Page 118 of To Believe In You
She’d been trying to help him cope with the news of Axel, but too focused on his fears of failing her, he’d shut her out. She hadn’t deserved to be pushed away any more than she’d deserved the pain Shane and her parents had inflicted.
But was she assuring herself of that right now? Or did a toxic narrative play in her head?
He excused himself from Adeline and started for the studio. As he walked, he withdrew his phone. Pulling up short in the hallway, he leaned his shoulder into the wall. With a prayer for wisdom, he composed a message.
Read it about a dozen times.
Hit send.
And then set about trying to forget that he had as he joined the others just in time for Tim to start the story of their conversation the night before.
* * *
For almost two hundred years,The Captain’s Vista had weathered sunshine and storms from its station on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. White trim outlined the grayed cedar siding, and the wooded property prevented Lina from viewing the water from the drive. She shifted her rental into park.
Variations in the shade of the grass proved the landscaping company had mowed recently, though the golden-tinged vegetation suggested this had been a dry summer. Around the house, the planters and flowerbeds offered pops of fall color. The temperatures, similar to Wisconsin’s, would soon dip below freezing, killing off the flowers, but for now, the effect was welcoming.
How had the sea captain who’d built this house felt upon seeing it after a long journey?
Probably not equally conflicted.
She’d moved from New York to Wisconsin on a gust of optimism that distance from Shane and her father would help her heal. Then, her problems followed her. Might they catch up to her in Maine too?
With Shane in custody, the worst she should face here would be a call or two from her father. And troubling texts from Matt.
His most recent message ran through her mind again, almost visible in front of her. What a thing to write.
She hefted her suitcase from the trunk and rolled it up the stone walk to the front door. She’d told Adeline she’d be here for a week, but she wasn’t sure the time would be long enough to recapture the peace of mind she’d need to resume her life.
The motherly shushing of waves was out to do its best though. The sound continued even as she stepped into the parlor. On short notice, she hadn’t been able to have the house cleaned, but the maintenance company had turned on the water, cracked open the windows for an hour, and uncovered the furniture.
She left her suitcase at the foot of the stairs and made her way through the first floor. Squares of sunlight on the medium-brown wood floors highlighted a layer of dust. Though the dining table and chairs had been covered, they too needed a dust rag.
She rested a hand on the old wood-burning stove’s brick chimney, which stood between the kitchen and dining area. Grime coated the mugs and cast-iron pots hanging on the wall, as well as the glass hurricanes of the lanterns. All the rugs, from the one under the dining table to those in the bedrooms upstairs, should be vacuumed. Most of the chores could wait for tomorrow, but she’d better get to washing her bedding because already, she could collapse.
Before leaving the kitchen, she checked the refrigerator. The handful of groceries she’d requested waited for her, ready to sustain her for a day or two, until she had the house running and could venture to the store.
Grandma would’ve been pleased Lina came here when she’d needed an escape.
After starting a load of bedding in the wash, she made her way outside. The curved shoreline made for gentle waves. Grandma used to enjoy watching birds and the tide from the rocky outcropping by the waterfront, but Lina hauled one of the patio chairs from the shed only as far as the rear patio. The ocean view wasn’t as good here, but staying close to the house provided much-needed shelter.
She’d spent far too much time exposed recently.
No more. She would play it safe the rest of her life.
Doubt about her ability to do so crept in as steadily as the tide. Her supposedly wise choices often contained disaster-sized blind spots. She’d thought her dad would let go of selling the land, but he’d sent Shane to get it. Shane and the police confirmed Dad hadn’t been any more involved—he hadn’t encouraged Shane to steal from her. Not aside from her heart, anyway. The truth was bad enough. She’d told him Shane had stolen from her and broken her heart, and Dad had sent him anyway.
And Shane himself? She’d been engaged to the man.
Given her penchant for trusting the wrong people and getting hurt, what would come next?
She might lose The Captain’s Vista. Or the whole inheritance.
She could live without the funds, but she couldn’t fathom the sense of failure that would haunt her if she lost the family legacy. Even that goal—guarding the fortune—came up short. Grandma would want her to do more, to use the funds to make the world a better place.
Why hadn’t she found a cause to support yet? Another failure.
But with her luck, she’d choose a charity that turned out to be corrupt.
