He had a bad feeling that it was.“I’ll send it over to the mainland for further analysis.They’ll keep it as evidence in case it winds up relating to a missing person or murder case later on.”
If it did, his job was gonna get a whole lot more complicated.
ELEVEN
“T
he Seahorse has a dog-friendly patio.That work?”Rafe asked as they walked down to Harborview Street.It was already hot out, the air holding an unusual mugginess that clung to the skin.
“Sure, sounds good.”Based on what Willow had seen during their walks, Rufus seemed to be good with other dogs.It was people—more specifically men—that were still scary for him.She would try the patio and see how it went.If he was too stressed or reactive, she could always leave.
Rufus plodded along at her left side, panting lightly from the heat while shooting Rafe the occasional wary glance.
The town center was busy.A steady flow of traffic headed to and from the ferry terminal, and all the shops, cafés, and restaurants were full of people.As usual, there was a lineup outside The Skelly.
They passed it and continued for half a block before turning up the hill and walking another block.The Seahorse Café, a pale aqua Victorian building that had been converted into a restaurant a century ago, occupied the corner lot.
Willow followed Rafe around back to the patio.It was a beautiful, private space tucked into what had once been the backyard.Now an arch smothered in blooming honeysuckle marked the entrance.Inside, the large brick patio was enclosed by a brick wall on three sides, with large colorful umbrellas shading the tables.
Rufus scooted under her chair and laid down the moment she sat, and didn’t move.She ordered a peach iced tea and a mixed salad with chicken, fresh local nectarines, and roasted pistachios.Over lunch, she and Rafe caught up and talked about old times.Until Rafe turned the topic to something she would rather not talk about.
“You hear from Tripp since we saw him?”he asked.
“No, but I’d imagine he’s busy with work.”She tried to sound casual.Tried to pretend she hadn’t obsessively thought about him over the past week.“You?”
“Just texted a few times.”He eyed her.“Everything okay between you two?”
She took a sip of her iced tea because her throat was suddenly dry.“Fine.Why?”
“You both seemed a little awkward together.Was that the first time you’d seen him since he was wounded?”
She lowered her gaze, focused on spearing up a piece of nectarine with her next bite of salad as her stomach knotted.Tripp had been wounded on the same mission her brother had been killed in.He hadn’t come to Peyton’s funeral because he’d still been recovering in the hospital.
But then there’d been the night of theotherfuneral, two years before that.And the almost kiss on the beach that could easily have turned into much more if she hadn’t been such a coward.
“Yes,” she said.The scarring hadn’t been as bad as she had expected, though his beard covered a lot of it, and he’d been wearing a long-sleeved shirt.
