‘Work,’ Taylor replied. ‘He was expecting a delivery so had to go in early. I saw the truck pull up in the drive so came to see if everything was OK.’
‘Came to be nosy, more like,’ Ray said.
‘I know it’s hard to believe, Ray, with your endlessly exciting daily schedule, but there are a million more things I could be doing that are of more interest and importance to me than worrying about you. My hair needs washing, for one. The path needs shoveling again. Oh, and there’s a documentary on Netflix about the life of pigeons that looks thrilling.’
‘Stop it, you two,’ Moira said. ‘We have guests.’
Taylor stared at me thoughtfully. ‘I recognize you from somewhere.’
‘School,’ I told her. ‘You and Cal were a couple of years behind me.’
She clicked her fingers. ‘You’re Anna’s brother.’
‘Guilty.’
‘How is she? I haven’t seen her around since I’ve been back.’
‘She’s good. Married my friend Myles; I’m not sure if you remember him. They’ve got a baby girl, Isabelle.’
‘Cute. I’ll have to look her up, catch up for coffee or a drink.’
‘I’m sure she’d enjoy that. You’re with Jack now, right? The guy who bought The Cozy Catch?’
At the mention of his name she smiled. ‘I am.’
‘Poor guy,’ Ray said, and Taylor poked her tongue out at him. Then she turned to Mae, giving her a curious look. ‘I don’t remember you though, sorry.’
Mae smiled and held out her hand. ‘That’s because I’m new in town. I’m Mae. I’ve just started working for the Pine Harbor Nursing Association.’
I saw the moment the penny dropped on Taylor’s face. She groaned. ‘You’re here to see Ray, aren’t you? What’s he called you here for this time? Let me guess. He has a sore toe. No wait, his knee has started making a funny sound.’
We all looked at Ray, who squirmed.
‘For your information,’ he said, ‘itdoesmake a funny sound. But that’s not why I called.’
We waited.
‘I feel uncomfortable discussing my health issues in front of an audience,’ he said.
Taylor snorted. ‘Since when? You tell anyone who’ll listen about your various aches and ailments, whether they want to hear about them or not. I took you to see Fred, the optometrist, last week and by the time we left he knew everything there was to know about your bowel habits.’
‘He asked.’
‘No, he didn’t.’
‘He did. He asked if I’d noticed any further decline in my eyesight, so I told him I can’t read the small print on the calendar on the back of the toilet door any more.’
‘That’s not all you told him.’
‘How would you know?’
‘Because he told me.’
Ray waved a hand. ‘What happened to patient–doctor confidentiality? They’ll give anyone a medical degree these days.’
‘He’s an OPTOMETRIST, Ray. He’s not qualified to comment on your…’ She shuddered. ‘Stool color.’
I laughed, quickly turning it into a cough when Ray glared at me.
