Pieces Of Us Read online

  “What can I get you?” the barista asked as Autumn wandered up to the counter.

  “A large decaf latte with no foam, please,” Autumn said, leaning on the counter and looking around.

  “You’re new around here, right?”

  She glanced up at the barista as she was reaching for an oversized mug.

  “I am.” Autumn wrinkled her nose. “What gave me away? Was it my order? My accent?”

  “Nope. I’ve lived here for all my life, worked in this place for the last ten years, and I don’t recognize your face.” The woman shrugged. “Though I don’t get many no foam orders around here. I’m Ally,” she said reaching her hand out for Autumn to shake.

  “Autumn.” She shook it quickly.

  “Are you here on vacation?” Ally asked as she poured the milk into a stainless steel jug.

  “Not really. I just bought the pier.”

  Ally’s mouth fell open as she slowly put the jug down. “You’re the one who bought Paxton’s Pier?”

  Her shock would have been funny if Autumn didn’t still feel the same way herself. “Um, yeah. That’d be me.”

  “Do you work for a real estate company?” Ally asked, filling an espresso cup with a double shot, then pouring it into the milk.

  “No company. Just me.” Autumn took the coffee from Ally and pulled her wallet out.

  “Oh no. This one’s on the house,” Ally told her. “So what are your plans for the pier?” She shook her head. “Sorry, that’s really nosy of me. It’s just been for sale for the longest time. It needs so much work.”

  “Yeah. I can see that,” Autumn said dryly. “And to be honest, I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet. I’ve called a meeting for all the interested parties tonight to try and get started.”

  “Are you planning to stay in town for a while?”

  “I guess. I need to find somewhere a little more permanent. The Silver Sands Resort is nice, but I can’t live in a hotel room forever.”

  “Hmmm.” Ally tapped her finger against her lips. “You know what, I’ve got a friend with an empty, fully furnished cottage. They were talking about renting it out. I can call them for you if you like? It’s little, but it’s walking distance from the pier, and it’s been completely modernized.”

  “But you don’t know me.” Autumn frowned.

  “You just bought our pier. You’re practically part of the community.” Ally shrugged. “And you have references, right? And can pay a deposit up front?”

  “Well… yeah.” This was so surreal. Like walking onto the set of a TV show where everybody knew everyone else.

  “Great,” Ally said, passing her the cup of coffee. “I’ll call Ember and see if she can bring the keys over later.”

  * * *

  “You’ve not even been there a day and the locals are already giving you free drinks and offering you somewhere to live?” Lydia said through the phone line as Autumn sat on the deck of the coffee shop and made some notes for tonight’s meeting. “Where the heck is this pier again, Stepford?”

  “Hey, you’re the one who keeps telling me to take the stick out of my ass and take life as it comes,” Autumn reminded her sister. “I’m just following your advice.”

  “And I’m very glad you did.” There was a grin in Lydia’s voice. “Now you just need to have some unbridled sex with a handsome stud, and all my dreams for you will be complete.

  For some reason, Autumn’s mind turned to the man she’d seen on the pier last night as she was delivering letters to her new tenants, informing them of tonight’s meeting. He wasn’t her type at all. She liked them neat, lean, and dressed in designer suits. Not Aquaman wannabes with shaggy hair and hands that could crush you without trying.

  Even if he was singing the cutest song to his kid over the phone.

  “So what’s next?”

  “I meet with the pier’s tenants tonight at six.”

  “What are you gonna say?” Lydia asked, her voice hushed.

  Autumn had absolutely no idea. Telling them that she’d bought the pier while under the influence of tequila, thanks to her recent divorce, wasn’t going to be the best way of getting them on her side. They were going to want her to have a solid plan and reassurances and everything else a new owner would give them.

  “I’ll tell them it’s business as usual.”

  “Dad’s throwing a fit. You know that, right?”

  Autumn pressed her lips together. Yeah, ten missed phone calls and five texts she couldn’t bring herself to read told her that. But she wasn’t ready to let him rain on her parade.

  “Autumn?”

  She looked up from her notepad to see Ally looking at her, smiling. Smiling back, she covered the phone. “Yes?”

  “I just heard from my friend, Ember. The beach cottage is yours if you want it. She can meet you there during her lunch break if you want to look around?”

  Autumn nodded fast. “That would be wonderful. Thank you so much.” She removed her hand from the mouthpiece. “I gotta go,” she told Lydia.

  “Okay, but call me tonight. I need to know how the meeting goes.”

  “If I’m still alive, I’ll call.”

  “Love ya, sis,” Lydia said.

  “Love you too. Now go do something crazy to get Dad off my back.”

  * * *

  The cottage was beautiful. Okay, it was tinier than her apartment in New York, and any more than two people in it would be a squeeze, but you could sit on the sofa, have the front door open, and hear the waves as they lapped against the beach.

  “Are you certain you want to rent this out?” Autumn asked the owner, as she showed her the expensively shiny appliances and sparkling bathroom. “I’m not sure I could if I owned this place.”

  Ember nodded. “We lived here for a little while after my husband, Lucas, renovated the place,” she told Autumn. “It used to belong to his grandparents, and when they died they left it to him and his sister. But it’s really only big enough for one person, and Caitie hates the water, and lives with her boyfriend, so it’s either rent it out or put it up for sale, and I don’t think Lucas could bear to do that.”

  “What kind of deposit are you looking for?”

  “Don’t worry about that.” Ember shrugged. “Ally recommended you and that’s security enough for me.”

  “I only met Ally today.” Autumn’s eyes widened. Was this really how they did business around here? “She doesn’t know me from Adam.”

  Ember grinned. “I trust her judgment. Plus she said you bought the pier, which makes you one of us.” She tipped her head to the side, her warm eyes catching Autumn’s. “Have you owned a pier before?”

  Autumn had to bite down her laugh. “Um, no. But I used to run a business buying and managing commercial property in New York City. Office buildings, nightclubs, that sort of thing.”

  “So it’s part of your portfolio?”

  “No, not really. I sold that company.” It wasn’t a complete lie. She really didn’t want to talk about her divorce. “And I bought the pier with the proceeds.”

  Ember’s face was a picture.

  “You think I’m crazy, don’t you?” Autumn asked her.

  “I’ve done some crazy things myself.” Ember shrugged. “And it’s really none of my business. You have the experience to make things work, which is more than most people around here. The pier’s been neglected for too long. I’m glad somebody’s finally going to do something with it.” She grabbed her notepad from her bag. “I’ll get a contract written up this evening when I get home from work. What’s your last name?”

  “It’s Paxton.”

  Ember’s head shot up. “Really? Are you any relation to the original Paxtons?”

  “I don’t think so. It’s just a coincidence.” A flash of humor crossed her face. “Or maybe it was meant to be.”

  “You know that Captain Paxton founded this town? That’s who the pier is named after. The story goes that he was sailing past the coast, saw an angel descend, and
it pointed at the bay. So he moored his ship up, rowed his crew over to the sands, and that’s how the town got it’s name.”

  “An angel?” Autumn lifted an eyebrow.

  “Rumor has it he was drinking a lot of rum in those days.”

  Autumn couldn’t help but laugh. Maybe she and Captain Paxton had more in common than just a name. They both made strange decisions while under the influence of alcohol. “As far as I know my family’s lived on the east coast for generations.”

  “I like the idea of it being fate,” Ember said warmly. “And by the way, most people I know who come here never want to leave.”

  “I can see why.” Autumn looked at that view again. Clear blue skies, golden sand, and a horizon that seemed to stretch on forever.

  “How about you? Are you planning on staying long?” Ember grimaced. “I should have asked you that right away, shouldn’t I? I’m a terrible landlord.”

  “I get the feeling you’re going to be a great landlord. And if possible, I’d like a six month lease with the option of extending. It’ll take at least that long to get everything straight with the pier, and even if I’m back in New York for some of the time, I’ll need to travel here.”

  “Six months it is.” Ember passed her the keys. “Feel free to move in whenever you’re ready. And welcome to Angel Sands, I hope you’ll be happy here.”

  Autumn hoped she would, too. For the last year, happiness had been a very rare thing.

  * * *

  She could taste the worried atmosphere as soon as she walked onto the pier. Autumn had arranged for three rows of seats to be set up there, and they were already full of people, which was crazy considering there were only a few businesses operating along Paxton’s Pier.

  Every one of them looked up as she walked to the front, her heels clacking loudly against the wooden planks. After she left Ember’s beach cottage, she had her hair done at the hotel’s salon then put on a designer skirt suit and ‘don’t mess with me’ heels. She felt like a warrior going into battle.

  Although, she wasn’t sure who she was fighting. Her dad’s opinions? Herself? Or the rows of people eyeing her suspiciously as she smiled with confidence.

  “Good evening, everybody. I’m Autumn Paxton, the new owner of the pier.”

  “Paxton?” one of the women in the seats called out. “Any relation to Captain Paxton?”

  “No. It’s just a coincidence.” She was going to have to get used to that question. “Maybe we can start by all of you introducing yourselves so I know your names and where you work here on the pier.” She looked at the man at the end of the front row. “How about you start?”

  “I’m Pietro Delmonico. Owner of Delmonico’s. And this is my family.” He gestured at the women next to him.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Pietro. Who else do we have here?” She looked along the seats.

  “I’m a Delmonico,” the woman halfway along the seats said, as she gestured to the rest of her companions. “We all are.” She gestured at the rest of the people in the chairs. “Apart from Ricky at the back who owns the watersports rental company.”

  He lifted up a hand, looking distinctly uninterested.

  “And me,” a deep voice called out.

  Autumn looked up to see the man from last night ambling down the pier, his hands pushed into the pockets of his jeans, the ocean breeze lifting his thick brown hair. Damn if her heart didn’t do a flip at the sight of him.

  Not her type. Not at all.

  Yeah, tell that to her libido.

  A half-smile pulled at his lips as he leaned on the rail and looked at her. “Sorry I’m late. We were delayed coming back from a trip. I’m Griffin Lambert.” He pushed himself off the rail and held his hand out to her. “But most people call me Griff.”

  Griff. It was the perfect name for him. Strong and gruff and maybe more than a little bit rough. It took everything she had not to shiver. “Hi. I’m Autumn Paxton.” She slid her palm into his, feeling the warmth of his skin as his fingers folded around hers. It was absurd how tiny her hand looked in his.

  With one squeeze he could probably break every bone.

  “Shall I… ah… let go now?” Griff asked. She looked down to see her fingers still curled tightly around his hand, even though he’d relaxed his grip. She quickly pulled her hand away.

  It took her a moment to regain her equilibrium. And in that moment she blamed the divorce, the ocean air, and even that damn angel Captain Paxton saw centuries ago. Because this was so unlike her.

  She didn’t get flustered, especially not by a guy. She was Autumn Paxton. She was in control.

  She took a deep breath. “Okay, so I just wanted to introduce myself, tell you a little about my plans for the next few weeks, and then answer any questions you might have.” She turned to the assembled crowd and smiled again.

  “Let me start by telling you a bit about my background. I’m a real estate professional from New York, and have been involved with commercial property since I graduated. I have a Masters in Business Administration, and for the past six years I’ve owned and run my own business. When I saw the listing for Paxton’s Pier, I knew that I could make it work. I’ve taken a look at the books and have also spoken to a lot of locals. I understand that for years the pier has been underfunded, neglected, and most importantly for me, running at a loss.” She gave them a rueful grin. “I know that all of you have been running businesses on the pier for a long time, and you’re understandably nervous about what’s going to happen with them. But I can tell you that I always work with my tenants, not against them. I believe my success comes from your success.”

  The front row looked singularly unimpressed. She glanced beyond them at Griff, who was still leaning on the rail, his expression placid, and his substantial arms folded across his chest.

  His gaze caught hers and it threatened to throw her off her game. She quickly pulled her eyes away.

  “I plan on spending time with each of you over the next couple of weeks. I want to learn about your business, about your history. And maybe I can give you some suggestions for improvement.”

  A woman in the front rolled her eyes, muttering something unintelligible.

  “I’ll also be looking at some of the underutilized space on the pier. To make more money, I either have to reduce costs, up the rent, or find more tenants. I’d prefer the latter option.”

  At last somebody nodded. It felt like she’d won a marathon.

  She took a deep breath. “Okay, who has any questions?”

  At least ten hands shot up. She spent the next twenty minutes answering each one, taking her time to make sure they were content with her answer, or occasionally promising to get back to them once she knew more.

  “For any questions you might think of later, I will be working in the office at the top of the pier. My door is always open if you need me,” Autumn added before she ended the meeting.

  At that time, most of the Delmonico family headed to the restaurant which was already filling with guests, while Ricky, the watersports rental owner, gave them a nod and ambled back to his shack by the beach. Autumn grabbed her phone to call the Beach Club, who’d kindly loaned her the chairs.

  “You did good.”

  She looked up to see Griff towering over her.

  “Thanks.” She gave him a smile. “I know it must be disconcerting for everyone having an outsider buy this place.”

  He shrugged. “I’m just glad somebody bought it. The last owners weren’t exactly responsive to the problems. A few years ago, they used to have a general manager working out of the office, but once he retired they never replaced him.”

  That explained the thick dust on the furniture in there. And the fact that nothing worked – not the phone line or the electricity, and of course there was no internet. She’d already arranged for a cleaning company to come to do their magic the next day, along with an electrician and the cable company.

  “How long have you worked here?” she asked Griff.
/>   He shrugged. “Ever since I can remember. I started off helping my grandpa when The Ocean Explorer was a fishing trawler. When he died, my dad converted it into a whale watching boat, and I used to crew every weekend for him. I took over as captain about six years ago.” His voice was deep and smooth.

  “I see the rent hasn’t gone up in around ten years,” she said. “According to the records, at least.”

  “That sounds right.” He raised an eyebrow.

  “I’m afraid that might have to change. I’ll be doing some market comparisons to see what a fair level will be.”

  He tipped his head to the side as though sizing her up. “I’ll be interested to hear what that might be.” He didn’t sound pissed, but then she didn’t know him. Maybe he was one of those guys who seethed silently. All she knew was that nobody liked rent increases.

  “And I’d like to come out on your next cruise, if that’s okay?” she added. “Just to learn a little more about what you do.”

  “If you come out on my boat, I’ll put you to work. We don’t take any freeloaders on the Explorer.”

  She bit down a smile. “I’m not afraid of work.”

  Griff nodded. “We leave at eight on Saturdays. But the crew starts at six. That’s when I’ll expect you.” He gave her a nod, and turned to walk away, not waiting for her reply.

  It was only when he was halfway up the pier that he turned around and called out to her.

  “And Miss Paxton?”

  “It’s Autumn.”

  The hint of a smile crossed his lips. “Autumn, then. As delightful as those shoes are, I suggest you wear flats tomorrow. Unless you want to end up as shark bait.”

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