Summer At The Shore

“Nope.”

“Don’t worry. I’m here for you. Anything you need.” She kissed one of Coastie’s velvety soft doggy cheeks. “Both of you.”

CHAPTER FIVE

JAY DROVE HOME, Coastie happily riding shotgun beside him, wondering how in the world he’d managed to get himself so...involved. He barely knew these people yet he’d offered to fix their sticky door, agreed to consider trying a yoga class (thanks again, Aubrey) choked down three cookies he was pretty sure were made out of sawdust and fostered a dog. What next? he wondered.

He pulled into his driveway and realized that if he walked down to the beach from his cabin, hung a right, and stuck to the shoreline, it would be less than a mile to Mia’s house. Geography might mean they were close, but he and Dr. Mia Frasier were otherwise worlds apart. He thought about her gorgeous home as he studied his weathered gray rental cabin, a fraction of the size with two small bedrooms, one and a half bathrooms, and an open kitchen-dining-living area. It did have a cool loft with giant windows looking out onto the beach. Well, it would be cool as soon as he repaired the narrow, deteriorated stairs leading up to it, his current project.

Even with his Coast Guard housing stipend, the only way he’d been able to afford a place on the beach at all was because it was a rat hole. The elderly man who owned it, Mr. Faraday, didn’t want to expend the funds or the energy to make it habitable. In exchange for a huge break in rent, Jay had agreed to fix the place up. So far, he’d caulked and weatherproofed the exterior, replaced the roof shingles, installed some new wiring and light fixtures, repaired the dry rot in the floor, and evacuated the rats. Most of the rats; he was pretty sure they were all gone, although a couple days ago he’d heard a suspicious clawing sound coming from beneath the floor in the bathroom. The plumbing still needed some work, but overall he was satisfied with the progress he’d made. He felt confident by the time his assignment at Air Station Astoria was up, Mr. Faraday would be happy with what he’d accomplished, too.

Beside him Coastie stirred, seeming to sense they’d reached their destination. That’s when Jay saw the curtain move. He’d been so distracted he hadn’t noticed that the lights were on inside the cabin. Lights were expensive, and he never left them on when he wasn’t home.

He looked at Coastie. “Will you be okay if I leave you here for a minute while I check this out?”

Her response was a soft sigh as she curled into a ball on the seat.

Jay patted her, got out of the car, and headed around the back of the house. He considered calling the police but held back, because what burglar would be stupid enough to turn the lights on? Reaching the back door, the top half of which was glass and currently had no curtain, he peered inside. Not a thief. Raking a hand through his hair, he let out a sigh of equal parts relief, frustration and happiness. Nope, this was much more complicated than a simple burglary. He headed back to his car.

He opened the door and gave Coastie a scratch under her chin. “Okay, girl, we’re home. Do you want to check out your temporary digs? I hope you like it. The inside isn’t much, but I think you’ll find the beachfront setting more than makes up for it.”

Coastie jumped out and trotted in a large circle, getting a feel for her new “yard,” which was essentially sand with a few patches of reedy scrub grass here and there with an occasional rock poking through. Jay gathered his pack and the large shopping bag containing the dog’s necessities. After she’d sniffed around and done her duty, she trotted over to him and stared up like “what’s next?”

“Ready to go inside and meet my family?”

She let out a yap and then raced toward the front door. Jay shook his head and followed. He supposed he was lucky in a sense, because if he was going to accidentally foster a dog, at least he’d gotten a smart one.

With Coastie trotting beside him, they headed inside, where Jay was enveloped by the heavenly aroma of garlic, onions and spices that made up the unmistakable scent of Gran’s Bolognese sauce. The smell made his heart ache with love and longing for his deceased grandmother even as it made his stomach yearn for pasta. He dropped his bags. He’d seen his little brother Levi through the window, but he hadn’t been expecting Josie. She was the only person in his life, outside of Gran, who could make this sauce.

Josie’s presence meant he wasn’t surprised to see his little sister Laney, too, who was now throwing herself into his arms.

“Jay, hi! I’ve missed you so much.”

“Hey there, little one. I miss you, too. So much.” He hugged her close, a mix of love and affection tightening his chest. “Not so little, though, huh? You’ve grown since I saw you last.”

“You think?” Stepping away, she beamed at him. His fifteen-year-old sister had dreams of hitting the six-foot mark, a goal she felt she needed to attain in order to get to college on a volleyball scholarship. As it was, she was only a couple inches shy.

Levi was next. “Hey, buddy,” he said, pulling him in for a hug. At sixteen, Levi had recently hit the six-foot mark and Jay suspected he would eventually surpass his own six foot four inches.

And finally, his sister Josie. “Hi.” She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. Jay felt his heart squeeze with a special kind of love, a love he knew that only a brother and sister who’d been through a hell like theirs could know. Aside from the surprise, and the speculation as to the reason for this unannounced visit, he was filled with utter joy to see his siblings.

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