Rocky Coast Romance

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“Then I guess it’s a good thing we’re here.”

Angling her away from the depressing scene, he motioned her ahead of him through a glass door etched with the Holiday Harbor logo and The Crow’s Nest beneath it in flowing script.

“Nice touch, using the same artwork.” Noting the familiar design from his shirt, she tapped it on her way through. “Visitors pick up on things like that.”

“That’s the general idea. Hi, Frances.”

“Cooper. I didn’t know you were coming in tonight.”

“Neither did I. Do you have a table on the deck?”

“For you? Always,” she gushed, giving Bree a suspicious once-over. “And who is this?”

“I’m sorry. Bree Farrell, Frances Cook. Bree came up from Richmond to do an article on Holiday Harbor.”

“Cooper!” a man yelled, hurrying over to clap him on the shoulder. Tie askew, he was wearing a button-down and suit jacket with a Vote for Derek! button done up in red, white and blue. Turning to Bree, he offered his hand. “Derek Timms. Cooper and I grew up here and then went to Yale Law together. Since he’s practicing here, I just opened my own firm in Oakbridge. I don’t know how this goofball does it, but he always manages to show up with the prettiest girl in the place.”

“She’s not my date, you moron. She’s a reporter.” He flipped the outrageous button with his finger. “And she can’t vote for you, so just can the speech.”

“What are you running for?” Bree asked.

“Mayor.” When she flashed Cooper a baffled look, Derek laughed. “Cooper may be allergic to power, but I’m not. We see things the same way, so except for the fact that I’m a much better dresser, the town probably won’t even notice the difference.”

Cooper chuckled in apparent agreement. “Just as long as you keep those greedy developers outta here, I’ll be happy.”

After a quick salute, Derek said, “Otter can’t make it for golf next Friday, so we’ve got a spot. Whattya say?”

“Otter?” Bree echoed with a grin. “Is he a really good swimmer or something?”

“Or something,” Cooper answered with a grin of his own before focusing on his friend. “Where are you guys playing?”

“Deer Run, the new club over in Oakbridge. Longest course within a hundred miles. You can try out that fancy new driver your mom got you for your birthday.”

The two men began discussing various aspects of the new course, leaving Bree at the mercy of Frances. Wonderful.

“A real-live reporter, all the way up here. How about that?” the young woman commented through a frigid smile. “What do you think of our little town?”

“I haven’t seen much, but the people I’ve met so far are fantastic.” She added a little bite to her tone to let her know she might be able to fool a nice guy like Cooper, but Bree had her number.

“Sorry about that,” Cooper apologized to Bree as Derek headed back to his table. “But it’s impossible to get a tee time at that new club.”

For the hostess’s benefit, Bree smiled. “No problem.”

Frances escorted them to a secluded table on the deck overlooking the bay. Because he was pulling out Bree’s chair, he didn’t notice the longing look Frances tossed back over her shoulder as she left. Bree could hardly blame her. Even in Richmond Cooper would be considered quite the catch. With so little competition up here, he must look like a prince.

Once they were settled, he crossed his arms on the table. “The crews really warmed up to you, didn’t they?”

Taking a sip of her water, she replied, “They were awesome. And very entertaining. It’s easy to see how much they love this place.”

He cocked his head with a knowing look. “But you don’t share their opinion.”

She didn’t, but Bree wisely refrained from admitting it outright. “I just got here, so I haven’t formed an opinion yet.”

“How ’bout a gut feel? I won’t hold you to it or anything, just curious.”

She’d learned the hard way not to voice her impressions, first or otherwise. But his genuine kindness had put some of those usual fears to rest, and she instinctively knew she could trust him. “I love the lighthouse. It’s really beautiful out there.”

Judging by his bright grin, she’d hit one of his favorite buttons. “Yeah, it is. Kaleidoscope has over a million readers nationwide, and I’m hoping we can get enough coverage that people will start to recognize the name and want to come check things out.”

“That’s my goal, too.” She’d meant every word, but his wary look made her think he didn’t believe her. “Did I say something wrong?”

He hesitated, clearly debating whether to start something with her. They didn’t know each other well, and she wondered just how much backbone this small-town mayor had under that neatly pressed blue oxford shirt.

Leaning in, his eyes darkened to a murky color that warned her a storm was coming. “Let’s get one thing straight right now. I know you’re here to rescue your career from the trash heap. I also know this is the last spot on earth you want to be. So let’s not pretend you came because Holiday Harbor fascinates you and you’re thrilled with this assignment.”

Narrowing her eyes, she angled closer just to show him she wasn’t intimidated. She seldom went toe-to-toe with such a worthy opponent, and she relished the opportunity. “Fair enough. Since we’re being so honest, tell me why you really came back to a town so small, you need a magnifying glass to find it on a map.”

A waitress headed their way, and they both eased back to create a more sociable appearance. She took their appetizer order, casting several admiring looks at Cooper before strolling back inside.

“Sickening,” Bree groused. “Does every woman within five miles have a thing for you?”

“Actually the older ones prefer my Uncle Joe.”

He said it with a completely straight face, and she had to laugh. “You must have killed in the courtroom. I’m usually good at reading people, and I couldn’t tell you were joking.”

“I wasn’t.” Taking a sip of water, he set it down and began. “Anyway, like I told you earlier, after Yale I worked at a big firm in New York. Lots of cases, high-profile clients, all the trimmings.”

Not all of it had been good, she deduced from his shifting expressions. Watching him tell it was even better than digging it up online. “And you dated—let me guess—an actress.”

“A model.” His mouth quirked into a cute half grin. “I was almost engaged to Felicia.”

“The Felicia?” When he nodded, she clapped quietly. “Very nice. But you said ‘almost.’ What happened?”

“I had a major court case that went on forever. Long story short, we won, and my client was thrilled with the result.” He paused, waiting until the waitress set down their crab cakes and informed them their lobsters would be out shortly. Once she was gone, he continued. “Then the moron told me I’d had a little help winning the case.”

Bree leaned in. “From the judge?”

Cooper shook his head. “From my client. Apparently, he didn’t tell me everything, just what he felt I needed to know to get him acquitted.”

“He lied to you?”

“Withheld key facts,” Cooper corrected her with a grimace. “Since it was a complex financial issue, the details might not have mattered to the jury, but they mattered to me. I’d faced that kind of thing a few times before, but this time I couldn’t rationalize it away. The next day I quit my job and asked Felicia to come back here and marry me.”

Bree made a show of looking around. “Not exactly nirvana for models.”

“No, but I thought she loved me and wanted to be my wife.” Another grimace. “Turned out she loved New York more.”

A few choice words came to mind, but Bree kept them to herself. He’d loved the woman enough to marry her after all. It wouldn’t make him feel any better if Bree insulted the self-centered twit, even if she totally deserved it.

“Now it’s your turn,” Cooper said, popping half a crab cake into his mouth. “Should I be worried about some jealous boyfriend coming to beat me up for taking you out to dinner?”

“You might,” she said in between bites. “If I had one.”

“You’re kidding.” When she shook her head, he stared at her like she’d just beamed in from another galaxy. “How does that happen to someone as pretty as you?”

Since the man had been engaged to one of People magazine’s Most Beautiful Women, and had a very dry wit besides, Bree wasn’t sure she should take him seriously. But his stunned demeanor never changed, and she decided he was playing it straight this time.

“I’m too busy,” she said simply. When he cocked his head in disbelief, she figured that since he’d been up front with her, she owed him the truth. “Even if I wasn’t, my parents’ messy divorce convinced me that constant traveling and marriage don’t mix.”

Cooper absorbed it with a somber expression. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be. I was in college when they finally split, and to be honest, it was a relief. My dad was an AP correspondent, and we moved around a lot. When he was on assignment, they fought about him being away too much. When he was home, they fought about him being underfoot. Not the best model for happily ever after.”

“I guess not.” After a sip of water, he asked, “Which one of them came up with your unique name?”

Bree groaned. “My mother. She’s a hopeless romantic, and her favorite movie is Sabrina. You know, the one where the two rich brothers fall in love with the butler’s daughter who used to be a plain Jane and—poof!—turns into Audrey Hepburn?”

Grinning, Cooper forked up a cherry tomato from his salad. “Sounds familiar.”

“As if that wasn’t mortifying enough, she saddled me with Constance for a middle name. It’s a tribute to some aunt she adored, but really, who uses names like that anymore?”

He laughed, and even though it was at her expense, she couldn’t help joining in. There was something about him that made her feel at ease, as if he’d pushed some invisible “relax” button inside her that no one else had ever found. While they devoured their lobsters, they chatted comfortably about nothing in particular. Before long, it felt as if they’d known each other for years instead of only a few hours.

For dessert they ordered a humongous slice of Boston cream pie and two forks. It was like a scene from some gushy romantic movie, but Bree was having such a great time, she decided to ignore the sappiness and just enjoy the evening.

They’d nearly finished off their pie when he said, “I almost forgot to tell you how the lighthouse got its name.”

Actually Mavis already had, but Bree decided to let him have his moment. “That’s right. Go ahead.”

“After a dozen ships or so broke up on those rocks, the townsfolk got together and built the tower. They called it Last Chance because it was the captains’ last chance to correct their course before running aground.”

“Neat story,” she murmured, scribbling it down even though she’d recorded Mavis telling it earlier. Normally she wouldn’t humor a source this way, but Cooper had been so great with her, she didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

“So, that’s it.” Setting down his dessert fork, he checked his watch. “I guess I should get you back, then.”

It had been a long, exhausting day, and she was definitely ready to hit the sack. But when she opened her mouth to agree, she heard herself say, “If you’ve got time, I wouldn’t mind hearing some more about the summer-long regatta.”

What? Where had that come from? Betrayed by her suddenly unpredictable emotions, Bree forced herself to smile as if she hadn’t completely lost her mind.

Fortunately Cooper either didn’t notice her momentary lapse of sanity or he was so accustomed to odd characters it didn’t bother him. “Sure. What do you want to know?”

“Whatever you think people who aren’t from around here would find interesting. Quirky,” she clarified, pulling her steno pad over to take notes. “Like what kind of costume does Reggie wear?”

Threading his fingers together on the table, Cooper grinned. “He’s always Teddy Roosevelt. Even wears little glasses and a forest ranger’s hat.”

“Who does Mavis go as?”

“Mavis. She doesn’t think much of dressing up herself, but she’s got no reservations about decking out Reggie. She says he enjoys pretending to be someone else once in a while.”

Laughing, Bree jotted that down and set up her phone to record. If this first nugget was any indication, she was in for some Holiday Harbor gold.

Chapter Four

Cooper had neglected to tell Bree the tan hatchback he’d borrowed for her was a standard. Shifting wasn’t her favorite thing to do at seven in the morning, and she ground her teeth along with the transmission. She vaguely recalled learning the basic concepts in high school, but stalled it several times before getting the hang of the clutch and shifter. Mavis paused in her laundry hanging to watch, and while Bree couldn’t hear anything, in the side mirror she saw the woman laughing at her.

Ignoring her, Bree finally slid the little car into gear, working the pedals to keep it running while she gradually built up speed. It was fortunate she didn’t have to use the highway, she thought as she drove up over the ridge and headed for town. She would’ve gotten a ticket for impeding traffic.

On Main Street the sleepy village had already come to life. Cars and pickups were lined up in the diagonal parking spots, and she had to park a good distance from the business district. Glancing toward the docks, she noticed those lots were full up, and the fleet of fishing vessels was gone. Every pier post was occupied by a seagull, snoozing while they waited for the boats to come back and toss out something for them to eat.

Since there wouldn’t be much activity down there for a while, Bree set her sights on what was going on in town. Cooper’s law office was closed, but she was surprised to find the neighboring door wide open. Brown paper covered the huge display windows, but classical music was playing inside. Taking a shot, she strolled in, hoping to find someone interesting to talk to.

The ceilings had to be fourteen feet high, and judging by the built-in shelving that ringed the open space, the building had once been a general store. The hardwood floors and trim had been recently sanded, with several patches of different stains scattered here and there. An archway led into a dark hallway at the back, and a carved door marked Private obviously led upstairs to offices or an apartment. It was pretty rough now, but it didn’t take much imagination to see how it would look when everything was restored to its former character-filled glory.

“Hello?” Bree’s voice echoed through the cavernous room, and she heard footsteps in the hallway.

When the shop’s owner appeared, Bree almost swallowed her tongue. The gorgeous blonde dressed for a casual day at the country club could be only one person. “Whoa,” she breathed. “You’re Julia Stanton.”

Irritation flashed through the woman’s blue eyes before she masked it with a smile. “Yes. May I help you?”

What a coup this was. The daughter of Ambassador Frederick Stanton had disappeared from public life nearly a year ago, and the various media had tried to locate her, without success. Neglecting her recent vow to be more circumspect about things, Bree blurted out, “What are you doing here?”

“Renovating my building. What are you doing here?”

“Looking for someone to talk to. People get up and going pretty early around here.”

“We like to make the most of the day.” She eyed Bree’s steno pad like it was a pit viper. “I don’t speak to reporters.”

“Sorry.” Bree shoved the pad into her bag and offered her hand. “Bree Farrell. I’m doing a story on Holiday Harbor for Kaleidoscope magazine.”