I saw the smile on her face even though her words sounded harsh. My aunt didn’t have a social filter when it came to monitoring what she said. She was who she was, and I loved her for it. “I’m glad he’s going with you. I’d hate to think you were working the evening shift alone. Greg says we’ve been having some issues in town.”

  “I’m sure you didn’t want to talk about South Cove’s crime rate.” Aunt Jackie glanced over toward the design shop. “I don’t believe the story about watching television. Do you?”

  I shook my head. “I’ve been trying to think of what the most likely issue is. I’ve got it narrowed down to ex-lover or rival designer.”

  My aunt patted my arm. “You always wanted to know the why on things. Why it happened. Why they would say that. But in this case, I think we should keep an eye out for Harper. I’m not sure she has any family in the area. She told me that her folks are out of Connecticut.”

  “Do you think I should ask Greg to check in on her?” I felt a knot in my stomach. Something bad was going on with our new business owner, Harper. I could feel it.

  “Why are you sitting over there?” Harrold called from the doorway of the Train Station, which was right across the street.

  “Girl talk. Never you mind,” my aunt called and waved him back into his shop. “I swear, that man keeps close tabs on me. I’m feeling a little smothered.”

  “He loves you. He wants to know you’re all right.” I flushed as I said the words. It could have been Amy telling me the same thing about Greg. And I’d been whining about feeling unsure of our relationship. Some people never got this. Never got to find their soulmate either with a first marriage or a subsequent one. I was lucky. And so was my aunt. “You better go. I don’t want Harrold to worry about you.”

  “Thank you for letting me do this for you. You’re going to be lovely on Saturday.” She leaned over and kissed my cheek. An action so unexpected it brought tears to my eyes. She rubbed them away with her thumb. “Now don’t be going all sobby on me. We’ve got a while to go before the wedding where we’ll both be complete messes.”

  “I’m sure I’ll be a mess on Saturday too. I just hope I don’t do anything stupid and drive Greg away.”

  My aunt laughed as she stood. “I’m not sure that’s possible. That man is deeply in love with you. I’ve seen it in his eyes since you two started dating. I’ll chat with you tomorrow about the weekly work schedule. And we need to talk about Deek. He wants a week off this summer to do some sort of writing retreat.”

  “Cat Latimer, that young adult author that Sasha set up to come talk a few years ago, lives in Colorado and runs a writer retreat. I’m pretty sure Deek’s been talking to Cat about attending a session.”

  “You would think that boy would want to do something actually fun for his vacation. Not work on a book. Never mind, just make sure I know so we’re not short-staffed that week. I’d hate to decide to book a cruise and leave you in a lurch so that you have to hire temp staff to cover.” My aunt tucked her purse under her arm as she stood.

  My aunt hated hiring temporary staff. She believed in bringing on people who would stay. I thought it was more that people were scared to tell my aunt they were leaving. She had a bad habit of talking employees who put in their notice into staying. I wished I had that kind of manipulation skills. I realized she was still talking to me.

  “And don’t forget, you need to pick up the dresses tomorrow by one. Harper’s going out of town this weekend, and I don’t want you wearing that old black dress you wear to everything.”

  “I like my black dress.” I stood and crossed the road with her. “But I’ll get the dresses picked up before one. I love my new dress. Thank you. It was thoughtful.”

  My aunt smiled. She smiled a lot now that she was married to Harrold. I kind of liked this new version of her. “Just remember to pick them up, dear. I’ll leave you a reminder at the shop. That should help you.”

  “I’m not going to forget,” I said again as I paused at the door to the Train Station. Aunt Jackie and Harrold were living in the apartment above the store. I waved at my new uncle, who was showing a customer a train engine car. He’d tried to get me interested in the model train world, but it wasn’t my thing. He had bought me a train set for my Christmas tree this last Christmas, which I loved. But that was the extent of my interest. “I’ll see you Saturday at the community center? The party starts at two.”

  “As long as you and Amy don’t need me there early to help decorate or set up the food.”

  “I’ve hired caterers for the food. Sadie is bringing the desserts. Amy and Justin are doing the decorations, so I think we’re fine.” I kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks again. The dress is lovely.”

  “So are you, my dear.” She disappeared into the store and paused at the counter to give Harrold a kiss. Then she slowly moved up the stairs.

  I loved my aunt. Warts and all.

  Chapter 3

  On my way to the beach to run with Emma, my neighbor and South Cove’s resident fortune-teller, Esmeralda, waved me down and crossed the street to chat. Esmeralda also worked for Greg as a police dispatcher, so the topic of conversation could be the state of the road that separated us, rumors from South Cove’s city hall, or maybe just a friendly chat. Sometimes she even shared her visions with me. A practice that always freaked me out just a little.

  Everyone has their own beliefs, but hearing voices from the beyond was pushing it just a bit for my tastes. I clicked my fingers, and Emma sat next to me, wiggling in excitement to see one of her favorite people.

  Esmeralda gave my dog a rub on the top of her head, then focused on me. “Jill, I was just wondering if everything is all right. Your aura feels a little off these days. Please don’t tell me you’re reconsidering Greg’s offer?”

  “No, I love Greg. There’s really nothing going on with me. I’m just a little distracted, that’s all.” Why was everyone focused on my feelings right now?

  Emma whined and stared at me with those deep chocolate eyes. Even my dog knew I was lying. But maybe they’d all leave it be.

  “If you say so.” Esmeralda studied the connection between Emma and me. “Just remember, if you need a tune-up, sometimes, it’s good to have a friend you can talk to about anything.”

  “Seriously, I’m good.” I tried to change the subject. “So when is that guy of yours coming back to visit? He was very nice looking.”

  “Nic is handsome, isn’t he? I’m actually heading to New Orleans next week after your engagement party. I thought it was a good time for a little vacation. I don’t take as many vacations as I should.” Esmeralda looked out over the ocean as it sparkled in the mid-afternoon sky. “I guess when you live in a place as beautiful as it is here, you get your vacations in every day.”

  “We are lucky to be able to live here, that’s for sure.” I scanned the coastline. Surfers were starting to show up for the evening waves.

  She touched my arm, and my gaze met her own. “Just remember, I’m here this week. If you need to talk, about anything.”

  “Unless you know of any fast diets where I can lose twenty pounds by Saturday, I’m fine.”

  Esmeralda studied me. “I can brew a potion, but I don’t think it will solve your problems. It would only mask the pain.”

  I wasn’t sure what pain she was talking about, but Emma saved me by pulling on her leash. “Don’t worry about it, I was kidding. I guess that’s my cue. Emma’s been dying to get out on the beach for a few days, but with the rain, we’ve been staying home and she watches me on the treadmill.”

  “Be careful, Jill. You’re not completely protected during this season. I see some grayness in your future.” She checked the road for cars, then crossed over, leaving Emma and me on the sidewalk.

  I glanced down at my dog, who was watching Esmeralda leave. She looked as confused as I felt. “Yeah, I know, girl. Let’s go run.”

  Greg was home when we returned, and he pointed to the dish on the table. I’d put my engagement ring in the bowl so I wouldn’t lose it when I was running. Or worse, get robbed because of the ring. And then Emma might get hurt. It was easier all around for me to just take precautions. “Do we have to have the talk again?”

  “You can talk all you want, but there’s no way I’m wearing jewelry while I’m running. Especially a ring that you probably paid way too much for and has way too much meaning for me to lose.” I kissed him on the cheek. “Let me get showered, and I’ll help with dinner.”

  “Point taken, and you win that argument. Are we doing those salmon steaks in the fridge?” He leaned down and greeted Emma. “How’s my girl? Did you do your duty and protect the house today while we were gone?”

  “She slept on the couch with her monkey and the blanket. But she didn’t eat the sofa pillows I left out, so I’d call that a win.” I paused at the stairwell. “I’ve got a recipe for an Asian cabbage salad I want to make to go with the fish. You can have whatever carb you want, but I’m off carbs until the party on Saturday.”

  “You can’t lose weight in four days.” He took out a potato and some aluminum foil. “Besides, you look great to me. Are you sure you don’t want one?”

  “My aunt wants me to lose twenty so I’ll be ready for the wedding gown. We haven’t even set the date.” I rolled my shoulders. “I’m not freaking out about it, but this dress she’s having Harper make for me is freaking gorgeous. I want to do it justice.”

  “You’d look amazing in a potato sack.” He held up his hand. “But I’m not going to stand in your way, unless you go all crazy on me and stop eating sweets.”

  “Oh no.” I ran over and pulled out the bag from my tote. “I brought home brownies for you. I hope they aren’t squished.”

  He took the bag from me and opened it. “They look fine. Looks like there are two of them. Are you having one?”

  “No. I actually ate two at work.” I leaned in to smell the chocolate. “Don’t judge, you know the business-to-business meeting drives me bananas.”

  “Why don’t you let someone else run the meetings? You’ve done it for a while, and we don’t need the extra money.” He took a brownie out and took a bite. “Oh, these are amazing. Maybe I should marry Sadie instead.”

  “I think you’d have to get in line. Pastor Bill seems on the edge of a proposal. At least I’m hoping so. She deserves a good guy.” I turned and ran upstairs and away from the second brownie just sitting in the bag. I thought about his statement about running the meeting for the chamber. It was true. We didn’t need the money like I had when I’d taken on the role. But I had let Sherry King be in charge once, and attending that meeting had driven me crazy. She’d turned it into a circus. Literally.

  Maybe I had a bit of a control issue around the meetings, but if I was going to have to attend as a South Cove business owner, I wanted to be in charge of the agenda. And, I’d learned how to keep our constant complainer, Josh Thomas, in line. Even without my aunt’s support after she’d dumped Josh for Harrold.

  When I got back downstairs, the salmon steaks were out and seasoned. And he’d found the recipe I printed last Sunday on my kitchen desk and had started chopping the vegetables. Greg had his faults, like watching way too much football on television, but he was handy to have around in the kitchen. And he grilled like a master chef.

  I stood beside him and started making the salad. “So what’s up at city hall? I hear Tina’s redecorating Marvin’s office again. Doesn’t he have to run for reelection again this fall?”

  “He does. And he reminds me of that fact constantly. Sometimes I think he wants me to run against him so he could fire me for not doing my job and campaigning on work hours.” Greg dumped the shredded cabbage into the largest bowl we had. “As far as rumors, there’s none going around. Except Amy’s been grumpy lately. Is there trouble in paradise?”

  I didn’t want to answer that question. If I told him, I was a bad friend. If I didn’t, I was a bad fiancée. It was a catch-22. “Why would you ask me?”

  “You had lunch with her. I expected she would have told you if she and Justin were having troubles.” He glanced over at me. I was mixing the dressing for the salad and not meeting his gaze. “I hit it on the head, didn’t I? That’s what’s going on with her. You don’t have to answer, I know you probably swore to never tell.”

  “It’s kind of an implied promise, not a case-by-case promise.” I crushed the dried ramen, and Greg dropped in the slivered almonds.

  He held up the green onions. “Before or after the dressing?”

  “After.” I poured the dressing over, tossed it a few times, then nodded to the green onions. “Put them on top. I’ll toss it one more time, then let it sit in the fridge. How long on your potato?”

  “At least another twenty. Let’s go outside and sit on the deck for a few while the grill heats up. I want to talk about Sherry.”

  “Oh, I’m not going to like this conversation, am I?” I poured two glasses of iced tea, then handed him one.

  “Probably not.” He nodded to the door. “Let’s go sit.”

  I followed him out the door and sat on the wooden swing. He started the grill, then set his iced tea down and sat next to me. “Tear off the Band-Aid.”

  “Horrible expression.” He shook his head. “Anyway, Pat came to see me this afternoon. She’s worried about Sherry. She thinks our engagement is, well, making her crazy.”

  “So you want to call off the engagement since it upsets your ex-wife?” If I’d ever had any questions about our relationship, it was paling in comparison to the conversation we were having right now. “Don’t tell me you’re still in love with her.”

  “I’m in love with you. And no, we’re not calling off the engagement. We have a party in four days. Besides, we are supposed to be together. I know it.” He took my hand. “I’m going to go over to her place and talk to her tomorrow. Let her know that she and I are fully and completely done, and she needs to accept it. I just didn’t want to go over there without telling you first. You know how rumors fly in this town.”

  “Like Amy’s wedded bliss.”

  “Exactly. If there’s dirt to be had on anyone, there’s a rumor floating around South Cove. I’m not risking our relationship on me just not telling you what I’m doing.” He squeezed my hand. “So what do you think?”

  “I hate to be the one who can’t forgive and forget, and it’s your ex-wife problem. Thanks for telling me though. You’re the best.” I was going to take the high road here, no matter how Sherry reacted. “I’m sorry that Pat dragged you into this though. If Sherry’s having problems dealing with your breakup, isn’t it a little late?”

  “I think so, but I’d be in the wrong if I didn’t at least try to make the woman understand that she didn’t have a shot at a second chance, even if she’d tried.” He squeezed my hand. “I’m not sure I’d be so understanding if your ex-husband was upset about our new status. I’d probably tell him to go pound sand.”

  Laughing at his honesty, I sipped my tea. “Well, I guess I’m acting like the better person here. I’m not going to show my true hand here because I want you to think I’m an angel.”

  “That I do.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ll go get the salmon and get it started. Maybe we can watch a movie after dinner?”

  “Sounds good.” I watched Emma in the yard, hunting rabbits. She’d never caught one, but she was certain that they visited her yard during the day when she was locked up in the house. And I’d seen the rabbits out in the yard in the morning while I was drinking coffee and standing at the kitchen window.

  My thoughts turned to Greg’s upcoming visit to Sherry. I didn’t like the idea, but when you lived in a small town, taking care of others was part of the deal. Even when the others were people you didn’t like. I didn’t only dislike Sherry because of the way she’d treated Greg during their marriage. I didn’t like her because of her attitude and the way she treated everyone, including me. I had no idea why Pat stayed friends with the woman. But I guess someone had to. And it wasn’t my issue.

  Not my circus, not my monkeys. One of my aunt’s favorite sayings. Sherry was one of Greg’s monkeys. Aunt Jackie was one of mine.

  * * * *

  The next morning after I opened the store, I had an early morning visitor. Deek Kerr was my barista and soon to be a local author. Or he would if he got the right break and kept going. The guy was amazing and one of the best booksellers I’d ever known, including myself.

  “You’re not on the schedule today. It’s Toby’s day, or did you switch?” I was on the couch, engrossed in a new time travel advanced reader copy. My commuter traffic had come and gone, and this was my quiet time before I had to get everything ready for the next shift. I stood and went to refill my coffee cup.

  He waited for me to get coffee, then filled his own. Following me back to the couch, he set his cup on the table and sat in the wingback chair facing me. “Jill, I need to talk to you.”

  “Do not tell me you’re quitting. You have the summer reading program all set up and a ton of authors coming in. You know no one’s as good with the kids, especially the teenagers, as you are.” My heart started racing. If I had to replace him now, it would be months before I found the right fit. And I just got Evie comfortable in her job.

  “Relax, I’m not quitting. But it’s good to know you need me so much. Maybe we should talk about a raise.” He held his hand up and laughed. “I’m just kidding. You should see your face.”

  “I’m trying to figure out how I can carve out a raise for you.” I sipped my coffee. “Okay, now that you gave me a heart attack, what did you want to talk about?”