Gunpowder Chowder (2 page)

Hannah sat in the chair by the wall. A steaming mug of coffee sat in front of her plate.

Jack sat across from her. “Dig in before everything gets cold. It tastes better than it looks.”

Hannah waited for Jack to ask her about her walk but he dug into his food as if he hadn’t eaten for days.

Tentatively, Hannah sipped her coffee, hoping it hadn’t met the same fate as the toast. It was perfect. Rich, dark and strong. Just how she liked it. With the caffeine surging through her veins, she ate a forkful of the eggs. A smile spread across her face. “Delicious.”

“Yup. I have three hens out back. Nothing like homegrown eggs.”

They ate in silence until all the food was gone. Every last crumb. Even the burnt toast.

Jack leaned back in his chair, holding his coffee. A burp escaped through his lips. “Sorry, I’m not used to having company.”

Hannah felt her lip twitch. “Thanks for the food. Just what I need before I tackle the day.”

“There’s a friend of mine I’d like you to meet. Cal Murphy. You’ll like him, and he could help you with the fixing up you need to do.”

Hannah hemmed and hawed, not sure that any friend of Jack’s would be young enough to be of much help, and how did he know who she would like? “I’ll let you know when I’m ready for that.” She pushed her chair back and brought her plate and mug to the sink. “Thanks Jack. I’ll get out of your way.”

“Don’t be shy about stopping by. And don’t forget to take Nellie. She’s too much for an old man like me.”

Nellie followed Hannah to the sink, dancing around her feet.

“Yup, she wants to go with you. Don’t worry, I’ll come visit and bring you some nice brown homegrown eggs, too,” Jack said.

Hannah patted Nellie. Her fur was as soft as silk. She would be good company. “Okay, I’ll take her on a trial basis.” It all felt too weird to Hannah. Who dumped a dog on someone they barely knew?

Jack stood at the sink washing the dishes, his back to Hannah. His deep chuckle was his only response.

Hannah shook her head, feeling a bit awkward as she snapped the leash on Nellie’s collar and let herself outside. The day was promising to be one of those December gifts. Brilliant blue sky, a few puffy clouds, and a slight ocean breeze carrying the smell of salt and the sound of gulls. Hannah breathed deeply, savoring the moment until her arm was yanked by Nellie running down the street, pulling Hannah toward their new home and a couple of visitors.

As Hannah approached the sandy entrance to her café and cottages, she could hear loud arguing. Great, she wondered, who is quarreling on my doorstep?

Nellie barked and lunged, drawing the attention of two men. They stared at Hannah and she stared back. One man wore a blue polo shirt under a thick sweatshirt, and the other, a bit younger, leaner, and more weathered, wore jeans and a denim jacket.

“Who are you?” the stouter man asked.

“I’m not sure it’s any of your business. You’re trespassing. Please leave. Now.” She slid her cell phone from her jean pocket, not even sure who she would call but hoping it would bluff these two to leave.

“Trespassing? You’re the owner?” the second man asked.

Hannah stared, saying nothing.

The weathered man extended his hand, approaching Hannah, “I’m Chase Fuller, owner of Bayside Marina.”

Hannah recognized him as the man talking on his phone that she saw earlier while walking Nellie.

The other man elbowed Chase out of the way, “I’m Vern Mason. I was a good friend of the previous owner, Caroline Holiday.”

“Really,” Hannah said as a statement with her eyebrows raised. “Funny that my great aunt never mentioned you.”

Vern’s face turned bright red. He blustered, “Well, business acquaintances. You know what I mean. I own the Paradise Inn and Caroline owned these charming seaside cottages. As a matter of fact, I had a contract to buy this whole place but she died before it was finalized. I guess I’ll be dealing with you now.” He smiled but Hannah could see it was one of those sleazy salesman forced smiles.

She walked past the two men, punching a number into her phone with Nellie sticking close to her legs. She opened the door of the main cottage, not sure what she would do next until her eyes fixated on Caroline’s shotgun resting against the wall. Hannah picked up the gun, being careful to keep it pointed away from anyone in case it decided to explode. She walked back outside, and with a firm, serious voice told Vern and Chase, “I asked you to leave.”

They looked at each other, then at Hannah before walking back out the way they must have come in.

As she leaned the gun next to the door, she overheard Chase say to Vern, “Just like her crazy aunt, but I won’t let you steal that property out from under me. Again.”

Chapter 2

A loud crack brought Hannah upright in her bed. Was she dreaming? Was it a door slamming shut somewhere? Nellie barked and ran to the cottage door. Hannah pulled her jeans on as she hopped across the cold floor. She grabbed her flip flops, forgetting they would be useless against the cold outside. At least her warm jacket was hanging on a hook next to the door and she pulled it on.

Only a few gulls broke the silence when she peered outside. With no clue what she heard, she ventured a few steps onto the sandy path, searching left and right for a hint as to what made the noise. Nellie bolted over the rocks toward the beach and the ocean.

Great, Hannah thought. She increased her speed, hoping not to lose sight of the puppy. She didn’t bother putting her flip flops on so she could run faster and, hopefully, catch Nellie before the silly puppy ran all the way to the next town.

Nellie jumped up on a figure walking toward Hannah. At least she could slow down and catch her breath.

“What are you doing out here, Nellie?” the man said as he crouched down while Nellie gave his face a bath.

Hannah’s shadow fell on the man and he looked up into her face. “You must be Jack’s new neighbor. He told me someone moved in.” He held his hand out toward Hannah. “I’m Cal. Cal Murphy.”

Hannah shook his hand, noticing how rough and strong it was. As he stood up, she looked into his face. Handsome in a rugged sort of way. His face was tan even for December. An outdoorsy guy? Hannah guessed he was a bit older than her twenty seven years but not anywhere close to Jack’s age. He brushed his sandy blond hair out of his blue eyes and they appeared to twinkle with the sunshine.

He smiled with one eyebrow raised. “And you are?” he prompted Hannah.

She blinked a couple of times. “Sorry. Hannah Holiday.”

Another couple of booms caused Hannah to startle.

Cal laughed. “That’s just some blasting for the new bridge.”

Hannah nodded her head. “It woke us up. I had no idea what it was. For all I knew, it could have been the two men who showed up on my doorstep yesterday shooting each other.”

“You must be talking about Vern and Chase. Those two would turn a beautiful day like this into an argument.” Cal glanced at her bare feet and the edges of his lips curled up slightly. “I’m heading to Jack’s house. He’ll have a strong pot of coffee ready if you need some.” He tilted his head, waiting for a reply.

Hannah slipped her flip flops on. “That sounds great.” She matched his gait and Nellie lead the way straight to Jack’s house.

Cal opened the door without knocking, waiting for Nellie and Hannah to enter first. “Jack, you need to set out a couple more mugs for coffee.”

Hannah loved the smell of coffee, and after being treated to Jack’s brew the day before, her brain anticipated the jolt.

“Just who I was expecting. Come on in and make yourselves comfortable,” Jack said as he took the lid off a cookie jar and tossed a treat to Nellie. He set a bowl of water on the floor for her and she lapped it up, dripping on the linoleum when she was done.

“Today’s a good day to show Hannah around town. No point in waiting for everyone to drop by out of curiosity.”

Hannah sipped the hot dark liquid. “I met a couple of locals yesterday when I got home.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Let me guess. Chase and Vern?”

“How did you know?”

“They’re just like a couple of vultures when it comes to Caroline’s property. Did you have the shotgun ready?”

Cal choked and his coffee spilled over the side of his cup. “Shotgun? I’m glad I didn’t show up bright and early on your doorstep this morning.”

Hannah laughed. “Yes, as a matter of fact. It was ready and waiting right inside, and when I walked out holding the gun, they both took off, mumbling something about me being crazy just like my aunt.”

“Be careful you don’t shoot yourself in the foot with that thing,” Jack warned.

Hannah’s mouth dropped open. “I hope Caroline didn’t leave it loaded.”

Cal chuckled. “It wouldn’t surprise me if she did. I’ll take a look at it if you want. I can teach you a little bit about guns.”

Jack stood up. “Finish up, I told Pam we’d swing by her place first. She’s been having some problems with her son again.”

Hannah listened to the conversation, hoping either Jack or Cal would fill in the blanks about who these people were. She was going to have to take notes to keep everyone straight. Cal picked up Hannah’s mug, carried it to the sink, and rinsed both.

“Who’s Pam?” she finally asked.

“She’s my daughter and one of the police officers in town. Come on.” Jack checked the time. “We’ve got a few minutes to show Cal what needs to be done to get your café and cottages up and running before we head to Pam’s house.” He looked at Nellie sprawled on the kitchen floor. “As soon as I open the door, she’ll be up and ready to go. Watch.”

Jack put his I-heart-Hooks Harbor cap on, picked up his walking stick, and opened the front door. Nellie lifted her head, jumped up, and slid on the slick linoleum trying to get a grip on her way to the front door. They all laughed at the clumsy pup but she managed to catch herself on the rug and she zoomed out the door without a care in the world.

“Where did Nellie come from?” Hannah asked.

“I found her on the beach.” He crunched up his lips, thinking. “Maybe two or three weeks ago. She was a mess. Dirty, skinny, and scared of her own shadow. Now she’s ready to move in with someone younger than I am. Someone who can keep up with all that energy.” With that comment, he headed toward Hannah’s new acquisition and she had to jog to keep up, wondering who he was fooling about his energy levels.

They stopped outside the main cottage, where Hannah had spent the previous night. Cal took his cap off and ran his fingers through his hair. “Where do you want to start?”

Hannah started to answer, but Jack interrupted. “She should fix the café first. Get an income stream coming in.”

Hannah frowned. “Wait a minute.” She opened the door of the cottage. “I want to be comfortable first. This is where
I
want to start.”

Cal elbowed Jack. “I guess
she
told you.”

The cottage wasn’t in too bad shape. Mostly it needed a good cleaning, but Cal made suggestions about what he thought should be upgraded. “This galley kitchen is outdated. How about new counters and appliances?” He opened the bathroom door. “Same here. It’s all workable the way it is but if you want an upgrade, now’s the time to do it.” He took some measurements and made some notes in his notebook. “The floors are in good shape, nothing sanding and new polyurethane wouldn’t spruce up. I should check the roof and see about new shingles.”

Hannah nodded. Jack frowned. “Why waste your money replacing perfectly functional stuff?” he asked.

Hannah glared but turned her attention to Cal. “Yes. To all of it. Great Aunt Caroline left enough money for me to fix these cottages up and I want to bring them into the twenty first century.”

Jack threw his hands up in the air. “Come on Nellie, we’ll wait outside. I know when I’m outnumbered.”

Cal’s lip twitched and a soft chuckle escaped. “Jack likes things to go his way. I think he’s met his match.”

With Jack out of earshot, Hannah asked Cal about Pam. “His daughter is a police officer?”

“Yup. A good one, too. She doesn’t take crap from anyone. Except her son, from what Jack tells me.”

“Her son?”

“Yeah, Noah, he’s eighteen or nineteen and hangs out with a bad crowd. He’s a nice enough kid when he’s away from his friends, but he’s headed for trouble if he doesn’t watch out. And Pam won’t be able to protect him from everything if he’s not careful.”

“I saw a couple of kids walking on the beach last night. I thought they were headed up here to the cottages, but when they saw me and heard Nellie bark, they ran off.”

Cal nodded. “Probably Noah and his girlfriend. These cottages were quite the party hangout after your aunt died and no one was living here. You’ll have to watch out until they get the message this isn’t empty anymore. Do you want me to look at the rest of the buildings now?”

“Might as well if you have time.”

Cal smiled. “All the time in the world. It’s slow this time of year so I’ll be able to get right on your projects. And we’ve been lucky with the mild weather this December.”

When they went outside, Jack’s lean figure was just visible down the beach with Nellie darting at the waves before running away from the rushing water. She barked and bit at the foam. Hannah couldn’t help but laugh at the antics.