C
HAPTER
8
Placing her empty buckets outside the house called Sea Sprite, Jane sighed with the deep-felt satisfaction of a job well done. Despite its name, Sea Sprite was hardly pixie-size, with its ten bedrooms and two full living areas. It had taken her six hours to clean the sand, grime, mold, and mildew from the house, but now the mansion sparkled, clean and fresh for its next lucky inhabitants. With a feeling of pride, she stepped outside, buffed the entry tiles to a shine, and locked the door behind her.
Since she’d arrived in Avon five days ago, she had cleaned seven palatial beach homes, all containing numerous bedrooms with en suite bathrooms that had required a good amount of scrubbing.
Kailani had questioned her about the interiors of the houses. The other store clerks had wandered over to listen in, and even Ruthann had expressed curiosity.
“Just because we’re islanders, doesn’t mean we’ve ever been able to go inside,” Kailani had explained during one of Jane’s many visits to the Quickstop.
So Jane had told them about the house with the swimming pool built like a pirate’s ship. “Walk the plank and you end up going down a waterslide,” Jane had explained.
“I know that house!” Becca, one of the younger clerks, had been to a party there once.
Jane had told them about the house on the sound with a pseudo-lighthouse. “There’s an observatory and a game room at the top, with felt tables for poker and bridge.”
They had grinned as she’d told them of another house with a more impressive game room with Ping-Pong and foosball tables, as well as two pinball machines.
Even Jane had to admit, these houses were built for fun and recreation. Nearly every house had a home theater, hot tub, private swimming pool, and pool table. Some had elevators, which came in handy when it was time to lug the vacuum from one floor to another. Double dishwashers, washers, dryers ... the property owners made it easy for large families to converge in one dwelling for a deluxe beach vacation.
As a realtor, Jane appreciated the amenities like en suite bathrooms, marble flooring, granite kitchen islands, and gas fireplaces with charming mantels. But in every house she cleaned, it was the view that grabbed her heart and never let go.
The water dance beyond each cottage’s windows was an ever-changing phenomenon. From diamonds on the water to striations in every shade of blue, the sea was a reminder that life was constantly changing, day by day, minute by minute. She’d had her share of misfortune in the past few months, but it had forced her to adapt.
These days she was learning how to change plans and how to appreciate the small things, like a run on the beach or the delighted squeal of a child easing into the surf for the first time.
Simple pleasures.
Like her evening chats with Cooper.
Since her arrival at the house on Sea Breeze Road, she had spent nearly every evening sitting on the upper deck and watching the sun set with Coop. The first day he had convinced her that it would be neighborly to join him. After that, she had begun to look forward to stealing up to his deck for that magical hour of sunset as he filled her in on different neighbors and people in the town, and she told him about the insides of the posh beach mansions she had spent the day cleaning.
“We’re getting to be good friends,” she had told TJ on the phone. She didn’t tell her brother about the sexual tension that occasionally lit the air between her and Coop.
“Just friends?” TJ had probed.
“There’s been no stripping down to jump into the hot tub ... or into bed.”
“Too bad.”
“You have such a boy brain. Right now I think Cooper just likes blending up some virgin daiquiris and having some company.”
That was one of the things that kept her going; Cooper seemed eager for her company and spending time with him restored her spirits in a surprising way. For the first time in months, she could look to the next day with a feeling of hope and optimism.
She drove to the Quickstop for a sandwich and a bit of spying. Last night Coop had mentioned that today was his day off, and she was curious as to how he might be spending it.
“Seen Coop around?” she asked as Kailani rang up her sandwich.
“Not today.” Kailani folded a napkin and tucked it in the bag. “I don’t think he’s working.”
“He’s off.” Jane looked around to see if anyone was eavesdropping. “Any idea what he does on his days off?”
“I don’t know. Coop stays under the radar. Now that he’s better, he keeps to himself.”
“Was he sick?”
“Post-traumatic stress. He had it bad. After he came home from Afghanistan, he fell apart.”
“He mentioned that.” Jane thought of how he’d compared it to a runaway train coming at him.
“Rusty said it was the war. That and his high school sweetheart had been cheating on him. She left town for Charlotte, but I heard she wanted him back.”
A girlfriend? Jane hadn’t thought of that. “Do you think they’ll get back together?”
Kailani shook her head. “Leah couldn’t wait to get away from Avon. And Cooper, he won’t ever leave again.”
“How do you know that for sure?”
“I just know.” Kailani shrugged. “Some things I know. He loves this place, and Cooper is the backbone of this town. He’s going to stay.”
It was just after 2:00 when Jane drove up to the house. The driveway was empty, and again she wondered how Cooper spent his days off. Did he have family in the area? Did he go out on fishing charters?
She unlocked the door and stepped inside, pausing to bend down and check the loose bit of fishing line that she’d stretched out across the edge of the entryway.
Still in place.
It was her personal alarm system, rudimentary, but enough to reassure her that no one had come through this door and slipped into the house while she was gone.
After a quick shower and another look at the diamonds of sunlight on the sound, she decided that today would be the day she would take TJ’s advice and check out that surfing spot he adored. Although she’d never been on a board—wind, kite, or surf—she knew TJ wouldn’t let her rest until she visited his mothership.
Like many windsurfing spots, the Canadian Hole wasn’t marked, but most of the locals knew how to find it.
“Just drive south until you see signs for Ego Beach,” Kailani had told her. “You’ll turn right into the parking lot, and the Hole is there on Pamlico Sound.”
Jane followed her friend’s directions and turned into the paved lot across from Ego Beach. The narrow strip of sand and dunes was hardly impressive, though from the dozen or so windsurfers picking up speed on the steady breeze, she realized it was all about wind.
Although there were restrooms at the site, there was no concession stand or place for a board, so Jane drove back a mile to a sprawling, wood-shingled house on the sound that boasted rentals with a dozen or so hand-painted signs.
Various-size boards leaned against sawhorses in the yard. The French doors of the house were open, revealing tables of clothing and gear in the front room.
“Hey, how’s it going?”
Jane started at the voice from the side yard, alarm ringing in her ears. The man’s smile was friendly enough, but she stepped back cautiously.
“Did I just creep up out of nowhere?” He tipped his baseball cap back, and she noticed concern in his dark eyes. “Sorry, ma’am. I was just down by the water, trying to get some windsurfers set up. I’m Newt. This is my place. What can I help you with today?”
“I was wondering about renting windsurfing equipment.”
“You’re a windsurfer?”
“My brother is. I would need a lesson.”
“Your brother won’t teach you?”
“He’s not here at the moment.”
“Well, where is he?”
“He lives in Florida.” She tested the weight of a long board as apprehension rose, a knot in her throat. Was he digging for information, or just being chatty?
He nodded. “Plenty of opportunity to windsurf there. And where are you from? You don’t look like Florida.”
Jane swallowed back fear. “Pennsylvania,” she said, thinking of the plate on her Jeep. “So ... how about those lessons?”
“I’d like to help you out.” He took off his cap, revealing a shaved head with a pink sheen at the top. “But I’m booked up today.”
They made arrangements for a rental and lesson in a few days. He told her it was important to have the right size equipment and promised to reserve a board her size. As Newt hurried back down to his customers in the shallow water, Jane felt ashamed at her cool response to him. He’d only been trying to help.
All the people she had met here had been kind, and most had extended themselves well beyond the usual boundaries of strangers.
If only she didn’t have to be on guard all the time ...
Her feet scraped the warm sand as she tipped the water bottle back. If lessons were out, she figured she could at least spend an hour or two observing windsurfers at the Hole. Half of learning was study, and as she watched the figures course over the water, many of them picking up a good amount of speed, she had a feeling she was watching some of the best in the world.
TJ would go crazy here. She pulled out her cell phone and snapped some shots of the cove, the windsurfers, the kite boarders with their colorful puffed kites just off the point to the north.
Toward the northern edge of the cove, a surfer leaped from the water, made a sharp turn, and landed on the board. Spectacular. “Don’t think I’ll be doing moves like that anytime soon.”
“Miss Jane?”
The sand beside her shifted as a large canvas bag of equipment was dropped down. She followed the line of one spectacular male body up ... up to Coop’s handsome face. She pointed to the bag. “You know how to do this?”
“Sure. Got my board in the car. How come you’re not out there?”
“I’ve got some lessons scheduled for later in the week.”
“Lessons with Newt?”
“You know him?”
“He’s as good as it gets.”
So Newt was legit; maybe she was getting paranoid.
Coop knelt down in the sand so that his eyes were level with hers. “So, you’re a newbie?” When she nodded, he grinned. “Well, I can show you a few of the basics.”
“That’d be great. Though watching some of the guys out there ... I’m a little worried about holding on to the sail at that speed.”
“Let’s see.” He wrapped his fingers around her biceps and gave a little squeeze. “Not bad, Miss Jane. You must have gone to a gym back in New York City.”
She had, but now that she ran on the beach and scrubbed houses to a shine, a scheduled workout seemed sort of lame. “Want to see the photos I sent to my brother?” she asked to change the subject. “He’s the one who’s been insisting that I see the Canadian Hole.”
“Very nice.” Coop smiled and reached for her cell phone. “Why don’t you stand by the water and I’ll get some shots with you in them?”
She posed for a few shots, then thanked him.
“No worries. Look at this gorgeous day we got.”
“They seem to like it.” She gestured toward the cove, now bursting with colored sails. “I don’t understand why everyone crowds into the same spot. What’s the magic of this cove?”
“It’s a whole combination of things. You got the land mass off the island blocking off the rough water from the ocean. But the low landscape doesn’t block the Atlantic winds. That means steady conditions. Smooth water, strong winds. Gives you the chance to pick up some real speed.”
“Which was my first concern.”
“What are you worried about, Miss Jane? I’d never let anything bad happen to you.”
It was such a sweet thing to say, but Jane knew there was substance behind his words. He meant to protect her.
She met his eyes, seeing the commitment there. “I just don’t see myself doing one of those curlicue flips anytime soon.”
He smiled, that grin that warmed her down to her toes. “We’ll save the curlicue for a later lesson. And you’ll be happy to know the water here is thigh-high, which makes for easy in-and-out. There’s a nice sandy bottom and the temperature is just right. You can’t beat the warm Carolina water.”
There was such warmth in his words; his love for Carolina came through. “Well, then, I’d be honored if you could give me a few pointers.”
“Sure. Just hold on while I get my boards from the truck.”
She turned her phone off and tucked it away in her bag before stripping down to her one-piece print swimsuit. Enthusiasm warred with nerves as she thought about the lesson. Kind of strange, getting so close to Coop with so little on.
Cooper returned with two boards, one that was just her size. He told her he’d bought it for “a friend,” though he said his nieces now used it when they visited.