Rose winked and skipped back to the counter, all energy and color.
Wade checked the time again. “I should get going. If the eggs get too cold, it’s over. The runt, especially. She’s not strong like the others.”
Beth stood to walk him out, but he stopped her with a gentle touch on her arm. I couldn’t tell if it was intentional or if he was still getting used to the ritual of affection, but it made Beth’s cheeks go pink.
He grinned sheepishly, and then kissed her, right on the lips, quick and unselfconscious. She closed her eyes and leaned into it. It wasn’t showy or hungry, just a press of warm affection.Then Wade squeezed her hand and left, careful with the boxes, and the door chime signaled his exit.
Carol and I both looked at Beth, who stood with her fingers to her lips, eyes a little glassy.
“Shut up,” she said, but she was smiling too hard for it to have any bite.
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” I said, then, “Okay, maybe I was.”
Carol rested her chin on her hand. “How’s it going?”
Beth sat again, smoothing her dress and picking at the corner of her phone case. “It’s good. We’re taking it slow, obviously, but—” She hesitated. “I’m not as nervous as I thought I’d be. There’s something very safe about him. And he never talks about my past, or my sister, or any of it.”
I nodded, understanding. Beth’s ex had detonated her life in such a spectacular fashion that the shrapnel still flew, even years later. Not many of us could imagine a worse way for their marriage to end than for their husband to end up with the sister they raised. The wounds had healed, but the scars never faded.
Carol reached over and squeezed Beth’s forearm. “We’re happy for you.”
“Thanks,” Beth said. “It’s weird. Sometimes I still feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“That’s normal,” I said. “Therapy helps. And so do carbs.” I pushed the plate of buns toward her. “You’re not allowed to be self-critical on carb day.”
She laughed and wiped at her eyes. “Deal.”
It was only after a few minutes, and the arrival of our second round of coffee, that Deva finally emerged from the back, wiping her hands on her apron. She sat at the table and exhaled in relief. “It’s a madhouse back there. Bryan already broke the dishwasher. I might have to start threatening his life.” Deva shrugged. “How’s everyone?”
There was a brief, companionable silence as we all checked in on each other. Carol’s fabric shop, Yarns and Yards, was doing well and staying busy. She’d managed to get two days off this week, with the older woman, Hazel, completely running her shop, which meant more time with her garden and less with local drama. Beth was handling her own business, Private Pysch, and her twins, with the usual combination of caffeine and stubbornness. Deva’s business was such a success that she teased the idea of opening another location.
When everyone was done talking, all eyes fell on me. We all knew that the only reason they were talking was to try to get my mind off the situation with Alice and Henry. And it’d worked. Mostly. Until all eyes were on me, and I pictured my brother again, a sick feeling washing over me.
Deva looked at me with that slight tilt of the head she used when things were about to get serious. “Any update on Alice?”
I hesitated, picking at the corner of my napkin. “Daniel says there’s nothing new. He went through the footage from all over town, days leading up to her disappearance. She shows up on the square, by the river, even near the marina, but after that nothing. Not even a car leaving, or a trace of her in the woods. Cops didn’t see anything suspicious on the tapes.”
Carol frowned. “What about her parents?”
“They’re devastated, obviously,” I said. “But they keep thinking she’ll walk back in the door. Like it’s a magic trick, or she’s out testing a new spell and forgot to call home.”
Beth made a small sound, something between a sigh and a murmur.
Deva reached for my hand, her touch both grounding and soft. “We’ll keep looking,” she said. “It’s what we do.”
Beth shuffled through her notebook. “So, her last two days she went to the library, Vale Provisions, the gaming store, the movies, book club, a coffee shop, and she said something about helping her friend Krissy with her collectibles. So, we should hit one of these places next.”
“How about Vale Provisions?” Carol suggested, not mentioning the sale she was interested in.
“We might as well,” I said.
Beth closed her notebook. “We can find out what they know about Alice, hit the bone meal sale and then come back for lunch?”
“Sounds like a plan,” I said, trying to sound cheerier than I felt.
We finished our breakfast in a quieter mood, fueled by carbs and caffeine and a little collective hope.
EIGHT
