Page 73 of Harmony Island Gazette

I set down the rag I was currently using to wipe a table and nodded. “Of course,” I said as I grabbed her glass and glanced down at it. “Was this a Coke?”

“Diet Coke,” she replied.

“That’s right.” I gave her a smile, and she did the same before she turned back to her conversation.

I made my way through the dining room and walked right past the hostess stand, where a man was waiting to be greeted. He was new to this island—I’d never seen him before. He was standing there in a suit and tie, looking annoyed.

“I’ll be right with you,” I called out over my shoulder as I hurried past him and over to the drink dispenser. I pressed the Diet Coke lever and waited for the glass to fill. Once I’d returned the drink to the customer, I brushed my hands down on my apron and made my way back to the front.

The man was still standing at the hostess stand when I approached. “Just one?” I asked as I grabbed a menu from the basket.

“I won’t be eating here,” he said.

I glanced up and met his dark brown eyes. There was a coolness to his gaze that sent a shiver down my spine. “Okay,” I said as I set the menu back down. “What can I help you with?”

He glanced around the diner before he sighed. “I’m looking for Douglas Gentlesman.”

“He’s my great-uncle. What do you need with him?”

He glanced back at me. “Well, for starters, I want to talk to him about how he thought he could sell off the diner without speaking to me first.”

“Speaking to you?” I repeated before I frowned, confusion filling my mind. “And who are you?”

He reached into his suit coat and pulled out a business card. He held it out for me, but when it became apparent I wasn’t going to take it, he dropped it onto the hostess stand.

“I’m Cole Watkins.” When I didn’t react, he continued, “Nick Watkins was my father.” I still had no idea who that was.

Cole blew out his breath as he shifted his weight. “The man who owns half this diner.”

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