“Of course, I cook. Who do you think feeds me?”
“The Seaside Café,” she retorted. “You come in enough that I figured you couldn’t put together a meal.”
Reese laughed. “That’s because my shift changes every other week. I’m the last hired, so I don’t have any seniority, and that means sometimes I’m eating dinner at four in the afternoon or eight in the morning.”
“But doesn’t it help that your cousin is the chief.”
His eyebrows lifted. “So, you know about that?”
“Yes. Bettina Wilson told me.”
“What else did she tell you about me?”
“Nothing. I don’t like gossip or people who gossip. It can only cause trouble.”
“The only thing I’m going to say to you is get used to it. Here on the island, everyone seems to know everyone else’s business, while it’s not as prevalent on the mainland.”
“Where do you live?”
“Fortunately, on the mainland.”
Cherie set the bag of ice in the stainless-steel sink and filled an electric kettle with water. “You think I’m less fortunate because I live along the shore?”
Reese crossed his arms over his chest. “Of course not. It’s just that I prefer living where folks don’t monitor my comings and goings. There’s one road to get on and off the island, and once someone becomes familiar with your vehicle, they can tell you how often and what time you come and go. It’s different on the mainland. The homes are built with enough space between them so you can’t smell what your neighbor is cooking. We have a school campus for grades beginning with kindergarten and up to and including twelve. There’s also a downtown business district and an area for local authority. In total, about forty-two hundred citizens make up Coates Island, and I like to think it’s a wonderful place to raise a family and perfect for retirees.”
Cherie plugged in the kettle. “If it’s so wonderful, then why is there an exodus of young people once they graduate high school?”
“They want what most young people want—life experience. They want to have careers and to visit places they’ve only read about or seen in travel ads. They want to attend professional ballgames, and go to concerts and clubs. The only time we have movies on the island is during the summer, when they show films in the town square, and that’s for the benefit of the vacationers.”
“Are you saying that if you had a multiplex theater with at least three screens, then the kids would stay?”
“That’s not what I’m saying, Cherie. The bottom line is job opportunities and careers. We have shops where the business is passed down through generations, but even that is no longer a guarantee, and shop owners are forced to either work longer hours or hire someone they don’t know because they tend to be suspicious of anyone who isn’t local.”
Reese watched Cherie take down a teapot and two cups and saucers from an overhead cabinet. Her movements were slow and measured, as if she were a puppet being pulled by a puppeteer when she opened another cabinet to remove a small glass jar filled with tea bags. He knew if she didn’t take something to alleviate her discomfort, she wouldn’t be able to fully function.
Moving quickly, he rested his hands on her shoulders. “I’ll take care of the tea while you go upstairs and get your pain medication.”
Turning her head slowly, Cherie glanced up at him. “Honey, sugar, lemon, or milk?”
Reese cursed under his breath. She was asking him what he wanted in his tea while still attempting to play the flipping martyr. “Lemon and honey.”
It was first thing that came to mind. He wanted to tell Cherie that he usually laced his hot tea with bourbon, but this wasn’t one of those times. Not only was he scheduled to work later that night, but he didn’t want to show up at the station house with the smell of alcohol on his breath.
He’d been responsible for planning his cousin’s surprise fifty-fifth birthday. The date coincided with his fifth anniversary of being sworn in as chief. Although Parker despised surprises, this was one occasion Reese couldn’t let go by without some fanfare, even if it was a small gathering.
“Reese?”
“Yes?”
“I’d like you to promise me one thing.”
Smiling, he angled his head. “Only one?” he teased.
“Yes, one for now.”
“What is it?”
“After I take the acetaminophen and drink my tea, will you please leave so I can take a bath.”
