“Woof!” Dooley’s tail wagged, and he ran to the door.
“Not now. Tomorrow.” Sam almost laughed. “Tell you what—we’ll go early in the morning.”
That appeased Dooley. Early morning was best if Sam wanted to get one of the parking spots, and he didn’t mind the chill. Better than the heat, he always said.
The Marginal Way had been one of Jean’s favorite walks. They used to walk the entire thing from Perkins Cove to the beach. Sometimes, they would take the trolley back to Perkins Cove if they left the car there. On a good day, they would walk down and back. It was over two miles round trip.
He’d loved walking the winding path with its gorgeous views of craggy rocks and ocean on one side and lush plantings on the other.
He hadn’t been there since the last time with Jean. That time she couldn’t even walk anymore, but he’d parked at the little lighthouse and wheeled her along the path. She’d loved it.
He didn’t have the energy to walk the whole thing tomorrow. But maybe they could walk a little ways and then sit on one of the benches that looked out at the ocean.
Dooley trotted into the living room, and Sam reached into the cabinet to grab a sandwich bag to store the other pieces of the biscuit in. The cabinets were a bit old, and the countertops were dated. The owl canisters, toaster, and salt and pepper shakers were all where they had been when Jean was still alive. In fact, the whole house was the way it had been, right down to the lighthouse paintings on the wall. He actually never really liked those, but Jean had loved them, and he didn’t have the heart to remove them now.
His son had suggested he remodel, but he liked it this way. He was used to it, and why change? If he didn’t change anything, then things would stay the same, as if Jean could walk back in at any moment.
There was only one sandwich bag left, but Sam had more in the garage. He always kept backups, because he hated running out. He stored the biscuit pieces in the bag, added sandwich bags to the grocery list, and headed to the garage.
Dooley noticed and rushed over, looking excited. He loved car rides.
“We’re not going in the car, buddy.” In the garage, Sam glanced across the hood of the white Nissan he normally drove to the car in the second bay. It was covered by a cloth tarp, but he could still picture the candy-apple red of the convertible Corvette underneath. That had been their fun car. They’d loved taking it for rides on weekends.
Sam hadn’t taken it out since the last time he’d driven in it with Jean. He hadn’t wanted to even look at it, but he’d had his son start it up every few months to make sure it still ran and was in good working order.
He turned away and grabbed the box of sandwich bags.
“Okay, back in the house,” he said to Dooley as he held open the door. “No big walk until tomorrow.”
Dooley looked excited about the big walk, but the thought made Sam feel exhausted. Maybe tomorrow he’d have more ambition.
CHAPTERSEVEN
Oarweeds was one of Jane’s favorite restaurants. It sat in a little rocky cove on the east side of Perkins Cove, facing the ocean. The beginning of the Marginal Way started right next to the restaurant, and there were small tables set out in between the building and the pathway. It was crowded out there in summer, but this afternoon, it was only Jane, Mike, and Cooper. The weather was cooler, and there weren’t many tourists, which suited Jane just fine. They wouldn’t have been able to bring Cooper with them if they ate inside, so she simply snuggled into a thick cable-knit sweater and enjoyed the cozy feeling.
“How was the book club meeting?” Mike dipped a steamed clam into broth and then butter. They’d decided to start off with steamers, and then both had ordered salads with lobster on top for their meals.
“It was fun. I never realized there were so many things to discuss about a book.” Jane had enjoyed reading the murder mystery and was excited about the next book they’d chosen. “Bunny Howard was really into deciphering all the clues.”
Mike laughed. “That sounds like her.”
“She even got suspicious of our one guest.” Mike had been disappointed that they even had a guest, though he hadn’t made a big deal out of it. Jane would have been able to spend more time with him if she didn’t have anything to attend to at Tides. That was why she’d hired Liz, but Liz hadn’t been there very long, so Jane was still a little reluctant to be away for too long.
“Why? What did he do?” Mike pulled another clam out of the shell, and Cooper looked up at him expectantly. “I don’t think you like clams, buddy.”
“He knew we were having snacks, and I guess he came down looking for them and got lost.”
“Lost? The place isn’t that big.”
“We were in the sitting room way in the back, and somehow, he ended up down there. Bunny thought he was lurking and listening.”
Mike’s left brow quirked up. “Oh. Is that the room you said your dad always wanted to make into a library?”
“Yes. That’s why I thought it would be perfect for the book club.” Fleeting memories of the plans she and her dad had made for the room bubbled up—where to place bookcases, what kinds of furniture. Jane always regretted not following through on those. Maybe someday. For now, she would just be happy they were putting the room to use for the book club.
“He was probably just unsure if he should barge in to get a snack.”
“Well, the food was actually in the dining room.” Jane pulled a roll out of the basket. It was still warm.
