Page 45 of Coming Home to You
“For sure,” Ryan says.“I might be up again next weekend if I can.We can go over things in person and come up with a plan for catching this asshole.”
Despite all the shit that Ryan’s just told me, I can’t help but smile.“Uh huh, and that’s the real reason you’re coming up here then, Summers?”
“Well, that and a certain fiery little redhead,” he says, laughing.
I laugh.“Fucking knew it, you’re so whipped,” I say.
“Whatever,” Ryan says.“I’ll talk to you soon.”And then he hangs up.
“What’s going on?”Finn asks, and I turn and see him standing next to me.
I scrub a hand down my face, trying to work out where the fuck to start.Jesus, this shit just got real and if I thought I was worried about Kels and what this fucker might do to her before, then it’s nothing compared to how I’m feeling now.There is absolutely no way she can be on her own now, not until this bastard is caught.At least Finn’s got a uniform at the inn so she can work, but she’s gonna have to stick with me at all other times because there is no way I’m letting her out of my sight.
“A fuckload,” I say to him.
“Talk to me,” Finn says, gesturing for me to sit.
I do and then I proceed to fill my brother in on everything Ryan found in Boston.
Chapter Seventeen
Kelsey
The inn is bustling with guests now that tourist season is in full swing and I’m entirely grateful.Not only for the fact that it keeps my head above water and pays the mortgage on my cottage, but also for the distraction it brings me.
I have hardly any time to focus on what Beck told me was found in my house and at this point, I’m trying to convince myself that I can’t let Jason ruin my life.I can’t continually live in fear for what may come next and I have to trust Beck and Finn that they are doing everything they can to catch Jason.My life needs to go on.
Smiling as I check in a few guests that have arrived early, I look down at my watch noticing the morning has flown by.I need to meet Erin in ten minutes for lunch and then I have to finish arranging the evening I have planned for Beck and me.
My smile grows bigger and warmth spreads throughout my body at just the thought of Beck.Hearing him say I love you couldn’t have come at a better time.A time when I needed it more than anything and although neither of us has worked out exactly how our life together will go down, we both know we can’t go back to the way things were.Living without Beck is no longer an option.
I start to wonder if I could run the inn from Boston, just coming up on the weekends or commuting a few days a week.Winters are slow and I have a wonderful staff here who could keep the place running in my absence.With both my parents gone now and no one to hold me here, I feel like I should give it a try.
Now that all the guests are checked in and settled, I leave my desk clerk to take care of anything that should come up while I’m having lunch with Erin.Grabbing my purse and giving Bella a quick pat, I head next door to the restaurant.
Sam, the young rookie Finn has stationed at the inn, is sitting on the porch chatting with a cute tourist as I walk out.
“Hey, Sam,” I say as he greets me with a shy smile and a nod of his head.“If Beck or Finn come by can you let them know I’m next door having lunch with Erin?”
“Sure thing, Kelsey,” he says softly and I wonder if he could really protect me should the need arise.I giggle a bit knowing that Erin probably has more balls than this kid.I should have her stationed outside the inn instead.But if it makes Beck and Finn feel better, then so be it.
Erin is already sitting at the table and on what appears to be her second glass of wine as I join her.
“Hey, lush,” I say as I give her a quick kiss on the cheek.“You getting drunk without me?”
“You know it,” she says, before adding, “What did you expect me to do?You’re late, like always.”She grins at me and it makes me laugh.I love my relationship with her and I’m not sure what I would have done had she not decided to move here after she finished school.She makes living in this town completely worthwhile.
It’s in that moment that I realize I’d be leaving her if I left Rockport to be with Beck.I guess I didn’t give the idea as much thought as I should have; I have a lot here I’d be missing out on.Not just the inn, but Erin and Finn and Pop, they became my family when Beck left, even more so after my dad died.To leave them almost feels insensitive.
Erin snaps her fingers in front of my face and I look at her.
“What’s going on, girly?You seem distracted.That sick fuck still messing with your head?”
“Sorry.Yeah, I guess so,” I respond, not entirely sure I want to share my thoughts on moving with Erin right now.I haven’t even discussed it with Beck.
“What’s going on now?”she asks as she takes a sip of her wine.
“Turns out he hid twenty cameras inside my house.”As I say the words, a chill runs through my body.“I guess he was able to control them remotely, so he could turn them off and on whenever he wanted.But the good news is that Finn and the guys found them all.”I shrug my shoulders like it’s nothing, but just talking about it again makes my stomach flip and my chest tighten.
