“I’m a grown man,” Hank said.“No one is going to stick their fingers where they don’t belong.”
“Then you won’t get good sleep,” Walt said, shrugging.“You’ll get plenty when you’re dead.”
My eyes widened and I looked at Dash.“I’ll need to prep the shop and get things open in the morning, but I’ll be back for the call.”
“And I’ll drive to Amelia Island,” Bea said.“I’ve always liked that area.And I need to put some miles on my car.It’s been a few weeks since I’ve driven.”
Everyone looked at her.
“What?”she said.“I have an excellent driving record.”
“You’ve had your license revoked twice,” Deidre said.“You drive like a demon.”
“At least I get where I’m going without endangering everyone around me,” she said.“Besides, I almost outran the cop that last time but my foot got stuck under the pedal.”
“I didn’t hear that,” Dash said, shaking his head.
Bea waved a hand.“It was decades ago.But back to the point, you and Mabel can’t just traipse off to Amelia Island without stirring up a gossip storm.Not that I’m opposed to y’all shacking up, but Mabel isn’t as thick skinned as the rest of us.The shame would be debilitating.”
“It’s a day trip, Bea,” Dash said.“We’ll be back by evening.We don’t need a chaperone.But thanks for the offer.”
“For heaven’s sake, Bea,” Deidre said.“Let them have a few hours alone in a car together.How are things supposed to progress to the next level if they’re never alone where someone isn’t staring at them in this fishbowl of a town.”
“True,” Bea said.“And she’s not getting any younger.Remember, wedding comes before the baby.”
“Thanks for the reminder,” I said, studying the ceiling.
Walt gathered his papers and squared them into a neat stack, and that seemed to be the signal for the others.They helped clear the table and put the dishes in the sink, and then they gathered their things and headed out.Bea went last, pausing at the door before saying, “Y’all don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
The door closed behind her.
“We’ll have four hours each way,” he said, loading the dishwasher as I passed him rinsed plates.“That’s a lot of time alone in a car together.”
I looked at him over my shoulder.“Does that count as a date?”
“Maybe more than a date,” he said, waggling his brows.“We could stop at Pitt Street Bridge on the way home and see the view.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.“Now that is definitely something Bea would do.”Pitt Street Bridge was known as a make-out spot for teens and adults who didn’t have better sense.
He pushed off the counter and picked up his keys, and then leaned down to give me a quick kiss.“I noticed you didn’t say no.See you in the morning.”
I sighed as he let himself out.“Mabel, Mabel, Mabel.”And then I thunked my head on the kitchen cabinet.“You are most definitely in love.”
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
The Spanish mossalong Harbor Street hung completely still, without a breath of wind off the water or even the suggestion of one.July on Grimm Island had no manners and no mercy, and this Wednesday had woken up mean.
I’d left Carly and Genevieve to handle the late morning rush and slipped out the back at nine thirty.The Lila Mae call was at ten, and I had no intention of being late for it.
I trailed behind Chowder’s leash on the way home.He wore a linen bow tie in pale yellow with a white stripe and was taking his sweet time, stopping to investigate things I couldn’t see and passing silent judgment on passersby.I caught myself humming “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”somewhere between the bakery and the corner of Broad Street, and it made me think of Dash and things I wasn’t entirely comfortable with.
His truck was pulling up to the front of the house just as Chowder and I came through the garden gate.I waved him around back and we went in together through the kitchen.The Silver Sleuths were already at the dining room table, and I could hear them gossiping from the kitchen.
“There’s fresh lemonade in the pitcher,” Bea called out.
“Don’t do it,” Dottie said.“It has a full bottle of vodka in it.Hank had a glass and then took a nap on the sofa for two hours.”
I chuckled and moved to fill the kettle instead.“How was your morning?”I asked Dash.
