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“Well, let’s go to the Mousehole tonight and get you some.” She lifted her hands as if the matter were very much settled. “You can meet my grandfather. He’s the editor ofThe Bliss Cove Gazette, and he’s also a Lincoln Atwood fan. He’ll talk your ear off, but he’ll insist on paying for dinner and all the rounds of drinks you want. I’ll introduce you to some of the other locals too. What time are you available?”
Lincoln glanced at his brother, who was watching the exchange with amusement.
“Don’t fight it,” Sam advised. “She’s a beautiful, warm, friendly steamroller.”
“It’s just that your visit here is long overdue, and I love that you’re working over at the high school.” Brooke patted Lincoln’s arm. “Gramps said you’re teaching with Grace Berry.”
“You know her too?”
“Not personally, but I’ve met her a few times. Last month, I went to a talk she gave at the library about Renaissance women poets. It was totally fascinating.”
“Grace said she’s bringing in lessons about more underrepresented writers,” Lincoln said. “Beyond Shakespeare, I guess.”
“Yes.” Brooke’s bright eyes dimmed a little. “Unfortunately, she’s hitting a wall with that principal.”
Lincoln frowned. “Hank Spruce?”
“He was hired a couple of years ago,” Sam said. “Has lots of experience with funding, but he’s a big sports advocate and a hardcore traditionalist about teaching.”
“He’s apparently been giving Grace a rough time about changing her curriculum,” Brooke added. “Gramps said Spruce has even complained at several school board meetings. But Grace’s students love her classes, so that’s what really matters.”
Though Lincoln nodded, he didn’t like the idea of Spruce stonewalling Grace in any way. At the same time, she clearly had so much student support that he doubted there was much the man could do to stop her.
“Hey, are you busy right now?” Brooke picked up a fleece from the back of a chair.
“No.”
“Great.” She smiled again. “Why don’t we do a little sightseeing before our artichoke soup dinner? What have you seen so far? Have you been to Mariposa Street?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Oh, you’d remember, especially if you’ve run into Destiny Storm.”
“Uh, I haven’t run into any storms.”
Brooke laughed. “Let’s go. You’re not allergic to cats, are you?”
Cats?“No.”
“Excellent.” She pulled on the fleece and hitched her purse over her shoulder. “Sam, are you coming?”
“I’ll finish up here and meet you at the Mousehole at six.” He stepped forward to kiss her, running the back of his hand over her cheek. “Don’t scare him.”
“Too late,” Lincoln muttered.
His brother grinned. Brooke slipped her arm through his and herded him out the door.
“Did you say you’re staying at the Happy Daze?” She lifted her eyebrows. “Why in the world aren’t you staying at the Outside Inn or one of the B&Bs?”
“I’m not much of an inn or B&B person.”
“Oh, don’t tell Mrs. Higgins that. She runs the Outside Inn, and she’d be crushed if she finds out Sam’s brother picked the Happy Daze over the inn.” She shot him a pointed look. “But if you really are staying here for a few weeks like Sam says, you’d better talk to her about an extended stay. She’ll give you a great rate.”
Lincoln had a feeling that if he didn’t talk to Mrs. Higgins himself, Brooke would do it for him.
She took him to Mariposa Street, the historic district of town, which was in the process of a major renovation. Spanish colonial buildings with tiled roofs, wrought-iron balconies, and painted windows lined the cobblestone streets, and a restored movie palace sat like an enthroned queen at the end of the block.
As they walked, Brooke told him extensively about the history of Mariposa Street and the entirety of Bliss Cove. She seemed to know everyone, and she introduced him to at least a dozen people, whether she called to them across the street(“Joe! Hey, Joe, this is Sam’s brother Lincoln! Lincoln, that’s Joe. He owns Metalworks Hardware. Whatever repairs you need done, he’s the man to call.”) or hauled Lincoln into one of the shops.
He met most of the shopkeepers, including Brooke’s friend Aria of the Meow and Then Cat Café (which explained the allergy question), Nico of Nico’s Pizza, Gary at the corner store, the owners of the Vitaphone theater, and the aforementioned Destiny Storm, a lavish fortune-teller who eyed him with interest, patted his chest, and suggested he come in for a private Oracle card reading “on the house.”
By the time they joined Sam at the Mousehole, Lincoln suspected there was more to Bliss Cove than he’d initially thought.
Brooke introduced him to her grandfather, Charlie Castle, a gruff old guy who’d been a journalist for years before he’d returned to Bliss Cove to take over the newspaper. The four of them had a dinner of artichoke soup and steak, and Lincoln enjoyed exchanging stories about their respective careers and the places they’d traveled.
He didn’t get back to the motel until after ten. Though he usually didn’t go to bed until past midnight, he turned off the light as soon as he’d changed into pajama pants.
The sooner he fell asleep, the sooner he’d get back to Grace Berry’s classroom.
