Begin Again Read online

“That’s because you have never been able to remain friends with an ex. You’ve tried and have been unsuccessful, little sister.”

  “Not really a priority in my life right now.” She took a bite.

  “What is a priority?” Adler asked, sipping coffee while looking comfortable in her flannel pajamas, with a foot up on the chair and her coffee cup resting on her knee.

  “Work, I guess. I actually closed a deal last night. I got the email that an offer was accepted. I rushed back here to grab my computer. It’s a nice commission. I might actually go on a vacation with that money,” she replied.

  “And women? Are you dating, or at least trying to date?”

  “I date when I meet someone and I’m interested in them, but I haven’t met anyone in a while.”

  “Didn’t you used to tell me I worked too much to meet someone?” Adler asked.

  “Yes, and I stand by that,” Paxton argued. “You were always working. But it was more about the fact that you were still trying to date guys you clearly weren’t in love with. It was like you felt like you should have someone, so you dated.”

  “I guess.” Adler shrugged. “It didn’t feel like that at the time.”

  “I’m sure it didn’t.” Paxton took another bite of her cereal. “What are you up to today?”

  “Hanging out with you.”

  “I was thinking we could go for a drive around the lake. It’s not an all-day thing, right?”

  “No, it’s not that long, and it’s a great way to see everything.”

  “We can make it an all-day thing and stop to check places out along the way. Then, I’ll know what I want to go back to later.”

  “Morgan or no Morgan? Do you want some alone time with your big sis, or should I invite her? She is a walking textbook about all things Tahoe.”

  “She can come along. I love Morgan.” Paxton pushed her now soggy cereal away. “She’s great for you.”

  “I know.” Adler couldn’t help but smile. “I’m glad you’re here, though, Pax. How about she joins us today when she gets back from her hike with Reese? Tomorrow, though, it’s just you and me. I took a couple of days off this week. I might have to check on a few things, but I want to make sure we have time together.”

  “Sounds like a plan. I should go shower then.” She stood from the table. “I’m looking forward to getting a tour from an insider today. Maybe it’ll turn out that I really like Tahoe, after all.”

  ◆◆◆

  Morgan was a great tour guide. She did use to do it professionally, so it made sense that she would be good at it. They drove for about forty-five minutes before they stopped for a late lunch and ate by the water. Paxton had caught glimpses of the lake from the plane before she’d landed and a few between houses and trees. But sitting out on a patio, overlooking the lake and the mountains while they ate, was the first time she was really able to take in all its beauty. She had been a fan of the outdoors for most of her life, unlike her older sister. She’d hiked a little and had gone camping a handful of times over the years, but it had always been in the Pacific Northwest area. She’d never seen water this blue outside of a vacation to Fiji she’d taken with an ex-girlfriend a few years ago. It had been their last vacation together. Well, it had also been their only vacation together.

  On the way back toward South Lake, a building caught Paxton’s eye. It looked old and definitely hadn’t been kept up. It was a hotel or maybe a bed and breakfast. It wasn’t overly large. It looked more like a house than a traditional business. It was called “The Pine Tree Guest House” as indicated by the sign in the front yard, likely, made of the wood. The place was surrounded by its namesake. It was old, to be sure, but it also looked comforting. It looked like something Paxton wanted to know more about because there was a “for sale” sign in the yard, too.

  She didn’t typically work in commercial real estate, but she did dabble here and there when a client called for the work. When they arrived back at Morgan and Adler’s, they ate dinner together before Paxton went to the guest room and pulled up the listing. The hotel had been built in 1924. It had ten guest rooms. At first, it was a bed and breakfast, but the most recent owners had turned it into a more traditional hotel over the past twenty years. The hotel had a restaurant, a small gym with out-of-date equipment and not even much of that, and a nice backyard that did have a lake view. As Paxton stared at the picture of the property that would need a lot of work, she wondered why she was even so curious about it. It was a battered hotel that had one shutter hanging loose on a top floor window, needed several coats of paint, and, likely, a lot of interior work to bring it into the modern age. Still, though, she couldn’t look away. She checked out the information that only realtors could see and discovered that it was family-owned and operated, but the operations ceased the previous winter when the patriarch of the family passed away. The owners were ready and willing to sell. Paxton decided that she’d give their agent a call the next day. Then, she noticed the name of the agent.

  ◆◆◆

  “You’re interested in the Pine place?” Kinsley asked her the following day.

  “I saw your name on the listing,” Paxton said. “Figured, I’d just stop by to talk about it.”

  “I’ve been trying to offload that thing for months. Are you interested in buying or flipping?”

  “I don’t know. Honestly, I saw the place while we were driving yesterday, and it just kind of spoke to me,” Paxton replied. “I saw the asking price, and I can swing it. Let’s keep that between us agents, though.” She winked at Kinsley. “Adler’s here now. I guess I just miss my sister. I’m also looking for my next challenge at the same time.”

  “Any idea what you’d do with the place? It’s pretty massive for a house. And it’s not exactly modern.”

  “You’re a great agent, aren’t you?” Paxton asked through laughter.

  She sat in front of Kinsley’s desk in the woman’s office with a coffee in hand. Kinsley was looking at her like she was a crazy person, which only made Paxton laugh because Paxton was the same with her own clients. If a house or property wasn’t for them, she didn’t hesitate to tell them. She liked commissions. She enjoyed making money. But she didn’t want to sell something to someone who would end up regretting it if she could prevent it in the first place.

  “I want the sale if you’re really interested.”

  “I’m interested in checking out the property,” Paxton said. “I can’t guarantee anything other than that.”

  “I have a showing this afternoon, but I can do tomorrow morning.”

  “I’ll borrow Adler’s car,” Paxton said.

  “Bring her along.”

  “I don’t want her to know what I’m doing just yet.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because if nothing comes from it, then it wasn’t worth bringing up, anyway. I just don’t want her to think I’m moving here or something when I have no idea why I’m even interested in looking at an old, abandoned hotel.”

  “I see.”

  “It took her a long time to actually move here. I’m part of that reason. She’s always been there for me. I think she worried about leaving me there on my own, which is ridiculous because I’m a grown woman. I have my own place. I run my own business. She’s just the big sister.”

  “She talks about you all the time, too,” Kinsley replied.

  “She’s my best friend. I’m her best friend, too. So, her moving away has been kind of hard for both of us. Don’t get me wrong… I’m so happy for her and Morgan. I just know that if I mention wanting to check out property here, she’ll latch onto it, and I’m not ready for that yet.”

  “We’ll start with a showing tomorrow and go from there then,” Kinsley offered.

  “Thanks. I appreciate it,” Paxton said and stood. She placed the coffee cup on the desk and reached for Kinsley’s hand. “I have no idea what’s got me so interested.”

  “It’s a charming place, really. It’s got a lot of work ahead of it; that’s why
it hasn’t sold yet. But it’s got the history angle, and the view is one of the best I’ve seen.”

  “Tomorrow morning. I can’t wait to check it out,” Paxton replied.

  ◆◆◆

  Paxton decided to grab herself a late lunch at the deli she’d spied on her way to Kinsley’s. She noticed a parking spot on the street that was otherwise occupied on both sides. She also noticed the car in front of her attempting to back into it in what looked to be a fine parallel parking move. Just as she planned to drive around that car, though, the one behind the empty spot backed up to leave just enough space that Paxton was able to pull into the free spot with little difficulty. She hated being that person, but she was starving and would only be a minute.

  “Are you kidding me?” The woman in the other car had actually opened her door and now stood yelling at Paxton. “You saw me. I know you saw me... Paxton?”

  “Shit. Sorry, Chris. I didn’t know it was you.”

  Paxton closed her car door and made her way toward Chris’s car, which was technically blocking traffic.

  “So, because you didn’t know it was me, that makes it okay to just steal someone’s parking spot like that? I have twenty minutes to grab food that’s not Italian before I have to go back to work, and you have to steal my damn spot?” Chris placed her hand on the top of her car just as a horn honked behind her. “I know. I know.”

  Before Paxton could apologize again, though, Chris was back in her car, driving off. Paxton rolled her eyes at herself for being such an asshole. She was used to getting away with stuff like this in the city. Apparently, people in South Lake Tahoe were a little less rude about stealing spots and a little more okay with being confrontational about it. Paxton ran inside the deli feeling like such an ass, that she bought herself the sandwich and chips she wanted along with three other sandwich and chip combo options.

  ◆◆◆

  “Hello,” she said.

  “Paxton?” Chris looked up from the bar.

  “I am an asshole. I’m sorry. I brought you lunch.” She placed the extra sandwiches she’d bought on top of the bar. “I didn’t know what you liked. I got a few different things. I also got plain, barbeque, and salt and vinegar chips. I think I saw you snag some of those at the party this weekend, but I wasn’t sure. I took a chance.”

  “Chris, why is there food from somewhere else on my bar?” a man asked as he emerged from the kitchen.

  “Sorry, Marco,” Chris said. “She was just leaving,” she offered in Paxton’s direction.

  “It’s my fault. I owed her lunch,” Paxton said to him, feeling even worse now.

  “Paxton, just go. You’re making it worse.”

  “You’re not allowed to eat food that doesn’t come from this place?” Paxton asked her.

  “Not when it’s in front of the customers that want to buy my food,” Marco said to Paxton.

  “I’m a customer,” she replied. “Or I was the other night.”

  “Chris, can you take care of this, please? The beer guy is here,” he said.

  “Sure.”

  “Chris, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble.”

  “I’m not in trouble. It’s fine. Just go, okay?”

  “I’m sorry about the parking spot and about this. I–”

  “Paxton, I have to work. This is my job. Please.”

  “Sorry,” Paxton said again, backed away, and left the restaurant.

  CHAPTER 5

  Chris woke the following morning to another piece of bad news. Wes’s clunker of a car needed a jump. Since she didn’t trust it to start again when he needed to come home, she lent him her car for the day and decided to take his to work and deal with it later. She could find someone at the restaurant to jump it if she needed. Then, she’d have to figure out if he needed a new battery, or if there was something else wrong with it that would cost even more money they didn’t have.

  She drove past a property she’d seen on numerous occasions. Today, though, she saw something strange in front of it. Kinsley James was standing next to someone near the sign in the front yard. She didn’t have a lot of time to see the other person as she drove past, but she was certain that person was Paxton Williams. She was also certain that Kinsley was a realtor and that the property itself was for sale.

  She tried to push the whole thing out of her mind at work, but her mind kept returning to the thought that Paxton might be trying to buy the old Pine place. If so, she’d be moving to South Lake, most likely. She’d at least be spending more time in town even if she was just going to flip the place. Chris didn’t like the idea of Paxton hanging around any longer than was necessary to visit with her sister. She didn’t like the long, light brown hair that she was pretty sure was in the single braid down Paxton’s back when she drove past. She didn’t like her fiery green eyes. She hated the cute three or four tiny freckles on both of Paxton’s cheeks. She also didn’t like the light birthmark she’d spied on Paxton’s neck just above her collarbone.

  “Hey, Chris,” Reese greeted her.

  “Hey, Reese.” Chris hated to admit, but sometimes, the only thing that allowed her to tell Reese and her twin sister, Remy, apart was the fact that they had different hair color. Reese also now sported a wedding ring, so that helped, too. “Did you order carry out?”

  “No, Kellan’s on her way in. She’s just parking the car. I have a chivalrous wife.”

  “Still weird saying wife?” Chris asked, placing a beverage napkin on the table in front of Reese and one where Kellan would sit.

  “It is, yes.” Reese chuckled.

  “Usual for drinks?”

  “That’s fine. We both craved the breadsticks and wanted to share some pasta tonight.”

  “Menu?”

  “No, I think we’re going with fettuccini. Two bowls, though?”

  “Of course.” Chris turned to walk away but turned back. “Hey, can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure.”

  Chris sat in what would be Kellan’s chair and asked, “What’s up with Paxton?”

  “Paxton? Adler’s sister?”

  “Yeah. Have you spent much time with her?”

  “She was at the party this weekend.”

  “I know. I saw her there, too,” Chris said.

  “And?”

  “I don’t know. She just seems really rude to me, and Adler’s not that way at all.”

  “Rude? Really? I didn’t get that from her,” Reese replied, sitting forward in her chair.

  “You didn’t? She came up to me at the party and asked if anyone was sitting in the chair next to me. When I said no, she just took it.”

  “I guess that’s weird, but people do that all the time, don’t they?” Reese asked.

  “Maybe. I don’t know. It just seemed weird for a party of her sister’s new friends. Then, the other day, she took my parking spot.”

  “She took your spot?”

  “She saw me trying to back in and stole it. I was on a break and trying to get some food. Thanks to her, I didn’t have time to grab what I wanted.”

  “Oh, that’s weird. I don’t really know her well, but she seemed nice at the party.”

  “She brought me three different sandwiches from the deli, as if that would make up for it.” Chris leaned back in her chair.

  “She brought you food?”

  “And got me in trouble with Marco, too. This place has a strict ‘no outside food’ policy. It’s for the same reason we don’t split checks, and you have to have your entire party here before we will seat you. It’s too busy with all the tourists, and if they see us with outside food, they’ll go there next time.”

  “But she brought you three sandwiches? I get that she got you in trouble, and stealing the parking spot wasn’t exactly nice, but it seems like she was trying to make it up to you,” Reese suggested.

  “She came in the other night, ordered food, ate it, and then left before I could even give her the check.”

  “She left without paying?�
� Reese asked, seemingly surprised.

  “No, she paid. She had my manager get the check. She left a fifty when the bill was under twenty. What exactly was she saying with that?”

  “I guess she really likes your service,” Reese said with a laugh. “Hey, babe,” she said to Kellan, who walked up behind Chris.

  “Hey, Chris.” Kellan placed a hand on the back of Chris’s chair. “Trying to steal my wife?”

  “You know it,” Chris replied with a laugh and stood. “Breadsticks and fettuccini for you two, right?”

  “Chris, we can–”

  “No worries. I’ll be right back with your drinks,” Chris interrupted Reese.

  Chris grabbed the usual drinks for Reese and Kellan all the while wondering why she was even bothering to ask Reese questions about Adler’s visiting sister.

  ◆◆◆

  “Wes, I’m checking your report card. You want to tell me what’s up?” Chris asked from her couch a day later.

  “I thought those came out tomorrow. I was going to talk to you.” Wes came in from the kitchen, sat down next to her, and looked at her laptop screen. “Chemistry got the better of me this quarter.”

  “I can see that. Since when do you get Cs in anything?” she asked him.

  “I don’t know.” He shrugged that typical teenage boy shrug.

  “Wes, come on. This isn’t your normal kind of report card. You get As and a B or two. This is all Bs and a C.”

  “I don’t know, Chris.” He shrugged a second time.

  “You don’t know? Is the stuff too hard? Do you need a tutor or something?”

  “No, it’s not hard. I just haven’t had a lot of time to do my homework.”

  “Homework?” She turned to him. “You do homework all the time.”

  “Chris, I work at the bookstore a lot, and I have tennis practice after school now.”

  “Oh,” she replied. “Well, I know how much tennis means to you, but the season is just starting, Wes. What happens when it really gets going? I’m worried about your grades.”

  “I know. I’m doing the best I can.”