New Beginnings by JODIE COLLINS

Author:JODIE COLLINS
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, clean and wholesome, sweet love story, small town romance, contemporary romance, adventure and romance, second chances at love, finding love again, love stories, starting again
Publisher: Brighthavenpublishers.com
Published: 2016-05-11T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

Adam was barely ever home and always seemed to find a way to leave his cottage without anyone noticing. The sun was just a hint in the sky, and he was out the door, only to return very late at night. One minute, the lights to his home would be off, and then the faint glow of a lamp would illuminate it in the darkness.

One early evening, Jacqueline was sitting out on the front veranda sketching designs for her jewelry, and he walked past her and stopped. He held up two halibuts.

“Fancy these for dinner tonight?” he called up, interrupting her sketching.

Jacqueline was startled, and Maisie looked down at him, wagging her tail in pleasure.

“Well, I can see it’s a definite yes from Maisie,” he said, smiling.

“Sure, that would be wonderful. Solves the mystery of what to have for dinner,” Jacqueline said. She wanted to sound casual, but in reality, her heart was thumping.

“Wonder no more. Come over in...about an hour?” he said.

Jacqueline nodded her head, and then he was off. She watched as he made his way to his home, whistling to himself.

Someone’s in a good mood, she thought. She put her sketchbook down and then went and took a quick shower. She dressed in a casual light blue summer dress and flat sandals, and after assessing herself in the mirror, she headed next door, feeling quite nervous and excited. It’s just dinner, relax, she told herself.

Jacqueline climbed the stairs to a much larger front deck than hers. A combination smoker and barbecue grill was lit, and the teak dining table was set for two, but Adam wasn’t on the front porch, so she called through the open French doors.

“Hi, Adam.”

“Come on in—I’m in the kitchen,” he called back.

Jacqueline walked in to find him mixing up a salad, occasionally sprinkling dressing into it as he tossed the vegetables.

He turned around slightly, revealing a strong, chiseled profile and smiled. “Make yourself at home. I’ll just be a second.”

She looked around his cottage. It was similar to hers with wooden floors and plenty of light, but it was slightly bigger and decorated with authentic nautical relics and wooden carvings. On one wall, there was a dramatic painting of a lighthouse with waves crashing on the rocks below it. Unlike her kitchen, his was quite large and spacious—ideal for anyone who loved to prepare big meals.

“Salad complete,” Adam said with a brilliant smile. He looked over at the dog. “Hey, Maisie, let’s get you some water. And for you,” he said, staring at Jacqueline intently, “a glass of chilled crisp white wine.”

“That sounds great,” she said, smiling back. She could feel the heat threatening to creep up her neck.

As Adam got the wine, she continued to look around. “What amazing cabinets. You don’t see craftsmanship like this too often.”

“I salvaged them from a shipwrecked boat a few years back.”

“June said you were brilliant with wood, and I hear you made the furniture at Bluesville out of driftwood. I was admiring it the other night.

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