“Glad you like it.”
Sadie got dizzy and fell into the welcoming arms of a plush leather armchair.
A dog yipped in the background. “I’m at the Fraziers’. Their Chihuahua doesn’t want to go out. Oh well, I’ll just carry her. Did you get unpacked? Meet your new neighbor?”
Her friend knew her all too well. Mrs. Miller said the duplex neighbor would probably keep to himself. He was renting for the summer. “Not yet. Maybe I’ll bake him cookies or something.”
“Don’t get sidetracked. You have a book to write.”
“It’s the weekend. I’m not writing till Monday.”
“Fair enough. Trixie, no! Don’t piddle on my favorite... Ugh. Gotta go. Have fun.”
“See ya.” Sadie ended the call. Time to bring in her things.
“Know what this place needs, Rio? Some happy music.” She retrieved her smart speaker from her purse and started the Spotify Summer Romance playlist she’d set up during a free hour her last week of school. She’d been overdosing on romance material of all kinds. Couldn’t hurt.
The happy riffs of “Summer Nights” fromGreasebegan. She cranked it up, beaming broadly. “That’s better. Let’s go get our things. Will you help carry the bags? No? Oh, you’re so useless. Why do I keep you around?”
Back at the car, Sadie loaded down: rolling suitcase, snack bag, Kate Spade laptop bag, and one heaping box of romance novels. She hadn’t read them all—certainly not the more, shall we say, smutty ones with the clinch covers. She waggled her head, proud of herself for knowing the correct term. She’d come a long way in the past month. But no way was she writingthatkind of romance. She still had no idea what the plot would be, but it would definitely qualify as a slow-burn romance that culminated in a simple kiss. She was already pushing her boundaries far enough.
It was a handful with a wriggling Rio on the end of the leash,but she made it back to the porch in one trip. She let go of the rolling bag and turned the knob...
It was locked.
***
Sam Ford glared at the wall separating his unit from the one next door. The upbeat music had started just a few minutes ago, but it was already on his last nerve. And that was before the dog started up. Some ankle-biting menace, no doubt.
So much for the nice, quiet neighbor the owner had told him was moving in for the summer. The whole summer. He put the throw pillow over his head.A little peace and quiet, God. Someplace to lick my wounds. Is that too much to ask?
The room went blessedly quiet.
Before he could draw a breath, another bebopping tune started up.
Growling, he got up and went out to his deck where the sounds of surf covered the music. He glanced across the house-length deck, which he would now have to share.
Well, he could do a little rearranging, couldn’t he? Give himself some privacy. And he should do it before the woman came out here and noticed he’d moved things around. Wouldn’t want to get off on the wrong foot. He glanced at the three planted palms. Those would suffice. He lined them up across the middle as a sort of barrier and stood back to survey the change. Better than nothing. It certainly got the point across: this side is mine; that side is yours.
That done, he took the three deck steps into the backyard and walked around his side of the house to where he’d done alittle landscaping for Mrs. Miller. He’d dug up the scrubby old bushes, put down a weed barrier, and added some nice crepe myrtle. The bushes would grow well here in the sunlight, and the blooms added a splash of bright pink. He ambled toward the front of the house, his feet sinking in the sandy soil as he went.
The cottage itself was in immaculate condition—the front of it holding plenty of curb appeal. Though he couldn’t have cared less about the appearance of the house when he’d rented it. Anything that got him out of Bluffton suited him just fine.
A knocking sound came from the direction of his stoop.
He stepped closer and saw a woman jabbing the doorbell, not once but three times.
“Can I help you?”
She jumped and whirled around. Stepped back. Tripped over a little dog who let out a squeak.
Sam foresaw the inevitable and darted forward. But he was too far away.
“Oh!” The woman stumbled down the steps, landing on the sandy soil on one knee as a box spilled from her arms and rained down a cache of books.
She looked behind her. “Rio!”
The dog, tail wagging furiously, jumped up on the woman and licked her chin.
