The Inn at Dead Man's Point Read Free Page B

didn’t stop Brian. He kept nagging.
    “I’ll take care of it,” said Al. It was his place. The least he could do was get rid of the pests. He climbed off the roof and walked up to Brian. “Get lost. We’re trying to get some work done, and you’re interfering.”
    “I’m not talking to you, I’m talking to Nick.”
    Using the heels of his hands, Al hit Brian’s chest with each word. “I... said... get... lost. Get the hell out of here before I call the cops.”
    Brian took a swing, but Al blocked it and cracked his fist against the guy’s jaw. Brian sprawled in the driveway, moaning. Applause and whistles came from the roof. Al wasn’t one to start a fight, but growing up with five siblings – six with Nick – he knew how to defend himself. Besides, he’d wanted to slug Brian Baxter since the ninth grade.
    “Look out,” Jenna yelled, and Al turned in time to block a fist. Brian was not only up off the ground, he wanted revenge.
    Al easily fended off Brian’s weak attempts and slugged him again. Brian landed on his back. “Get up so I can hit you again.”
    Brian moaned and rolled to his knees, but he didn’t get up. If the guy had any sense at all, he’d leave while he was still able to move. “If you’re not gone in two minutes, they’ll have to carry you out of here.”
    Al climbed the ladder and went back to work. Seconds later, Brian pushed himself to his feet and drove away. Al’s fist itched to give him a parting gift, but clouds were building up in the west, and they needed to get the roof covered before it rained.
    The view from the roof was outstanding. Al could see for miles. In spite of Brian’s pestering, he felt a sense of peace here. This was his home, and he couldn’t have picked a prettier spot for it.
    The inn was perched about fifty feet from the steep hill that led down to the water. There was an old switchback trail down the hill, but part of it had washed away. It wasn’t safe to use. If he ever opened the inn for business, he’d build a fence along the top and build steps down to the rocky beach. It wasn’t what his mother would call a ‘friendly’ beach, not like the gentle slope at Nick and Cara’s house. This was more for looking, not for water sports or wading in the summer. Docks along this stretch of beach had to be the movable kind that could be hauled in for the winter. Otherwise, they were battered to pieces by the winter storms.
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    There were times when Jenna wished she’d never told Brian she was pregnant, times when she wished she’d cut her ties with him and his obnoxious parents before Katie was born. She should have avoided him in high school, but she desperately needed to be included in those days. She was an orphan living with an elderly couple, and Aunt Mattie ragged at her so much she destroyed her self-confidence. It was hard enough being a teenager without having to live with Mattie Worthington.
    She lugged two boxes upstairs and found Katie lying on the bed with Callie, a calico cat that had to be at least twelve years old. Katie was wide awake and petting Callie, who purred her little heart out. “You have another kitty friend, I see. Her name is Callie, and she loves to be petted.”
    Sitting on the bed beside Katie, petting the kitty, she felt like she’d come home. But Aunt Mattie wasn’t here yet to lecture on morality, someone else owned her home, and she didn’t know what the future held for her and Katie.
    “Mommy, can we live here forever and ever?”
    “No promises, Katie Bug.” She wasn’t even sure about tomorrow.
    She heard the men outside laughing and then she heard thunder in the distance. Minutes later, they were all inside, carrying her boxes upstairs.
    Al said, “Jenna, this is my brother Angelo, my cousin Nick, and my brother-in-law Blade Banner.”
    “Nice to meet you.” Angelo had Al’s dark chocolate eyes. He was a few inches shorter and a little rounder, but they looked like brothers. Nick had a scar