‘You said you wouldn’t normally have eaten dinner by now anyway,’ he reminded me.
‘I know. But I wouldn’t normally be surrounded by all these divine smells, either. I mean, whatisthat?’ I sniffed the air as we reached the first stall.
‘That is lobster grilled cheese.’ The woman behind the stall grinned. She looked familiar, and it took me a minute to place her, but then I recognized her as the woman from the restaurant the other night. ‘Made with lobster caught right here in the harbor and cheese that’s produced just up the road. You can’t get any more local than that. Hey, Jonah. How’s your dad? I was sorry to hear about his stroke.’
‘Thanks, Taylor. He’s doing OK, improving every day.’
‘I’m glad to hear it.’
He put a hand on the small of my back. ‘This is Mae. She’s new to town. She’s also starving.’
‘Hi, Taylor.’ I smiled, as my stomach grumbled audibly again. ‘I’d love a sandwich please.’
Jonah nudged me with his arm. ‘Don’t you want to wait and see what else is on offer at the stalls first?’
‘Oh no, I plan to sample something from all of them,’ I promised him.
He laughed. ‘This could be an expensive night.’
‘Well you don’t need to worry about that, because I’m paying,’ I told him, fishing cash out of my pocket. ‘For both of us. I owe you for the other night.’
‘You don’t owe me anything.’
‘I’m paying. End of story.’
‘Bossy, isn’t she?’ Taylor commented, grinning. ‘Sounds like you’ve met your match.’
He grimaced playfully. ‘I think you might be right. I’ll have a sandwich too please. Jack not working tonight?’
‘Yeah he’s here somewhere. Skiving off and chatting to someone, no doubt. Do you know it takes us an hour to get around the supermarket on a good day because of the number of people who just want to stop and catch up with him?’
‘That’s pretty normal isn’t it? An hour to shop?’
She snorted. ‘Not when your supermarket has only three aisles.’
‘Good point.’
‘He’s only been here five minutes, and you know what Pine Harbor’s like, Jonah.’ She nodded towards me. ‘You’ll find out. They’re welcoming and friendly enough, sure, but they tend to keep strangers at a distance. It can take years for people to be accepted as part of the community. But not Jack. He’s more Pine Harbor than me, and I wasbornhere.’
I handed over my money and she passed us our sandwiches. ‘Enjoy.’
‘Cheers,’ Jonah said, peeling the paper back from the side.
I took a bite and closed my eyes, savoring the tastes and textures, the crispy, golden butter-fried bread, with melt-in-the-mouth lobster and melted gruyere cheese.
‘Oh my God,’ I said, after swallowing my first mouthful. ‘That’s the best grilled sandwich I’ve ever had in my life. I’m not even kidding. What’s the herby taste?’ I asked Taylor. ‘Mixed in with the lobster?’
She narrowed her eyes. ‘Icouldtell you, but then I’d have to kill you.’
‘They take secret recipes pretty seriously around here,’ Jonah informed me. ‘A lot of them have been passed down through generations of families and are closely guarded secrets.’
I stared at the large kitchen knife lying on a wooden chopping board in front of Taylor. ‘In that case, I withdraw my question.’
They laughed.
‘I’m just messing with you,’ she said. ‘It’s the chef’s own special mixture. Thyme, dill, tarragon, garlic salt, onion salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper. Really compliments the lobster. Or any seafood, for that matter.’
‘You guys should bottle it,’ I told her. ‘I’d buy it.’
