Hummingbird Cove Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copywrite

  Dedication

  By Giselle Fox

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  More

  Hummingbird Cove

  by Giselle Fox

  No part of this e-book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews. Please note that piracy of copyright materials is illegal and directly harms the author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are a product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  © 2019 Giselle Fox - All Rights Reserved

  Dedication

  To true love, respect, passion and fire.

  To sauciness, romance, fairy tales and happy endings.

  To my beautiful wife; the embodiment of sexy and the greatest inspiration I could ever have.

  Books by Giselle Fox:

  Standalone Novels:

  Falling for Lucky

  Rock Candy

  Rare and Beautiful Things

  Slow Burn in Tuscany

  Novellas:

  Year of the Kiss

  The Sun Catcher Trilogy:

  Sun Catcher Book One

  Sun Catcher Book Two

  Sun Catcher Book Three

  Claire and the Lady Billionaire:

  An ongoing series of steamy contemporary lesbian romance.

  Part One

  Part Two

  Part Three

  Part Four

  Part Five

  Part Six

  Part Seven

  Part Eight

  Part Nine

  Giselle Fox Amazon Author Page

  Giselle Fox on Twitter

  Gisellefox.com

  CHAPTER ONE

  It was only 5 am, but the sun was already showing on the farthest edges of the horizon. Keira cut the engine of her boat and let it bob gently on the glassy inlet. “Ready for some ho-cho?”

  Noah, the little boy, was wrapped up in his fuzzy blanket. One of his long, bare legs peeked out from the bottom wrapped in his neoprene boot with the little hockey sticks on them. He was getting so tall, he could almost touch the floor.

  He’d been quieter than usual that morning. Like he knew something serious was happening, despite the story his mother had been telling him. “Is there an ocean in Kelowna?” he asked.

  Keira turned her head so that Noah wouldn’t see the tears that were welling in her eyes. “Uh, no, but there’s a big lake. It’s beautiful. I’m sure your mom will take you there.”

  “She said my dad has a boat.”

  “Oh? I wonder what kind.”

  Noah looked around him. His little mouth grew tighter. “I don’t care,” he mumbled.

  Keira sat down beside him. “Maybe he’ll take you fishing.”

  “I don’t want to go fishing.” He tucked his head into Keira’s arm. “I don’t want to go to Kelowna.”

  “I don’t want you to go either, buddy.”

  “Why can’t you come?”

  Why? Keira asked. How could she explain it? That his mother had fallen out of love with her, that perhaps she had never been in love with her, or had never stopped loving his father. “I just can’t. This is something your mom has to do.”

  “But I don’t, do I?”

  “I’m so sorry, Noah. You have to go with her, that’s just the way things work.” She put her arms around him and bit the inside of her cheek so she wouldn’t sob. It didn’t work. The tears streamed, anyway.

  “Will you come visit me?”

  “Of course, I will. Just tell your mom you want me come and I’ll be right there, okay?”

  “Can you come now?”

  Keira shook her head. She knew the answer, knew what Colton, the boy’s father, had already demanded she stay away until Noah got settled into his new home. She wasn’t stupid. She knew what he was trying to do even if he wouldn’t say it.

  She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her jacket. “You’re going to start school in eight weeks. Are you excited?”

  “No.”

  “No? I loved school. That’s where you get to learn all sorts of cool stuff.”

  Noah looked up into her eyes for a moment and then shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Keira pulled him onto her lap and wrapped him in her arms. “We’re both really sad right now. Maybe we’ll just sit and have a hug.”

  The sun was coming up. Red, purple, and orange glows swirled in the sky. Noah slipped his hand into hers. The sun lifted itself over the mountains and trees in the east. “I want you to remember something,” Keira whispered.

  “What?” Noah whimpered. He was crying, his face buried in his fuzzy blanket.

  “I love you, no matter what. You’re my favorite thing.” She hugged him tighter. “You’re the best. I love you, okay?”

  “Okay.” He turned himself around on her lap. He threw his little arms around her and held on tight. “I love you, too.”

  “I know you do. I can feel it.” Her heart felt like it was breaking in half. She wanted to scream, but she took deep breaths and tried to hold it together, for him. “Hey, here it comes.” She pointed up into the sky as the big orange ball rose up over the mountains. “It’s going to be a beautiful day.”

  “No, it’s not,” Noah moaned.

  “Oh, but it is. You’re going to see your dad, and he’s going to be so happy to see you.”

  “Does he like hockey?”

  “I’m sure he likes hockey, but if he doesn’t, you make sure you tell him why he should.”

  “Okay.”

  They sat a little while longer, watching the sunrise without caring, as their final moments rushed past. Keira never thought it would ever come to that; that she would ever have to say goodbye.

  She took the long way back to the dock. She passed by the rocks behind the point in case the family of sea lions were there, but they weren’t. They saw a pod of orcas far in the distance and stopped to look at them through the binoculars, but they were both only pretending to be interested to waste time.

  When they got back to the dock, Ryan was already there with his water taxi.

  Sydney gave her a look like she was going to make a comment about being late, but she stopped herself when she saw that Noah had been crying. She bent down and hugged him. “We’ll stop at Tim Horton’s when we get to the mainland.”

  Noah shrugged. The promise of donuts usually lit him up but not this time. Keira wiped her eyes again. “Call me when you get there, so I know everything’s okay.”

  “Everything will be okay.” She looked down at Noah and gave him an abrupt pat on the back. Noah pushed her hand away.

  Sydney turned to Keira and gave her a look. “Maybe you should go up.”

  Keira shook her head. “No. I want to be here.” Leaving them would make things easier for Sydney, but she wasn’t about to give her that satisfaction. How would Noah feel when every other time he’d gone anywhere she’d stayed on the
dock until she couldn’t see him anymore?

  Noah ran to her and hugged her while Ryan loaded the rest of their bags into the boat. Keira bent down and touched her forehead to his. “Remember what I said, okay? I love you. Be good. Listen to your mom and call me whenever you want to. I’ll come whenever you need me.”

  Sydney threw her another look. It wasn’t part of the agreement, but Keira didn’t care about that anymore. “Maybe in a few months, we’ll come back for a visit,” Sydney said.

  “Don’t lie to him,” Keira whispered.

  “Don’t tell me how to talk to my son,” Sydney hissed back.

  My son. Sydney wielded those words like an axe. Keira stepped back. Making Sydney angry wouldn’t help anything. She had to stay calm. Ryan gave her a sympathetic look.

  “Time to go or we’ll be late,” Sydney announced in her fake cheery voice. She rubbed Noah’s back too hard again. Noah looked back at Keira. “Take care of my fort.”

  “I will buddy. It’ll be right here when you come back.”

  “We’ll build you a new fort in Kelowna,” his mother said.

  “I don’t want a new fort. I like mine.”

  She lifted him into the boat and then gave Keira a final look.

  “Call me, please,” Keira begged.

  Sydney didn’t respond. Silence was another one of her weapons, and the blow made Keira feel like she could die. She watched them round the point. She stayed there on the dock, listening for the engine long after it had faded into nothing. Then, she fell to her knees and cried in the silence of a perfect summer morning.

  CHAPTER TWO

  March, nine months later…

  Daisy Hunter pulled into her private spot and slid her Mercedes into park. Her brother’s red BMW was sitting in the spot to her left. The spots belonging to her mother and father were empty and would be for another two weeks. She grabbed her briefcase and purse from the passenger side and stepped out under the overhang. It was raining; the kind of rain that obscured the million-dollar view of downtown Vancouver from her family’s North Shore office.

  “Good morning, Ms. Hunter,” the receptionist said as she walked into the office.

  Smart girl, Daisy thought. “Good morning, Carrie.”

  “Mr. Hunter is setting up in the boardroom. Can I get you a coffee?”

  “Yes, please. Black.”

  She walked through, pausing at the doorway of her mother’s office long enough to notice the orchid on the window ledge was showing signs of neglect. She found her brother in the boardroom, struggling with the projector screen.

  “Like this,” she said, stepping in to help.

  “I tried that,” he muttered.

  Daisy gave it a firm tug and found the sweet spot where the screen held. “There we go.”

  “Thanks.” He gave her a peck on the cheek and regarded her outfit with a smirk. “You’re looking well.”

  “Likewise. Love the new suit.”

  His eyes dropped appreciatively to the floor. “Love the shoes.” He’d always had impeccable taste in footwear. “How’s Yaletown?”

  “Busy. Things seem quiet here.”

  “Always are when mom and dad are away. I’ve been able to get work done.”

  Carrie appeared with a carafe and two mugs. “I made a fresh pot.”

  Colin pointed to his mug on the boardroom table. “I’ll take more.”

  “The orchid in my mother’s office needs water,” Daisy said. “Could you take care of that?”

  “Right away,” Carrie replied and shut the door behind her.

  Daisy pulled out a chair and sat down. “So… you rang?”

  “I did. You remember the Cortes Island development?”

  “I do.”

  “Well, we’re looking at its neighbor, Read Island.” He clicked his projector on. An aerial photograph of a small and densely forested island popped on screen.

  Daisy smiled. “Go on.”

  “It’s remote, beautiful, accessible by boat only. It’s in a rain shadow. Bursting with sea life. A diver’s paradise. They say if you drop a hook, you’ll catch something in minutes.”

  “Sounds nice. So what?”

  Colin moved to the next slide—a grid of images showing a stretch of undeveloped coastline that wrapped into a protected cove. At the point, yellow sandstone boulders piled down from the forest to the water. Above, in a protected nook beyond the point, stood a modern glass and timber home.

  “Nice. Reminds me of the Newberg residence,” Daisy said.

  “Good eye. It’s the same architect. This is Hummingbird Cove. South facing. Warm ocean currents. Boat only access except for a private path that connects to the main road. Eight-hundred meters of pristine coastline. In a word, paradise.”

  Daisy focused in on a rotting A-frame hidden in the trees on the other side of the cove. “What’s with the horror story beside it?”

  “That mess that has been on the market for years. No sun. No road. No power. Runs on a wood stove, a propane generator, and a compost toilet. As you can see…” he flipped the slide to a close-up of the cabin showing a broken window patched with duct tape and a healthy line of ferns springing from a saggy rain gutter. “It’s a teardown.”

  Daisy knew where Colin was going. “Could you build a road?”

  “With a barge full of dynamite, maybe, but only if the property extended far back enough to reach the highway which it doesn’t.”

  “So the only way in or out is by water or the private road next door-”

  “Nuh, uh. It’s not a road, at least not anymore. It’s only wide enough for an ATV, and according to our contact, the gates at the highway are always locked. The owner is serious about her privacy.” Colin flipped to the next slide of a tall metal gate.

  “At the moment, Read Island is a complete pain in the ass to get to. But as of two weeks ago, BC Ferries have announced plans to extend their service.” He flipped to a slide of an island car-ferry docking at a small terminal. “We’ve been lobbying for it, of course. This…” he flashed a slide of another section of coastline. “This is Province-owned land just around the point from Hummingbird Cove. This is where we want the new ferry to dock.”

  “So you can develop the cove.”

  “So I can develop the cove,” Colin repeated.

  Daisy focused her attention back on the glass and timber home. “Who owns the big house?”

  “Title is listed under a numbered corporation, but the woman that had it built is named Keira Maitland.”

  Daisy made a note of it. “What do we know about her?”

  “Not much. Keeps to herself. Doesn’t exist on social media. No family.”

  “Strange.”

  “Agreed, but look where she lives. She’s a recluse. Only goes to town for special events. Doesn’t talk to anyone. Lesbian.”

  Daisy’s ears pricked up. “How do you know she’s a lesbian?”

  “That’s the story from the neighbor.”

  “The guy that owns the teardown?”

  Colin nodded

  “She doesn’t go out? Where does she buy food?”

  “I’m assuming she takes her own boat over to Vancouver Island. She has a slip at the marina in Campbell river. She also has a contract with the guy who owns the water taxi. His name is Ryan. Cute.”

  “Is she weird?”

  “The neighbor seems to think so, but he’s… maybe not the best judge.” He smiled.

  “What do you know about him?”

  “Kirby Brock and his brother, Colton, own the cabin. Their grandfather bought the property for nothing way back when. Sold off parcels bit by bit to the neighboring family who lived on the mainland and never developed. The Brocks hung on to the one section of waterfront. Kirby has some strange ideas about what used to belong to his family, but the records show otherwise. Keira Maitland bought the whole parcel from his neighbor six years ago. Kirby’s fishing business isn’t what it used to be and now he’s eager to sell. We’re not buying unless Maitland sell
s, too.”

  “Is anyone living in the cabin now?”

  “It’s been empty since last summer. He’s asking more than it’s worth, which isn’t much without the rest of the cove.”

  “How much does she own?”

  “All this…” He slid his finger along the map until it curled around the eastern point. “Everything you see to the left is Crown owned or managed by the conservancy.”

  “So if the rumors about the ferry are true, what’s the timeline for service?”

  “Next summer, with any luck. And when it happens, Hummingbird Cove will become one of the most desirable locations on the West Coast.” He flipped the last slide to a full-scale development that rendered the entire cove unrecognizable.

  Daisy smiled. “That’s a big plan, Colin.”

  “It’s just a mock-up. Phase one has commercial and residential, phase two a shopping center, art gallery, playing field. Then a library, and a school. Think of what it’ll do for the local economy.”

  Daisy smiled. Colin loved saying things like that. “I assume you’ve tried talking to Keira Maitland?”

  “I have, and so has every other developer in BC. She’s had it. As you can see from the shots from our last drone, she has a very long middle finger.”

  Daisy chuckled. So did her brother.

  “I don’t blame her,” he went on. “Anyone who can afford a place like that doesn’t need a cash incentive.”

  “Is she a conservationist?”

  “She’s not involved with the island conservancy, which is… interesting. My guess is that she’s there because she likes her privacy.”

  Daisy focused on the image. “She has it.”

  “She certainly does.”

  “So, why do you want me?”

  “I need your powers of persuasion. Kirby Brock has graciously offered the use of his cabin, waiving his usual vacation fee.”

  Daisy grimaced. “Is there nowhere else?”

  “Not if you want access to Maitland. There’re no roads into the cove, remember, and she doesn’t take kindly to trespassers.”