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  But no one talked about her mother. She was the sore spot in the Aberdeen family.

  “I made it fine,” she said patiently. “The drive was easy. I just talked with the contractor about the house. It looks…” She glanced up at the house, squinting into the sun. “…It looks fun.”

  “You watch those contractors, now. They will take advantage of a young girl like you.”

  Her aunt and uncle hadn’t approved of her buying the house. Uncle Tom had grown up here with her mother, but he had no love for his old home. “He was actually really nice. I doubt he would do that,” Kyra said, defending Cade instantly.

  Aunt Carol sniffed. “Well, just be careful down there by yourself.” Her tone softened. “Are you sure you’re okay? I can come down there and help you settle in.”

  Kyra nibbled on her fingernail. “I’m fine, I promise. I feel good about this.”

  “Have you talked to Dr. Standifer yet?”

  “No,” she sighed. Aunt Carol was already worried about her, which she really did appreciate. She’d just had a long drive and her nerves were shot. In truth, Aunt Carol was the closest she ever had to a real parent. Uncle Tom had hated her mother too much to really show his love for Kyra.

  “You’ll need to get in touch with a new therapist down there soon,” Aunt Carol reminded her for the millionth time.

  “I will.”

  “As soon as possible. You don’t want to have to go on medication again.”

  Kyra cringed. She’d been on medicine once before for her depression, but that had been a dark time in her life. Since then, she didn’t need medication if her therapist believed she was coping with her issues in a healthy way. Unconsciously, she rubbed at the stack of bracelets on her left wrist. “Yes, Aunt Carol.”

  Her aunt breathed out in relief, the sound rustling in the phone. “Okay. I won’t take up any more of your time. Get settled in and rest.”

  “Thanks. Tell Uncle Tom I said, ‘hello.’”

  “I will. He misses you,” Aunt Carol said, but Kyra knew it was a lie.

  “I miss him too,” she lied back. “Well, I better go…”

  “Right. Right. Call the therapist that Dr. Standifer recommended tomorrow. I love you, Kyra.”

  “Love you too.” She hung up and looked down her new street. She wondered if her mother had played on the street, riding her bike or chasing Tom around.

  Lila Aberdeen had killed herself in prison when Kyra was only one year old, but she would feel the darkness of losing her mother for the rest of her life. The sadness tugged at her, but she steeled herself. She fought it off and forced a smile even though there was no one around to convince she was a happy, carefree girl.

  She tried to tell herself to walk down the porch stairs and start unloading boxes, but instead her feet carried her away, toward the back of the house and into the backyard. She picked her way through the overgrowth and out the back gate. Tugging off her flip-flops, she walked down the path to the beach.

  Her toes hit the sand, and Kyra knew she was home.

  two

  She’d told herself she was only going to put her toes in the water, but Kyra couldn’t resist the temptation. She ran back to her Jeep and pulled off her assortment of surf boards. On her back porch, she stripped off her clothes, revealing the lavender bikini she wore underneath. Some days she wore underwear like a normal person, but they were few and far between.

  She was a Californian at heart after all.

  She jogged to the water, toting her favorite board. Once she was hip-deep, she began to paddle, savoring the feeling of the water undulating beneath her. The waves were smaller than she was used to in California, which is where she had gone to college, but she loved every moment. Thirty minutes later, she forced herself to get out of the water.

  After she’d put away her boards on her back porch and pulled her clothes back on, she regarded her Jeep and trailer. “It won’t unload itself,” she muttered. For the next couple hours, she hauled boxes up and down the stairs and into the back bedroom with the ocean view.

  When that was done, she pulled out her cleaning supplies and started working her way around the musty bedroom. Opening the closet, she sprayed for bugs and worked on sweeping down the cobwebs. She even soaked a rag in glass cleaner and scrubbed the window before she started on the small bathroom attached to the bedroom. It had a beautiful old claw-foot bathtub and porcelain vanity sink with a medicine cabinet above it. Thankfully, the commode had been updated. She tested the water from the sink, relieved to see it had been turned on for her. As she worked, she kept a list of all the things she needed to pick up in town.

  When the rooms were as clean as possibly, she started unpacking. Her wardrobe consisted primarily of shorts and tank tops. There wasn’t any furniture in the bedroom for her clothes, so she hung them up in a narrow closet and lined the floor with her shoes.

  The remaining boxes were easy to unpack. She filled the bathroom with her toiletries and cute, pink towels. She hung her silk robe on the back of the door before she turned and looked at the bedroom’s floor, which was covered with the stuff she needed on a day to day basis. More boxes were stacked against the empty side wall next to the bathroom. A pile of bed sheets lay on a little side table she’d brought with her.

  Settling herself on the floor, Kyra picked up her laptop and turned on the wireless from her phone. Working from her phone and computer, she caught up on her social media sites, posting the pictures she’d taken throughout the day. She watched the latest video she’d finished editing one last time before she posted it. She posted videos twice weekly, and Kyra stuck to her schedule. The video she uploaded now was a fun, easy morning stretching routine her fans had been asking for. Even though she had a few more videos that needed editing, she closed her laptop.

  It was time to go shopping.

  Outside town, she dropped off the U-Haul and bought a mattress set at a large outlet mall. Back inside her Jeep and without the burden of the large trailer, Kyra took her time as she cruised into the town of Canaan, which, like Cade had said, was the prettiest, quaintest seaside town she had seen. The actual town center was mainly one long stretch of brightly colored buildings that advertised anything from art galleries to candle stores to bars. There weren’t many cars on the road, but lots of people strolled down the sidewalks in their flip-flops and sunglasses. Even though it was a tourist island, Kyra felt as though she fit right in.

  She parked her Jeep in front of the local grocery store. The front of the store was one large, opened garage door that let in the fresh, ocean air. Bins of organic fruit and vegetables had been rolled out onto the sidewalk and emitted a sweet fragrance in the warm sun. Kyra grabbed a basket and started filling it up with all the foods she could eat without having to prepare or keep refrigerated.

  The sun had sunk lower in the sky when she checked out and put the groceries in her car. As she drove home, she admired the darkening sky, filling with reds and oranges. Already, the streets felt familiar, and she easily made her way back to her new house.

  She dumped the groceries in the kitchen before she grabbed a plum and headed back outside. Standing on her front porch, she bit into the fruit, juice running down her chin, and regarded the queen-sized mattress and box springs she’d purchased.

  The salesman had given her a deal, but it hadn’t included home delivery. Kyra hadn’t thought it was a problem until now. She really wasn’t looking forward to hauling it up the stairs. She finished her plum and tossed it into the overgrown weeds.

  “I saw that.”

  Kyra jumped and pivoted. A woman was walking through her front gate carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses. She was tall, even taller than Kyra, who was five foot ten. The woman’s legs were pale and long, stretching for miles beneath her shorts. Flaming red hair hung in frizzled waves around her freckled face. Her green eyes glinted with mischief at Kyra.

  “Alert the litter police,” Kyra said, laughing.

  “I would, but I think it actu
ally helped improve this dump. If a discarded plum can have such powers.” The woman stopped at the base of Kyra’s steps. “My name’s Stevie Andrews, and I hail from there.” She pointed with a wine glass to the house next door.

  “Wow. That’s a beautiful house,” Kyra said, admiring the bold navy color and white shutters. She pulled her gaze away and stuck out her hand to Stevie. “I’m Kyra Aberdeen. Nice to meet you.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Stevie waved off the chitchat. “I brought you wine. I figured I’d share a glass with my new neighbor, because I’m friendly and not crazy.”

  Kyra cocked her head. “I wouldn’t think you’re crazy.”

  Stevie rolled her eyes. “You might after all these old, stuffy women told lies about me.” She motioned to the other houses on the block. “When Cade told me a young woman was moving in next door, I knew I had to snatch you up before the neighborhood gossip tainted your opinion of me.”

  “Cade mentioned you to me as well,” Kyra said, remembering the obvious crush he had on Stevie, and she understood why now. Stevie was gorgeous and clearly quirky. “And, well…I don’t drink.”

  Stevie threw up her hands in despair. “Great! The first young, pre-Medicare-aged person to move into the neighborhood doesn’t drink.”

  Kyra couldn’t resist laughing again. She liked Stevie already. “Are you drunk now?”

  “I’m an artist. Being drunk inspires me.”

  Kyra looked around on her porch for a place to sit. “I would invite you inside, but I don’t have any chairs in there either.”

  Stevie grimaced in sympathy. “Well, follow me then.” She looked at her wine bottle sadly. “I guess I can swap this out for some iced green tea.”

  Kyra followed her down the path out of her garden and onto the sidewalk, feeling like she’d hit the jackpot today. “On the bright side, you get to keep it for yourself,” she said cheerily.

  Stevie paused at her garden gate. “You’re one of those ‘well, on the bright side’ kind of people, aren’t you?”

  “Is that bad?”

  Stevie opened her gate. “I’m more doom-and-gloom myself. So if you catch me scowling at you a lot, you’ll know why.”

  Grinning and shaking her head, Kyra followed Stevie onto her porch, waiting as she opened the door. Aunt Carol had tried so hard to keep Kyra in California by telling her it was a bad idea to move to Canaan, but Kyra knew in her heart it was what she needed to do. And things were turning out so well already.

  “Oh, wow,” she marveled, breathless, when Stevie opened the front door and motioned Kyra through. The entry was grand with a modern chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceilings and a bold coral paint on the walls. “Is this the original flooring?”

  The wood floors were an amazing gray color with a silky finish. The stairs were perfectly restored to their former glory. Natural light spilled in from the sheer quantity of windows throughout the house.

  “Eh, who knows,” Stevie said, dropping a quick glance at the floors. “Here’s the kitchen. I’ll grab some tea, and we can sit out back.”

  Kyra soaked in the modern kitchen with glass-faced cabinets and floating shelves. The appliances looked like they’d never been used, which didn’t surprise her. Stevie didn’t seem like the cooking type from what little Kyra knew about her.

  The back porch was just as magnificent as the rest of the house, because it had the best view. Stevie handed Kyra a sweating glass of tea before they both sat down in the plush wicker seats. The ocean was magnificent under the last remnants of the sunset. Kyra took a sip of her tea and sighed with contentment.

  “So what do you do?”

  Kyra took a deep breath. She was used to the skepticism she often received when she told people what she did. “I upload health and beauty videos to Youtube and run a blog.” She shrugged. “It started as an assignment for college, but it kind of took off. I’m lucky to do what I enjoy for a living.”

  “Cheers to that,” Stevie said, toasting Kyra. They clicked their tea glasses together.

  “What kind of art do you make?” Kyra settled back in her chair and enjoyed the breeze from the sea.

  “Photography. I do all that artsy-fartsy stuff for magazines and journals. Like you said, I’m lucky to do what I enjoy and not be stuck in some office all day.” Stevie shivered like it was an awful thought. She propped her feet up on an ottoman. “What brings you to Canaan Island?”

  “Um, well, my mom grew up in that house, and I have some family who lives on the island.”

  “Oh, really? Who?”

  “The Aberdeens…”

  Stevie spewed her tea, making Kyra’s brows raise. “Holy shit! Florence Aberdeen is such a bitch.” She must have registered Kyra’s shock, because she added, “Bless her heart.”

  In the South, everything becomes instantly nice if that phrase is added to the end of an insult. In this case, it wasn’t needed. Kyra knew firsthand how awful her grandmother was. It was a testament to her grandmother’s reputation that the second person Kyra had met today wasn’t a fan of the older woman. “Yeah, I know.”

  “I can sympathize with having bad relatives. My parents are Rory and Edith Andrews.”

  Kyra couldn’t help the little gasp of surprise that escaped her mouth. “The reality show stars?”

  “More like the reality show train wrecks, but I appreciate your politeness,” Stevie said with a long swallow from her drink.

  Kyra didn’t watch a lot of television, but she’d seen her share of the Andrews. They did anything for attention, and apparently had no dignity left to save. Without thinking about it, she instantly felt bad for Stevie. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have parents like that. But then she didn’t know what it felt like to have parents period.

  Stevie didn’t let the conversation dip into awkward silence. Instead, she changed the subject, which warmed Kyra to her even more. “Who’s doing the construction work on your house? Please say Jesus ‘cause that place needs a miracle.”

  Kyra burst out laughing, forgetting the earlier, uneasy conversation. “It really does. I hired the Cooper brothers. Have you heard of them?”

  Luckily, Stevie didn’t have tea in her mouth this time. She fanned her face with her hand. “Oh girl, you’re in for a real treat.”

  “A treat?” Kyra asked, feeling worried at Stevie’s reaction.

  “The best kind of treat: man candy.” Stevie looked at her knowingly and waggled her eyebrows.

  Kyra leaned forward in her seat. “Really?”

  “Yes, really. Cade may be a total dork, but he is yummy in that nerdy sexy kind of way. Come on, you didn’t notice?”

  Kyra wasn’t surprised Stevie knew Cade had stopped by. Between her poor parking and Cade’s large truck, they’d practically taken up the entire street. She shrugged. “I don’t really notice stuff like that.”

  “Stuff like what?” Stevie looked confused.

  “Attractiveness.” Stevie blinked slowly, like Kyra was speaking a foreign language, so she went on, feeling heat spread along the back of her neck. “I try not to see a person’s physical features when I first meet them. I believe we all deserve to be seen beyond just the skin level.”

  Stevie blinked a few more times before she sank her head into her hand. “Oh, fuck me. You’re a hippie aren’t you?”

  Kyra found herself belly laughing again. “No,” she managed. “Although I do recycle and maintain a vegan diet. Is that a hippie?”

  Stevie sighed heavily, shaking her head at Kyra. “Close enough. Let me guess, you have a bike that you take everywhere instead of driving?”

  “You got me. I like to ride it every time I can.”

  “We’re either going to be best friends,” Stevie mused, “or I’m going to burn your house down cause you’re so annoying. It’s a tossup right now.”

  Kyra took another sip of her drink, regarding Stevie. “I think we’re going to best friends.”

  Stevie nodded thoughtfully, looking out over the ocean. “Okay. I�
��ll get the application when you leave.”

  “So,” Kyra started, feeling uncertain, “Cade kind of warned me that his brother, Hale, was a little different. Do you know anything about that?”

  If Kyra didn’t know any better, doom-and-gloom Stevie just sighed dreamily. “Hale is…smoking hot. Like sex on a lollipop that you want to lick all night long.” She cut a glance at Kyra. “And that’s a pure judgment of his physical features or whatever you said.”

  Kyra felt that odd tickle in her stomach again. She hadn’t even met this guy, but she was already intrigued. She had a problem, a creeper problem. “Cade said he was kind of different.”

  Stevie frowned. “I’m not big for gossip. Shocking, I know. Hale does good work. They are the best at what they do here on the island, but there’s a reason Cade handles the people work. Hale prefers to keep his distance. Before he moved back here to be with his brother and sick mother, I heard he got into some trouble back on the mainland. Now, he mostly stays to himself. From what I’ve heard, he can be a bit of a bear, but he’s not dangerous or anything.”

  “Sick mother?” Kyra asked, feeling sorry for Hale and Cade.

  Stevie shrugged. “I don’t know the details or anything, but I think she has cancer. Anyways, most of the people on the island keep their distance from him. Of course, I would be all over him if I could.”

  Kyra smiled. “Well…I think Cade had a crush on you.”

  Stevie rolled her eyes as she took another sip of tea. “He’s such a dork.”

  “But a cute dork.”

  “Maybe, but I go for more of the smoldering, brooding type,” Stevie said, but Kyra saw her shift uncomfortably in her seat a bit. Maybe she’d noticed Cade Cooper more than she’d let on.

  She spent another half hour on Stevie’s porch before they called it a night. Stevie would be out of town for the rest of the week, but they made plans for supper at her house when she got back from her trip in Friday. Stevie promised it would be take-out and not her own cooking.

  Kyra walked back to her house with a smile on her face. She’d been worried when she moved here, because she hadn’t told her grandparents she bought the house. But after meeting Stevie, this island that had scared Kyra so badly didn’t seem so intimidating after all.