‘Not a compliment.’
‘I know.’
‘Ah, what would a morning in Pine Harbor be like without you two bickering,’ Jack said, his face amused.
Warmth flooded through me at the sight of him. God, he was gorgeous. ‘He started it.’
‘Grow up,’ said Ray, shuffling off towards Café on Main.
‘I will when you will,’ I called after him.
‘What is with you two?’ Jack asked.
‘Nothing.’ I shrugged. ‘It’s just the way it’s always been. He’s been a cranky old bastard for as long as I can remember, and so we spent our childhood trying to provoke him, and succeeding, the majority of the time.’
‘You and your brother?’
I nodded, before changing the subject. ‘What do you think of my stall?’
He ran his eyes over everything appraisingly. ‘Looks good.’
‘That’s it? Good?’
‘I’m not sure what you want me to say.’
‘I don’t know.’ I pouted. ‘I guess I just hoped for something more than “good”.’
‘It’s very… festive?’
‘It’s not Christmas.’
‘I know that. I meant bright and cheerful.’
‘Where’s your stall?’
He pointed. ‘Just over there.’
He was on the opposite side of the street, down the other end.
‘It’s not far from the restaurant,’ he said. ‘Which is good. If I run out of supplies I can quickly send someone back for more.’
‘What’s on the menu?’
‘Lobster rolls, of course.’
‘Of course.’
‘Plus, the usual suspects. Anything that’s easy to prepare and serve out here. There’s a big pot of chowder. Bacon, egg and hash brown sandwiches. Fish and chips, coleslaw, pies, some cake slices and ice cream. A few other things. You’ll have to come over for lunch.’
‘Maybe. I’ll check out the other stalls first. Might be something better on offer.’
He gasped in mock outrage. ‘You wouldn’t.’
‘I might.’
Music started up from the makeshift stage set up over by the water. The live band had set up and were warming up. There was the smoky smell of grilled corn in the air. People were starting to arrive, wandering amongst the stalls. A young couple paused to flick through my folders.
‘Oh my God,’ I heard the woman say. ‘We should totally get matching tattoos.’
