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Tucking the receipt into her pocket because she couldn’t bring herself to throw it away, she tossed out the sandwich in the back room as the door to the store opened and Rachel entered. She was dressed in a blue-and-white-striped off-the-shoulder top and flowing white pants, with wedge heels and a blue-and-white hair bandanna completing her fashionable look.
“Someone’s ready for the birthday party,” Carly said, admiring her friend’s style and courage. She looked like she belonged on a yacht, not a small tour boat, but she owned the look with confidence and pulled it off flawlessly.
“You’re still coming, right?” Rachel asked, approaching the counter.
“Yep. Melissa will be here to take over at eleven thirty.” It would be the first time in two years that Carly had left the store in the hands of someone else. But the young girl was doing great—she was a master at upselling—and she was responsible.
The store would be fine. Still, there was that nagging feeling that she hadn’t prepped something properly. Had she checked the float? Made sure there was enough till tape to get Melissa through the day? Because sometimes that was a pain in the butt to change...
“I can’t wait to see Darcy’s face when she gets your gift,” Rachel said excitedly.
Her stomach dropped. That was it. She’d forgotten to pick up theStranger Thingsmerchandise she’d ordered for Darcy from the pop-up store in Seattle. She’d had no idea what to get the little girl until Rachel had mentioned it, and Carly had begged her to let her get the coveted backpack and T-shirt featuring the cast.
She’d ordered it weeks ago and had recently received the shipping notification that it had arrived in town. She’d meant to go to the post office the day before. It was on the other side of town, almost an hour away with tourist traffic, in the same building as the mayor’s office, but she’d been distracted with Sebastian.
Rachel looked slightly panicked as she studied her. “Did you forget?”
“No...of course not.” She’d find a way to get it before the party. A quick glance at her watch revealed it would be an almost impossible feat.
IFRACHELSENSEDshe was lying or panicked, she didn’t seem to notice. “Oh good, because she hasn’t stopped asking if we could order the items in her online shopping cart and I’m running out of excuses for why not.”
“Nothing to worry about,” Carly reassured her.
“Okay, so the real reason I came in...” Rachel retrieved a book from her purse and clutchedLove at Seato her chest. It was less than two days old and looked like it had been through a war zone. Rachel was one of those readers who believed books were meant to be enjoyed; therefore, she dog-eared pages, wrote in the margins, highlighted text and broke the spine with disregard. Carly held her books in a more reverent way, but she let people enjoy their reading as they would. No judgment.
“I had two more last-minute RSVPs for book club Tuesday.”
“So, that makes everyone in town?”
Rachel laughed. “I’m sorry—I can’t stop talking about this book. Have you finished reading yet?”
“Not quite. I was out last night,” she said. Should she tell Rachel about the business meeting/dinner date with Sebastian? Her friend would definitely read far too much into it and she was already encouraging Carly to date and put herself out there. Carly had never confided in anyone except her cousin Skylar about her feelings for Oliver, and while she and Rachel were close, she wasn’t quite ready to share that with her yet. If ever. There didn’t seem to be much point in talking about something that would never happen.
And without a concrete excuse to keep Sebastian in the friend zone, Rachel was sure to try to play matchmaker. Probably best to keep the info about dinner to herself for now...
Luckily, Rachel didn’t seem even the slightest bit curious about Carly’s previous evening’s plans, as she was still only concerned about the book. “Carly, you’re killing me. You own a bookstore!”
Carly laughed. “I’m busy selling the books, not reading them.”
“I can’t wait any longer. Ready or not, you’re getting a spoiler. Listen to the opening scene from the third book,” she said excitedly.
Carly sighed, knowing there was no deterring her friend.
Rachel flipped to the back ofLove at Sea, where an excerpt from the upcoming third book,ALasting Passion, was included as a teaser and read:
“The fisherman’s home is exactly how I’d pictured it. A small, modest white bungalow near the water’s edge, secluded, surrounded by trees with a slight yard. Veggies grow on a plot of soil and a tire swing hangs from a magnificent tree, swaying empty in the breeze as fall leaves decorate the ground below. Inside the shed, I can see several canoes and fishing gear hung on hooks. Outside, fish salt on the rack.
The house holds an eerie loneliness, but I’m haunted by the sounds of spirits all around me. Laughter. Gentle, tiny voices.
He used to have a family here.
I remember when there used to be others on his fishing vessel...then it was just him.
Time is different here on land. It ticks away one’s life, replacing moments with memories, each one leading to the last. The fisherman’s family have grown, moved away... They have their own families and so the cycle continues. His wife perished from too many days in this cold, isolated small town.
My bare feet move across the ground, the overgrown grass tickles my ankles, my toes seep into the cold, wet earth. A breeze blows across my flesh and my hair covers my face. So many new sensations at once. Overwhelming, yet exciting.
I approach the front door and slowly turn the knob. It’s not locked, so I enter. He’s not home. He’s out on the water. I’m safe. I won’t be discovered.
