Barefoot on the Beach

The bed shifted, and Cait tickled her toes. Renee pulled her foot away. “Please? I won’t ask you any other time. I’m so tired. Jet lag and all that.”

Renee pushed aside the book. “You could have taken him out while you were on the phone.”

“You know I don’t think ahead like you.” Cait yawned again.

Renee shoved her bookmark between the pages. “I’m not going to accept any more jet lag excuses after tonight.”

“Yes, Mom,” she said with a smirk.

Renee removed the sheet and padded to the door where she had parked her flip-flops. She wiggled her toes around the strap and grabbed the leash by the door. It was Brandy’s, but Renee didn’t want to search for Hunter’s. He liked to play with it, and she didn’t have the patience at the moment.

Brandy rarely took walks anymore, but they tried to get her to the beach a few days a week. She loved the water, but there was no way Renee could handle Hunter in the waves. Besides, she wanted to be in and out with this dog.

“Night!” Cait trilled from the stairs, and Renee waved her sister away.

***

Outside, a cool breeze rolled off the waves. The moon shone bright, high in the sky, and between that and the streetlights, there was enough illumination for her to see there was no one else on the beach. She crossed the street and walked along the sidewalk next to the barrier.

It wasn’t until she passed three of her neighbors’ houses that she regretted her clothing choice. In shorts and a tank top with no bra, everything was out there.

Hunter dragged his nose against the ground as they practically sprinted down the street. A short, fast walk was just as effective as a long, slow one. At least that was what she told herself. Hunter veered to the left, tugging the leash toward a grassy area. While he sniffed around, Renee peered at the moon. With the crash of the waves in front of her, she inhaled deeply, releasing the tension in her shoulders.

A splash of liquid smacked her in the cheek before two more hit her forehead.

“Come on.” Renee tugged the leash, and Hunter strained as he sniffed the spot. Two more tugs broke him loose from whatever he found, and he eventually followed. They kept the same quick pace as before. A bright pair of headlights appeared at the other end of the road. Renee launched onto the steps of her porch, and Hunter huffed his displeasure with the pace she had set. She ducked inside as the car pulled into the driveway next door.

Safely inside, she peered through the window at the idling truck. Renters frequently stayed at the Hardy house during the summer, but Marcus hadn’t told her of anyone coming there that week. Usually, Marcus had an idea when people were coming in and out of the houses on their street. As a rule, all the homeowners looked out for each other.

Hunter bit at her toes, and she slid her foot backward before grabbing his collar. She unhooked the leash and patted his butt. “Go upstairs now.”

For the first time since knowing him, he listened. His little footfalls scampered up the stairs.

Brandy sighed, and Renee gave her a good scratch behind the ears before turning out the light.

The truck door slammed from outside. Her heart raced from the run, but her eyelids were heavy. Renee slid into bed. The familiar squeak in the Hardys’ screened back door creaked before it slammed closed with finality. Renee briefly wondered about her temporary neighbor before she drifted to sleep.

Chapter 4

Renee woke to the sound of tinkling claws against the hardwood floor. They were heavy enough to pick out which dog was up without opening her eyes. Brandy settled her jowls against the bed. A snuffling, wet nose filled her hand. An exasperated sigh came next.

“Outside?” Renee croaked.

Brandy lifted her head, and her ears perked up.

Renee peeled herself off the bed. The sunlight barely peeked over the horizon. Hunter wasn’t frantically scratching at the cabinet. Cait must have kept the door closed all night.

“Come on.”

Brandy trotted behind her through the kitchen. The clock on the stove read six-fifty. There had been no reason for Renee to wake that early. She wanted to start with Cait’s wedding planning, so she’d put off her client calls to the end of the week, and none of the vendors opened until at least nine.

Renee opened the door for Brandy, and she ambled onto the landing and down the steps. Renee closed the screen door in case Hunter decided to break out of the bedroom and follow Brandy outside. It was time for coffee. Renee added more water than usual to the machine since Cait was there. She prepared Brandy’s bowl of food, and that brought Hunter down in a flurry of fluff. His tiny black nose sniffed the air before he sneezed and trotted over to the pantry.

Already learning from past mistakes, Renee left Brandy’s bowl on the counter and scooped out the gag-inducing wet food for Hunter. After setting it down, he charged after it as if he hadn’t eaten for days. Brandy still hadn’t come up, so Renee opened the back door and whistled for her. Brandy usually heard her kibble from outside and hobbled up the stairs without her having to call. Not this morning.

Renee whistled twice more. “Brandy!”

The familiar clinking of Brandy’s tags didn’t ring out in the air as they usually did. Renee walked onto the landing and peered over the railing. No Brandy.

Renee’s heart skittered in her chest. The screen door slapped closed, and Renee swooped down the steps. “Brandy!”

Brandy never ran off. But she was getting older. Renee couldn’t help but wonder if the dog got confused and wandered away. She rounded the corner of the house and sprinted to the road. Her heart slammed in her chest at the thought of a car striking Brandy. There must have been a rabbit or squirrel nearby to entice her away from her normal routine.

Both sides of the road were clear, but Renee couldn’t spot Brandy on the beach either.

Harsh breaths fluttered out of her. Where would she go?

Renee walked to the back of the house again to retrace Brandy’s steps. There was only one way out of the back area and that was the path she had taken. The only other logical way to go was—

A Brandy-sized paw print caught her eye. Now that she saw it, she couldn’t unsee the trail of them. They were under an overhang, which had kept that spot of the neighbor’s driveway dry. The truck from last night had a Massachusetts license plate. The renter wouldn’t be happy if he found a strange dog going to the bathroom on the property. She jogged over to the truck, fully expecting to find Brandy doing just that but she was nowhere to be seen. As Renee neared the house, she found something much worse.

The back door hadn’t closed all the way, and there was a space just enough for a chocolate-Lab-sized body to squeeze through. If she had any doubt, the paw prints leading to the door and then disappearing inside were the finishing touch.

Renee ground her teeth together and debated her choices. It wasn’t her place to tell others to keep their doors shut, mainly because most residents in West Cove didn’t even lock their doors. It wouldn’t be a warm welcome for the renter to find a strange dog in his house. Rocking on her heels, she contemplated her next choice. If she were inside the house and got caught, it would be even worse than finding a dog inside. But if she could get Brandy out of there before the renter saw, then she could avoid an awkward conversation. With the excuse on her tongue, she grabbed the door handle and opened it. The renter would have to believe that it was a mistake. Heat gathered under her arms and she wiped her damp hands against her shirt. This was a terrible idea. Yet her body propelled her forward.

“Brandy!” she hissed. Renee prayed that Brandy would listen to her for once that morning, but she had no such luck. The scent of bacon floated in the air. It had to be what drew Brandy inside.

The sunroom was much cooler than it was outside, forcing a cascade of goose bumps to erupt on her arms. Renee peered around the piles of garbage bags, beach chairs, and fishing equipment for her dog.

A fishing rod lay across the floor, threatening to trip her. Renee sighed. The door to the kitchen was open wide. The old girl had barged in with no apologies. If she ran into the renter, Renee would have a lot of apologizing to do. The next week or so would be incredibly awkward when they passed each other. Her throat tightened.

Even though she hadn’t been in the house for years, it looked the same as the last time she was there. The summer between her junior and senior years of high school brought her into that house more than a few times. Her stomach quivered at the memories of the boy she’d spent most of her vacation with.

The kitchen had the same vinyl flooring with various shades of brown in diamond shapes, just as she remembered. Renee clicked her tongue, another warning that Brandy needed to get out of there. The tempting bacon popped and sizzled inside a pan on the stove. The burner was off, and Renee’s stomach swooped. The renter was up, but somewhere else in the house. Had Brandy interrupted him making breakfast, and he ran off to call animal control?

Renee rounded the oval table and chairs opposite the countertop in the galley kitchen. A female voice locked her in place at the threshold to the living room.

“Record-breaking highs are expected for the end of the week,” the familiar voice said. Jeannine Lynch, the local weather girl.

Renee’s chest deflated. It was just the news. Inside the wood-paneled room, an older television sat on a stand with a surface just large enough to hold the device, which had to be a relic from the early Nineties. A couch stood opposite from it, hosting a familiar elderly dog who sniffed the air in her direction.

Brandy turned her head, and her tail thumped the surface of the brown couch. Like every space Renee had seen so far, the house was exactly as she remembered.

“Come on,” Renee said, looping her finger under Brandy’s collar. It took considerable force to pull her down. Brandy snorted and settled onto the floor and shook. Her tags slammed against each other, sounding like an alarm bell. Her glossy eyes fell everywhere except in Renee’s direction.

Hard footfalls careened down the stairs. Renee’s heart hammered in her chest as a man appeared at the bottom across the room from her.

They both were at a standoff.

The words burst from Renee before she could stop them. “I’m sorry. She never does this. I-I live next door …” Renee’s words trailed off as a spark of recognition flooded her.

The man was in the middle of tugging on his shirt, revealing the grown-up face of the boy she had lost her virginity to all those years ago.

“Luc?”

Luc blinked and shoved away his mop of sandy blond hair. Even though the only light in the room emanated from the television, the depths of his hazel eyes weren’t the type she could forget. In the sunlight, they shifted toward green, while at that moment they were a darker shade of brown. He hadn’t shaved, so sprigs of hair hid the chiseled cheekbones that she’d traced with kisses over that eventful summer with him. Her insides warmed and twisted at the same time.

“Renee?” He broke out into a wide smile. His teeth were perfectly straight now, given the last time she saw him, he had a mouth full of braces. “Wow.”

As she had been last night, she became fully aware of the state of her dress. Still in a tank top and shorts, the cool morning air, and most definitely Luc’s presence, affected her body in ways she didn’t want.

Renee crossed her arms over her chest. “I didn’t know you were here.”

“I didn’t expect you either.” He stepped closer to her, and the tingles spreading from limb to limb intensified. They moved lower this time. A fresh, clean smell radiated from him. His damp locks hung over his eyes.

“I live with my dad.” Renee loved West Cove, but Luc didn’t have enough context to know she’d gone to college and then come back. She’d never been embarrassed about her lack of growth before. He probably thought she had never left.

“Marcus. That’s great,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Brandy shook again.

Luc chuckled, a deep, hearty sound.

“This is Brandy.”

He scrubbed a hand over Brandy’s head and her tail ticked in time with the touches. “She sneaked in here while I was making breakfast. I was just headed out to find the owner, but it looks like you’ve found me.”

“Guess so.” Renee let out a high-pitched laugh. She stopped herself and shook her head, wondering where that had come from.

“I, um, never thought I’d see you again.”

Now that she was hyper-aware of her body, she noticed the dampened accent around his words. As teens, he had a thick Boston accent, giving her enough fodder about his “R’s” to tease him. Luc had changed in so many ways, yet from his standpoint, she hadn’t changed at all other than her age.

“I should get going.” Renee reached for Brandy’s collar again before backing away from Luc. “Sorry to interrupt your morning.”

“I was up anyway.” Luc shrugged. “I’m an early riser. I’m helping out at the high school for the girls’ volleyball clinic starting next week.”

“You’re a coach?” Renee bumped against the doorframe as Luc slipped by her. He was at least a head taller than her. She didn’t recall such a difference when they’d first met.

“I’m a teacher and a coach.” Luc opened the cabinet above the stove. “Do you want some coffee?” He reached up to grab the machine, revealing a sliver of his sinewy frame between the waist of his shorts and the hem of his shirt.

Her eyes watered as she focused on his face instead. “I’m already making some next door. Thanks, though.”

“No problem. I’m guessing we’ll see a lot of each other now considering.”

“Considering what?”

His full lips quirked into a smile. “Considering we’re neighbors.”

“Oh, right. How long are you here for?”

“At least until the Fourth. The clinic ends that week.”

Brandy trotted toward the sunroom, understanding that she wasn’t getting the bacon she had wanted.

Luc started to fill the reservoir of the coffee maker. “I guess I’ll see you around, then?”

“Yeah.” Luc shot her another grin and she smiled back. “I mean, yeah, of course.”

“It’s really good to see you, Renee.”

Words were hard to form, as if her brain had dumped them to fill up with her last memories of Luc instead. The entire night they had spent together before he had left for good without another word. Their last kiss …

Renee tossed out a wave and stumbled out the back door. Outside, the air cooled her burning skin, and she was finally able to breathe.

***

Brandy was already halfway across the driveway toward the house, leaving Renee behind. “Now you’re in a rush to get home?”

The dog peered over her shoulder as if to say, “keep up!”

As Renee trudged up the steps, she replayed the conversation with Luc in excruciating detail. She could have done without the breaking and entering, and the chance meeting with Luc. She wished it would have unraveled a different way. Even more memories flooded her mind.

“Morning!” Cait trilled from the half-bathroom.

“Morning.” The comfort of her home enveloped her, and Renee collapsed on a chair, hiding her face in her hands.

“Pour me a coffee?” Cait asked before the toilet flushed.

Renee stood and headed for the cabinet with the overflow of mugs. The two she had in her hands clanked against each other. The sound snapped her thoughts together, and she took a deep breath to calm her trembling hands.

Cait bounced into the room, the bun on her head flopping to one side.

“Thank you!” Cait grabbed the mug from Renee’s hand and then stopped. Her nose wrinkled and she stared at Renee. “What’s up with you?”

“Nothing. That was mine, by the way.”

“You have another mug right there. And don’t change the subject.” Cait paused, and Renee could almost hear the questions in her sister’s mind. Questions she wasn’t prepared to answer just yet. “Where were you? I heard you calling for Brandy outside. You woke me up.”

Renee turned away from her sister, overly focusing on pouring her coffee. “Brandy got loose. I found her in the house next door.”

“She was inside?” Cait slid into her chair and held out her mug to Renee. “Sneaky little girl.” She rubbed Brandy’s back, and the old girl sat down, wanting more.

“Yeah.” Renee filled her mug, wanting to delay the conversation as long as possible. It wasn’t as if Luc was going anywhere and Cait was the only one in the house who knew about her brief relationship with him.

“Someone is renting there?”

“Luc Hardy,” Marcus’s voice carried from the stairwell. He shuffled down, and Hunter yapped at the new person in the room. Marcus didn’t bother to pet Hunter until he stopped jumping and nipping. “The owner’s nephew.”

As if Cait didn’t already know.

“Luc Hardy!” Cait shrieked. “No wonder you look like that.”

Renee shot her sister a glare. Of course, Marcus had no idea about Luc and her all those years ago, and she didn’t need to inform him anytime soon. Or ever.

“Brandy sneaked into the house this morning.” Renee glanced at Brandy, slowly munching away at her food as if she had done nothing wrong. “He’s here until July to help with the high school volleyball team.” She tried to keep her tone light and conversational, hiding the prickling embarrassment pinching at her skin.

“Until July, huh?” Cait’s face split into a wicked grin. “That’s a while to reconnect.”

Renee ignored her. “You didn’t tell me he was coming, Dad.”

“I didn’t think it was a big deal. It’s better than an unknown renter.” With four beds in that house plus the sofa, there had been plenty of summers where groups of college kids took over the house and Marcus wasn’t shy about calling the police for noise ordinances and bad behavior.

“That place still looks the same,” Renee noted.

“It needs a lot of updating.” Marcus gestured for Renee to scoot over. He poured himself a coffee and settled in his chair. “I’ve told Audrey there are plenty in town who could help for cheap. She never took us up on the offer.”

“Maybe Luc is helping,” Cait said.

Marcus blinked. “Maybe. What else did you talk to him about, Renee?”

Renee spotted her reflection in the microwave door and balked. Had her hair been like that all morning? She smoothed the tattered brown nest down as if somehow erasing the memory from both her and Luc’s minds. “Not much. I was just there to get Brandy. He arrived late last night, so I didn’t want to bother him.”

“You seem to know his whereabouts pretty well.”

Renee took a long pull from her coffee, ignoring Cait’s thin eyebrows jumping up and down. She was enjoying this too much.

Marcus leaned back and watched his daughter for a few seconds before shaking his head. “I have no idea what you two are on about, and I’m not sure I want to.”

Cait burst out laughing, and Renee tossed a dish towel at her. Her sister moved quickly to the side to avoid it.

“I know you’re allergic to hard work, but you can put the dishes away while I start on breakfast.” Renee opened the refrigerator and reached for the carton of eggs she’d picked up from the farmers’ market the other day. For some reason, the scent of bacon filled her nose. Then the onslaught of a shirtless Luc popped into her mind. Squeezing her eyes closed only solidified the details of his body. How was she going to get through a month of this?

“Don’t be upset.” Cait lifted a dish from the rack.

Marcus stood and clicked his tongue for Brandy to follow him outside to the front patio. It was their spot in the morning and Hunter didn’t waste the opportunity to chase after Brandy.

Renee doubted Brandy would leave Marcus’s side, unlike earlier when she invaded Luc’s home. It was so unfair. Renee waited for a beat before turning to her sister. “I’m not mad, but he can’t know about Luc. It’s incredibly awkward. Please just tone it down a bit.”

Cait rolled her eyes. “It was like a million years ago, Renee. Besides, I’m sure he would never think the guy next door and his daughter were together together.”

Renee balked.

“So, is he hotter than he used to be? He has to be. I can practically see the drool on your lips. Give me the details!”

Renee swiped at her mouth and gathered her supplies before moving to the other counter, away from her sister’s curiosity. She cracked four eggs on the side of the bowl a little harder than necessary. “There’s nothing to say.”

“So, he is hotter?” Cait said, bumping her hip against Renee’s.

“Hand me the whisk?”

Cait handed her a spatula.

“That’s not a whisk.”

“It works the same.”

Renee reached across to the wire rack for the whisk. “He isn’t unattractive.”

“So, I’m right?”

“He was cute that summer, in a teenager-y way, but he’s, like, gorgeous now. And he’s nice. Which makes it so much worse.”

“Why? There is obviously some attraction there.”

“It’s been years, Cait. Are you still in love with your first fling?”

“You know I am,” Cait said.

Renee shook her head. Cait was the exception.

“Are you embarrassed because you broke into his house looking like that?” Cait half-smiled and cringed.

If Renee could ever make a physical manifestation of how she felt about that morning, Cait’s expression would be it. “It wasn’t my finest moment.”

“Well he slept with you once. I’m sure after showering you’ll increase your chances exponentially.”

Renee focused on whisking the eggs into a yolky soup. “I’m not going to sleep with him.”

“Don’t close that door so quickly. You said he’s hot. Is he married or does he have a girlfriend?”

“I have no idea.”

“And when was the last time you had sex?”

Renee whipped around, making sure Marcus was still outside. He might have been out of earshot, but the slider had a screen. Their conversation wasn’t exactly private.

“The last I heard you went on a date was a year ago.”

“That was with a tourist, and there was no sex involved.” Renee didn’t even recall his name. That hazy night buried itself somewhere deep in her mind, where it belonged.

“So, it’s been longer?”

Renee whisked the eggs, making enough sound to drown out Cait.

“I need your help, so I’m not going to push you. But don’t discount him. He’s only here for a little while. This might be the chance to have fun for a change.”

“I have plenty of fun.”

Cait indicated her shorts and waggled her eyebrows. “Not fun enough.”

Renee swatted at her sister. “All right, that’s a bit gross coming from you.”

“I’m not a prude, Renee. I live with my fiancé, and you were the one to give me the sex talk.”

Another way that Isla failed Cait. Renee wasn’t sure she had done the best job, but for a twenty-six-year-old, she’d had enough experience to give her little sister advice on safe sex.

“Don’t become an old lady before your time. I’m going to shower. Let me know when breakfast is ready.”

Cait skipped up the stairs while Renee concentrated a bit too hard on whisking. Her hand cramped and she shoved away the bowl. She needed a bit more caffeine. Sipping from the mug, she drifted into the living room.

Hunter sat by the screen door, his tiny tail at attention. Small whines came from his throat. Marcus turned in his seat to look through the window at her.

“Scrambled okay?” she asked as if coming over to him had been her plan all along. The draw from the house next door was unbearable. The window gave her full view of it. Luc’s truck was still there, and she wondered if she had had any effect on him too.

Probably not. There wasn’t a ring on his finger or any hint of a woman at that house, but she couldn’t get involved with him. Not when their families were so intertwined. Not when his time in West Cove was so short.