She turned back to him. “Bridget has morning sickness, so we’ll play your extra shifts by ear until it passes.”
Malachi’s stomach dropped. It had taken her less than a minute to weaponise his accidental enthusiasm.
“Bridget’s pregnant?” Dad raised his brows. “She never said.”
“Check your emails.” Nomi wagged her finger.
Dad glowered at the red painted nail as though debating whether to snap it off.
“If there are any issues with the shop during your shift, give me a call.”
“I’ll be grand, Nomi.” Malachi rolled his eyes, “It’s almost like I’ve been working here since I was a child.”
“Working,” Nomi snorted as she strode towards Dad’s car. “We’d best get going, or I’ll be late.”
Malachi’s cheeks burned. His brain turned to mush,and he couldn’t think of a comeback. Dad opened his mouth to speak. He needed to cut him off—fast. “See you later, Dad.” He waved as a frazzled woman with two crying children charged into the shop. Crisis averted.
He closed the shop door, and let out a long, weighty sigh. Whatever Dad wanted to talk about would have to wait a few hours longer. He grabbed his phone from behind the till to text Ally, telling him he’d be late getting toLucky Crumbs. Glancing at the clock on his phone, he figured he had a few hours to think of an excuse to avoid Dad and any conversation about Rhys’ death.
Chapter 6
Archie
Despite a few intrusive thoughts, including one where Archie lobbed Nomi and her clipboard over the cliffs and into the sea at high tide, he delivered her safely to the dentist. It was barely 9.30am, and now that Malachi was covering Bridget’s shift, he found himself at a loss for what to do next.
Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, Archie debated driving to the far side of Latharna to see if he could spot any signs of the Selkie. It would be a risky move, and he couldn’t afford to be spotted by any lurking off the coast. Worse still, he had nothing to defend himself with if he came under attack. Ina’s battle readiness always seemed paranoid, but right now, he wished he’d listened.
Patience didn’t come naturally, so he drove home the long way around the island, taking the backroads to Riverside. Getting stuck behind a tractor pulling a load of freshly cut grass added to his journey, but it helped settle his mind, or at least, it redirected his frustration.
He was almost home when Tilly’s old beige car sped towards him, headlights flashing. He braked and pulled overas she flew by without slowing, no doubt on her way home after visiting Ina. Archie’s stomach lurched. There would almost certainly be a baked “treat” waiting for him when he got in.
He drove up the twisty driveway to Riverside and parked beside Ina’s car. The blinds shifted in the living room, a room they only really used during Christmas, but one that offered the best view of the driveway. Ina had clearly been watching for him, and would likely have spent the entire morning pacing the floor if Tilly hadn’t distracted her.
Archie waved, even though she was likely marching into the kitchen, desperate to know how things with Malachi went.
“Where is he?” Ina didn’t wait for Archie to fully open the kitchen door before starting her interrogation. “I thought you were going to speak to him this morning.”
“He had to stay atThe Den.” Archie held up his hands to broker peace. “I’ll pick him up later and talk to him then.”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Ina tutted, filling the teapot with freshly boiled water. “When’s he finished?”
“Nomi will be back in a couple of hours.” Archie looked around the kitchen with a raised eyebrow. “Were you cleaning?” The sharp sting of lemon and bleach caught his nose. Ina had clearly scrubbed every inch of the kitchen while he was meant to be talking to Malachi.
“I don’t want him down there on his own.” Ignoring the question, Ina slammed the teapot on the table, making the tea slosh out the spout.
How the Wolfendens didn’t go through more crockery, was a miracle. Cups usually bore the brunt of their frustrations. “You need to?—”
“Tell me to relax, Archie, and you’ll see what happens.” Ina jabbed a teaspoon at him like a weapon.
Archie took a deep breath and peeked into the box to see what Tilly had brought. His stomach grumbled. She’d stopped atLucky Crumbsbefore calling. He wiggled his fingers over the contents and let fate decide, plucking out a large cream-filled bun.
“Did you speak to Bob?” Ina sat down, posture straight, ready to talk business. Otherworld business.
“I did.” Archie spooned several sugars into his tea. “He called you an old fox.”
Ina shot him a withering look that bore into his soul, dragging him back to the topic at hand.
“Bob says they’ll be here in a day or two.” Archie took a loud slurp of tea. A day or two gave them time to prepare for any danger—to the Wolfendens and the people of Latharna. Right now, if Murdock was right, time was their only advantage.
