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Julia had no doubt it would be the best kiss of her life. She didn’t want to say that, though, so she shook her head. “I want to enjoy it,” she whispered. “And I can’t do that if I think everyone’s watching us.”
He looked over her shoulder to the house. “I think the curtains just fluttered, so you’re probably right.”
Julia backed up again, the idea of her friends watching her stand in this man’s arms overwhelming for her. They separated, and she said, “I didn’t block your number.” Enough rain had accumulated in her hair that it ran down the side of her face. She brushed the droplet away, gave him a smile, and turned back to the house.
She ran on her tiptoes to the porch and out of the rain. Upon re-entering Alice’s house, she saw Maddy herding several others back into the living room and dining room areas, and she’d definitely caught them spying on her.
A smile caught in her chest, and she decided she didn’t care. She still wasn’t going to answer any questions about Liam Coldwater tonight.
She paused at the end of the hall, trying to decide if she should simply return to her seat in the living room or try to get a little dryer in the bathroom. The living room had carpet, and Julia wiped another drop of water from her face as she took in the crowd there.
Alice wasn’t in the living room anymore, and she came around the corner and into the kitchen. She held up a pale blue towel, effectively eliminating another decision Julia had to make. She went toward her, and Alice bustled her into the master bedroom.
“Thank you,” Julia said. She took the towel and buried her face in it. Alice didn’t ask any questions, but Maddy would. Tessa would. Eloise would.
She wiped her hair back and met Alice’s eyes. “Did everyone run into your office?”
“Pretty much, yeah,” she said with a smile. “Maddy yelled at all of them when you started backing up.” She wore pure curiosity in her eyes, and Julia wanted to tell her. Maybe if she could get some other opinions, she’d know what to do about Liam.
At the same time, she knew what to do about Liam—keep seeing him. She didn’t know if they’d work out, because her last relationship had ended when she’d left Nantucket. She wasn’t like Tessa and Abe, who’d stayed together and then made plans to both settle in the cove. Maddy and Ben had done the same thing.
Julia hadn’t been so lucky.
She actually did count herself as lucky, because she didn’t want a man who wouldn’t move heaven and earth to be with her. Liam had texted her seventeen times since their encounter in the food mart. He’d called three times, until she’d finally texted to tell him she didn’t want to see him again.
Her phone buzzed now, and Julia finished drying her hair before she checked it.Breakfast on Sunday. Nine o’clock. Too early? I think we could try this place. He’d included a link to the cutest little bistro she’d ever seen, and she smiled as she looked at the image that had populated with the text.
“Have you been here?” She showed Alice the phone, and she didn’t mind that the woman took a few extra moments to obviously read the previous texts.
“Yeah.” She grinned at Julia. “They have amazing breakfast. Fast too. Tell him to get a reservation if you’re going on Sunday. They’re busy on the weekends.” She took Julia’s towel and left her alone in the bedroom to confirm her date with Liam Coldwater.
Madeline Lancaster notedthe red SUV in her driveway the moment the RideShare car made the turn to join it. “Who’s that?” she asked, swinging her attention to Ben.
“Don’t know,” he said. He usually wore a serious expression, and that didn’t change. He smiled the most when with her, and sometimes she felt like she had to work hard to get that mouth to curl upward.
“Thanks.” She tapped to pay the driver and got out of the car. Ben met her at the front of the car and took her hand. They went by the car, and she eyed it suspiciously. She wasn’t expecting visitors, and her house on Rocky Ridge wasn’t exactly on any tourist loops.
“It’s a rental,” Ben said. “Chelsea? Kyle?”
“They didn’t say they’d be coming,” Maddy said. Excitement leapt through her, because she’d love to see her kids today. She’d ordered Thanksgiving dinner from a specialty market here on Rocky Ridge, and it would be perfect for a quiet meal at home for two. Before the red SUV in the driveway, that was what her Thanksgiving was going to be. Just her and Ben.
She went into the garage as Ben held the door for her, the scent of sugar floating on the air. “Someone’s definitely here,” she said.
Ben darted in front of her and said, “Let me check it out.” He went up the few steps to the landing outside the house and then opened the door. The sugar turned to frosting, and Maddy moved slowly as her boyfriend went inside the house fully.
The spring-loaded door slammed shut, sealing Maddy in the dark garage. She expected Ben to open it again immediately and tell her everything was okay, but he didn’t. She couldn’t hear any yelling or laughing beyond the door either, and she wasn’t sure if she should go in or stay hidden in the garage.
She hadn’t heard of much violent crime in Five Island Cove, especially out here on this furthest north island, but it was a holiday, and this less-populated part of the cove could be a good target for thieves for all she knew.
Maddy hadn’t quite committed to entering the house yet when the door opened again. Her daughter stuck her head out and said, “Mom, get in here and see what I made for you.”
Joy exploded through Maddy, and she said, “Chelsea,” before hurrying toward her. “What are you doing here?”
Her daughter laughed as Maddy flew into her arms, and they entered the house together. She hugged her tightly in the mudroom again, and then hung her purse over a hook while Chelsea went into the kitchen, chattering about how she was glad Maddy had a few staples here at the house.
Maddy followed her, coming to a complete stop when she saw Kyle and Bea there too. They stood in front of the countertop, both of them holding a sugar cookie the size of their hands. Chelsea skipped over to them and picked one up as well. She faced Maddy, whose heartbeat had started jumping like water droplets in a screaming hot pan.
The sugar cookies weren’t shaped like turkeys or pumpkin pies, the way Maddy expected them to be. Fall leaves, maybe. Something with brown frosting, or oranges and yellows.
