Chapter 2

The Grill came into view as soon as I turned the corner of the dirt road. I had followed Damon's directions and located it easily enough. There wasn't really much else in this part of town besides houses and greenery, so finding the restaurant was a breeze. It looked like a seaside shack that was suited to fit a hundred people. It sat on a dock suspended above the ocean with a blue tin roof. Almost the entire restaurant was open to the outside and judging from the amount of people seated it was popular.

I could smell some kind of meat grilling and it made my stomach rumble despite the trail mix I ate on the walk here. My nerves and anxiety had prevented me from eating a proper meal in days, so I'd have to make sure to do that soon. I felt more relaxed here than I had in years, and it hadn't even been an hour.

There was a window with a sign over it reading 'Take Out' where a young guy was putting carry out containers into a plastic bag. I found the door next to the window and walked inside. I had been right about the entire place being open to the ocean. The only separation that would be possible were plastic curtains that were currently rolled up. I wondered how they kept the business going in the winter when it was cold, but then I spotted a few fireplaces that weren't in use.

A young blonde woman stood at the front desk writing on a map of the restaurant with a dry erase marker. I approached her and said, "Hi, can I speak to Caroline?"

She smiled brightly at me and motioned to her name tag, "That's me. How can I help you?"

"I'm Elena, and I was told that you rent out houses and I'm interested in getting one." I told her, smiling back.

"Oh, yes! Right now I only have one house available, one bedroom and one bathroom and it's kind of a fixer upper, but it'll do in a pinch." She said. "As long as you don't mind some dust and an old beaten path through the woods to get there, it's a nice place."

I laughed a little at her description, thinking that she really didn't know how to talk a place up. Her honesty was refreshing. "That's fine, as long as the rent isn't too expensive."

Caroline untied her apron from around her waist and waved me off, "We can agree on a price once you see it, and don't worry, I won't charge you an arm and a leg. I'm not that mean." She walked around from behind the counter and continued, "It's just right down the road if you don't mind walking. Assuming you're available to look now?"

"Yeah, now is fine. Lead the way." I said, falling into step beside her. She seemed like a very bubbly and exuberant person, two things that my life had been lacking lately. Her bright blonde hair, fair skin, and yellow polo with 'The Grill' written across the pocket reminded me a lot of sunshine. When my hair was blonde, I never felt like sunshine.

As we walked down the pier from where the restaurant was located to the dirt road she asked, "So if you're renting a house are you moving to town or visiting for the summer?"

"Moving. I just got into town this morning and decided to stay." I explained lightly.

"So you just decided to move here? Wow, I wish I was as easy going as that. I'm one of those people that likes to plan everything, down to the very last detail. I could never be spontaneous like that, it would just stress me out. Then if I was stressed out, I'd probably go shopping and blow all my money and soon enough I'd be like, homeless with only my new clothes to console me." She rambled animatedly, waving her hands in the air.

I grinned, "Maybe you could build a house out of all your new clothes? Once you wear them once, they go into building a roof."

She laughed, "Yes! I would the most stylish hobo ever! I'd probably have to prostitute myself in order to afford a meal, but hey, at least I'd look hot doing it!"

A laugh bubbled up before I could stop it, and we were both giggling at the thought. When we both calmed down I said, "But really, I like this town and decided that it would suit me well."

"So where did you hear that I rent houses if you just got to town?" She asked curiously. "I mean, I post fliers around here with my number on it but I haven't put any up lately because it's summer now and all of my properties have been rented out for the season."

I motioned towards the direction Damon's store was in, "Oh, um, I talked to a guy named Damon at a store when I first got here. He told me about you."

She clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle, "So I see you've met Damon."

I raised a brow, "You know him?"

She looked at me pointedly, "This is Bar Harbor. Everyone knows everyone. But Damon…well, he's a special breed of man."

I furrowed my brows, "What do you mean?"

Caroline snorted, "He's freaking gorgeous, that's what I mean! He's slept with just about every girl this town has to offer, and when he got bored with them he resorted to tourists."

"Really?" I frowned, feeling slightly disappointed. It was such an unwarranted feeling, for more reasons than I could count.

She shrugged, "Yeah, he's your typical wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am kind of guy. Or at least he was."

"But he's not anymore?" I questioned, hoping I didn't sound too curious.

Caroline didn't seem fazed in the slightest. "Well, he still is, just not as badly. Ever since he took in the kids he's slowed down quite a bit. They are just about the cutest little things I've ever seen and Damon scored some serious brownie points in my book for taking care of them."

We turned down another dirt road that veered into the woods as I asked, "You mean the little girl that I met in the store?"

"Brown hair and loves the color pink?" Caroline asked. I smiled a bit and nodded. "Yeah, that's Mia. She's four. His nephew Alex is seven."

"Why is he taking care of them?"

Caroline frowned and the expression really didn't fit her bright features, "His brother, their dad, joined the military a few years back and wasn't able to take care of them. Their mother…well, nobody really knows what happened to her, but she isn't in the picture. Damon and his mom take turns caring for them."

That's really…sweet of him. I'm sure a guy in his twenties who was sleeping his way through the population of Maine had better things to do than take care of some kids that weren't even his, but he did it anyways. Even the way I watched him interact with Mia showed that he was great with them and loved having them.

Something stirred inside of me at the thought, warming up my insides. I've always wanted kids, but those dreams had been put on hold when Matt started drinking. Now, I was glad that we never had kids. I couldn't imagine what my life would be like if I had to run away with a child in tow…

Needing to change the subject to distract myself, I asked, "So what about you? Boyfriend? Husband? Kids?"

Her eyes widened and she laughed, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up there. I'm only 24!

I smirked, "So that means you're single as a pringle?"

She burst out in a loud laugh, the sound reverberating through the woods around us. I could already see a house coming up and I was glad that the walk wasn't too far away from the main road. Since I didn't have a car I hoped that I'd be able to walk to whatever place I get a job at.

"Single as a pringle!?" Caroline giggled, wiping away a tear. "That's a new one, but yes, I'm single."

I smiled, "Good. My hometown was one of those places where if you're older than twenty one and single you're considered a spinster, so it's nice to be somewhere normal."

She chuckled, "Yeah, this place is definitely not like that. Here, you're not a spinster until you're twenty two."

I rolled my eyes and she laughed as we climbed the steps to the front porch. Caroline pulled out a set of keys from her khaki shorts and unlocked the old door. The house from the outside looked worn and weathered, but it would be more than enough for now. It had a nice porch with a couple chairs and there was enough privacy that I wouldn't have to worry about prying neighbors.

Caroline pushed the door open and I followed her inside. She waved her hand to clear the dust from the air, coughing a little. "Sorry about the mess, I haven't gotten around to spring cleaning in here yet."

Spring cleaning? It was early May. I think she missed that deadline by a month or two. But as I looked around, I realized that maybe she meant she hasn't gotten around to spring cleaning in five years.

"It's fine, Caroline. I don't mind cleaning." I told her. The kitchen was to the left with dated appliances and shabby white cabinets with a small wooden table sitting just outside the space. A newer looking couch sat against the wooden wall with a worn coffee table and a floor lamp in the corner. An old TV sat on a stand that I doubted worked, but it was worth a try. I probably wouldn't be spending much time indoors anyways.

Caroline led me to a door next to the kitchen and opened it, showing me a dated bathroom with a bathtub shower combo that looked fresh and clean. It had a washer and dryer in it too, which I was happy about since it meant I wouldn't have to find a Laundromat. The bedroom was small just like the rest of the house and Caroline told me that the mattress hadn't been used yet since she bought it a few years ago when the last tenants moved out. She then said that there were sheets and bedding in the closet along with cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink. The more we walked around the more I realized that all this house really needed was a good cleaning to be livable.

We walked back into the main room and Caroline said, "Well, this is it. Feel free to do with it whatever you like, including painting or moving furniture. I know this place is small and older so how does $200 per month sound?"

"That's perfect. I'll take it." I told her with a grateful smile.

She grinned cheerfully and made a small squeal of excitement, "Great!" She handed me the key and said, "Here you go! And by the way, if you're looking for a job I'd be happy to hire you at The Grill. You seem like a really nice person and we could use the help now that it's tourist season."

"Um, actually that would be amazing." I said, a bit bewildered. "You don't need an application or anything?"

She shrugged, "Have you ever worked at a restaurant?"

"I worked as a waitress for a year in high school." I offered.

"Good enough for me!" She beamed. "You can start tomorrow morning at seven."

She made to leave and I smiled, "Thank you so much, Caroline. I really appreciate everything you've helped me with."

She smiled sweetly, "No problem, Elena. I'll see you tomorrow to show you the ropes."

I waved as she bounced down the stairs and disappeared down the path.

First things first, I needed to clean this place up. I looked under the sink in the kitchen and found a half full bottle of bleach in a bucket with some rubber gloves and a scrub brush. I emptied the bucket and put it under the faucet, but when I turned the knob to turn the water on nothing came out and it made a strange noise. I huffed and twisted it off before going into the bathroom and using the bathtub. I guess I'd have to get that fixed soon.

I spent the next few hours cleaning the house from top to bottom. It was a welcome distraction from life, and by the time I was finished it felt much more homey. I had wiped down the furniture and tested the TV and lights, all of which surprisingly worked. I even cleaned the floors and washed the sheets for good measure before making the bed.

It was already nine at night by the time I finished cleaning, took a shower, and ordered some food from The Grill with the old landline phone and phonebook and this house really wasn't looking too bad anymore. It had hot water, a working fridge and stove, and a comfortable bed. I couldn't really ask for more.

When I was cleaned up and ready for bed with a full stomach, I emptied my pillow case onto the bed to see exactly what all Bonnie had packed me aside from the few clothes and soaps I'd already been through. I didn't really have a chance to look before, but she assured me that it was just the things I'd need.

I found two pairs of jean shorts; the pair with white lace around the edges I recognized as the ones Bonnie stole from me in college. I smiled at the memory and put them in a drawer. I put away the four different shirts as well, then I moved the toothbrush and travel sized shampoo and conditioner to the bathroom along with the curling iron Bonnie packed. I have no idea why she felt that was an essential, but I was kind of glad to have it. It kind of made me feel like I didn't just uproot myself from everything I've ever known so abruptly. Like I had been planning to leave, and I packed a curling iron on purpose.

I found a picture of me and Bonnie from our college graduation and I smiled before setting it on the nightstand. I missed those days more than anything, when I didn't have a care in the world other than passing my classes. I finished putting away the last of the things including bras, underwear, a pair of flip flops, and deodorant, then I crawled into bed. The mattress seemed to envelop me in its softness and the sheets wrapped around me, surrounding me in whatever scent the detergent was. It was different from what I was used to, but at this point, different was good. Different was exactly what I needed to move on.

As I drifted to sleep, I prayed that I wouldn't be haunted by the nightmares that were once my reality.