Page 30 of Shallow Remains

“Positive.”

Willow showed her where everything was in the kitchen, explained how the security system worked. “You’ll have to put in your own code. You want to set it up now?”

“No, I’ll figure it out later.”

“Okay, tenant, here you go.” Willow handed her a set of keys. “Have fun in town. Say hi to those two for me.”

“Sure.” That would give her a way to initiate conversation if things stalled.

Her phone buzzed on the way to her car. Lachlan responding to the video. So cute! he said with a laughing emoji.

She drove down the hill toward town with a smile on her face. The sun snuck through the heavy gray clouds, punching beams of pale yellow light down to the water and covering the waves with a million sparkles.

She parked in a spot half a block down from the café and took a deep breath of the fresh, salt-tinged air. The last of the autumn leaves glowed in the sunlight, dripping with rain as the cry of seagulls floated up from the harbor at the bottom of the hill.

Seas the Day Café was a perennial hotspot in town, offering a range of drinks and freshly baked treats. The scent of roasted coffee beans wafted toward her down the sidewalk. Carla and Lindsay were already in line when she walked in.

They greeted her warmly. She studied the drink menu as they made the small talk Maddy hated, but she already knew what she wanted and was more interested in what was in the display case.

“Oh, Nanaimo bars! I’ve always wanted to try one.” Technically they were Canadian, originating in a city not too far north of them on the east coast of Vancouver Island. “Are they really sweet?”

“Not as sweet as you,” a deep voice said behind her.

She whirled around to find Lachlan smiling down at her.

For a moment she forgot how to talk. “Hi,” she finally managed.

“Hi. What are you doing in town?”

“Just came to meet friends for coffee.” She gestured to Carla and Lindsay, already placing their order at the till. They weren’t really her friends, but they could be.

“That’s great. I’m just grabbing a coffee for the road. Or the water, to be more exact.”

“Where are you off to today?”

“Heading down to the Olympic peninsula for a bit. Should be back by dinner. You free then?”

“Oh. I’m actually moving this afternoon.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Moving? Where?”

“Willow’s cottage, down the street from Mae. That’s where I was when I took the video of Rufus. Willow was showing me around.”

“Have you got a moving truck booked? They’re far and few between on the island.”

“No, I don’t have much. I just need to figure out how to get my desk and chair over there.”

“I’ll do it.”

“Oh, no, you— It’s heavy, and⁠—”

“I’ll get Grey to help me. He’s off today, and he’ll be glad to get out of the house for a while.”

Something about his wording made her think something must be wrong.

“How about I’ll message you when I’m heading back, give you a ballpark ETA. Then I’ll text you once I get to the marina and head straight over to Blaine’s place.”

She wanted to decline, but it was sweet of him to offer, and she didn’t want to bother Blaine with this. It would also give her a reason to see him again. “All right, that would be great. Thank you.”