Love Finds the One (Sully Point Book 2) Read online

  She looked nonplussed by the compliment inside an insult.

  He stood across from her at the bar that functioned as a divider between rooms. "Look I didn't mean to imply--"

  Julia began to make sandwiches. "Turkey, lettuce and tomato okay?"

  He nodded and watched her layer everything precisely on top of the roll, which she'd split into exactly even halves.

  She said, "I know some of the ads can be stupid, or even aggravating. But some are very witty and enjoyable."

  "And you like this type of work?"

  "Do you enjoy selling worms to strangers?"

  He smiled at her. "Actually, yeah. I get a kick out of helping people get the right gear to go out and catch the big one. People come here on vacation, looking for a fun time. I like to think I help them achieve that. What about you?"

  Her face had a thoughtful look. "You really do sound like you enjoy what you do. I guess part of why I'm here is to figure out why I'm in this job, when I really can't stand it."

  "Aha, I knew I was right about you."

  "Right about what? And here's your sandwich."

  He settled on one of the barstools and immediately took a big bite. "Hits the spot," he mumbled.

  Julia sat next to him. She stared at the sandwich and finally took a deep breath and began eating. He wondered if she was anorexic. She didn't look like she wanted to eat at all. He decided to keep talking to distract her. "As I was saying, there's more to you than a person who creates commercials, that's all. I don't know what it is, but I'm sure you'll figure out what you want to be doing."

  She sighed. "I don't know. I hope so. I'd love to not work for Mother anymore."

  "Hold on--you work for her?"

  "Yes. Don't even start on me. Holly has already put in her two cents, and that's enough from the Grainger family."

  Cody was quiet and finished eating his food. He drank his coffee as Julia ate about a third of her sandwich and then pushed it away.

  He said with a grin, "Holly does have a way of butting into people's lives."

  She gave a reluctant laugh. "The thing is--she's usually right! It can be very irritating."

  "You don't have to tell me, I'm her brother. Believe me when I say I've had more Holly lectures 'for my own good' than I can count."

  "Somehow she says these things that from anyone else would upset me, but from her they don't bother--"

  He watched as she stopped talking and looked up at the ceiling. "What is it?"

  "I totally forgot about the storm. I can't believe it."

  "I'd love to take credit for that, but I'm not sure I can. It really wasn't a very bad storm to begin with."

  "Bad enough for me, so thanks for staying. Has it gone quiet out there?"

  Cody walked over to the sliding glass doors. "Yep, it's over, and we may even get some sun before this day is through. Thanks for the lunch and the conversation."

  "Thanks for bringing the lunch in the first place. Seriously, you really helped me out today. I won't forget it."

  Cody smiled at her. "Anything for Holly's friends, always. I'd better get out of here. Someone might actually want to go fishing today after all."

  "Good luck--is that what you say to fishermen?" She walked with him to the door.

  "Yep, good luck, good fishing, good riddance--whatever seems appropriate. One more thing. I wrote down my phone number, and Dad's, and left them on the coffee table. Call us if you need anything."

  She nodded, black straight hair swinging forward around her face and shoulders.

  "See you later," he said with a wave and got into his pickup truck. She seemed like a nice girl, he thought. She did however look thin and worn out. He was beginning to understand why Holly had sent her here. Nothing like the peace and quiet of Sully Point at this time of year.

  Chapter 2

  Frank Grainger was curious about his daughter Holly's friend. Over the phone she'd made it sound like the woman might be a major burn-out case. He recalled his own escape from the city all those years ago. Moving to Sully Point and opening his own hardware store had been the best decision of his life. Well, after marrying the love of his life. If only she hadn't died so young.

  His day had been busy with deliveries and organizing an order for one of the local contractors. Unlike most of the town, Frank found his business stayed pretty regular throughout the year. Of course, during tourist season it did pick up some. The one thing that never changed was the gossip in Sully Point. And, looking out the front window, he saw Maelynne crossing the street heading right for his store.

  Maelynne held the dubious honor of being the worst gossip-monger in Sully Point. Others vied for the title, but Maelynne consistently beat them all, in Frank's opinion. He gave her a cordial smile as she advanced on him.

  "Well? What do you know about this?"

  He raised bushy eyebrows and said, "You'll have to give me more to work with than that."

  "There's a car out at Sam's beach house. I know those two won't be coming back until May. Who have they got staying out there? Somebody from the movies?"

  Frank suppressed a laugh. Maelynne was a fan of Sam's, especially because some of his books had been turned into movies. She loved 'movie people,' and had been disappointed when Sam didn't produce any once he got married to Anna. "Sorry Maelynne, but she's nobody from the movies. Just a friend of Holly's."

  "Hmph. She must be something special if she's staying out at their house. You know it was on Entertainment Now, plus it was in that fancy architecture magazine. Do Sam and Anna know she's going to be living there?"

  "Yes, of course. Holly called them in Italy to be sure."

  "Italy! I don't know why Sully Point isn't good enough for them."

  "Now, Maelynne, you know the press and fans had swamped them here. They both needed some peace and quiet to do their work."

  "Well, tell me, who is this woman, what's her name?"

  "Julia Tremaine. I'm sure she'll be into town once she's settled in out there."

  "What does she do for a living?"

  "I have no idea."

  "You don't really know much, do you, Frank?"

  "Sorry. I'm about to close up for the day, so I'll just show you out."

  "Pushy, that's what you are." She stalked out and Frank burst out laughing.

  That night he told Cody about Maelynne's investigation. Cody was having dinner at his father's house as he often did. Frank asked, "Tell me about her. What's she like?"

  "I think she's trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her life."

  "Well...that's different. Was she talkative about it?"

  "Not really, it's just what I picked up. She's a nice girl, seems to be a good friend of Holly's. She's in the advertising business and wants to leave it. Totally burned out, and looks a bit sickly. I was thinking we should have her over for dinner tomorrow or the next day. You could make the baked halibut with the dill sauce. I'd bring the stuff for salad and some bread from the bakery.

  "Sounds like you've got this all planned out. But didn't I teach you how to cook the fish?"

  "Dad, you know you're a better chef than I ever will be."

  "Ha, if ever I heard someone trying to butter me up..."

  They laughed and continued to eat, while Frank asked questions. "What's she seem like? Smart? Funny? What?"

  "Afraid of storms. I stayed out there with her during the little blow we had around noon."

  "You did?"

  "Sure. I couldn't just leave her alone when she was clearly not okay."

  Frank stared at his son. He'd heard a lot of comments about women Cody had dated through the years. But never had he heard such a protective tone in the boy's voice. Add in the earlier comment about why she might be here, and...this could be interesting.

  "Pretty girl, is she?"

  Cody looked up from his plate. "Pretty? Well, sure, I guess. Needs to put on some weight, and she's not quite healthy-looking yet, but yeah, I think she's pretty."

  "Son, I mean
t to say, what does she look like?"

  "Hmm, tall with long straight black hair, dark blue eyes, straight nose, full red lips, very pale skin, long legs."

  "I see," Frank said, bemused by the catalog of features delivered in such a matter-of-fact tone of voice. Yes, this would definitely be worth watching.

  * * * *

  Julia spent the afternoon unpacking and then took a nap on the couch where she could watch the waves. When she woke up, she was surprised to find she felt refreshed by the nap--and hungry. She located a container of chicken soup in the fridge among the groceries Cody had delivered. After heating it up in the microwave, her best friend in the kitchen, she tasted it cautiously and then took a larger spoonful. It was delicious, warming and comforting, with just enough seasoning. Periodically dunking one of the bakery rolls in the soup and munching on it, she felt like she was having one of the best meals of her life.

  Was it possible only a day away from the stress of the job gave her a better appetite than she'd had in the past year? Shaking her head, she pushed away all serious thoughts. If she were at home she'd have the TV on, but here it was very quiet. The house had a snug feeling to it, and after dinner she put some quiet alternative music on the high-end stereo system, and searched the bookshelves for something to read. She found Sam Carter's series of mysteries, which she'd never read. All she knew was the books had a psychic detective as the main character. Grabbing the first book, she curled up in a big comfortable leather chair, covered herself with an afghan, and began reading.

  Hours went by, and when she got up to get a drink of water, she was shocked to discover she'd sat still reading a book for the past three hours. Had she ever had the time to do that? Not really, she thought. Her whole life had been one big push to achieve. Being an only child and living up to her parents' expectations had not led to much time for relaxation--or fun.

  She drank her glass of water and sat back down in the chair. No, never much time for fun at all. It felt strange to be here in this place, nobody looking over her shoulder, no deadlines to meet, no meetings to prepare for with worry. To have the time to be, to sit and ponder, felt like something precious and new.

  Lulled by the waves she was watching under the moonlight, Julia fell asleep in the chair with her feet on the ottoman. During the night she woke up once with a bad dream, then stumbled into the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, fully clothed, diving back into sleep.

  The next morning she woke up slowly. At first, she couldn't remember where she was, then when she did, she also remembered she had no place to be, no reason to hurry. It felt almost sinful to stay in bed thinking. She could spend the whole day there if she wanted. A big smile spread across her face. Not that she would stay in bed. Today she wanted to set up her computer, make sure she was hooked into the wifi router, and see some news. Plus, she was hungry.

  She got up and took a shower, pulling on skinny stretch jeans in lavender with a black tank top under a dark purple sweater with a cowl neckline. Taking the time to brush out her long hair, she saw it looked rather dull, not the shiny texture she remembered. "Time for vitamins and good food, regular meals and sleep--all that's got to help," she muttered to herself, as she walked into the kitchen. There was nothing immediately available for breakfast, so, giving in to a whim, she got in her car and headed into town. She knew Holly's bakery was on the square.

  The minute she walked through the door of the bakery she was hooked. The smells! The luscious pastries filling the cases offered too many choices.

  "Can I help you?"

  Julia looked up and saw a girl with a nametag that said 'Kayla.' "Yes, I'm starving for breakfast, but I don't even know where to start with all this goodness in front of me."

  Kayla laughed. "Yeah, it can be tough. Everything is fresh. I'd suggest either the apple strudel which is really good today, or the devil's food chocolate donuts with fudge icing. If you want something not as sweet, go for one of the muffins. We have blueberry and pumpkin today."

  "You didn't really make it any easier. Hmm. I think I want a couple of the donuts to save for later, so get me those to go. I'll try the strudel, and a large coffee, black."

  Kayla nodded and proceeded to get her order. "Do you want to eat here?"

  "Yes." Within moments Julia was situated at one of the little tables by the front window. Her first sip of coffee was as good as the coffee from the machine at the beach house. She called out to Kayla, "Did the same machine make this as the one out at Sam Carter's?"

  Kayla tilted her head a bit to the side and gazed at her customer. "You're the lady staying at Sam and Anna's beach house?"

  "Yes," Julia replied, wondering how anyone knew there was a lady staying out there.

  "Yeah, it's the same model of coffee machine. Sam and Anna insisted they needed one at home to get the best brew."

  "I think I'm going to want one at my home when I leave here."

  "How long are you staying?"

  "I'm not sure. Probably a month or so."

  "Hope you like it here. Kinda quiet before tourist season."

  "That's just what I want." Another customer came in and Julia turned back to her pastry. Maybe it wasn't the healthiest breakfast, but it sure was scrumptious. She finished eating and sat back in her chair to watch the town begin to bustle as the sun rose more fully in the sky. About the time she finished her coffee she saw a blue Corvette drive up in front of the bakery. She'd always loved Corvettes, but had never tried to buy one, always choosing the conservative 'safe' models. When the door opened, she was surprised to see Cody Grainger getting out of the car. Wasn't he driving a pick-up truck yesterday?

  He walked into the bakery and did a double-take at seeing Julia by the window. "Good morning! I was going to call you in a while to see how you made out your first night. I see you found the bakery with no problem."

  "Yes, I needed something for breakfast."

  "Did I forget to buy you eggs and bacon?"

  "No, but I don't cook. I'm rather notoriously bad at it."

  "You don't cook? Not even eggs?"

  "Definitely not eggs. I headed here to sample what the bakery has to offer. Really good stuff, by the way."

  "Good, good. I always pick up some donuts for the shop." He turned back to face Kayla who'd been listening raptly to their conversation. "Three dozen, a mix of the chocolate and the jelly."

  She nodded and went in the back to get more donuts.

  Cody walked over and motioned to the other chair at the table. Julia nodded and he sat down. She watched as he ran a hand through straight, dark blond hair that flopped over one eye.

  "So, you did okay last night?"

  "Yes, I slept a lot. It was very peaceful out there. Also, the chicken soup I found in the fridge--I want to know where to buy some more, because I ate it all."

  He grinned at her. "From what you've just said, I'm guessing you'll be a big fan of Deb's Deli here on the square. She always has soup, and some ready-made entrees."

  "Sounds fantastic. A deli, huh? Outside of New York? Is it any good?"

  "According to my Dad, even better than a New York deli. He lived there a long time ago. Always says he 'escaped' the city just in time."

  "I remember Holly mentioning that your mother died when you guys were young. It had to be difficult for all of you to lose her when you were just kids. It must have been hard on your father, as well, raising three kids alone."

  Cody leaned back in his chair, palms flat on his blue jean covered thighs. "You know, he never made it seem like it was hard at all. He was there for every game, every recital, and basically for anything we needed. As I've gotten older I've grown to admire him immensely."

  "You sound close to him."

  "I am. I have dinner most nights with him, unless I'm out on a date. We trade off cooking or getting take-out. He's an easygoing man. I think you'll like him."

  "I will? Am I going to be meeting him?"

  "Well sure, you would regardless, but I wanted to ask you to come to
dinner tonight at Dad's house. He'd like to meet you, and I talked him into cooking his famous fish dinner. You do eat fish, right? Just not into catching them?"

  She laughed. "Yes, I do eat fish. And I'd love to come to dinner. Now if you'll show me where the deli is, I'll go stock up my fridge."

  As they left together, Cody with three boxes of donuts piled in his arms, Julia noticed how avidly Kayla watched them. "Is there a reason Kayla stared at us the whole time?"

  Cody grimaced. "The one thing you have to know about Sully Point is that it's gossip central. I'm warning you about it because there's no telling what rumors will start up about you, seeing as you are new in town."

  "Ah, okay. Since I'm only here to rest, I'm happy to be the town's lady of mystery for a while."

  He chuckled and then opened the car to put the donuts inside.

  Julia sighed wistfully.

  "What is it?"

  "Your car. I've always loved Corvettes. Never owned one though."

  "I decided when I was eighteen that I'd save up all my money until I could buy one for cash. I kept the truck because it's useful. Took me a long time to save enough, but it was worth it." He patted the hood. "This here's my baby."

  "Careful," she said with a smile. "You'll get a fingerprint on your shiny finish."

  Cody walked with her to the deli and introduced her to Deb. Then he apologized, but said he had to open the shop. When he left Deb looked curiously at Julia. "What can I do for you?"

  Julia said, "It's simple. I'm going to be here for a month. I don't cook. Anything. I heat up things in the microwave really well. Plan on seeing a lot of me if you have ready-to-eat meals."

  "Don't cook at all, huh?"

  Julia shook her head.

  "Well, that's no problem. Today I've got some nice lasagna and some sesame chicken. How does that sound to get you started?"

  "Sounds heavenly." Julia proceeded to pick out more deli meats and cheeses, along with two different pasta salads. Deb recommended getting more rolls from the bakery, especially since today was the day of the week they always made onion rolls.