“That’s pretty cool. And you can walk to work.”

He laughed. “Yes, I think that was part of the attraction for my grandfather in giving us all these cottages, since we all work for the hotel in one capacity or another.”

He walked past the first two cottages and stopped at the third. They all had farmer’s porches out front. “This is mine.”

He opened the front door and they stepped inside. It had a strong beachy feel with light, wide hardwood floors, and lots of white and navy blue everywhere. The sofa in the living room was a deep navy with yellow and white pillows and it looked very comfortable. There was also a well-worn brown leather recliner facing the television. Bella guessed that was Nick’s usual spot.

She followed him through the living room and into the kitchen, which was bright and airy and opened into an eating nook that faced the ocean. It was in the distance, but she could still make out a sliver of blue water. The kitchen had a commercial look to it, with lots of stainless steel and poured gray cement counter tops. The stove was the centerpiece of the room with six burners and a double oven.

Nick opened the sliding glass doors that led to his back patio where his grill was. There was also a round glass-topped table and four padded chairs that looked comfortable and well-used. She hoped they’d be eating there tonight.

“So, this is my house. There are two bedrooms and a bath upstairs. It’s small, but it’s all I need.”

“I don’t think it’s small. It seems perfect to me.” Bella loved the feel of the cottage. It was casual and relaxing and cozy all at once.

“I hope you’re hungry. We have a lot of fish. I could freeze some of it, actually. But then you’d have to come back to help me eat it.”

Bella laughed. “I’m very happy to do that. Can I help you do anything?”

Nick thought for a moment. “I could put you on salad duty. You can throw some lettuce in a bowl and cut up a few vegetables.”

“I can do that.”

They went back into the kitchen and Nick showed her where everything was. While she was working on the salad, he put the fish and some asparagus on the grill after adding the fresh dill to the marinade. Once the fish was cooking, he came back inside. “Are you ready for some wine? I’m going to have a beer.” She nodded and he poured her a glass while she finished chopping vegetables for the salad.

When everything was ready, they ate outside, and Bella thought it might be the best fish she’d ever had. Nick smiled when he saw her expression after she took her first bite.

“The fish is okay?” he asked.