One
“Is Evie still mad at me?” Matt asked as he brewed himself another coffee.
“She was never angry with you.” His cousin Adam’s voice came through the phone. “She was upset with the people on social media who can’t mind their own business.”
Matt could understand that. He didn’t mind when fans posted photos of themselves with him. However, it annoyed the hell out of him when people took pictures of him doing everyday things, such as shopping, and then posted them on social media. The worst, though, was when people shared photos of him with women, sometimes ones who were friends or relatives, and then proceeded to speculate about their relationship. That was precisely what happened earlier this month when he joined Adam’s girlfriend for breakfast before heading to the local high school where Adam was coaching. Unlike Evie, though, he’d opened himself up to that type of intrusion when he went into the music business.
“How are things going between you two?”
With anyone else, Matt wouldn’t ask such a question. The way he saw it, if someone wanted to share, they would. However, Adam was more than a cousin. Matt considered him more like a brother. In many ways, Adam was more of a brother than Theo and Aiden.
“Couldn’t be better. If the engagement ring I designed is ready, I’m going to propose when we go to visit my sister at the end of the month. She offered to babysit so that we can go out alone.”
When he’d visited Adam, he’d briefly considered offering to watch Reagan, the almost seven-month-old little girl his cousin had recently become the guardian of. Well, maybe “briefly” wasn’t the right word. The thought had zipped through his head faster than he could blink. He knew nothing about children. It would’ve been an utter disaster if he’d stayed alone with Reagan while Adam and his girlfriend went out.
“Not wasting any time, are you?”
Although he was happy for his cousin, Matt still found it almost impossible to believe that Evie was back in Adam’s life. He’d heard of people reconnecting after not seeing each other for years, but never in such an unlikely way.
“I don’t see any reason to wait,” Adam answered.
Coffee in hand, Matt opened the glass door, stepped outside, and inhaled the ocean air. “How long are you staying in Boston?”
“Just for the long weekend.”
While Adam, Evie, and Reagan could make the drive up to see him, it would mean a lot of time in the car and a short visit.
“Tory mentioned you stopped by to see her on your way to Maine.”
His stops to visit first Adam in Virginia and then Tory in Boston had been just two of many he’d made during his drive from Florida to Maine.
“I knew she’d be jealous if I spent time with you on my way up and not her.”
Dropping into a chair, he watched the waves down below. While he’d never pass on an opportunity to surf in Oahu or ski in Colorado, he preferred the rocky Maine coastline. Or more specifically, the coast of Maine and the town of Orchard Harbor. The restlessness that often plagued him disappeared when he was here, and if he was frustrated by something, the emotion subsided. He’d traveled the world, and no other place had the same effect on him. Orchard Harbor was his happy place. A spot he escaped to whenever he could. During the past year, though, he’d only managed one visit. However, for the foreseeable future, he planned to remain here. He was only leaving to visit friends and family members who called New England home.
“Tell yourself that if it makes you feel better,” Adam replied with more than a hint of sarcasm.
Some statements didn’t warrant a reply, so he ignored Adam’s response. “It doesn’t make sense for you to visit while you’re up to see Tory. But this summer, the three of you should come and spend some time here.”
He’d had only two visitors since he’d purchased the home. One was his friend Owen, and the other was his bandmate Jordan. But he’d enjoy a visit from his cousin and his girlfriend.
“Definitely. I’ll talk to Evie, see when she wants to go, and get back to you. I’ll let you go for now. I’ve got a meeting in ten minutes.”
After the call ended, Matt sipped his coffee and enjoyed the peace and solitude—two things one could easily find in Orchard Harbor if they wanted. Located about twenty minutes from Acadia National Park, the town was about the same size but less well-known than its neighbor to the north, Bar Harbor. He most likely never would’ve heard of it if not for his college roommate at the University of Maine.
While Owen no longer lived there, he’d grown up in Orchard Harbor, and during their freshman year, he’d invited Matt to spend Thanksgiving with his family rather than alone at school, as he’d planned. The picturesque homes were so different from those he was used to, and its quaint Main Street, along with the Atlantic Ocean, had called to him like no other place he’d visited.
Throughout college and after graduation, he’d return, spending shorter visits at a hotel and longer ones at one of the many vacation homes available for rent. All the while, though, he’d kept an eye out for the perfect home. One had finally come on the market two years ago, although he had few opportunities to use it thanks to Eclipse’s tour schedule and the most recent movie he’d made. But for the foreseeable future, he didn’t need to be anywhere, and Matt intended to take full advantage of that. There was no question about it: Performing in front of crowded stadiums had been his dream, and he loved it, but it wasn’t the walk in the park most people thought it was.
Matt watched a seagull land on the beach below. Well, perhaps calling it a beach was generous, but the strip of land was sandy and along the ocean. It was also the farthest he’d ventured since his arrival five days ago, and the individual who delivered his grocery order last Saturday was the only human contact he’d had since going through a drive-thru for lunch somewhere between Wells and Orchard Harbor. The solitude had been just what he needed. Today, though, he planned to rejoin the land of the living.
His cell buzzed on the table, letting him know he’d received a text message. He wasn’t surprised to see the name “Mom” on the screen when he picked up the device. Although Violet Sherbrooke’s children were adults, she liked to check on them a couple of times a month, even when she knew he was touring with the band. The last time they had spoken was close to two weeks ago.
Mom: Are you free one day this week? Your dad and I are in Jupiter Island. We’d love to see you.
He’d been at his house in Palm Beach then, and he hadn’t said anything about leaving. In fact, except for the handful of family members he’d visited on his way to Maine, no one, including his agent and bandmates, knew he was there. Although not a secret, he’d seen no pressing need to tell anyone either.
Matt: Wish I’d known you were coming. I would’ve waited to leave.
