Summer of Us (Blue Harbor Book 9) Read online

  SUMMER OF US

  A BLUE HARBOR NOVEL

  OLIVIA MILES

  CONTENTS

  Also by Olivia Miles

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  About the Author

  ALSO BY OLIVIA MILES

  Blue Harbor Series

  A Place for Us

  Second Chance Summer

  Because of You

  Small Town Christmas

  Return to Me

  Then Comes Love

  Finding Christmas

  A New Beginning

  Summer of Us

  A Chance on Me

  Evening Island

  Meet Me at Sunset

  Summer’s End

  The Lake House

  Stand Alone Titles

  This Christmas

  Oyster Bay Series

  Feels Like Home

  Along Came You

  Maybe This Time

  This Thing Called Love

  Those Summer Nights

  Christmas at the Cottage

  Still the One

  One Fine Day

  Had to Be You

  Misty Point Series

  One Week to the Wedding

  The Winter Wedding Plan

  Sweeter in the City Series

  Sweeter in the Summer

  Sweeter Than Sunshine

  No Sweeter Love

  One Sweet Christmas

  The Briar Creek Series

  Mistletoe on Main Street

  A Match Made on Main Street

  Hope Springs on Main Street

  Love Blooms on Main Street

  Christmas Comes to Main Street

  Harlequin Special Edition

  ‘Twas the Week Before Christmas

  Recipe for Romance

  Copyright © 2022 by Megan Leavell

  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.

  CHAPTER ONE

  It was not lost on Heidi Clark that her sisters, cousins, and most of her friends (okay, make that all of her friends) had moved out of their parents’ houses when they were eighteen, maybe dropping back in for a bit after college, but certainly not beyond that. That they had apartments or homes or businesses or even families of their own by now. And that she didn’t have any of that—yet.

  Heidi had been in and out of her parents’ house for years, sometimes staying for a month, or, like recently, sometimes several months. But that was then and this was now. She made a silent promise to herself as she sealed the last box with tape that this time, she was moving out of her childhood home for good. She’d be thirty years old in a matter of weeks. There was no going back this time.

  Technically, she’d been living in the carriage house a few hundred yards from the cozy Victorian where she’d grown up, with her own door and even her own mailbox, but her parents had been forgiving on rent, her mother still offered to do her laundry whenever she had a load to put in, and she wasn’t shy about letting herself in with her key, sometimes making Heidi’s bed in the process. There was always a fridge full of food in the kitchen of the main house, and often a hot meal, too. Sometimes one that included dessert. And who was Heidi to turn down a freshly baked pie with a scoop of ice cream after a long day? Who would want to give that all up? It was a pretty sweet deal, perhaps, but it was also an aching reminder that Heidi didn’t have her life together while her sisters and cousins did.

  Today, all of that was going to change.

  “Are you sure that you don’t need any help moving all your things over?” Bella, Heidi’s middle sister, should probably be at the bookstore she owned and operated right now, but she’d taken a long lunch break to offer her support.

  “You’ve done enough,” Heidi said, giving her a reassuring smile. And it was true. Bella had given her a second chance at the store, and this time around, it had worked out. She’d followed Bella’s system and rules, even if she didn’t agree with them, though this time, instead of just doing things the way she thought best, she suggested new ideas instead—ones that, to her surprise, Bella had taken into consideration and even put into effect. Now the bookstore was thriving, Heidi had something meaningful to show on her resume, and she had a steady paycheck, too. Not much considering she was only needed part-time in the store, but enough to lease the two-bedroom cottage within walking distance to town, especially when she combined it with everything she’d stashed away while not exactly paying rent on the current space, much as she tried to offer.

  She almost laughed as she sealed the last of the boxes. And her family didn’t think she was responsible? She could have blown that cash on clothes, drinks, or even weekend trips, but instead, she’d stowed it away, preparing for this day. The day when she finally showed her sisters and her parents and her cousins and all the other naysayers in town who thought of her as something less than responsible that she was an adult.

  An almost thirty-year-old adult. Really, she probably shouldn’t have to prove anything, but she did. And this new lease was the start.

  “The cottage is furnished, so all I have to worry about are my clothes and a few other things I’ve collected over the years.” That wasn’t saying much. She had her pillow, her bedding, towels, and some sentimental objects like framed photos and random pieces of costume jewelry along with the clothes that she would now be washing herself. “I’ll borrow Mom’s car and then take my bike over after the last trip.”

  Would it be nice to eventually have a car? Sure. But that was one area where she didn’t feel like it was a reflection of her place in life. Here in Blue Harbor, you could walk or bike to most places. It was the charm of their small town, especially this time of year when the sun was bright and warm and the streets were full of tourists and locals alike, enjoying the contrast of the cool lake breeze and the hot, summer afternoons.

  “With all the noise from their renovations, you must be looking forward to some peace and quiet.” Bella’s eyes widened when, as if on cue, the sound of a drill blasted through the open window.

  Heidi crossed the room to close it. She wouldn’t bother pointing out that the construction had played a factor in her deciding it was time to get a place of her own. What had started out as a “refresh” was turning into a full rehab of their parents’ home, with more trucks crowding the gravel driveway each day, and more crews starting work earlier and earlier each morning.

  When she’d had a wonderful dream about her high school crush (never mind that he was now married and living six doors down the street or that even when she was fifteen and she’d begged her sisters to do a drive-by of his house while she worked up the courage to ask him to the Sadie Hawkins’ dance, he had no interest in her either) interrupted by Sonny, the lead contractor with a booming voice that could be heard over the rattle of a window-box air-conditioning unit at ten minutes before seven on Saturday—a Saturday!—she’d officially received the kick she needed. Until then she’d been thinking (because contrary to most people’s assumptions about her, she did plan some things) that she’d wait until the end of the year, after the holidays, to give herself more time to save up money and make sure that her work experience at the bookstore wasn’t a fleeting fluke. But u
nless she wanted more men in her dreams to start calling out the names of tools, change was needed.

  And at the rate her love life was going, the only men in her life existed in her sleep.

  “I can’t believe you managed to find a place at this time of year. Usually, all the rentals are gone well before summer.”

  “Just came on the market.” Heidi shrugged. The Tinleys had lived in Blue Harbor all their lives, but with their children spread out across the country, they wanted to be closer to family. When their daughter announced she was pregnant with twins two weeks ago, they upped and moved, deciding there was no time like the present. “I just hope they don’t miss Blue Harbor too much and want to move back for part of the year.”

  “Summer in Blue Harbor is pretty hard to beat,” Bella agreed.

  Heidi could already see her plans falling apart before they’d even come to fruition. She could envision herself schlepping her boxes back to this very carriage house, only this time she’d be sharing the space with her parents, who would be residing in it until their renovations were complete.

  In other words, not an option.

  She chewed a nail nervously and then dropped her hand. Nail-biting was all in the past. And today was supposed to be the first day of her future!

  “They decided not to sell, which means they aren’t ready to let go just yet.”

  “They’re probably keeping it to pass down to their children,” Bella assured her. “They’re probably hoping that someday they’ll be summer people.”

  “Well, not this summer.” And it wasn’t like the cottage would be her forever home. But she’d love to make something last at least a year, or more. A loud crash from outside made Heidi wince. “The timing is perfect. Mom and Dad can move in here until the renovations are finished, and I can walk to work.”

  “About that…” Bella started, but Heidi held up a hand.

  “Let’s not talk about my long-term career plans today,” she warned. She was scheduled to meet the real estate agent at the cottage to collect the key in less than an hour, and again, Bella should really get back to the shop soon. “Besides, don’t you have a dog to walk?”

  Bella gave a fond smile as she did anytime her puppy was mentioned. “Craig took him to the park.”

  Now it was Heidi’s turn to smile. Recently, her sister’s life had changed for the better. She not only had sweet little George in her life but a new boyfriend, too. It was proof that the rest of your life could start today if you were open to change. And Heidi was.

  “Well, I’m sure that they’ll be expecting you soon. Besides, as you said, it’s a busy time of the year in Blue Harbor. And if no one’s manning the shop—”

  Once a talk about her career would have been along the lines of being encouraged to find a job, any job, and stick with it. Now that she’d discovered that her endless ideas and big-picture mentality were a benefit to Bella’s bookstore, her sister, who couldn’t afford to employ her full time, was forever hinting that she should think about taking her services to other businesses in town.

  It was a whole new set of stress, and it was just as overwhelming. As if she didn’t have enough going on at the moment.

  Bella held up a hand, laughing. “Okay, now’s not the time, but when you’re ready, you know I’m more than happy to write you a letter of recommendation.”

  Heidi felt her chest swell with gratitude. Her sister believed in her, which was something she probably wouldn’t have been able to say just a few months ago, when she was yet again unemployed, or “between opportunities” as she liked to say. She was on the right path.

  “Thanks, Bella. For everything. I mean it.” She grinned and raised her arms to stretch her back. “Hey, why don’t you let me treat you to dinner at my new place once I’m settled? I’ll actually have my own kitchen.”

  Technically, it wasn’t the first time, but the short-term apartments she’d lived in before had kitchens the size of closets that she often shared with a roommate or two.

  Bella looked skeptical. “I can bring takeout.”

  There it was again. The hidden belief that Heidi didn’t totally have her life together, not like her sisters or cousins. That she lived off cereal and coffee and granola bars or her mother’s home cooking, which, okay, wasn’t a huge stretch but a little insulting, nonetheless.

  “I’ll cook,” she said firmly. And she’d be sure to make it the most delicious meal she’d ever cooked.

  Even if it admittedly might be one of the first.

  Ryan Harrison looked up from the computer screen and rubbed his eyes. It had been over a year since he’d moved back to his Michigan hometown and taken over the family pub, and despite the changes he’d implemented, the numbers still weren’t heading in the direction he’d hoped. At least not fast enough for his liking.

  He could spend another day, sitting here, going over receipts and menus and pacing the floor trying to figure things out, or he could worry about his personal life for a few hours instead.

  The sound of the movers on the stairs over his head was his answer.

  “All packed up,” one said, appearing in the office doorway. He mopped the sweat from his brow with a cloth before shoving it in his back pocket.

  Ryan nodded. He’d known this day was coming. He’d planned for it like he did everything. The space above the pub where he’d lived for the better part of the past year would soon house the storage and administrative space, leaving additional space on the main floor for a much-needed expansion of the dining room—and some better ventilation in the process. It was progress. Meant to drive traffic and increase revenue.

  But it was also change. And in this case, it was a goodbye. This had been his father’s office, the very desk where he’d sat day after day, where Ryan’s brother Kyle had also sat when he’d taken over the place seven years ago. And for the past year, it had been Ryan’s. Unexpected for the entire family, most of all for him. But the legacy had become a privilege. And even though the desk and chair and everything else housed in this cramped space would simply be moved upstairs, it would be different. A new era. A reminder that he’d made a commitment. That good or bad, he had to see this pub through.

  He could only hope that there were more good days ahead. He owed his brother that much, for carrying the weight of it on his own for so long. And he owed it to his mother, who believed in him.

  But most of all, he owed it to his father, even if he wasn’t here anymore. Perhaps especially because he wasn’t here anymore.

  “I’ll meet you over at the cottage,” Ryan told the movers, who had packed up his few furnishings and boxes to cart over to his new residence. It wasn’t far, walking distance, really, but he decided to drive so he could make the most use of his day. He didn’t have time to stroll down Main Street, didn’t even have time to house hunt. That was all part of the appeal of the cottage: the location was prime, the space was furnished, and Rex Tinley had been a regular at the pub and a friend of his father’s. It was a win-win. The Tinleys could settle into their new condo near their grandkids with peace of mind that their property was being taken care of, and eventually, they could pass down the investment to their children, who rarely visited these parts anymore, Rex had said with a shake of his head, stirring up Ryan’s own guilt.

  He hadn’t visited much either. Certainly not enough. And moving back had never been in the plans. All proof that anything was possible, he supposed.

  For now, he was just happy to have a place of his own, somewhere to put down roots in the town he’d decided to call home for the long haul. Unless the pub had to shutter its doors for good.

  Pushing back his chair, he shook off that thought. He was moving in the right direction. Taking risks, making changes. Tomorrow the construction crew would start their work.

  Ryan picked up the keys and paused in the doorway, taking one good look around the room while one of the movers waited in the hallway, ready to start lifting file cabinets and carrying everything upstairs.

  Wi
th a lump in his throat, he turned and walked out the door. He’d never been one to shy away from change, and today was no different, he told himself firmly.

  It was the last hurdle in his relaunching of the pub.

  Oh, who was he kidding? It was the pub’s last hope.

  Lanie Thompson was waiting on the front stoop when Heidi stepped out of the car. Excitement rolled through her stomach as she walked up the flagstone path toward the blue-painted front door of what was officially her new home. Its clapboard siding was painted white and a stark contrast to the thick green grass and flowering shrubs that hugged the base of the front windows.

  When she’d toured it two weeks ago, she’d fallen in love with the sunny kitchen, even if she didn’t cook much—yet. The yard was bursting with flowers both front and back, and the rooms were cozy and well furnished, with slipcovered sofas and chairs and threadbare rugs in faded shades of blue and green. The cottage was small, with a living room that doubled as a dining room off the kitchen, and two small bedrooms that shared a bathroom. There wouldn’t be much to do other than move in, unpack a few boxes to give it a personal touch, and pour a glass of wine while she let it all soak in.

  Lanie jangled the keys for her and then retrieved a bottle of champagne from her oversized tote. “A housewarming gift.”

  Housewarming. It was just a rental, but it was Heidi’s first home. Her other places had all been studio apartments, short-term leases, ones that gave her an easy escape hatch which she often needed. But this place…this was a commitment. One she hoped she could live up to. One that was a long-term promise not only to the landlords but also to herself that she could do this.

  “Want to come in and pop it open?” Heidi noticed the bottle was already chilled, but then Lanie was thoughtful that way. She paid attention to the details, which was probably why she was so successful. The county’s number one real estate agent two years in a row, and she was only a handful of years older than Heidi.