‘Perfect,’ I said. ‘You always know exactly what to choose.’
‘It’s a skill,’ Lorraine said cheerfully. She waved, then hurried over to help a middle-aged guy who’d gathered five eucalyptus bouquets and was showing no sign of stopping there.
‘I think he can go to at least eight,’ I whispered.
‘Definitely. Shall we take this party to the beach?’ Lara wiped her whipped-cream moustache with her wrist. ‘Oh my god, the decadence. Let it be known that when it eventually happens, I want my cause of death to be listed asthe decadence. You can write my obituary, if you like.’
‘Mm hmm,’ I said absently.
‘Big thoughts in that pretty head, huh?’ teased Lara, sipping her latte as we strolled down the sand-strewn main street. Most of the shops were just starting to open: hungover owners and assistants were stacking tiny pumpkins into pyramids and watering their chrysanthemum planters.
‘Always,’ I admitted, stopping to stroke one of the many black cats that inhabited the cove – all of them related to a single mama stray that no one had been able to catch.
Between various fantasies about the Tucker brothers and Tiff’s 3 a.m. alarm, which she’d set so she could call Damien, I’d barely slept last night. I’d eventually given up and rolled out of bed at dawn, only to find Rosie already up and wandering around with paint swatches in hand. She’d assured me that the very early morning was the best time to compare paint swatches, but I hadn’t been able to ignore the tightness of her brow.
‘Guy stuff?’ Lara said slyly, waiting for me at the top of the steps that led to the beach.
Guy stuff, but also grief stuff.
‘I think you have more guy stuff to share than I do,’ I said. ‘How long has this Jack thing been going on?’
Lara picked her way down the steps. ‘He’s surprisingly hot for someone who voluntarily wears a onesie, right?’
‘Definitely an above-average skeleton,’ I admitted, as my toes touched sand.
The beach always felt so good this time of morning. The sand was cool, with only the very top layer sun-warmed. The breeze hummed a gentle tune.
Lara’s eyes scrunched at the corners. ‘And the meat on top of the skeleton is also not bad.’
‘So, you’re dating?’ I pressed as we picked our way across the sand. It wasn’t lost on me that she’d deflected my earlier question.
Lara shrugged. ‘I mean, we’ve been out a few times.’
‘Aha. Just a few times, and yet you’ve dragged him outhere to magic central.’ I raised an eyebrow. ‘So, did he have anything to say about the weird storm last night? It was a pretty big burst of magic for someone not used to it.’
‘I think he was otherwise occupied,’ she said, with a wicked grin. ‘Plus, you know what guys are like. They’re oblivious. Half the time they can’t tell that I’m flirting with them.’
I chuckled. Lara was not known for her subtlety.
‘So, who invited who?’ I nodded in the direction of the B&B.
‘Wow, detective much?’ Lara scuffed at a shell with her sandal. ‘It’s not, like, a formal arrangement. He just thought the Summerween Festival sounded cool. And our vacation days lined up.’
I’d never seen Lara this cagey about a guy. Was she … actuallyintohim? Ordinarily, Lara allowed a guy a couple of dates and then sent him on his way to find a girl who’d treat him right. She certainly didn’t invite him on vacation. Well, except the one guy who was heir to a hotel empire and had comped us honeymoon suites across four different states. But that had been a strategic play.
‘Well, he seems cool,’ I offered. ‘What does he do? How’d you guys meet? What’s his star sign? Does he like animals? Can I stalk him on Instagram to make sure he’s safe?’
Lara whacked me on the arm. ‘Okay, okay, I get it. I should’ve said something. But I don’t usually say anything.’
‘There’s not usually anything to say,’ I pointed out. ‘Unless it’s “help, Molly, pretend to be my ailing grandmother so I have an excuse to leave”.’
‘I haven’t done that inages. I’ve perfected the art of the hasty exit.’ Lara sipped her drink, shielding her eyes as she watched a couple of kids wrestle a home-made kite into the sky. ‘It’s really not anything, I promise. It’s just … a couple of dates turned into a couple more dates. I still don’t even know his last name.’
I raised an eyebrow.
‘Okay, it’s Campanelli. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to marry him. Besides, I’m more interested inyourlove-life dramas.’
Now it was my turn to feign fascination with the kite. Although the kids had actually done a good job with all the streamers and cellophane. ‘Why is everyone suddenly so obsessed with the Tucker boys thing? Did you hear Lorraine in there going on about making choices?’
