Cottage by the Sea by Debbie Macomber

Author:Debbie Macomber [Macomber, Debbie]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2018-07-17T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 20

Keaton took his lunch break from his most recent painting job. He worked as an independent contractor and had more work than he could handle. After he ate his sandwich, he drove over to the animal shelter. Earlier in the day, he’d asked Preston to drop groceries off to his father. As much as possible, Keaton avoided contact with his caustic parent. Still, he was concerned, as his father wasn’t in the best of health. Keaton had long suspected the old man had cancer, although Seth Senior wouldn’t admit it. Not to him, anyway.

The animal shelter was a cacophony of barking from the rescue dogs. The noise comforted him in ways he couldn’t explain. Because he was often at the shelter, he recognized many of the volunteers who came to walk and feed the strays. Keaton found Preston in his office. His friend hated paperwork and put it off as long as he could. Apparently, the need had caught up with him, as it was rare to see Preston sitting.

His friend looked up when Keaton leaned against the doorjamb.

“How’s he looking?” Keaton asked. Keaton didn’t need to explain who he was asking about.

Preston’s eyes revealed the answer. “Not good.”

Keaton expected as much. “Don’t suppose he’s been to see Dr. Bainbridge?”

Preston leaned back in the chair. “Wouldn’t tell me if he had.”

Again, this didn’t come as a shock. His old man was as stubborn as they came. Not much he could do about it.

Preston had done him a favor by checking on his father, and Keaton thought he would return it. “Mellie asked me to pick up a few things for her at the store. Don’t suppose you’d like to make the delivery?” Knowing his friend had been in love with Mellie for years, this would be a good opportunity for Preston to spend time with her alone.

Preston’s look resembled a man who had unexpectedly confronted a grizzly bear in the woods. “I…I don’t think so.”

“You’re going to have to let go of the past one of these days,” Keaton said, shaking his head. It was a shame Preston hadn’t. The two of them would be good together. Soon after Mellie had returned, Preston had asked her out and had been harshly rejected. That was all it took to keep him from trying again.

“I will…one of these days,” Preston said, repeating Keaton’s words back at him. “You’ve been on me about Mellie ever since Annie showed up.”

Keaton couldn’t deny it.

“You stuck on her?” Preston asked.

“Pretty much.” It wasn’t like Keaton could hide it, knowing that Preston would see through the lie.

“Thought so,” Preston replied. “She’s what you need.”

Keaton agreed and grinned, feeling a little foolish yet elated that she was in his life. He never expected his infatuation with her to develop into anything more than a few sketches of a girl he’d once met on the beach. He’d never been in love before, and the emotion made him leery. He couldn’t help wondering if her attraction to him would last.

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