To his right, the Pacific Ocean stretched to the horizon, a never-ending flow of cresting waves making the shoreline boil and froth over the golden sand. A narrow two-lane road separated the homes on The Strand from the beach, a row of houses that seemed to go for miles—modest in comparison to the Malibu mansions, mostly two-story, painted an assortment of pastel colors, and with small front yards.
Jayden had always liked the vibe of the place. It was chill and mainly used by locals. He could see why Hudson had invested in property here when he’d come good with an inheritance a few years ago.
Fishing for the key, Jayden climbed off his bike. He went up five steps to the narrow wooden porch that held nothing more than two soft garden chairs and a wonky table, and unlocked the door.
Once inside, the noise of the ocean dulled, and he paused to look around. It was the first time he’d been in.
To the left of the front door was a huge window that made the most of the westerly ocean view. In front of the window was a small living area containing a dark-green sofa, two faded but comfy-looking red chairs, an empty bookcase, and a brick fireplace that didn’t look as if it had ever been used.
Beyond that was a breakfast bar separating a small but functional kitchen. It wasn’t particularly modern, a bit mismatched, and one of the two black and chrome bar stools had tipped over.
Jayden righted it, then opened the kitchen window to let the sea air in. The place was stale.
Behind the kitchen, reached by a small wood-paneled corridor, was an avocado-green bathroom and two bedrooms. The first bedroom was tiny and held a single bed, a desk, and a wardrobe with one of the doors half off its hinges. He opened the window in that room too.
The other bedroom was a decent size, the width of the house with two windows on either side of the big double bed. Fortunately, both beds were complete with duvets and pillows so he could ignore Hudson’s instructions about making sure there were sheets.
Good.
In the corner of the main bedroom, the roof had leaked. The ceiling was stained as if a coffee cup had sent a dark puddle over it.
“Fuck,” he muttered, spinning his pewter thumb ring. Irritating, but he didn’t think it would take too long to get up on the roof and fix it. A couple of new tiles, nothing more.
Heading back outside, he retrieved a bag of groceries from his bike box. A few basics as Hudson had requested. Bread, milk, eggs, cheese, coffee, and a bunch of bananas. He stowedthe whole lot in the refrigerator except for the coffee, which he set beside a coffee maker and toaster.
Sparking up a smoke, he headed down the side of the house and looked up at the damaged gutter and missing tiles. Country music came from the house next door, and he caught the scent of dinner cooking, something rich and herby.
His stomach rumbled. But before he could think of feeding himself, he needed to get the roof repaired.
A quick root around in a wooden store at the rear and he found what he needed. With no ladder, he flicked his finished smoke to the ground, then dragged a rain barrel below the broken gutter.
The rain barrel took his weight, and he scrabbled onto the roof, hammer, tile, and wedge of tarp in hand.
“Hey! What you doin’?”
Jayden turned at the sound of a high-pitched, indignant voice.
A woman with her hair in twists of rag and sporting a green-goo facemask stared up at him with her hands on her wide hips.
“G’day, ma’am,” he said with a grin. “Just fixing this leaky roof.”
“That ain’t your roof to fix.”
“No, ma’am, it’s not. It’s my boss’s. He sent me to patch it up.”
She eyed him and her lips twisted suspiciously.
“You can call him if you want.”
“I ain’t never seen him here, so how would I know it’s him?”
“I guess he just bought the place as an investment.”
“You living here now?”
“No, ma’am, but someone will be.” He gave a mock salute. “So I’d better get on with my job so the place is watertight.”
“Yeah, well, you should know I have a good memory for faces, and your face and your…” She rubbed her right forearm, indicating his tattoos. “I’d know you again if this place gets turned over.”