Two
Addy wiped down another table while Solene wrangled with a new handyman to fix the dryer since her old helper had retired. Addy listened to them haggle back and forth on price versus function, but her mind was on other things this Friday night.
He was back.
Noel“the Mystery” Cavanaugh had returned. Her neighbor of two years had proven himself to be quiet, absent, and, for the most part, coldly polite when in residence. He didn’t like to chitchat, had no use for guests, and had she not seen him eyeing her ass that one time, she might have thought him to be gay.
His house always appeared immaculate—he had landscapers take care of the yard whilehe was away—and he never seemed to have a hair out of place on that gorgeous head.
She sighed. She’d been infatuated with the man since the first time she’d seen him. Her parents liked him, mostly because he was never there. They’d moved to Bainbridge to get away from it all, then moved to Scotland two years ago to take care of her grandmother, where they fell in love with the village andthe people.
Addy had happily moved into their home, treating it as her own. Not paying rent helped stretch her paycheck, which was minimal at best on a teacher’s salary. But she loved her kids, loved teaching, and loved not having to work summers.
“You going to wipe the varnish off that or what?”
Addy flushed and glanced up at her good friend Solene. “Sorry. A little preoccupiedtonight.”
“Oh?” Solene sat next to her on a tiny chair meant for preschoolers. “What’s up?”
“He’s back.”
Solene blinked. “He, as in, Secret Agent Cavanaugh? Stripper to the Stars Cavanaugh? Ultimate Thief Cavanaugh? Or are we calling him Naughty Noel now? Because personally I’m going with the stripper persona. It’s more fun.”
Addy sighed. “I wish. Apparently, he’s DaddyCavanaugh now.” She explained to Solene what had happened, ending with, “The weirdest thing was that the woman didn’t stick around. I mean, wouldn’t youwantto see your child safely with his father before taking off? For all she knew, I was a psycho stalker. A white slaver. A baby killer. A—”
“Okay, I get it. But for allyouknow, she and Daddy Cavanaugh didn’t end well, and she wanteda smooth hand-off. Or she was afraid to tell him about the little guy. You said he seemed shocked about the baby.”
“He did. I felt bad for him. But it was the first time I’ve seen him have a personality, so that was kind of neat. He’s apparently not a robot. He even said ‘fuck’.”
“First they say it, then they do it.” Solene crossed her fingers. “You go, girl.”
Addy laughed.“Yeah, right.”
Solene knew about Addy’s hopes and dreams. The pair confided in each other, best of friends since Solene had moved back to the island a year ago. They’d been the only two people under the age of sixty in an old monster movie marathon at the local theater and bonded over a lively discussion about Mothra versus Godzilla.
“Seriously though,” Solene continued. “What’sthe deal with your love life? I feel out of the loop. We haven’t talked since last week.”
Addy sighed. “I saw Brent on Saturday. We went to dinner.” The highlight of her evening had been the butter rolls and salad.
“Brent the barber?”
“No, that’s Brian. Brent the CPA.”
Solene winced. “Oh boy. You really are in a drought, aren’t you?”
“Unlike you.” Addy enviedSolene’s easy way with men. Hell, her easy way with life. “I’ve never met anyone as self-confident as you. What’s your secret?”Besides being a blonde bombshell and former model?
“I don’t give a rat’s ass.” Solene grinned. “I’ve seen ’em all. The handsome, the ugly, the fat, the thin, the alpha types, the nerdy geeks. Men are men. Meaning, they all want something for nothing.”
“That’sa little harsh.”
“But true.” Solene shrugged. “Hey, I’m happy. I don’t need a man to complete me. Honestly, I hire out what I need.”
Addy raised a brow.
“Oh, not for sex. I can get that easily enough. I’m talking about fixing pipes or moving furniture. Hell, I had some guy stop to help me fix my tire last month, and I wasn’t even trying to flag down help.” Solene grinned.“I was wearing a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. What can I say? Men like blondes and boobs, and I’m both.”
“A boob?” Addy teased. “Come on, Solene. Not all men are that bad.” She’d started to worry about Solene. Her friend had ended a relationship and moved back to Bainbridge, but that negativity over men had yet to change.
