I tell Celia that hearing Mr.Heiner swear like that is one of the “perks” of shopping for groceries.She takes a real shine to my tiny attempt at humor, chuckling and slapping the counter while wiping her eye.So friendly.
Oh, I nearly forgot.“Bear-headed” means a bad mood.
And instead of the email symbol “@” meaning “at,” Landsliders call it a “cat’s paw.”So, the inn’s email address is pronounced “chalet accommodation-cat’s paw-gmail dot com.”
It’s all so deeply weird.
I pump Celia for information at every chance I get.Today, I’m leaning on the countertop next to the cash till—it’s strictly cash-only on Landslide, with both Canadian and United States Dollars accepted as legal tender—so I watch her expand the map Ben gave me.
“Okee-doo,” Celia says, another one of those strange Landslide words, “this here’s your place with Ben Magoo next door.”She draws a stick line house-shape with her pencil.“The Farmers are about a mile and a half to the ferry jetty.Towards the woods are the Elliots.And abutting your land out back are the Steeles.And then there’s Vince Pruitt.He lives on his boat moored in the marina.”
I want to say “okee-doo,” but I don’t want Celia to think that I’m mocking her.
She moves the pencil over to the marker for Ben’s house.“The road goes around Magoo land like this, and then you’re back on Aherne property.”
“You mean to say I own the land all around the inn, too?”
“Mhm.Yuh.”Celia draws a few more squares to represent buildings.“This is the Riders’ clubhouse.Across the road is our place, Harry and I live over the store.Behind us is the mechanic, Carson Reagan.He also lives over the shop.If you need gas for your vehicle, that’s the place to get it.And behind town that-a-way is the marina.”
Finally, I think I might have discovered where Tempest kept her boat.
“Please can you tell me the name of my aunt’s boat?”
“Nuh-uh.I forgot.Just sniff around there.You’re sure to find it.”
It feels like I’m burning up inside with so many unanswered questions.But I hold back, remembering what Tallie told me.Baby steps.Test out the water first.Don’t stick my foot in my mouth.
There is something Icanask, though.Pointing to all the blank spaces on the map, I give a bewildered chuckle.“Who lives here?”
Celia gives me a blank stare.“No one.The land’s all spoken for by the families.”
The confusion must be showing on my face, because Celia begins to elaborate.
“Landslide hasboundaries, Luna.Outside folks have forgotten what it’s like to live with such things.They looove to overstep the dividing lines all the time, don’t they just?”
I try to joke.“Or else where’s the fun, am I right?”
Frowning me down, Celia continues.
“Sam Aherne, Tempest’s father, played by the rules.Went and got himself a nice American wife and brought her back here to settle down.But the woman took one look at the island and took off the first chance she got.Left poor little Tempest when the girl was still in diapers.Shocking.”
That was my granny!
“What boundaries do I need to know about?”
“Ben Magoo should have told you.Dundering clod that he is.Can’t see further than the nose on his face, figuratively speaking.”Scooching closer, Celia lowers her voice.“It’s theRiderswho lay down the law in Landslide.The MC, they like to call them rules or suggestions, but we know better.And it’s a brave soul who breaks the boundaries the Riders have set in place.”
Standing back from the counter, Celia looks triumphant.Like she’s pleased to be living in such a place.
“Er… are the Riders like a sheriff or a mayor, or something?”
“Nope.”After giving a definitive shake of her head, Celia begins to count off the rules on her fingers.
“Marry outsiders only.That’s non-negotiable.No cousins marrying cousins allowed on the island, thank you kindly!Property must pass from father to son.And visitors are only allowed to come over between the twentieth of June through to the twenty-second of September.”
Wait a minute!I must have arrived on the very last day of the summer before the?—
“So Landslide really does have a curfew?”
