom of her nylon bag, pulling out a smudge stick and a lighter. She held it up to me. “This will help cleanse your aura and lift your spirits. But if you’d prefer, I can skip it.”
“Believe me, if there was ever a day I need that, it’s today,” I blurted out. I held my breath, waiting for her to press me to open up and share my worries with her. Blessedly, she continued with her own ritual. The flame kept going out because of the wind, so I leaned in, cupping my hands to provide a shield. “That should help.”
“Thank you.” She tried in vain a few more times before giving up and shoving the smudge stick back into her bag. “Oh well, it’s not absolutely necessary.”
The stranger settled into the sand just to the right of the mailbox post and closed her eyes. Her chest rose and fell steadily for a few seconds. I tried to match my breathing to hers, my eyes slowly drifting closed to the world around me. The sweet melody washed over me, eventually allowing me to forget about everything that was happening on the other side of the bridge from the inn to the beach. Time slowed and I allowed myself to believe everything would be okay.
When I opened my eyes, the woman was frantically scribbling a note in the book she’d pulled out of the mailbox. It was strange to think that, someday, I might read her words. Although I’d often wondered about the people who stopped by here and left the notes I was so obsessed with, it felt like an invasion of her privacy to know there was a chance I’d put a face with whatever it was she needed to say.
I picked up my notebook and brushed away the grains of sand that’d been kicked onto the cover. Most days, I opened to a random page and read, but today, I flipped from one page to the next as though I was searching for something specific. My heart clenched when I glimpsed familiar slanted scrawl on a page near the back. I shouldn’t read what he had to say, but I needed to. For now, this was my connection to the man I’d fallen in love with, the man who guarded so much of himself.
Dear Kindred Spirit,
It’s safe to say this trip has been nothing like I expected. I love the life I’ve built for myself, but since taking the first steps in the sand along this beach, I’ve felt that life drifting away from me. In its place, I’ve found everything I never thought I’d have. Family. Purpose. Passion. Love.
And maybe my family isn’t perfect. There are a lot of skeletons I wasn’t aware existed, and I wish like hell I could turn back the clock and shake the old man so we could’ve reconciled before his death. Now I’m left with an uncle I can’t trust, but I don’t think he’s all bad. I’m just not sure how to get past the things he’s done and the ways he’s threatened everything I’ve come to cherish.
If you’d told my fifteen-year-old self that I’d eventually move to the beach and take over the family business, I’d have laughed in your face, and yet here I am. And it feels so right it scares the hell out of me. I want to do this. And it’s all because of the man I didn’t know I’ve needed.
It seems fitting to admit that here, because he’s the reason I even know this mailbox exists. The first time he dragged me down the beach, I was annoyed because it felt like the trip was pointless. There was no destination in sight. But through the trips we’ve made since then, I’ve come to realize you’re much more than just a mailbox filled with notes from random strangers. You give people a sense of connection, even if they’ll never know anyone else who left notes. You’re a safe harbor, a way for people to share their joys and sorrows without feeling like a burden on those they have to face in daily life.
If I had to share a fear with you, it’s that I’ll never be enough. I’ve grown so used to everyone leaving me that I’m not sure I’m capable of being what he needs. He’s amazing, loves with his whole heart, and in return he gets the pieces of me I can trust him with. No, that’s a lie. I’d trust him with my life, but that doesn’t mean I’m not waiting for him to wake up and realize he deserves someone who isn’t broken. Someone who believes that love can last.
It’s on me to save the family business right now, and that’s a problem. I can’t do it on my own, which means I have to accept help from others. And I have it, but my love may not accept the way this is possible. It means forever tethering a piece of my past that isn’t painful to my present and future.
If there’s anything to this kindred spirit stuff, please help me make the man I love see that there’s nothing more important to me than him. I’m doing this because I want to build a life with him, but this is the only way. I’ve never thought much about what my life would look like down the road, but now I can see it. I can see him and me walking down this beach when we’re old men, our bodies aching, but our minds and hearts unwilling to miss a single journey because the mailbox is our place.
-D
I closed the notebook and stared at the waves roaring onto shore as storm clouds built on the horizon. The tension I’d released earlier crashed back into my body as I tried deciphering what Dane meant about tethering a piece of his past to the future. It had to be something big for him to admit on paper that I wasn’t going to like whatever it was, and it frustrated the hell out of me that he hadn’t told me the details of how he planned to save the inn before he left town. I stood, brushing the sand off my legs before stuffing the notebook back at the bottom of the stack. I could sit here all day and I’d never get the answers I needed.
Rain started falling when I was still nearly a mile from the inn. I curled in on myself, trying to shield my body from the pelting spray. The beach was deserted by the time I got back to the bridge. So was the lobby of the inn. It was eerily quiet when it should be buzzing with guests who’d rushed to shelter from the storm. The phone started ringing, and I slipped on the polished floor as I rushed to answer.
“Bird Island Inn, this is Brook.” I sucked in a few deep breaths to quell my building anxiety.
“Brook.” James sounded even worse now than he had when I left. “Listen to me, son. I’m trying to buy some time, but I’m not sure it’ll work. I’m sorry if it’s not enough. I need you to take care of the inn for me. Run it as if it’s your own in my absence. I trust you, Brook.”
James let out a pained cry, and I wondered where he was and what he was enduring as penance for his decisions. I offered up a quick prayer for his safety, because knowing Dane believed there was something good in him, I couldn’t stand th
e thought of watching him mourn yet another person he cared about.
Desperate to do something, I broke Dane’s confidence. “James, ask them for two more days. That’s it. Promise them they’ll get the money you owe them in two days.”
“No way, Brook. I’ve made too many hollow promises already. They won’t believe me,” James sobbed.
I paced back and forth behind the counter, biting my lip to keep from saying anything else. Until Dane returned with money in hand, there was no way I could guarantee anything. I straightened, lifting my shoulders as clarity hit me.
“If they want their money, they’ll wait,” I insisted. They could’ve taken their payment in blood long ago, but they hadn’t. For once in his miserable life, James had the upper hand, even if he didn’t know it. “If your word isn’t good, tell them you have a buyer.”
“I’m not lying to them, Brook. They’ll kill me!” His voice pitched up on the last panicked statement.
“It’s not a lie, James. There is a buyer, but you need them to give you a little more time,” I promised him. “Don’t ask me to go into details because I have none, but I know Dane’s been working on a way to fix this. He won’t fail you.”
I no longer cared what Dane planned to do. All that mattered was that he find a way to save our home. And this inn was home to us: the apartment on the top floor, the sands on the other side of the bridge, the mailbox, all of it.
The line cut off before James could respond. As I pulled out my phone to send Dane a frantic text that he needed to get back here as fast as he could, our first new arrivals of the night walked through the front door. Once they were settled in their room, I sent my SOS.
Chapter 19
His Kindred Spirit Page 12
