Page 7 of The Summer We Kept Secrets (The Destin Diaries #4)

She clicked through the photos of a house built in the 1990s but clearly remodeled and clean. A little yard—she could get a dog!—and not terribly far from the beach. Not on the beach, of course, but that would be asking too much.

An unexpected thrill danced over her as she scrolled through pictures, already in love with the seafoam green trim and the coastal vibe. The price? Okay, a tiny bit north of what she should pay, but maybe she could swing it.

A box highlighted on the listing got her attention. Open House!

And the date was…today. Now, in fact—well, 3:00 to 5:00 P.M.

She checked the time and got a little jolt that this might just be kismet.

“I have twenty-seven minutes,” she muttered just as the bathroom door opened.

“To do what?” Lacey asked, tugging at a towel wrapped around her torso.

Tessa looked up, her mind going blank. Lacey would not be happy if she left the Summer House—she’d join Vivien in a chorus of “you belong here” when everyone knew she most certainly did not.

“To get a proposal out for a new client,” she said smoothly, pushing up and pointing at Lacey with the hand that held the phone. “Hair and makeup is a ten, Lace. Roman’s going to swoon.”

She smiled her thanks. “It’s our last date for a while.”

“Until you go on your East Coast jaunt,” Tessa said. “And, yes, you should take time off, but only if you promise to tell me everything when you get back. When are you leaving?”

“I’m staying here an extra day because Meredith is coming, so I can go with you to meet with the retirement party client on Wednesday, have dinner with Meredith, and leave the next day,” she said. “But after that, I’m off. Are you sure that’s okay?”

“Yes,” she said simply. “Follow your heart and go fall in love with the man of your dreams.” She lifted a brow. “He is, isn’t he?”

“Yep.” Lacey beamed at her, clutching the towel with one hand and reaching toward Tessa with the other. “Thank you. I love you.”

Tessa squeezed her tight, then leaned back, her mind on the open house she now had less than twenty-three minutes to make.

“Same, sweet girl. I gotta go.” She planted a kiss on Lacey’s head and took off. She only realized she still had the diary in her hand when she got in her car.

Oh, well. Maybe it would bring her good luck.

The longer she drove through Destin and along the stunning coastline that was Henderson Beach State Park, the more Tessa had to ask herself a critical question.

Could she really give up living on—or at least near—the beach? Could she stand to know that the Gulf was right there and she couldn’t see it?

Maybe, maybe not. But she had to start her house hunt somewhere, and this one was cute.

But it wasn’t fifteen minutes, not in late Sunday afternoon beach traffic. She arrived at the address on Sunsail Circle at 5:20 and didn’t see an “Open House” sign anywhere. There was no car in the driveway, and no happy Realtor named…

She squinted at her phone.

Lorna Gonzalez.

She took a moment to drink in the house, which was oozing with curb appeal and glimmering with a fresh coat of white paint and seafoam green trim that just grabbed her heart.

A swing hung from sturdy chains beneath the shaded front porch, creating a moment of welcome, as Vivien would say. The front yard was perfectly landscaped: neat shrubs, low palms, and a stone path edged with shell gravel.

Come in , it called to her. Make me your home.

Maybe Lorna was inside, cleaning up from the appetizers and drinks that any good agent would serve at her open house even though there was no other car in the driveway. Maybe someone was picking her up later.

Or maybe Tessa was late, and this wasn’t meant to be.

Still, she optimistically added a little lip gloss and fluffed her hair. Looking down at her shorts and T-shirt, she hoped she looked like a legit buyer. If not, she’d call and make an appointment, because this house had potential with a capital po .

Walking up to the front door, she took a breath and hoped for the best. Then she knocked once, waited.

The door swung open to reveal the silhouette of a tall man, easily over six feet, with a silver beard and black-rimmed glasses.

“You are not Lorna,” she said with a dry laugh.

“You just missed her,” he replied, regarding her intently. “Potential buyer?”

“I hope to be. Are you…”

“The owner,” he finished, rubbing a hand through salt-and-pepper hair. “I don’t think I’m supposed to talk to you.”

She laughed lightly. “The real estate gods will strike us down?”

He smiled. “Something like that.”

“I understand,” she said, unable to resist glancing behind him and seeing…

homey beauty. “I guess I’ll call Lorna and set something up…

but…” She winced and caught the edge of kitchen perfection just past his arm.

“I’m here right now and…we could just pretend we didn’t talk.

” She lifted her chin and pinned her gaze on him.

“I’m a very serious buyer and I would love to see the place. ”

He studied her for a minute, the hint of a smile threatening under that beard. “Cash serious?”

“Not quite, but qualified for a fast mortgage.” She hoped. Smiling, she reached out her hand. “My name is Tessa Wylie and I’m currently?—”

“Wait. What? Who?” He drew back. “Tessa Wylie? Like from…the Lawson clan in the summers?”

Her jaw dropped. “Do I know you?”

“Knew,” he corrected, inviting her in. “Dusty Mathers. You knew me as Dustin, but my wife decided I could not be Dr. Dustin from Destin.”

She held up both hands, trying to catch her breath at this news. “Dustin Mathers? Are you kidding me?”

He laughed and reached out both arms for a friendly hug. “I should have recognized you, Tessa. Still a knockout.”

“I’m stunned!” she said, giving his broad shoulders a squeeze. “What are the chances of running into you? This is your house?”

“The chances of running into me in Destin are pretty high, since I’ve lived here my entire life. And, yes, this is my house, unless you want to buy it. Come on in, Tessa. Would you like something to drink? Or look around first?”

“I’ll look around in a minute,” she said, studying him long enough to catch a shadow of the boy she remembered.

She could see the twinkle in his brown eyes, and remembered he was tall, but beyond that?

She’d have never recognized this man with distinguished hair and a silver close-cropped beard wearing a blue-checked button-down and khaki shorts as?—

Wait. Did he say… “ Doctor Dustin Mathers?”

He chuckled at the sound of disbelief in her voice. “Right? Somebody got his act together. I have a PhD in counseling psychology. Some might call me a shrink.”

He guided her into the kitchen, which was beautiful and freshly remodeled. But her interest in the house waned at the unexpected reunion with an old friend.

“But I only shrink problems, not heads,” he added, because Tessa was still struck speechless. “Iced tea or something stronger?”

“Tea’s great.” She sat on a barstool at a white quartz-covered island, watching him open the fridge and get out two glasses. “And color me surprised that the original wild child of our beach summers chose such a calm and nurturing profession.”

He poured two tall glasses over ice and glanced up at her.

“My wild days are over,” he said, the tiniest note of sadness in his voice.

“What brings you to Destin—and in the house market, no less? There’s no way you’ve been around all these years and I didn’t know it.

Sooner or later, I meet everyone or hear about them in my office. ”

She took the glass he offered with a nod of thanks. “I came back a few months ago and ended up living temporarily in the same place, with the Lawsons, too.”

“Seriously? That place was small.”

“It’s not anymore. Last year, Maggie—you remember her?”

“With fear and trembling,” he said as he slipped onto the stool next to hers, lifting his glass for a toast. “To old friends.”

“Careful how you use that word,” she teased, tapping his glass with hers.

“Old or friends?”

She laughed at the quick comeback. “Nothing wrong with being friends, which we were.”

“We were, and, good gracious, if you’re old, Tessa, I’ll take whatever magic pill you’re popping.”

She sipped and smiled at him over the rim of her glass.

“Anyway, Maggie had the whole place razed. She rebuilt a breathtaking mansion on the beach. Eli’s the architect who designed it, Vivien is staging it, and somehow we all ended up there.

” She shook her head, hoping he didn’t want details of how she’d ended up there—the squatter story wasn’t her proudest moment.

“I’m sure you’d notice it if you go down Gulf Shore Drive. ”

“I’m never over there,” he said. “You kind of have to know someone just to get on that street, right?”

“It is off the beaten path, but now it’s quite crowded with Lawsons and Wylies. Like old times.”

“Must be fun,” he said. “And did you say Eli’s an architect? I always admired that guy so much. Isn’t his dad an architect?”

“Was. He’s been gone many years. My dad, too.”

He grunted and made a face. “Oh, I liked your father. Mr. Artie, I called him. Great guy. I’m sorry.”

How sweet of him to say that, and to remember her father’s name. “We just had a celebration of life for him out on the Gulf.”

“That’ll do a lot to heal your hurt,” he said.

She inched back, lifting an eyebrow. “Is it that obvious?”

“I do a lot of grief counseling,” he explained.

“Ahh. Well, you definitely want to come and see us then,” she said, thinking of Jonah but opting not to dive into that right then. Instead, she glanced around. “You mentioned your wife? Is she here? I’d love to meet her.”

Once again, his expression softened. Saddened, even. “Not for two years,” he said. “My wife Kelly passed away.”

“Oh, Dusty.” She reached out and put a sympathetic hand on his arm. “Now I’m the one who can see your hurt. I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks. You’d think I’d know how to manage the grief, but it hasn’t been easy.

In fact, I couldn’t even counsel people for a while.

I took a hiatus and remodeled this place top to bottom.

” He glanced around. “Just me and a whole bunch of YouTube videos and the occasional expert when I screwed something up.” With a soft laugh, he added, “I hope that doesn’t make you not want to buy it because I really do want to sell.

I thought I’d stay, but…” He shrugged. “I’m going to start over in a new place. ”

“Here? In Destin?” she asked.

“Most likely. I’ve lived here my whole life, have a practice here and a lot of friends. I also have a cousin in Vermont who wants me to move up there but…”

“You’d be cold,” she finished.

“I think they call it skiing.”

She smiled, but her heart ached for him as she looked around, seeing his home—and him—in a different light.

“You did an amazing job.” She took in the quality of the finishings, the cozy breakfast nook, the shiplapped walls, the gleaming floor. “It’s just perfect.”

“Thanks.” He took a sip of tea. “What about you, Tessa? Who was the lucky guy who finally reeled in the most popular girl on the beach? If it was Eli, I guess I understand.”

She smiled at that, remembering she’d been frustrated by Dustin’s refusal to pay any attention to her except for goofing off as friends.

“I never married,” she said simply. “But Eli is just now embarking on a romance with my sister, Kate, so I guess what goes around really does come around.”

His eyes widened. “Man, there’s a lot to catch up on, so…” He picked up his phone as it chirped. “That’s my reminder that I have a six-thirty appointment with a client. I’m sorry, I should have shown you the house. But we have so much to talk about.”

“I totally understand.” She stood and reached for her bag. “I’m so sorry for barging in late to the open house. I’ll contact the Realtor and do this the official way, I promise.”

He tapped the phone as he stood. “Trust me, I wish I could cancel, but it’s too late. And you can come back anytime, Tessa, you don’t need an appointment. Can’t believe you want to leave a house on that beach, though.”

“I don’t want to leave the beach,” she said. “But I am ready to buy and, sadly, waterfront is?—”

He held up a hand. “Ridiculously expensive,” he finished for her. “I was hoping to snag a piece of paradise myself, but Lorna has brought me down to Earth with a thud.”

“I guess we’ll have to play the lottery and hope.”

Laughing, he walked with her back to the front door, bringing his phone. “You can call Lorna, but let me get your number so we can make plans. Even if you don’t want this house, I have to catch up with everyone.”

He tapped his phone and handed it to her to enter her number.

“Yes, you do. You definitely need to come and see us all. We should have a barbeque and get you to the house. They’re not going to believe I ran into you.” She typed in her number and looked up at him. “Oh. But can you keep a secret?”

“I’m a therapist,” he reminded her. “I keep secrets for a living.”

“Of course. Well, I don’t want them to know I’m looking at houses,” she said. “I think Vivien will put up a fight if I suggest I’m thinking about moving out.”

“You got it, Tessa.” He took the phone and made a face. “Vivien, huh? Has she forgiven me for breaking her boogie board?”

She laughed. “No. But she will.”

Instead of laughing, the spark died in his eyes a little and he looked down. “Kids do dumb things,” he said. “Those weren’t my, uh, glory days. I owe her an apology and a boogie board.”

“All is forgiven,” she assured him, reaching for the door. “I’ll text you with a date to come to the house.”

“I’d love that. And if you don’t, I’ll text you,” he said. “Or I’ll pretend it’s thirty years ago and stalk the beach on Gulf Shore Drive.”

She laughed. “Don’t get lost. It doesn’t look the same.”

He gestured to his face and silver beard. “Who does?”

With a light and friendly hug, she walked out, smiling to herself.

Dustin Mathers. Well, Dusty. A doctor, a widower, a repentant former wild child.

“There is a lot more to that man than meets the eye,” she mused, turning the ignition on.

And she couldn’t deny…she kind of wanted to know what it was. Funny—she’d totally forgotten about the house.