Stranger at the beach house (3 page)

 
He had certainly been a friend to Alice and
God knows she had not been one to suffer fools gladly. I was relieved he hadn’t
told her about my downturn in luck, but I couldn’t help wondering exactly how
much he knew. Emboldened by the brandy, I gathered my courage and decided to
challenge him outright. “Tell me what you know, Sam”.

“It was a friend of your landlords
who called me first and told me about the eviction. I didn’t worry about that.
You’re obviously smart and pretty well connected and I knew you’d find
something else quickly. The job was a bit more of a worry,” he admitted, and I
was taken aback by the kindness in his voice. “The structure of the whole
industry is changing so you were right in the line of fire there,” he said
softly.

“Quite literally” I offered
sarcastically, still slightly affronted by the invasion into my life, even if
his motives were honourable.

He didn’t flinch and continued.
“Yours wasn’t the first company to lay off their sales force and that could
have been a disadvantage, but I had a look at the settlement package and knew
you weren’t in any immediate financial danger,” he said, searching my face for
a reaction.

 
“Now that
is
crossing a line,” I glared, as he threw his head back laughing.

“Not at
your
package specifically, just in general,” he justified,
deploying a devastating smile which quite literally made my stomach flip.

Christ
it would be almost impossible to get mad at this man I
thought absentmindedly, never mind
stay
mad.
 
I could tell from his twinkling
eyes that this was a tactic he had used before. Jesus woman, focus.
 
The whole thing was hard to digest. Sam knew
significantly more about me than I knew about him, which unnerved me, but the
information was fairly common knowledge and he had done it for Alice. The
thought of her worrying about me because of my mother was far, far worse.

“Thank you for not telling her,”
I said and really meant it. The last thing I would have wanted was Alice to be
concerned and scared for me, especially in her last weeks.

“I almost did,” his smile slowly
faded, “when I heard about the boyfriend.” The look on his face forced the breath
from my body and I swallowed hard as my mouth dried. I sipped my brandy and
tried to remain steady under his piercing glare.

 
“Ex boyfriend,” I muttered and his eyebrows
raised
, his face softening as he lifted his glass to his
soft lips. This piece of news had surprised him and I felt glad. He had checked
on my welfare for Alice like he said and nothing more. Any self respecting
stalker worth his salt would have known about this last bit of information.
There were photographs documenting my betrayal on the world wide web for God’s
sake, well at least on the Bowman and Salisbury intranet, which had done little
at the time to lessen my immense humiliation.

“When did you split up?” he
quizzed.

“Just before Alice died,” I said
with as much strength as I could muster, pushing myself back into the chair and
pulling the blanket around me for comfort, curling my legs beneath me. His
words were troubling me and I had to know what he meant.
 
“You said you almost told her when you found
out about
the boyfriend
. Why?” I
asked, watching closely for his reaction.

“Because I know Daniel Bowman,”
he said, as his jaw clenched and he turned away offering no further
explanation. I could guess what he meant. Daniel’s reputation for playing the
field was one of the main reasons Lizzie had told me to slow down and be
careful.

 
“You look cold,” he said, changing the
subject, “and you’re out of wood. I’ll pop next door and get some”. For the
second time tonight Sam had left me with more questions than he’d answered, but
he’d already given me so much to take in. I felt exhausted, my head was
spinning and they would just have to wait for another day. There was no rush.
As far as I knew, neither of us
were
going anywhere.
He rose from the creaky chair, facing away and bending down to stoke the fading
fire. The muscles on his thighs strained against the worn fabric of his jeans.
He was definitely in shape. His arms looked muscular, a thick, soft sheen of
dark hair running across olive skin.

His features flickered in the
faint fireside glow; beautiful blue eyes set under thick dark brows and long
curled lashes with full lips framed by a strong dark jaw. He was truly
breathtaking and chose that exact moment to look up at me, a small smile
tickling the side of his mouth as if he’d read my mind. My breath hitched and I
could feel my cheeks start to burn. Shit. “I won’t be long,” he said gently,
and that was the last thing I heard.

Chapter
2

The autumn sun shone through the
glass fronted beach house and it took me a few moments to realise where I was.
Still in the chair, a pink and blue floral duvet had been placed over me, the
fire guard protecting the remaining embers in the hearth which were still
warming the room against the October chill. ‘Sam’ I smiled to myself. The grey
clouds of yesterday had dispersed and the sea twinkled like diamonds under the
bright glare of the autumnal sun.
 

I stretched under the duvet,
running over the events of last night in my mind. Sam had been a complete and
not unwelcome surprise, and there had been some strange revelations. Today,
fuelled by the most restful night’s sleep I’d had in months, I was ready and
excited to face the day. It was a long time since I had felt this way.

I needed to unpack and I needed
to shop. My boxes and cases still littered the porch. Yesterday I’d brought
them from the car to the house, but that was as far as I’d
got
before heading out to the beach. It was a while since the house had been
occupied and there was a lot to do. Alice had always looked after the old place
and I would give it the TLC it deserved.

 
I lugged a case into my room, heaving it onto
the bed and began choosing my outfit. The bright blue sky framed in the window
was deceptive and I knew that outside, the perfect autumn day would be crisp
and chill. I also wanted to make sure I looked a damned sight more presentable
than I had last night, damp and dishevelled and far from my best, just in case
I ran into Sam. ‘In case’, who was I trying to kid?
 
He would be there at breakfast and I damn
well knew it, I smiled to myself as I stepped into the shower.

The hot water on my skin felt
heavenly as I washed the last stubborn remains of sand from my hair and
lathered myself in the lavish milk and honey body crème that Lizzie had
encouraged me to buy on a ‘cheer me up’ shopping session. It felt good to be
here, not least because of the devilishly handsome distraction next door. I
would miss my friend, but it had been time to leave. I couldn’t stay with her
and Dave forever. They had suffered my intrusion on their family life for long
enough.

She hugged me hard yesterday as
we loaded the car, worried how I would cope on my own and keen to let me know
that I was welcome back if couldn’t be here. Throughout the long drive I had
wondered myself, the emptiness of the house overwhelming me as I’d walked in
for the first time. But despite my sadness, there was a sense of peace. It was
where I was supposed to be and I felt at home.

Today was a good day and there
had been so few of those recently that I was enjoying the feeling. The mobile
signal out here was touch and go, and with no internet access I decided to
email Lizzie from town, let her know I was doing OK and share my news. It had
only been 24 hours and already it felt like so much had changed.

I brushed my teeth and dressed in
a long black cashmere sweater, tight jeans and flat knee length leather boots,
dried my hair quickly, straightening out the kinks and applied light make up.
Desperate for coffee after the brandy I’d consumed last night, I headed out,
puzzled at how Sam had managed to lock the doors behind him when my keys still
sat on the side table.

Making the short walk, I took in
the house from the outside. There were things I hadn’t noticed in my startled
daze of yesterday. He had kept some of the traditional features, but it looked
different. The sleek metal bi-fold doors I had already seen, but it was the
glass that totally changed the look of the front. From the beach you could see
right into Alice’s house. Two huge patio doors led from the main room onto an
outdoor deck, offering fabulous views of the ocean.

 
To the left lay the rocky
brigg
,
jutting a mile into the sea with towering chalky white cliffs to the right,
littered with the caves that provided much of the areas smuggling history and a
haven for puffins and guillemots in the warmer months.
 
It was my favourite feature of the house and
I’d never thought that it offered a lack of privacy. Other than the very
occasional hardy dog walker, few people ventured this far down the beach. The
large double patio doors of Sam’s house were in the same place but the glass
was dark, offering no insight whatsoever of the house inside. To the outside
world, the beautiful interior would remain a mystery. Somewhat like the man
himself I mused.

I spotted him at the top of a ladder
with his back to me, attaching something that looked like a small black dome to
the low roof. He was wearing the same faded jeans and tan work boots as
yesterday but where his white T-shirt clung, damp with perspiration, I could
make out the muscles of his broad back flexing as he worked. I was about to
call him but stopped myself, deciding to enjoy the view for a few more seconds.
I jumped, startled as Harry shouted me from the patio doors, my gaze frozen on
Sam’s arse like a deer in the headlights. He turned quickly from his post on
the ladder, smirking, and it was obvious that Harry wasn’t the only one who had
noticed my ogling.

“Come on girl, you can’t stand
out there all day,” Harry laughed as I threw him the dirtiest look I could
muster, trying to suppress my smile. “Rumbled”, he whispered into my ear.

I could rescue this I thought as
Sam sauntered casually in behind us. “I was just trying to work out what the
hell he was putting on the roof,” I smiled innocently as Dart bolted up, almost
knocking me backwards and taking his time giving my crotch a traditional dog
greeting.
Great
.
This was not the smooth entrance I had hoped for.

“Come through to the kitchen,
I’ve been for breakfast,” Harry beckoned, and the buttery waft of croissants
hit me from the hallway. “How did you sleep?” smiled Sam.

“Great. Thank you for making me
comfortable and locking up the house,” I said, smiling back at him.

“No problem. I honestly couldn’t
have woken you if I tried. I was only gone five minutes and you were practically
unconscious,” he laughed as I flushed slightly.

“Oh my God,” I cried, my eyes
wide as I followed
Harry’s
lead. If the front room
was impressive, this was something else altogether.

“Do you like it?” Sam smiled
proudly and I could not contain my growing astonishment. It was the most state
of the art kitchen I had ever seen, a designers dream, sleek, stylish and
unashamedly high end. The warmth of the cherry wood floor contrasted
beautifully with the granite, stainless steel and high gloss fixtures. You
could have catered a small restaurant with the range that covered half the
length of one wall and there were so many gadgets and features I didn’t know
where to start.

Running my fingers across the
smooth surface, I picked up something that looked like a cross between a small
sculpture and a medieval torture device, gazing at it curiously. “Don’t ask
me,” Harry shrugged, nodding his head sideways to Sam who also shrugged, but
his eyes were twinkling with laughter. He was clearly enjoying my reaction to his
home make-over.

“I thought teaching myself to
cook was something I could do when I’ve finished the home improvements,” Sam
said as Harry punched his friend mockingly on the arm.

“Yeah right, Sam,” he laughed.

 
“It’s amazing. You’ve certainly brought a
touch of city chic with you,” I smiled, unable to contain my genuine
astonishment and his full lips curved into a broad white smile. He really was
devastatingly handsome, clearly proud of the alterations and it was dangerously
endearing.

“So what do you live on if you
can’t cook, because you obviously haven’t switched any of this on yet?” I
joked, gesturing around the room.

“Croissants and takeaway when I’m
here, but God knows the rest of the time since he won’t go out,” Harry quipped,
laughing at his friend.

I couldn’t hide my puzzled frown,
gazing at Sam and waiting for a justification for the strange comment. “I’m
just trying to keep a low profile,” he said eventually, glaring at Harry as if
this was news he wasn’t happy his friend had shared with me.
Low
profile?
Why the hell was he here? Who was he hiding from? This must be
related to his ‘situation’ and from the thunderous look on his face, definitely
not a line of questioning to pursue now.

“Hurry up with the coffee please
I’m parched, and get those croissants out they smell delicious,” I smiled,
trying to ease the tension in the room. Harry was already humming, emptying the
croissants onto plates, gathering butter and jam and completely ignoring Sam’s
silent stone faced glares. He was clearly irritated by
Harry’s
slip of the tongue and unfortunately for me, he even looked hot when he was
furious. ‘Get a grip, Rose’
came
the involuntary
internal chastisement.

 
“So you still haven’t answered my question, Sam.
What do you eat when
Harry’s
not here to buy you
croissants and takeaways?” I smiled.

“Lately, mainly soup. Me and
Alice kind of had an arrangement,” he said, a small smiled traced on his lips.
This was news.

“What sort of arrangement?” I
asked, noticing a little cheeky gleam in his eye.

“I did her shopping and she
cooked my meals,” he said, and I couldn’t stifle my laughter.

 
It was funny standing in the most wonderfully
equipped kitchen I had ever seen, to think of its occupant going next door every
night while Alice served up her traditional Yorkshire food from an oven which
was at least as old as me. “I know,” he laughed along at the irony of the
situation.

 
“I didn’t make her a slave to the kitchen
though,
Rose
, Mr Hong did the honours at least twice a
week, Alice loved his Kung Po chicken,” he smiled and I was gobsmacked, my jaw
slack and unable to contain my astonishment as I stared at Sam.
 
Alice eating Chinese food seemed about as
likely to me as Kate and William holidaying at the caravan site at the far end
of the cliff and I couldn’t stop my incredulous gaping.
 

“Yes, that was an interesting
development,” he offered quickly, noting my reaction. “She refused to touch it
at first, but a prawn cracker led to the odd wanton and spring roll and before
I knew it she was sharing mine. One day I just started ordering for two,” he
said, blazing a huge white smile at the memory and walked across the kitchen,
standing alongside me as he began fiddling with an incredibly large, sleek,
chrome coffee machine.

 
“Now, Rose”, he gazed sideways, “this one I do
know how to use. What can I get you?”
 
His smile now was infectious.

“Does it do a Latte?” I asked
excitedly, relishing his closeness and happy demeanour a little too much.

“
Abso
-fucking-
lutely
,” he
laughed,
his grin
widening. “This little beauty does anything you want.”

“Better make mine a double
espresso, it’s a hell of a drive home,” quipped Harry. “Maybe when I’ve gone
you can give her the grand tour, it’ll be nice to have someone new to bore with
your gadgets, Sam,” he laughed, and I couldn’t suppress my giggles. It was a
lovely breakfast, relaxed and jovial.

 
I had been worried about returning to Alice’s
empty house but Harry had reminded me of happy times and the friendships I’d
made here. Friendships built on solid foundations that could last a lifetime
with or without constant contact .We’d picked up as if we’d never been apart. I
was so glad he had invited me this morning. And Sam, well he was a welcome
addition for a whole load of different reasons I thought to myself. Whatever
his ‘situation’ was, it didn’t stop me from enjoying the view.

When we’d finished the croissants
and Sam was firing up the coffee machine for a second sitting, Harry announced
it was time for him to leave as we followed him out of the back door into the
large driveway that spanned both houses, right across the back and sides of
each building. It was the only way for a vehicle to get to the house from the
main road, half a mile away. As we rounded the corner I could see that the
outside garage had not only doubled in size, but had been given a serious
makeover.

“You have been busy,” I flashed a
smile at Sam as he pressed a small remote control to release the door.

“See you soon mate,” Harry
grabbed him, hugging tightly and patting his back, hard. They wrestled for a
second until he turned to me, pulling me into another giant bear hug, lifting
me off the ground. “It’s been so good to see you, Rose. I‘ll be back soon. I
can’t wait to see you again and do me a favour, look after him,” he laughed,
nodding at his friend. He spun me around putting me down right in front of the
garage and not for the first time today I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“Oh .My.
God.
Is that an
Aston Martin?” I squealed in shock, and before I could stop myself I ran into
the garage for a closer look, stopping abruptly in front of the shining car and
held my breath, not daring to touch it. “Is this yours, Harry?” I gasped,
spinning around to face the friends.

“He wishes,” laughed Sam loudly
as they started to wrestle again. It makes sense why he is upping security
around here I thought, that car is worth more than the house, well Alice’s
house anyway. Sam had no doubt added some serious value to his.

 
“You like cars then?” Sam edged in behind me
so close I could feel his breath on my neck, sending involuntary goose bumps
flaring all over my skin.

“I like this one. I’m a sucker
for Bond,” I giggled, turning my head to look up at him and was struck by
another of those devastating smiles and my breath hitched. I wasn’t sure which
view was the most stunning.