Page 11 of Mine to Hold
“How much?” She’d driven into Lighthouse Cove two weeks ago, stopping at a small motel for the night on her way to Miami. At least that had been the plan. But she’d fallen in love with the quaint seaside town. She’d decided if she found a decent job, she’d stay for a bit.
Safe Harbor Café hired her the next day. They were able to give her plenty of hours and the gift shop around the corner filled in the rest. It wasn’t a ton of money, but she didn’t need a lot. Just enough to survive.
All she had to do was get out of that god-awful motel. It was run-down and drugs were definitely being sold on a daily basis. She wouldn’t be surprised if rooms were sold by the hour. It had been cheap and only fifteen minutes from the center of town. Luckily, she found an ad for a cheapish one-bedroom in a four-unit house. Only the fucking thing was right across the street from the criminally loaded motel.
“That can be negotiated.”
She cocked her head. “You have to have a price you’re looking for and honestly, I get the feeling I can’t afford it because I’ve been searching and everything on the water is way out of my league.”
He set his bottle in the sand, making sure it wouldn’t fall over. He shifted his body. “I’m not looking to bleed anyone dry. I don’t need the money. If I were to rent it, I’d want—and need—the tenant to be willing to live with a few restrictions because we’d be sharing a few spaces. Namely my pool, something I use a lot. You could have a guest or two, of course, but honestly, I wouldn’t want you to have any parties. I’d need to know aboutanyone spending the night.” He arched a brow. “Do you have a boyfriend I need to be aware of?”
She laughed. “That’s a personal question, but no. And I doubt I’d ever be having any overnight guests. Or parties. I’m not fond of large gatherings.”
“Me either.” He smiled.
“I work two jobs. One at Safe Harbor Café and the other at the Seaside Trinket Shop. That adds up to about sixty hours. I wouldn’t be home a lot. When I am home, I like my quiet space, so you wouldn’t hear me much.” Jesus, what the hell was she doing? Sure, she’d heard about the Kirby family from Lucy Ann and Phil. How they were good people and staples in the community.
But he was a fucking cop.
He and his damned sexy eyes could put her away for a very long time.
“Are you working tomorrow?” he asked.
She nodded. “Breakfast and lunch at the diner.”
“Why don’t I swing by after your shift and we can go check out the pool house. If you’re interested, all I’ll need to do is have you fill out an application and I’ll let you tell me what you can afford. If I think it’s fair, we can go from there.” He lifted his beer. “Do you have references from previous places you rented?”
“I do.”
“Good.” He tipped his longneck and leaned back. “So, I have to ask, what brought you to Lighthouse Cove?”
She had no idea how to answer that question. Every time she moved, someone asked why she chose her next location, and it always tripped her up. She had no family. No clue if her biological parents were dead or alive. There was no rhyme or reason for where she landed. She wandered from place to place because staying anywhere too long meant someone could find her and that wasn’t an option.
But she couldn’t say that to anyone.
Especially a cop.
Fuck. He’d probably do a background check. Many people did and they always learned a couple of things. None of which made her look good.
Time to turn on that cute charm some told her she had and do some fancy chatting. “I’ve always been a bit of a nomad and I love exploring new places. I learn so much about history and people that way. It’s an adventure and I love finding little hidden gems like this.”
“That’s intriguing. Mind if I ask why?”
“It’s not all that interesting.” She took another hearty swig of her beverage, letting the bubbles float in her mouth, enjoying the taste before swallowing. She preferred whiskey or tequila, but this was nice. And the ocean made it even better, taming her emotions.
She did her best to ignore the pull toward the sexy man sitting next to her. She’d met her fair share of guys who got her hot and bothered. She’d had a few fantastic love affairs along the way. Okay, she’d never actually been in love before, but she’d had great sex with some really spicy men. Some had been intellectual. Others creative. A few had been funny. One or two just sexy, badass, gorgeous, and as long as they didn’t open their mouth, it was all good. But none of them held her attention long enough to make her want to stay in one place.
Or maybe she was too afraid.
Didn’t matter.
Lighthouse Cove, no matter how much she’d already become attached to it more than any other place, was not home.
That would never happen for Rumor Crimson.
Ever.
“It is to a man who has lived in the same town his whole life,” he said. “When I was young, I thought about leaving. But itwas a fleeting idea. A concept. Once I slapped on the badge, that was it. I was never leaving and honestly, I can’t imagine living anywhere else.” He waggled a finger. “I have traveled some. My brothers and I have gone out west to go snow skiing and we’ve been up to Maryland and New York going to different spots. I’ve even been to London once.”
