I pushed open the door, and the delicious scent of fish and spices surrounded us. The place was full, and no one could stop talking about the storm. A group of fishermen were talking at one table about how much money they stood to lose if access to the port wasn’t restored. They were also concerned about damage to the potato fields on the island’s north.
I felt sorry for them, victims of circumstances they couldn’t control. From behind the bar, Ridge lit up when he saw me. “Are you all right? I called you several times, but your phone was off.”
“My battery went dead, and we didn’t have power. And even when I charged it, the signal out here is garbage.”
He laughed before looking at Trey with curiosity.
“Ridge, this is Trey. He’s friends with my brother-in-law.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Same,” Trey said, shaking his hand.
“When did you get here? The port’s closed and even the helicopters won’t be able to land until the afternoon.”
“Two nights ago, on the last ferry.”
“And you found Old Bay? You must know the area well.”
“I’ve been here a few times.”
Ridge nodded. I had the sense that he was evaluating Trey, trying to decide whether or not he could trust him. He opened his mouth to go on speaking, but I interrupted him.
“Do you think you could whip us up something to eat? We’re starving.”
“Sure.” He glanced around. “There’s a free table over there by the window. Carlie will be over soon to get your order.”
We thanked him and took our seats. The window looked out onto the port and the vastness of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. It was stunning.
Carlie came over in her usual bad mood, but as soon as she saw Trey, her attitude changed. Amazing what a little testosterone and a handsome face can do.
We ordered the daily special of mussels, lobster rolls, and salad. For dessert, we had a blueberry flan with lime sauce.
“Don’t hesitate to call me over if you need anything else, I’ll be right over there,” Carlie said in her snake-charmer voice. Naturally, she didn’t even bother looking at me.
As soon as she walked off, Trey turned his attention to me. “Have you known Ridge long?”
“Two and a half days, basically.”
“Really? I’d have thought it was more. He certainly seems interested in you. And me, but in a different way.” I could sense the sarcasm in his words.
I flapped my eyelashes at him like a Victorian lady. “What do you want me to say? I have that effect on people. They see me, and they just adore me.”
Trey leaned back in his chair, and I shifted nervously.
“It’s not what you think,” I went on. Carlie appeared, but said nothing as she dropped our drinks at the table and walked off again. The bitch. She batted her eyes, too. She had more of a knack for it than I did. “Ridge is like that with everyone. He’s a bit of a philanthropist and an animal rights activist. He’s…he’s a good guy.”
Trey looked at me with curiosity as I took a sip of my soda and asked him, “So you said you’ve been to the island a couple of times?” He nodded. Another thing I was finding out about him was his tendency to keep silent, to answer with vague movements you might miss if you blinked. It made me nervous, and that made it hard to keep my own mouth shut. “When was that?”
“The first time was right after I moved to Massachusetts. The second time was a few months later, when Scott tricked me intothinking we were coming for a guys’ trip, but I actually spent the whole weekend painting and putting furniture together.”
That was typical Scott. The memory made Trey grumble as if he were still irritated by it, while I pursed my lips and tried not to laugh.
Carlie reappeared to drop our dishes off on the table. We ate like wolves, only stopping to catch our breath or sigh with satisfaction. Everything was delicious, but I ate the mussels so fast I barely noticed. Then I took a bite of lobster roll and was unable to stop myself from exclaiming, “Thank you, God!”
I closed my eyes. When I opened them, Trey was gawking at me. I cleared my throat, feeling a bit embarrassed.
“Why’d you come here the first time?”
