The Guest Cottage by Nancy Thayer Read Free Book Online Page B

thing. Let’s try it for a week and then evaluate.”
    “It’s a deal,” Trevor said, and held out his hand.
    Sophie extended her hand to shake. Again, Trevor’s grip was warm and firm, not too hard, not too soft. Like
Goldilocks and the Three Bears,
she thought irrationally: just right.
    Trevor hefted his son in his arms and carried him up to bed. Sophie herded her own two children upstairs, let Jonah choose his room, and agreed to allow Lacey to sleep with her in the big queen bed for this first night. They dragged up their luggage, did a minimal bit of unpacking, and then Sophie supervised Lacey brushing her teeth and nagged Jonah to do the same.
    She returned to the kitchen after tucking her daughter in and calling good night to Jonah through his closed bedroom door. Trevor was already there, feet up on the table, a beer in his hand.
    “Wow,” said Sophie, looking around the tidy kitchen. “You’re fast.”
    “Yeah, it was really hard to put all that stuff in the trash or the fridge.” Trevor held up a bottle. “Have a beer. They’re cold.”
    Sophie hesitated. She never drank beer. She preferred wine, or a vodka tonic on a hot summer day. But she hadn’t brought any liquor with her and she could use a drink right now. “Thanks.” She took a Heineken from the refrigerator.
    “Your kids asleep?” asked Trevor.
    “Lacey is. She was wiped out from all the fresh air and sunshine. But heaven only knows when Jonah will go to bed. He’ll stay up tapping away at his cell phone or his computer until the middle of the night and then he’ll sleep until two in the afternoon.”
    “Typical teenage boy.”
    “And Leo?”
    “He was asleep before his head hit the pillow. I didn’t even make him brush his teeth or use the john. I hope I don’t regret that tomorrow morning.” Trevor quickly added, “He doesn’t wet the bed anymore, but this is an unusual day. And I’ll do all our laundry, of course.”
    “He’s a sweet kid.”
    Trevor leaned his forearms on the kitchen table—he had nice, muscular arms, broad shoulders, and long legs, all in all a spectacular package, Sophie thought. She felt herself blush at the word
package.
When had she gotten so self-conscious, so prudish?
    “Right.” Trevor announced, “Cards on the table. True confession time.” Seeing the confusion on Sophie’s face, he clarified: “I’m not asking for salacious details. I just thought while the children are sleeping we should get a few things out in the open so we don’t make some kind of giant blunder in front of them. I mean, you should probably know Leo’s mother died last fall.”
    “She died?” Sophie’s hand flew to her heart. “Dear Lord. I’m so sorry. Oh, your poor little boy.”
    Trevor nodded. “People keep telling me kids are resilient. Still…Anyway, that’s why I brought him here. I’m kind of hoping summer on the island will help him heal.” He shrugged. “That’s the word the professionals use.
Heal.
”
    “It’s hard to know what to say,” Sophie murmured softly. “It’s a terrible situation. Heartbreaking.”
    Trevor shifted uncomfortably.
    “That puts my problem in perspective,” Sophie admitted. “I’m here because my husband’s in love with another architect, the young and gorgeous Lila.”
    “Ouch.” He blinked. “Are you two splitting up?”
    “Probably. Jonah and Lacey don’t know, by the way. I haven’t told them—I’m not sure what to say. When Susie called me about this house, I jumped at the chance to put some space between me and Zack. We both have a lot to think about.”
    “Are you sad?” Trevor asked, rushing to explain: “I mean, sometimes people feel okay when someone breaks up with them.”
    Sophie looked out at the horizon. “It’s complicated.”
    “Anyway.” Trevor stood up and stretched. “So I guess we know the basics. Tonight went well, and tomorrow’s another day, right? This house is huge. It’s sort of like residing in a hotel but we have to