Into the Fog (Fisher's Bay 1) ✅

The Mysteries of the House of Johansen

Nadia felt better as she walked into Mr. Nichols' office despite the strangeness of the town. Her chat with Chloe had her less on edge. It wasn't like it mattered all that much what the town thought of her. They didn't even know her.

It was about time she regained her damn backbone.

And even though she seemed a bit starved for new friends, Chloe appeared genuinely warm. Someone that Nadia could actually become friends with. Regardless, she was grateful for the help in going through her grandmother's things and trying to decide if she wanted to stay in Fisher's Bay or sell off the house and property and go back to Boston. Or somewhere else.

Or maybe Nadia could turn it into an AirBnb. Something to consider, but only after she figured out just how much the upkeep and taxes would be. And if there even was even a need in the town for an AirBnB. Judging from her conversation with Chloe, it didn't exactly appear that way.

Christ, there was a lot she needed to figure out. If Nadia decided to stay, even with the money her grandmother had left her, she knew she'd need a job at some point in the not-too-distant future. Which meant she would need to figure out just what the town had to offer in the way of a job market. From what she had seen, there wasn't much outside of fishing and the few shops, stores, and restaurants, though Chloe had mentioned a small weekly paper.

Or maybe Nadia could get a remote job? Shit, did she even want to stay?

"Miss Johansen?" an elderly secretary said from behind her desk, peering up at her through thick glasses.

The woman didn't come off as outright antagonistic like others, but she definitely looked as though she didn't smile very often. Nadia couldn't help but respect that.

"Uh, yea. That's me," she replied.

"He's waiting for you. You can go on in," the woman said, motioning towards the slightly open door to her right as she turned her attention back to whatever she had been working on before.

Nadia walked over, peering in to see an older man sitting at a large desk and bent over an opened file. The office was tidy and well-organized though the desk was cluttered. There was a large bookshelf filled with books and files. Mr. Nichols looked up as she stepped into his office and smiled tiredly at her, standing from his chair. He was much taller than Nadia was expecting and much more... rugged.

For some reason, she pictured a short, bald man with wire-rim glasses and loafers.

Mr. Nichols was far from bald and not nearly as old - maybe late 40s or early 50s, at her best guess. His hair was slightly long and dark, curled around his ears. He had a bit of scruff on his cheeks and chin, though it wasn't enough to qualify as a beard. From what she could tell, under his plaid flannel the lawyer was also in incredible shape and looked as though he should be out chopping wood rather than overseeing the wills and estates of little old ladies.

If Nadia were into older men, her mouth would probably be watering about now. In fact, she knew her best friend Lara would definitely be into Mr. Nichols. He looked like he could be on the covers of the books that her roommate left scattered around the apartment.

"Nadia, thanks for stopping by," he said, walking around the desk with his hand out, his deep voice rumbling through the room. "I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances."

"It's fine, I'm grateful for all your help," Nadia said politely as she shook his hand, finding it completely engulfed her much smaller one and seemed to radiate an almost unnatural heat.

He didn't let go for a moment, openly staring at her with something akin to awe in his eyes. Yet again, Nadia wanted to squirm. Would everyone in this damn town stare at her? At least he didn't appear angry. She supposed that was a win.