Always had been.
Always would be.
He’d been back in Magnolia Sound for two weeks, but as far as his family knew, he’d just gotten in. It wasn’t like he had set out to lie to anyone, but his reasons for being here weren’t something he was particularly proud of. No doubt once word got out, all the old labels would get slapped back on him.
Hell-raiser.
Wild child.
Just like his old man.
Yeah, that last one burned the most.
Austin was nothing like his old man—mainly because he actually came back to Magnolia and his family.
Just…not under the best of circumstances.
Good ol’ Pops had made it possible for Austin and his brothers to go to college, and Austin swore he’d make something of himself—and he had. Becoming an architect required hard work and made him focus on something other than his anger at the world. After he graduated college and joined a large commercial firm up in Baltimore, he felt like he reinvented himself.
Unfortunately, there was still a bit of wildness in him and it usually came out at the wrong time or on the wrong person—or both.
The sound of footsteps had him turning and Austin smiled as his cousin Sam Westbrook walked across the yard.
“The prodigal son returns,” Sam said, grabbing Austin in a headlock like he used to do when they were kids. Sam was almost six years older and Austin grew up idolizing him. This was the first time they’d seen each other in years and it felt good to be on more equal footing with him.
“Hey, Sam,” Austin said, shaking his hand once he got free of the headlock and smoothed his dark hair.
“Your mom mentioned you were coming back to town, but I wasn’t sure you’d be able to make it today.”
Austin slid his hands into his pockets. “Yeah, well…it’s been a long time and I figured it would be good to see everyone.”
Nodding, Sam studied him. “So how’ve you been? How long are you here for?”
Good question…
“I’m doing well,” he replied and contemplated how much to say about his stay in town. “And I’m actually here working on a house for a friend.”
“Really? That’s awesome! How did that come about?”
“I was hanging out with a buddy of mine from college along with his older brother and the subject turned to beach houses. So, of course, I mentioned how I grew up in a beach town—or near one,” he corrected, since his family lived on the outskirts of town, on the other side of the bridge.
Sam nodded.
“Anyway, Ryder’s some sort of big-shot financial guy—like an investor. Anyway, we were all hanging out one night and Ryder was talking about wanting a place at the beach that wasn’t too touristy and I mentioned Magnolia to him. Next thing I know, he’s buying a place.”
“Wow,” Sam said. “And Ryder’s the older brother?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s great, but…if he’s got money, why buy here? I mean, of all the coastal towns he could pick from, why here? It’s a small town.”
“This is what he wanted,” Austin explained. “He didn’t want to be in a big city or some big vacation destination, so…here we are.”
“So you designed the house and he bought land to build it on?”
“No, he bought a place right on the beach, but it needs a lot of work. He has a crew coming to do all the exterior stuff, but I designed the interior stuff. You know, tearing everything down to the studs and going from there.”
Sam nodded again. “And you’re overseeing it all? Like making sure it’s all done right?”
“Uh…not exactly,” Austin said, raking a hand through his dark hair. “I’m doing the bulk of the work myself.”
The look of shock on Sam’s face spoke volumes.
“I was bored sitting behind a desk all day and just walking around job sites or sitting in the construction trailer. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten my hands dirty and this seemed like a great job to take on.”
“Mm-hmm…”
There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that his cousin wasn’t quite buying it.
“The timing works in my favor too,” he went on. “It’s not quite tourist season yet so I’m not stuck dealing with the crowds or worrying too much about the noise.”
“No neighbors around?”
“There are a few,” Austin replied. “But I don’t think it’s a problem. The couple in the house on the left stopped by and introduced themselves. They only come out on the weekends.”
“And the house on the right?”
He shrugged. “No idea. I saw a woman out on the deck once but haven’t seen her since. And I thought I saw a car in the driveway a few days ago, but it’s gone now too, so…”
“If it gets noisy enough, I’m sure you’ll hear from someone,” Sam said with a short laugh. “Trust me. I do landscaping and it seems someone always has something to say about the noise.”
“Personally, I don’t think I’ve been that bad, plus most of the stuff I’ve done has been inside. It’s not like I’m working on the exterior of the house. How bad could it be?”
Sam just shook his head and laughed. “You’d be surprised what’s bad to some people.”
“I guess.”
“What’s your timeframe like?”
“Ryder’s not in a rush. He wants it done right.”
“And your job back in Baltimore? Are they just willing to wait for you or did something happen there that you don’t want to talk about?”
Austin let out a quiet snort.
And if anyone understood him, it was Sam. They were alike in a lot of ways and their rebellious nature was one of them. So rather than answer, he just changed the subject slightly.
“The good thing about this job is it kills two birds with one stone. I get a break from my normal routine and I can spend some time with my mom and hopefully get to see Garrett and Jackson at some point. Once we all left for college, it seems like it’s been impossible to get us in the same place at the same time except for random holidays or weddings. Any chance either of them is here for this?”
A bark of laughter was Sam’s first response. “Dude, it’s my mom’s birthday and a small family barbecue. It’s not like this is anything big. Just your average family get-together.”
With a shrug, he chuckled. “I figured it couldn’t hurt to ask.” He looked toward the big house again. “The place really does look great. Pops would be proud.”
Sam glanced at the house and nodded. “Well, Coleman Construction really did a wonderful job of freshening everything up without changing anything. And honestly, it was because Jake was the lead on the job. I think because he essentially grew up coming over here and was so close to Pops, he didn’t want to see it change much either.”
Austin nodded. Every now and again he felt a twinge of jealousy toward Jake Summerford. Pops had left him the construction business—something Austin would have loved to have for himself. Of course, at the time of his great-grandfather’s death, he was heading to college and far too young to head up a massive business. But sometimes it still burned.