A Brambleberry Summer
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RaeAnne Thayne
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Chapter One
Summer Saturdays in a busy tourist town like Cannon Beach, Oregon, were not for the faint of heart.
As always, the sidewalk outside Rosa Galvez’s gift shop, By-The-Wind, was packed with tourists. Kids in swimming suits. Parents with sunburned noses, their arms loaded with buckets and towels and umbrellas. And, her favorite, older people arm in arm, enjoying an afternoon of browsing through the local stores.
The long, wide stretch of beach that gave the town its name was only a half block from her store, which meant she had a nonstop view of the action, both in front of her store and farther down the beach.
One could never grow bored watching the kites, the recumbent bicycles, the children building sandcastles.
Some hardy souls were even swimming in the shallows, though Rosa always considered it entirely too cold. Maybe her childhood in Honduras had left her too warm-blooded.
Instead, she was busy working the cash register at her gift shop while her newest employee and dear friend, Jen Ryan, rearranged a display of tiny hand-carved lighthouses an artist in Lincoln City had crafted for her.
Nearby, Jen’s six-year-old daughter, Addie, giggled at something in the small children’s area Rosa had created, complete with a miniature kitchen and dollhouse. The children’s area worked beautifully to keep little hands away from the more breakable items in the store while their parents browsed.
While she finished ringing up a cute handmade teapot for her customer, she kept a watchful eye on Jen. This was only her second day working in the store, though she and Addie had been in town for a few weeks. She still seemed anxious, and was constantly looking toward the door as if she expected something horrible to burst through at any moment.
Rosa hoped that with time her friend would lose that skittish air, the impression she gave off that at the slightest provocation, she would grab her child and bolt out the door of the shop.
How could Rosa blame her, after everything Jen had been through? It was a wonder she could even go out in public. All things considered, she was doing remarkably well and seemed to be settling into life here in Cannon Beach. Having her living at Brambleberry House was a joy.
She finished carefully wrapping the customer’s teapot in bubble wrap so it would be safe in whatever corner of luggage it was stuffed into.
“There you are,” Rosa said, handing over the bag. “Thank you for shopping at By-The-Wind.”
“Thank you. This is such an adorable shop. We’ve been to every store in town and you have the best merchandise. Authentic and charming souvenirs. I’ll definitely be back before we leave town.”
“I am very glad to hear this.” She smiled and waved the woman and her husband on their way. She was replenishing her supply of bubble wrap under the counter when the front-door chimes rang out again.
She happened to be looking in Jen’s direction and didn’t miss the way her friend’s features tensed with fear and then visibly relaxed when a woman came in, trailed by a young teenager.
Rosa’s day, already good, immediately brightened even further, as if the sun had just come out from behind the clouds.
“Look who it is,” she exclaimed. “Two of my favorite people!”
“Hola, Rosa,” the girl said, beaming brightly at her with a mouth full of braces.
“Hello, my dear.” Her friend Carrie Abbott brushed her cheek against Rosa’s.
“What a wonderful surprise. How may I help you? Are you looking for a gift for someone? I have some gorgeous new purses in and also some fantastic jewelry from an artisan in Yachats you might like.”
“Where’s the jewelry?” Like a little magpie, Bella was instantly drawn to anything shiny.
Rosa showed her the new display and they spent a moment looking over the hand-beaded pieces.
“Ooh. Those turquoise starburst earrings are gorgeous! How much are they?”
She named an amount that had the girl’s shoulders slumping. “I better not. I’m saving for an electric scooter.”
“You know, that’s the markup amount. I can probably drop the price by ten dollars.”
Bella looked tempted. “I’m babysitting this weekend. If they’re still for sale, I’ll come back and get them.”
“I’ll set them aside until you can get back in,” Rosa promised, which earned her another braces-filled smile.
“You’re too tempting!” Carrie said, shaking her head. “I could blow my entire mad-money budget in here. Believe it or not, we didn’t come in to buy earrings, no matter how lovely they are.”
“Is there something else I can help you find? You should try the new soaps from Astrid Larsen.”
Carrie laughed. “Stop. We’re not supposed to be shopping! I came in because I need to talk to you.”
Against her will, Rosa’s gaze shifted to Bella and then back to the girl’s mother. “Oh?” she said, hoping her voice sounded casual.
Carrie leaned against the counter. “Yes. How are you, first of all? I haven’t talked to you in forever.”
Carrie did not usually drop in just to chat. What was this about? She looked back toward Bella, who was holding the turquoise earrings up to her ears and looking in the mirror of the display.
“I have been good.” She smiled. “Summer is always such a busy time here but I am glad for the tourists. Otherwise, I would not be able to keep the store open. And how are you?”
“Good. Busy, too. Bella is going in a hundred different directions, between babysitting and softball and her music lessons.”
Such a normal, happy childhood. It warmed her heart. “Oh, that is nice.”
“Did I tell you, we have tickets to the theater in Portland next month?” Bella said. “It’s a traveling Broadway production of Hamilton. And then we’re driving down the coast to San Francisco. I cannot wait!”
Rosa hid a smile. Bella had only mentioned the upcoming trip about a hundred times since spring, when she and her parents had first started talking about it. “That will be wonderful for you.”
“Other than that, everything is pretty good,” Carrie said. “Well, okay. I do have one small problem I was hoping you might be able to help us out with.”
“Of course. What can I do?”
“Don’t answer so quickly. It’s a huge favor.”
Carrie had to know Rosa would do anything for her. Theirs was that kind of friendship.
“I was wondering if you’ve found a tenant to sublease your empty apartment until fall, when your renters come back.”
Rosa lived on the top floor of a sprawling old Victorian, Brambleberry House. She managed the property for her aunt and her aunt’s friend, Sage Benedetto Spencer.
Right now, Jen lived in the second-floor apartment, but the older couple who had been renting the furnished ground-floor apartment for the past year had moved to Texas temporarily to help with an ill family member.
“It is still empty for now.”
She didn’t have the energy to go the vacation-rental route, with new people constantly coming in and out.
Carrie’s features brightened. “Oh, yay! Would you consider renting it for the next month or so?”
Rosa frowned. “Why would you need a place to rent? Are you doing something to your house?”
Carrie and her husband lived in a very nice cottage about a mile from Brambleberry House. She had recently remodeled the kitchen but perhaps she was thinking about doing the bathrooms.
“Not for me,” Carrie assured her. “For Wyatt and Logan.”
Rosa tensed at the mention of Carrie’s brother and his young son. While the boy was adorable, seven years old and cheerful as could be, his father was another matter.
Wyatt Townsend was a detective for the Cannon Beach Police Department and always seemed to look at her as if she was up to something illegal.
That was surely her imagination. She had done nothing to make him suspicious of her.
“I thought he was staying with you while his home is being repaired.”
“He is. And I would be fine with him living with us until the work is done, but everything is taking so much longer than he expected. It has been a nightmare of wrangling with the insurance and trying to find subcontractors to do the work.”
Wyatt’s small bungalow had been damaged in a fire about a month earlier, believed to have been caused by faulty wiring. It had been a small miracle that neither he nor his son had been home at the time and that a neighbor had smelled the smoke and called the fire department before widespread damage.
Rosa knew from Carrie that the fire damage still meant he had to renovate several rooms and had been living with his sister and her husband while the work was being completed.
“That must be hard for Wyatt.”
“I know. And after everything they have both been through the past three years, they didn’t need one more thing. But he’s doing his best to rebuild.”
Rosa certainly knew what it mean to rebuild a life.
“The work will take at least another month.”
“That long?”
“Yes. And to be honest, I think Wyatt is a little tired of sleeping on the sofa in my family room with his leg hanging over the edge. Since the insurance company will cover rent for the next few months, he said last night he was thinking about looking around for somewhere to stay temporarily. He even brought up the idea of renting a camp trailer and parking it in his driveway until the repairs are done. I immediately thought of your empty apartment and thought that would be so much better for him and Logan, if it’s still available.”
The apartment was available. But did she really want Wyatt Townsend there? Rosa glanced over at Jen, who was talking to Addie in a low voice.
She could not forget about Jen. In the other woman’s situation, how would she feel about having a police detective moving downstairs?
“I know it’s a huge ask. You probably have a waiting list as long as my arm for an apartment in that great location.”
Rosa shook her head. “I have not really put it on the market, to be honest. I have been too busy and also I know the Smiths want to move back if they can at the end of the summer, after June’s mother heals from her broken hip.”
That still did not mean she wanted to rent it to Wyatt and his son. She could not even say she had a compelling reason not to, other than her own unease.
The man made her so nervous. It did not help that he was extraordinarily good-looking.
He always seemed to be looking at her as if he knew she had secrets and wouldn’t rest until he figured them out.
That wouldn’t bother her, as she did not usually have much to do with him. Except she did have secrets. So many secrets. And he was the last man in town she wanted to figure them out.
She should just say no. She could tell Carrie she had decided to paint it while it was empty or put in new flooring or something.
That wasn’t completely a lie. She had talked to Anna and Sage about making a few cosmetic improvements to the apartment over the summer, but had not made any solid plans. Even if she had, none of them was urgent.
The apartment was in good condition and would be an ideal solution for Wyatt and his son while repairs continued on their house.
She had to let him stay there. How could she possibly say no to Carrie? She owed her so very much.
What would Jen think? Maybe she would find comfort in knowing a big, strong police detective lived downstairs. Their own built-in security.
“Yes. Okay. He can stay there, if he wants to.”
“He will,” Carrie assured her, looking thrilled. “I should mention that he has a dog. He’s the cutest little thing and no trouble at all.”
Rosa was not so sure about that. She had seen Wyatt and Logan walking the dog on the beach a few times when she had been walking her own dog, Fiona. Their beagle mix, while adorable, seemed as energetic as Logan.
“It should be fine. The Smiths had a little dog, too. The ground-floor apartment has a dog door out to the fenced area of the lawn. Fiona will enjoy the company.”
“Oh, how perfect. It’s even better than I thought. I can’t thank you enough!”
“He probably will want to take a look at it before he makes any decisions. And we need to talk about rent.”
She told her what the Smiths had been paying per month and Carrie’s eyes widened.
“Are you kidding? That’s totally a bargain around here, especially in the summer. I know the insurance company was going to pay much more than that. I’m sure it will be fantastic. You are the best.”
Carrie and Bella left the store a few moments later, with Bella promising to come back so she could pay for the earrings.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Rosa slumped against the jewelry counter. What had she done?
She did not want Wyatt Townsend living anywhere close to her. The man looked too deeply, saw too much.
Ah, well. She would simply work a little harder to hide her secrets. She had plenty of practice.
“Sorry. Run that by me again. You did what?”
Wyatt gazed at his sister in shock. She lifted her chin, somehow managing to look embarrassed and defiant at the same time. “You heard me. I talked to Rosa Galvez about you moving into her empty apartment at Brambleberry House.”
He adored his older sister and owed her more than he could ever repay for the help she had given him the last three years, since Tori had died. But she had a bad habit of trying to run his life for him.
It was his own fault. He knew what Carrie was like, how she jumped on a single comment and ran with it. He should never have mentioned to her that he was thinking about renting an apartment until the fire renovations were done. He should have simply found one and told her about it later.
“When I mentioned I was thinking about moving out, I didn’t mean for you to go apartment hunting right away for me.”
“I know. When you said that, I remembered Rosa had an empty apartment. As far as I’m concerned, you can stay on my family-room couch forever, but I thought a three-bedroom apartment would be better than a little camp trailer for a grown man and an active seven-year-old.”
Wyatt could not disagree. In truth, he had made a few inquiries himself that day, and had discovered most of the available rental homes were unavailable all summer and those that were left were out of his price range.
What else did he expect? Cannon Beach was a popular tourist destination. Some of the short-term rentals had been booked out years in advance.
He did not mind living with his sister, brother-in-law and niece. He loved Carrie’s family and Logan did, as well. But as the battle with his insurance company dragged on about doing repairs to his bungalow, he had been feeling increasingly intrusive in their lives.
Carrie was already helping him with his son. She didn’t need to have them taking up every available inch of her living space with their stuff.
“The apartment at Brambleberry House is perfect! You can move in right now, it’s fully furnished and available all summer.”
“Why? I would have thought Rosa would want to rent it out on a longer lease.”
“The couple who have been living there are supposed to be coming back in a few months. I don’t think Rosa is very thrilled about having vacation renters in and out all summer.”
“What makes you think having Logan and me downstairs would be better for her?”
“She knows you two. You’re friends.”
He was not sure he would go that far. Rosa hardly talked to him whenever they were at any kind of social event around town. He almost thought she went out of her way to avoid him, though he was not sure what he might have done to offend her.
“She said it was fine and that you can move in anytime. Today, if you want to. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Again, Wyatt wasn’t sure wonderful was the word he would use. This would only be a temporary resting place until the repairs were completed on their house.
On the other hand, it would be better for Logan than Wyatt’s crazy camp-trailer idea. He couldn’t deny that.
Poor kid. His world had been nothing but upheaval the past three years, though Wyatt had tried to do his best to give him a stable home life after Tori died.
Wyatt had been working as a police officer in Seattle when his wife went into cardiac arrest from a congenital heart condition none of them had known about. Logan had been four.
Numb with shock at losing his thirty-year-old, athletic, otherwise healthy wife, he had come home to Cannon Beach, where his sister lived, and taken a job with the local police department.
He hadn’t known what else to do. His parents had wanted to help but both were busy professionals with demanding careers and little free time to devote to a grieving boy. Carrie had love and time in abundance, and she had urged him to move here, with a slower pace and fewer major crimes than the big city.
The move had been good for both of them. Wyatt liked his job as a detective on the Cannon Beach police force. He was busy enough that he was never bored but he was also not totally overwhelmed.
He worked on a couple of drug task forces and the SWAT team, which had only been called out a handful of times during his tenure here, all for domestic situations.
The move had been even better for Logan. He loved spending time with his aunt, uncle and older cousin, Bella. He had a wide circle of friends and a budding interest in marine biology.
Wyatt loved seeing his son thrive and knew Carrie and her family were a huge part of that. Logan spent as much time at her house as he did their own.
During the past month, both of them had spent more than enough time with Carrie and her family, since they were living there.
Another month and they could move back to his house, he hoped.
Wyatt counted his blessings that his bungalow hadn’t been a complete loss. Fire crews had responded quickly and had been able to save most of the house except the kitchen, where the fire had started, probably from old, faulty wiring. The main living area had also been burned. Even so, all the rooms had suffered water and smoke damage.
Dealing with the renovations was a tedious job, filled with paperwork, phone calls and aggravation, but Wyatt could definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“What do you think?” Carrie looked apprehensive but excited. “Don’t you think it’s a fabulous idea? Brambleberry House is so close, you can easily drop off Logan when you need me to watch him.”
Location definitely was a plus. Carrie’s house and Rosa’s were only a few blocks apart. Brambleberry House was also positioned about halfway between his house and his sister’s, which would be convenient when he was overseeing the repairs.
Wyatt knew there were many advantages to moving into an apartment at Brambleberry House. Wouldn’t it be good to have their own space again? Somewhere he could walk around in his underwear once in a while if he needed to grab a pair of jeans out of the dryer, without having to worry about his sister or his niece walking in on him?
“It could work,” he said, not quite willing to jump a hundred percent behind the idea. “Are you sure Rosa is okay with it?”
“Totally great.” Carrie gave a bright smile that somehow had a tinge of falseness to it. What wasn’t she telling him? Did Rosa Galvez really want to rent the apartment or had Carrie somehow manipulated her into doing it?
He wouldn’t put it past his sister. She had a way of persuading people to her way of thinking.
Wyatt’s cop instincts told him there was more to Rosa Galvez than one could see on the surface. She had secrets, but then most people did.
The bottom line was, he was not interested in digging into her secrets. She could keep them.
As long as she obeyed the law, he was not going to pry into her business. Rosa could have all the secrets she wanted. It was nothing to him.
So why, then, was he so apprehensive about moving into Brambleberry House?
He did not have a rational reason to say no. It really did make sense to have their own place. It would be better for Logan, which was the only thing that mattered, really.
It was only a month, maybe two at the most. Wyatt would survive his unease around her.
“Are you sure the apartment is affordable?”
“Absolutely. She told me how much she’s charging and you won’t find anything else nearly as nice in that price range. It’s well within your budget. And I forgot to mention, the apartment already has a dog door for Hank and a fenced area in the yard.”
That would be another plus. Logan’s beagle mix was gregarious, energetic and usually adorable, but Carrie’s two ragdoll cats were not fans of the dog. They would be more than glad to have Hank out of their territory.
“It sounds ideal,” he said, finally surrendering to the inevitable. “Thanks for looking into it for us.”
“As I said, the apartment is ready immediately. You can stay there tonight, if you want.”
He blinked. How had things progressed so quickly from him merely mentioning the night before that he was thinking about moving out to his sister handling all the details and basically shoving him out the door today?
He could think of no good reason to wait and forced a smile. “Great. I’ll start packing everything up and we can head over as soon as Logan gets home from day camp.”
Carrie’s face lit up. “You can at least wait for dinner. I imagine Rosa is probably working until six or seven, anyway.”
“Right.”
“I think you’re going to love it. Rosa is so nice and she has a new tenant, Jen Ryan, who has a little girl who is a bit younger than Logan. Rosa has a wonderful dog, Fiona, who is more human than dog, if you ask me. I’m sure Hank will love her.”
At the sound of his name, Wyatt’s beagle mix jumped up from the floor, grabbed a ball and plopped it at Wyatt’s feet. He picked it up and tossed it down the hall. Hank scrambled after it, much to the disdain of one of the ragdolls, who was sprawled out in a patch of sunlight.
He had seen Rosa on the beach, walking a gorgeous Irish setter. They were hard to miss, the lovely woman and her elegant dog.
Rosa was hard to miss anywhere. She was the sort of woman who drew attention, only in part because of her beautiful features and warm dark eyes.
She exuded warmth and friendliness, at least with everyone else in town. With Wyatt, she seemed watchful and reserved.
That didn’t matter, he supposed. She was kind enough to let him live in her apartment for the next month. He didn’t need her to be his best friend.
