The Beach House (Clearwater Bay Book 2)

  THE BEACH HOUSE

  Clearwater Bay Series

  (Book 2 of 5)

  MEGAN JACOBS

  Copyright © 2020 by Megan Jacobs

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Welcome!

  Welcome to Book 2 of The Beach House in my Clearwater Bay Series.

  I hope you’ll enjoy Alyssa’s journey throughout the series as she unlocks family secrets from the past in the coastal town of Clearwater Bay!

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  Description

  Alyssa Waterstone is surprised to find herself enjoying her time at the sleepy coastal town of Clearwater Bay. Once a cutthroat lawyer with no interest in anything but her work, Clearwater Bay and one of its inhabitants, in particular, are slowly bringing down the meticulously constructed walls around her heart.

  As she finds out more about the house she's fixing up, and the family member who used to live in it, she has more questions than answers.

  In the second instalment of “The Beach House” series, Alyssa does some investigating, surprising revelations are made, and she finds herself being drawn ever closer to her handyman, Liam Carter.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Other Books by Megan Jacobs

  About the Author

  Free Gift!

  Did You Enjoy This Book?

  Chapter One

  I was wide awake when the silvery light in the hotel room window turned to rosy pink, then warming gold.

  It had been a long, sleepless night. I turned over, blinking back the exhaustion that clogged the corners of my eyes, not for the first time. As a high-profile lawyer back home in New York City, I often spent nights lying awake, piecing together defenses in my head. But tonight, I’d been worrying about something that hadn’t occupied my mind for a long time.

  Family. In particular, the mysterious great-aunt who’d left me her beach house.

  The beach house . I wasn’t sure why Grace had left me her house – or even if it had been a good idea to leave my practice for a weekend and come down to Clearwater Bay at all – but at least it was something tangible to focus on. Pushing back the covers, I got out of bed.

  I had a quick shower and got dressed. Walking into the hotel’s dining room, I eyed the coffee machine. It looked like it had been around, and possibly used, during one of the World Wars. The glass pot was cracked down the middle, the once-white plastic was a dirty yellow color, and the wiring was frayed. All in all, it looked like a fire hazard waiting to happen. Knowing my luck, I'd be the one to set it off.

  I recalled driving past a café when I arrived yesterday, and after a few seconds of deliberation, I grabbed my keys and jacket and headed out the door.

  Clattering down the stairs startled the concierge and someone mopping the floor. Seemed like they didn't have many morning people in this town.

  I poked my head around the door of the room where I’d met Mary last night, half hoping the elderly lady was there so we could have a quick chat. Perhaps that would quiet my swirling thoughts enough to concentrate on the day ahead. Yesterday, she’d been one of the few people who seemed to know anything at all about Grace. Sadly, there was no cloud of white hair peeping above the back of the rocking chair today.

  I headed out the front door to my car, but then took a second to study the sea. Today it was the exact blue of Liam's eyes. The surface of it sparkled back at me, like his eyes did yesterday when he was teasing me. My stomach did one of its patented flip-flops at the memory.

  Fantastic. It was going to be another day of nervous jitters, as if I needed a wildly attractive handyman – and my body’s crazy reactions to him – to complicate things even more.

  I took a deep breath to calm myself and looked to the sky. The clouds were like adorable fluffy white candy floss, chasing each other across a forget-me-not blue background.

  I was so used to the dirty grime and constant activity of New York, I felt myself relaxing at the tranquility around me. The gloriously crisp colors and gentle pace of life here.

  A seagull swooped down in front of me, pulling me from my daydreaming, and I checked my watch. It was six thirty. Still plenty of time to grab a coffee and a croissant, and then meet Liam back at Grace's house.

  I levered myself off the hood of my car and got in the driver's seat.

  Time to seize the day.

  *~*~*~*~*

  The Clearwater Café was a quaint little place. The bell above the door tinkled merrily when I walked in. There were three circular tables artfully arranged in the small space with mismatched chairs. Someone sat at one of the tables, typing away on a small, silver laptop.

  The aromas were something out of my dreams, the smell of spicy coffee dancing with the delectable scent of freshly baked pastries.

  I never wanted to leave.

  Shelves of pastries were visible through the glass fronted counter, lit with a soft golden light. A young woman stood impatiently behind the counter. She was bouncing on her feet and rapidly tapping a beat on the marble surface with her sparkly pink fingernails. Either the coffee here was really good, or she was on her tenth espresso of the day and it wasn’t yet ten.

  The gold nametag pinned on the strap of her apron winked at me and I had to squint to see her name.

  “Good morning, Joanne,” I greeted her.

  “Hi, how can I help?” the beat her fingernails slowed, her fingers were almost hypnotic.

  “I'd like some coffee,” I said.

  “Then you've come to the right place. What kind?”

  “Um... can I have a large cappuccino and a large black coffee please?” I requested politely. I had no idea how Liam took his, but you can't go wrong with plain black coffee, right?

  “Sure. Will that be all?”

  At that moment, my stomach decided to chime in with a growl, and I looked down at the display cabinet.

  “No. Can I have two croissants too, please?”

  “Mmhmm,” Joanne replied, and punched a few keys on the old-fashioned cash register. Whirling around, she grabbed two tall paper cups from a shelf above her head, then rested them on the counter beside the register.

  The cups were awfully familiar.

  “Hey, I've seen those before,” I mused.

  “Oh yeah?” Joanne smiled. “They must have come from here, then. There aren’t a lot of coffee shops around here that use recyclable containers.” Her voice gained something of a passionate edge.

  I laughed. “You’re the second person I’ve met who has a passion for the environment.”

  “Liam Carter must have been the first,” said Joanne.

  I tried to ignore the tingle that his name sent down my spine. “You know him?” I asked, casually – I hoped.

  Joanne smiled. “He's something of a legend around here.”

  “How so?” I was more intrigued than I probably should have been.

  “Well, he's a legend to some, but a pain in the neck to others. He's an environmentalist, you see. He went around town getting a petition signed to get rid o
f the old styrofoam cups and other non-recyclable wrapping we used. And what do you know... he won,” she said, with a dreamy sigh.

  “I take it you're an environmentalist too?”

  “Liam inspired me to become more environmentally aware,” she replied enthusiastically. “I come to work on my bike, separate my trash into plastic, paper and metal... the whole thing.”

  “That's great news.” I picked up the coffees. “Thank you, Joanne.”

  “My pleasure,” she said with a nod, and waved me out of the store. It was only after the door was almost closed behind me when I heard her call out.

  “Say hi to Liam for me!”

  *~*~*~*~*

  When I reached the house, Liam was already there, sitting on one of the unbroken steps leading up to the front door. I pulled in next to his truck and gave myself a pep talk.

  No more silly reactions to this man, okay?

  Wow, I was so good at pep talks.

  I rolled my eyes at myself and stepped out of the car, balancing the coffees in one hand, the bag of pastries jammed under my elbow, and locked the car with the other.

  When I turned around, I nearly smacked right into Liam's chest. I stepped back in surprise and bumped up against my car. I hadn't heard him sneak up on me.

  “What you got there?” he asked curiously, and I swear his voice had gotten richer overnight, like a fine wine.

  “Ehem. Breakfast,” I replied, flustered at how close he was to me. “You're early.”

  “First you complained when there was no set time, and now you complain about me being early. Can a man win with you?” His tone of voice was soft and teasing, and his sea-blue eyes twinkled. He reached out and plucked the pastry bag out from under my elbow.

  “Mmm. Croissants,” he murmured happily, and I nodded before walking to the porch.

  “I got you plain black coffee, I didn’t know how you liked it,” I said over my shoulder.

  “Just like that,” Liam replied, happily.

  I filed the information away for future reference as we enjoyed our breakfast together.

  Liam finished his first and sat swinging his legs and sipping his coffee while he waited for me to catch up. I was hungry, so I wasn't too far behind him. I brushed the flaky croissant crumbs off my jeans, picked up my coffee and took a sip. It was glorious, even better than Lizzie's cappuccinos.

  “It appears you've made quite an impression on Joanne, the cashier at Clearwater Café,” I teased, after swallowing my fifth sip of cappuccino.

  Liam blushed and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

  “All I did was swap out styrofoam cups for cardboard ones,” he muttered.

  “According to her, you were a one-man crusade against the evil forces of the environmental bad guys.” I hid my smile behind my coffee cup.

  “Her crush on me is so bad, I have to time my visits to the café for when she's off shift,” he grumbled.

  “Oh, no, I think it's cute,” I said, finishing my drink and hopping down off the porch. “Everyone needs a hero.”

  Liam shook his head, finishing his coffee and followed me into the house.

  *~*~*~*~*

  “So...” Liam leaned against the kitchen counter his arms folded. “What do you want to fix first?”

  I looked at him for a few seconds, biting the inside of my lip in thought. He was wearing paint-stained jeans today, with dusty black boots and a washed-out red t-shirt that emphasized the muscles in his arms. The man didn't look like a gym rat, but he didn't look like a couch potato either. Benefits of a hands-on job, I figured.

  “The electrics?” I asked, and he nodded.

  “Before we head out, though, now that there's a bit more light than there was yesterday afternoon, want me to show you everything that’s wrong?”

  “Head out?” I said, with a frown.

  “Unless you're hiding wiring and electrical tape in those pretty jeans of yours...” he trailed off as he stepped closer towards me, and my breath hitched. “...we're going to have to go to the hardware store.” Liam stepped neatly around me and started walking up the hallway. “You coming?”

  “Right behind you.” And he started the tour.

  “Here’s the bathroom.” He pushed the creaky door open with his fingertips. “If you look over there, you'll see a rusted through pipe under the basin and another one under the toilet.”

  I looked where he was pointing, and sure enough, the pipes were red with rust.

  “Also, up there?” he pointed to the corner of the ceiling. “There's a hole. Otherwise, everything else in here is totally in order. As long as you don't want to use the toilet, the basin, the shower or the lights. Shall we move on?”

  I nodded wordlessly, wondering how much I was going to be up for to get the place fixed up to a saleable condition.

  “Here’s the ensuite bedroom,” Liam continued as we walked out of the bathroom. “This room is actually the only one that has no problems, but we’ll check it out anyway...”

  I barely heard a thing he was saying. As soon as we walked into the room, the gentle scent of roses invaded my senses. It tickled something in the back of my mind, but I ignored it. Now was not the time to be having a flashback to my tragic past. To keep myself in the present, I looked around the room. The double bed was covered in a flowery purple comforter, and at the foot of it was a mahogany chest. It looked like something out of a pirate book, with metal hinges and iron nails spread randomly across the lid.

  I walked towards it, as if drawn by a magnet.

  “Alyssa?” The voice was soft, but worried, and I looked up. Liam was watching me closely, looking perplexed. “Are you okay?”

  I shook my head hastily, and the feeling faded away. “Absolutely fine. Shall we continue?” I nodded to the door to the next room, and he gestured for me to walk ahead of him.

  “If you're sure...” He didn't sound sure at all.

  The tour concluded outside the kitchen, right where it started. I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed. This was a big job.

  “Are you sure you're all right?” Liam queried, holding his hands up as if to rest them on my shoulders, before changing his mind and letting them drop to his side again.

  I nodded. “I'm fine.” I smiled reassuringly.

  He studied me for another few seconds, obviously deliberating, before shrugging. “Okay.”

  “So, we're starting with the electrics?”

  “'We?” Liam replied, with a raised eyebrow.

  “Yes, 'we'.” My tone was firm, and I folded my arms to back up the seriousness of my claim.

  “What do you propose you're going to do?” Liam asked, genuine curiosity lacing every word.

  “I don't know, hold your ladder steady?” I looked around the room, before an epiphany hit. “I’m going to paint the walls!” I flinched inwardly at how loud my words were. “I'll repaint the walls,” I repeated, more quietly.

  For the second time in as many minutes, Liam studied me from head to toe. It set my stupidly traitorous emotions dancing happily, and I unsuccessfully tried to squash them down.

  “Not my pretty designer jeans getting ruined,” was all he said after a few seconds, with a shrug, and walked out the door.

  That was the second time he called my jeans pretty. I wondered what that meant.

  Chapter Two

  Liam strode forward purposefully, opening the passenger door of his truck before gesturing for me to get in.

  “I'm not going anywhere in that.” I eyed the vehicle skeptically, counting at least twenty-five rust spots on the hood.

  “I know the way to the hardware store,” he replied, apparently not offended in the least at my lack of faith in his truck.

  “The hardware store right next to the café I just came from?” I pressed the button on the key remote to unlock my car. “I'm sure I won't get lost. Jump in.”

  Liam stared out at the sea for a few seconds, and I could see the muscle in his jaw working before he slammed the truck's door closed and
slipped into the passenger seat of my car.

  Alyssa, one, Liam, zero , I thought smugly as I reversed then pointed the hood in the direction of the hardware store.

  After an agonizingly long drive of about five minutes, I pulled up outside the hardware store. It looked unassuming from the outside, the walls a light grey decked out with colorful advertisements promoting goods on sale and new items in stock.

  Liam stepped out of my car, his movements confident and masculine.

  “The paints are thataway,” he directed toward the left side of the store while looking at me over the silver roof of my car.

  “I'm a big girl, I'm sure I'll find them without help... unless you want to draw me a map?” I tried my hand, once again, at the teasing that seemed to come so naturally for him.

  “The store takes up about as much space as the bottom of a bucket. You'll be fine.”

  Okay then. We headed towards the front door of the store. He turned to the right at the same time as I turned to the left.

  “Where are you off to?” I queried when he turned away from me.

  “Electrics. I'll meet you at the paints,” he said simply, before disappearing into the depths of the tiny shop, which was quite a feat, all things considered.

  I made my way through the store. Honestly, it was only about twenty steps from the door to the paint section. I wasn't holding out much hope about the color selection but was pleasantly surprised at the array of rainbow color palettes on the wall that greeted me when I reached my destination.

  I took a good look, trying to mentally recall the different rooms and envision a fresh new color for each. The entry hall was that hideous snot green. Surely anything would be better than that?

  Liam arrived shortly after I’d started pacing up and down the color wall, tapping a selection of yellow, cream and light blue color cards on the palm of my hand while I contemplated whether to select a few more. I jumped a little when he gently touched my shoulder and cleared his throat to get my attention. I whirled around to find him with a basket looped over his wrist, a bunch of wires tangled inside.