Healing Haven - Book 2 in Haven Series [Complete]

5| - First Impressions

Alyssa found the cabin easy enough. A sapphire hued beauty nested in a stunning little curve of private beach.

Unloading her things from the SUV, she hauled them in to the bedroom, set them down by the door and sighed. Swinging in to town, she'd picked up the required essentials for Cleo-cat food, litter box and dishes for food and water. Grateful to be out of the carry-on, Cleo stretched, walking along the back of the couch where she curled up, her tail flicking contentedly.

            Stroking a hand across her gorgeous pelt, Alyssa hefted a bag of groceries to the fridge and loaded in the essentials. pleased that the island offered an array of organic produce, she purchased local apples and blueberries, a few heads of kale, some ripe tomatoes, onions, garlic, a bag of milk, stick of butter, a dozen eggs-free-range of course, and, lastly, two bottles of wine. One red and one white.

            Tomorrow she'd visit the butcher and get her hands on lean cuts of beef and some fresh sea food. She was by the coast, after all, and Haven was bound to have exceptional assortment of fish. The space was small and the appliances dated, but she'd manage well enough on her own. She liked to cook. Enjoyed the process of being in the kitchen. All the tastes and textures and smells.

            Perhaps the one thing she'd shared in common with their mother. A weird ache filled her and even after three years since she'd passed, Alyssa wasn't entirely sure how she felt about the whole matter. A massive rift had formed in their relationship somewhere around the time Alyssa had turned twenty-seven.

            The age when the blinders had come off and a lot of things Alyssa had excused or refused to acknowledge in her youth were suddenly impossible to ignore. Or brush off. Years of repressed resentment flooded her in an instant, compelled by some stupid, stray remark. And just like that-the flood gates had opened.

Things had never been the same for her again.

            They had never had what one would call a big family. Only one aunt to speak of, a single cousin. Annelise and Alyssa had never known their father's side of the family-or even who their father was, aside from the last name they shared: Sloane. A single set of grandparents who lived in another country and passed away sometime when Alyssa and Annelise had started high school.

            They'd only ever always had each other...

            Alyssa shrugged off her melancholy mood, popping open the bottle of red and poured out a coffee mug full-since the cupboard didn't have much of anything else by the way of stemware. She'd rectify that later-maybe tomorrow, and pick up some inexpensive glasses. If she was going to be here for three months, in self-imposed exile, Alyssa intended to be comfortable.

            There was no television, she mused, exhaling heavily. Odd, considering the place was owned by a man, but then supposed that if he only came here to write, a TV would pose a major distraction and likely get in the way of accomplishing that task.

            But there was an impressive array of CD's lined up in a tall glass fronted case. Marshall had good taste, she thought, perusing the selection. Alyssa skimmed her finger along the slender spines until she found something that sparked an interest.

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            Exhausted, Ethan slunk into the driver's seat of his rover, slammed the door behind him. Fucking hell the day had been brutal. Between the lawyer twisting his balls and handling a couple of pretty distressed parents, he was mentally and emotionally drained.

            Priya Singh had taken the falling of the hammer hard. And it had hurt him, too, to drop it so heavy. But setting his personal sympathies aside, the girl had made poor choice in the company she'd kept and actions had consequences. Ji Kim was following through with pressing charges, and rightly so. Ethan had promised to see the little shits paid, only he hadn't banked on the ringleaders wiggling out of his fist so quickly.