Love Next Door (Lakeside #1) by Helena Hunting

The server comes over, her face matching Dillion’s in color. She can’t make eye contact with me, and of course, Dillion went to school with her older sister, so that turns into a conversation.

Dinner is full of interruptions from locals who want to talk to Dillion. Between catching up with people she went to high school with and clients of her dad’s, we barely get fifteen minutes to ourselves, and I have no more opportunities for embarrassing PDAs. But watching Dillion in her element is enthralling. She’s charming, charismatic, and nothing like the riled-up woman I was dealing with until last night. She’s fascinating.

After we finish stuffing our faces—Dillion was right, the food is amazing; it’s like a barbecue cookout, but better—she suggests we take a walk on the beach. We’re on the southeast side of the lake, not far from where the beach party took place.

I thread my fingers through hers, and we stroll close to the shore. “So how do you like working for your dad?”

“It’s actually been really good. I sort of expected there to be an adjustment period, being family and his daughter, but it’s been nearly seamless.”

“That’s great. Is it the same thing you were doing in Chicago?” I realize I don’t even know what Dillion’s job was, or is.

She nods. “Project management, yeah. It’s similar, just on a smaller scale. I used to manage projects for a pharmaceutical company. It was pretty impersonal, but the money was good, and at the time, that mattered.”

“Because rent in Chicago isn’t cheap?” I ask.

“Exactly. I actually like this better in a lot of ways. I get to help make connections with other small, independent companies, and I know most of the people who run the businesses in town. It’s great to be able to work with other local businesses instead. Sure, I’m still looking for the best deal so we can keep costs down, but the bottom line isn’t always the most important thing in a place like this.” Dillion motions to the line of shops and restaurants behind us.

“It’ll be harder to find a job like that when you go back to Chicago, won’t it?”

“Probably, yeah.” Dillion has an odd look on her face, but I can’t quite read it. It’s a mixture of hesitation and deep thought.

“I don’t know that it’s going to be much different for me.”

“How do you mean?”

“I took a job for a company that specialized mainly in skyscrapers because I loved designing and the company offered me a great salary. I enjoyed what I did, and the money was a serious perk, but I don’t know that I’d be in love with it the same way I was before I came here.”

Dillion tips her head to the side. “What’s changed for you?”

“I don’t know exactly. Nothing and everything, I guess. It’s just . . . different. It makes me question what the hell the point is when all I’m doing is working to live, rather than living to work. If that makes sense.”

Dillion nods. “I know exactly what you mean. I realized that my whole world revolved around work and work people back in Chicago, but here it’s not the same. There’s something about this place—I don’t know what it is, but aside from the gossip, it’s hard not to love it here.”

“I completely agree. And I’m loving working on Bee’s garage, finding a way to take the existing structure and turn it into a functional living space.”

“You should talk to Aaron or my dad about looking at your plans before you start on that. They’ll be able to make sure you’re adhering to the bylaws.”

“I talked to Aaron about it at the beach party.” The beach becomes progressively more overrun with weeds the closer we get to the beach party’s location. “Why doesn’t this get the same treatment as the beach on the other side of the lake?” I thumb over my shoulder.

“Because the other side is where all the summer homes are. They generate income for the town, so they put more effort into maintaining the beach there.”

Here the tree line isn’t interrupted by as many huge homes and docks with boathouses. “But this side is gorgeous. If the beaches were better taken care of, wouldn’t they be even nicer?”

“Maybe. Probably,” Dillion agrees. “But the locals worry the north side people would take it over like they’ve already done on the other side of the lake.”

“So it’s partly intentional?” I press.

“Yes and no. Obviously we’d love to have a nicer public beach, but it’s what we’re used to, and we can’t afford another marina on this lake, which is probably what would end up happening. It’s just too much pollution, you know? This lake used to be pristine, but as soon as they added the marina on the north side, it changed the entire ecosystem. The town tried to fight against one on the other side of the lake, but obviously we lost. They had the money to make it happen, and they have the money to keep the beach clean and family friendly, so that’s where they put it.”

“Do you think they’d want to use this beach when they already have their own?”

“We just don’t want it to catch anyone’s attention. The summer home boundaries are already creeping to the east and west. We don’t want to lose the entire lake. It’s about maintaining balance. So much of the town is based on tourism, and of course we want to keep that thriving, just not at the expense of the entire community.”