Clallam Bay (A Fresh Start #2) Read Free Page A

about to pull the blinds, the security light next door kicked on, silhouetting my neighbor’s tall frame. Instead of slinking back, I watched him take a seat in his chair and rock back and forth. His fixed wave was what broke the hypnotic spell. I returned it before pulling the blinds and heading to bed, too tired to be embarrassed about being caught staring once again.
    *
    “So he’s been back how long now?” Sonia asked.
    “Two weeks.”
    “And he hasn’t spoken to you at all? Like, not at all. Just waves.”
    “And nods.”
    “Well.” Taking a drink of her tea, she shrugged. “I did say it kept pretty quiet around here.”
    “It’s weird, isn’t it?”
    Sonia made a face that disagreed. “What’s weird? The fact that he hasn’t taken time out of his busy schedule to bake you a casserole? No. He’s a guy. He’s Coll, the ultimate guy’s guy. I doubt he’s going to talk to you unless you go talk to him first. Maybe not even then. Not if you’re unwilling to put out.”
    I nodded even though I doubted my new neighbor was really as shallow as she said and refrained from arguing the point any further. If Sonia was anything it was strong-willed. Challenging her debating skills required perseverance. I simply didn’t have the energy. I was too hungry.
    “You want cheese on yours?”
    Sonia’s brow rose in disbelief. “Are you kidding? Cheese is literally three out of the five things I’m allowed to eat. So, yes please. I want cheese. And make it a double.”
    Half her sandwich was gone before the plate even hit the table. I sat down opposite the starving bride, defensively guarding my own plate as we looked over color swatches and discussed venues and flower arrangements.
    I had only been here a week before Sonia had asked me to be her maid of honor. A request I’d found a little odd since we barely knew one another. But apparently she’d been serious when she told me other females tended to instinctively dislike her. A feeling she fully returned most of the time to pretty much everyone, except me and Bridgette—Sonia’s only friend from elementary school, but she had moved away years ago.
    I couldn’t comprehend the reasoning for all the cattiness. All I knew was it had to be true because from the very first moment they’d met, Alyssa and Sonia couldn’t stand one another. A personality clash, Alyssa had claimed just before adding that Sonia—the smug ho—didn’t have one.
    “So how’s your Mom and Dad? They taking the move any better?”
    Biting into my sandwich, I shook my head. I’d almost forgotten how homesick I was until she reminded me.
    “Still calling every day?”
    Chewing slowly, I nodded.
    “That sucks.”
    I shrugged, taking another bite so I didn’t have to answer, because in all honesty, it didn’t bother me that they called every day. It was like having a little piece of home. But since Sonia came from a broken one, one where her fisherman father had abandoned them for something better—her words, not mine—I kept that to myself.
    Whatever was going on in my life quickly hopped in the backseat once Sonia pulled out pictures of wedding dresses. And after taking one last crack at the seating chart, we packed everything up and headed out to pile it all into her car just in time to catch my neighbor pulling in.
    “I can have Jason talk to him if you want. See what his problem is,” Sonia offered, and I nearly hit my head on the trunk hood.
    “God, no. Don’t do that,” I begged as he climbed out of the cab of his truck. Sonia and I both smiled and waved as if we weren’t just talking about him.
    “Okay. Well, if you change your mind,” Sonia said after he disappeared into his house. She climbed into her car and rolled down the window. “You know where to find me.”
    Stepping back, I watched her pull out of the driveway before heading inside.
    I had just settled down to get caught up on my stories when I heard the rumble of thunder rolling in from over the ocean.