Free Buck's Landing (A New England Seacoast Romance) by Cameron D. Garriepy Page B

over her father in the bathroom.
    From the dresser, her phone alarm chirped. With a heavy sigh, she pushed the diary into the box and shoved it under her bed. Until Kevin Landry brought her a buyer, she had obligations to fulfill.

 
     
     
     
     
    SIX
     
     
    As the end of July melted into early August, Sofia boxed away more than just her diary. She allowed the pleasure of Silas’s company to carry her through the dog days of a New England summer. They ran their respective businesses, slipping away when time warranted to be together away from the beach, and spending many of their nights tangled up in Sofia’s bed.
    Before too long, those nights outnumbered the nights they spent apart. The part of her that feared the intimacy that blossomed between them was stashed away under the bed with her box of memories.
    On the cusp of a mid-August dawn, their phone alarms woke them at nearly the same moment. After a bleary shuffle to the living room, Silas tossed two silenced phones on the duvet and crawled back into the bed. What began as an easy good-morning kiss left them both breathless and aching, but Houdini was waiting for his breakfast, and the still empty beach was waiting for his run. Silas pushed Sofia’s hair from her face and cruised his lips over her temple.
    “Come to Portsmouth with me Sunday night.” He kept his tone casual.
    Indecision played over her face.
    “Switch shifts with Amy.” He traced her cheekbones with a finger and kissed her mouth. “She can close the course and the snack bar, and I’ll have you home by midnight.” He drew an x over her left breast. “Promise.”
    “Okay.” She dodged him and rolled out of bed. Silas admired her behind as she walked away. “I saw that,” she called from the kitchen.
    He couldn’t help laughing. She was magnificent. “Couldn’t resist!”
    He stepped into his boxers and padded out to the living room to find the rest of his clothes. In the adjoining kitchen, Sofia was making coffee.
    “You should never make coffee with clothes on,” he said.
    She pushed start on the machine. “Smart ass.”
    He ogled. “Great ass.”
    “Help yourself to coffee. I’m going to grab a shower before I go down.” She started for the bathroom.
    He touched her arm as she passed. “Hey.”
    Her expression clouded and cleared in a blink.
    “I’ve got to spend some time with my accounts tonight, but I’ll be around.” He kissed her and released her to her morning ablutions.
    He grabbed a mug from the dish rack by the sink, poured a cup, and opened her fridge for some milk. Finding nothing suitable, he took the coffee, mug and all, out with him.
    He arrived home to a very hungry cat. Scratching Houdini behind the ears, he headed for the jug of two-percent in his fridge, but his feline companion stopped him with a plaintive yowl and proceeded to wind himself around Silas’s ankles.
    “If you kill me, cat,” he warned, “it could be days before anyone notices. You think you’re hungry now?” Silas filled Houdini’s bowls with kibble and water, and set the bowls down on the counter next to his coffee. “Let’s you and me have some quality time.”
     
    ~~~
     
    For a day that began so well, Sophia was almost impressed by how quickly it went bad. She was knee deep in the water feature, unclogging a filter, when Amy brought the phone out to her. Her soft-serve vendor was stuck in traffic. Later that morning, a couple of rowdy sports fans got into it over the Sox and the Yankees, and she’d ended up giving free rounds of golf to everyone whose games were interrupted.
    Her tenants in 2B lost their key on the beach; the cable and internet went out. The annoyances were never-ending. By the time the sun set, she was dead on her feet.
    Sofia locked up the golf course gates and switched off the sub-panel that controlled the lights, music, and water system. She could hear Charlotte teasing Gavin behind the counter of the snack bar while they cleaned up after what had