He put the beers down on the table and slid onto the seat opposite me. ‘You just looked sad when I came over.’
‘I wasn’t sad.’
‘OK.’
‘I wasn’t,’ I insisted.
‘OK.’ He picked up his glass and took a sip, wiping the beer froth that stuck to the stubble above his top lip.
I sighed. ‘Maybe I was alittlesad.’
‘Want to talk about it?’
I felt my lip start to wobble at the thought of it. ‘Not really.’
He gave me a knowing stare, then smiled. ‘Then we won’t. We’ll talk about other things instead.’
I took a sip of beer, realizing I was parched from my long journey. The last thing I’d had to drink had been a coffee from a roadside diner in New Hampshire, and that was hours ago.
‘Like what?’
He shrugged and leaned back against the red leather bench seat. ‘Whatever you want. As long as it’s not hotels or mothers.’
6
JONAH
‘Those are some pretty specific subjects to be off limits,’ she said.
‘Yeah, well, seems like we both have things we don’t want to talk about.’
I could tell she was curious, but after a few heartbeats she clearly decided not to pry, which I appreciated.
She looked around the restaurant. ‘Tell me about this place.’
I looked around the room. ‘There’s not much to tell. It’s been a Pine Harbor landmark since before I was born. Locals love it, so do the tourists.’
‘I can see that. It’s busy.’
‘A man named Thomas Winthrop built it in the seventies and it’s been through its fair share of owners, and decors, since then. Current owner is a guy named Jack. He’s from out of town. It’s funny, people around here are usually slow to warm up to new residents, but he’s fitted right in.’
‘What makes him so special?’
I shrugged. ‘I think it’s because he’s just an all-round nice guy. Used to be a cop in New York. Moved here to help out the old owner of this place and ended up buying it from her. I don’t think it’s the only reason he stayed though. See that woman?’ Ipointed to where Taylor Calderwood was perched on a barstool, chatting to Jack while he worked.
‘The pretty brunette?’
‘Yeah. They’re seeing each other, according to town gossip anyway.’
She stared at me, clearly amused. ‘Youlisten to town gossip?’
‘In my defense it’s hard not to in a small town like this. I don’t go out of my way to know anyone’s business, but my mother and sister like to keep me updated, whether I want to know or not.’
‘Here you go, guys.’
We both leaned back a little as the waitress placed steaming bowls of lobster stew on the table in front of us. ‘I’ll be back in a minute with some cheesy garlic bread.’
I watched, as Mae bowed her head over the bowl, closed her eyes and breathed in deeply though her nose.
