by Wendy Webb
I chuckled at this. “Word travels fast. And yes, he was. He dove into the water and got her out of there.”
“You can tell me all about it when you come for dinner tonight,” Kate said. “Are you free? I know it’s really last minute but Simon has been pestering me to invite you.”
“Let me check my ever-full social calendar.” I laughed. “I’d love to come. What time do you want me there?”
“We have a tradition around here of an early Sunday dinner. More like a linner. Lunch-dinner.” She laughed.
“Linner. I love it.”
“So, how about four o’clock? We’ll have drinks and appetizers to start. Chef is roasting a couple of chickens and we also have a light pasta tonight that will make you weep.”
“I’ll be there. Can I bring anything?”
“How about the Illustrated Man? His name is on everyone’s lips these days, and I’d love to get to know him.”
“I’ll ask him,” I said, but my stomach did a quick flip at the thought of it. She was inviting us as a couple. “We’re not dating, you know.”
“Oh, stop,” she said, laughing. “The whole town knows he somehow managed to catch the eye of the most incredible single woman in Wharton. Lucky man.”
What a lovely thing to say. I could feel my face redden, but I was warmed from the inside out.
I hung up with Kate and pushed myself up from the Adirondack chair where I had been sitting. Back inside the house, I knocked softly on Dominic’s door. Not too loudly to wake him if he was sleeping, but enough to let him know someone was there if he wasn’t. I waited for a moment. No answer. I walked down the hall to Jason and Gil’s and rapped softly. No answer there, either.
I made my way back down to the restaurant, where I found Dominic sitting at the counter, a beer bubbling in a tall glass in front of him. He smiled when he saw me.
“There she is,” he said, grinning.
“I was just knocking on your door.” I slid onto the stool beside him. “How was last night? With Alice, I mean.”
He took a sip of his beer. “All was quiet on the Alice front,” he said. “It was really peaceful, actually, sitting in front of the fire with everyone else asleep. I had a lot of time to think. Gil woke up about seven o’clock and relieved me.”
“Did you get some sleep after that?” I asked.
“I conked out for a few hours,” he said, nodding. “I’m good.”
“I talked to Kate earlier,” I said. “She invited us to Harrison’s House for dinner. Do you feel up to it? I can tell them no if you’re too tired.”
Dominic smiled. “Sounds like fun. I’ve been wanting to see the inside of that place. Police chief going to be there, too?” He gave me a sidelong glance.
“Don’t do anything shifty, and you should be fine,” I said, but immediately I wished I could take back the words. I hadn’t thought of it before, but it occurred to me that, given Dominic’s situation growing up, he likely hadn’t had too many positive interactions with the men and women in blue. And Kate had told me her husband had looked into Dominic as a suspect for a suspicious death in the Twin Cities. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. “I didn’t mean—”
His grin stopped my words. “I will endeavor to keep anything shifty out of sight,” he said. “But you never know. I tend to shift. You’ll have to dive in and pull me back if I do.”
I grinned at him. “They want us there at four.”
The look on his face made me burst into laughter. It was a mixture of revulsion and surprise.
“Four?” he said. “The early-bird special? What are we, senior citizens?”
“There’s nothing wrong with senior citizens, mister.” It was Gary’s voice, coming from the kitchen. “Some of us are pretty hot.”
“Some hotter than others,” LuAnn’s voice piped up.
Dominic and I both dissolved into laughter.
“They like to do an early main meal on Sundays,” I said. “Lunch-dinner. Linner.”
He grinned. “Linner. First the fish boil and now this. What’s next with you Great Lakes people?”
“You could also call it lupper.”
Dominic shook his head. “I’ll meet you down here at three forty-five,” he said, pushing himself up from his stool. “I’m going to take a shower and clean up for the good of humanity at large, but especially for you and our hosts.”
“It’s a date,” I said, smiling up at him.
He stroked my hair and leaned down, kissing me lightly on the cheek. “See you then.”
I watched him disappear up the stairs, and LuAnn emerged from the kitchen carrying a martini, her eyebrows raised.
“Well, well, well,” she said, grinning at me. “I haven’t seen you look so happy since you’ve been here. What’s that we said this morning about people coming into your life at the right place and the right time?”
My face was growing hot, and I knew I was blushing. “We’re just getting to know each other,” I tried.
LuAnn chortled. “‘Just getting to know each other,’ my ever-widening behind. From where I sit, it looks like you’ve known each other forever. Stop fighting it, girl. What’s the worst that could happen? You’ll have a fun summer fling and then dump him when the next Greek god comes along. But I think it’s a lot more than a fling.” She stopped and looked into my eyes deeply. “And so do the two of you.”
I changed into a black ankle-length cotton T-shirt dress and slid my feet into my go-to black flats. I wound a necklace with blue and silver beads around my neck and chose my favorite earrings, silver with blue glass drops.
I dug my makeup case out of the vanity drawer and tried to work a little magic. Moisturizer, a hint of bronzer, concealer under my eyes, and a dash of cream blush on my cheeks. Eye pencil and mascara.
I grabbed my jean jacket from the closet and slipped it on before taking one last look in the mirror. Not too bad, I thought as I scooped up my purse and went out the door, careful to close and lock it behind me.
Dominic was waiting downstairs when I came through the door. He was leaning against the wall wearing jeans and a formfitting black T-shirt under a casual black blazer, black boots on his feet. Diamond studs adorned his earlobes and two heavy gold chains wound around his neck, one a jeweled crucifix, the other an intricately woven chain.
He smiled at me when I came into the room, and it took my breath away.
“Look at you,” he said, raising his eyebrows. “Nice.”
I blushed. “You clean up nice, too,” I managed to say.
As we walked out the door, I looked back over my shoulder and saw LuAnn and Gary standing behind the counter, each with a martini in their hand. They raised their glasses to me with a knowing look.
Outside, Dominic fished his keys out of his pocket. “We could walk up to the house, but . . .”
“Oh, let’s drive, absolutely,” I said. “I’ve been sitting on the deck all day and have burned zero calories. Why ruin that streak? If we have a couple of drinks and want to walk home—”
“The police chief will be watching our alcohol intake,” Dominic broke in, chuckling.
“Exactly. And it’s all downhill from there.”
We walked around to the back of the house, hopped into his car, and drove slowly through town. It was just before four o’clock, but the bustle of the day already seemed to be winding down. We passed Just Read It and saw Beth outside, taking in the chalkboard placard that sat on the sidewalk. I rolled down my window and waved.
“Hey, lady!” she called to me. “Stop in tomorrow!”
“I will!” I called back to her.
I turned back to Dominic, and as he drove up the hill, he was smiling from ear to ear.
“What?” I asked him.
“You’ve been here less time than I have, and yet everyone in town seems to know you,” he said. “LuAnn and Gary adore you, to say nothing of Jason and Gil. You’ve got these friends at Harrison’s House, and now Beth at the bookstore.”
; I shrugged. “I guess so.”
“It’s because you give off a good vibe,” he said. “You make people feel safe around you. Me included. It’s a gift, what you have. An openness that invites people into your world.”
Did I really do that? It warmed me to think that was what he thought of me.
He pulled into the parking lot at Harrison’s House, and only then did I realize the home’s grandeur. It was an enormous dark-purple and cream Victorian-style home sitting on the highest hill in town overlooking the harbor. It had a turret on the third floor and a porch that wrapped around the entire front of the house. Baskets filled with colorful flowers hung from the porch’s ceiling, and armchairs and sofas were clustered in groups here and there.
A man and a woman I assumed were guests sat on one of the sofas on the far end of the porch, a bottle of wine in an ice bucket on a coffee table in front them. Both were reading books, snuggled into each other. It reminded me of my afternoon on the beach with Dominic.
He caught my eye and smiled, and I knew he was thinking the same.
As Dominic and I walked up the steps to the front door, Kate opened it and came out to greet us, followed by Simon and Jonathan, who were carrying trays of appetizers. Nick came last and stood in the doorway, his arms crossed, leaning against the frame.
“Welcome!” Kate said, enveloping me in a hug. “So glad to see you!”
“You, too,” I said, kissing her on the cheek. I turned to my date. “Everyone, this is Dominic.”
Kate took a step forward and gave him a quick hug. “So nice to meet you!” she said. “I’m Kate.”
“Thank you for including me,” Dominic said, turning on that movie-star smile. “I’m not the type of guy who gets invited to grand homes like these,” Dominic went on. “I hope I don’t use the wrong fork and ruin the evening.”
“Nonsense,” Kate said, squeezing his arm.
“Darling, you could eat with your hands, and it wouldn’t ruin the evening,” Simon piped up. “I’m Simon. This is my husband, Jonathan.” He pointed to Nick. “And that’s Kate’s husband, Nick. He tends to glower. Don’t mind him.”
I smiled at Nick but didn’t catch his eye. His eyes were trained on Dominic in a way that made me shudder.
“Who wants drinks?” Nick said. “I’m the designated bartender.”
And our linner began.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
We enjoyed our appetizers—a plate of gourmet cheeses and crackers, figs stuffed with cream cheese, various nuts, prosciutto-wrapped grilled asparagus bites—and drinks on the porch, taking in the spectacular, expansive view of the harbor and town. Sailboats floated lazily between the islands; cabin cruisers bobbed in their slips at the dock. The ferries chugged along toward Ile de Colette, and tourists strolled through town. Flowers lined the paths in the park by the lake. And we were looking down on it all. It truly was the shining house on the hill.
I noticed a group of kayakers set off toward the island, and only then did I realize I hadn’t been paddling yet.
“I’ve got to get out and do some kayaking this week,” I said, taking a sip of wine.
Jonathan gave Simon a look and burst out laughing.
I looked from one of them to the other. “What? Something about kayaking?”
Simon rolled his eyes. “I stay away from kayaks. Not my thing.”
“When we first moved here, we took lessons,” Jonathan said, wiping his eyes. “Let’s just say they did not go well.”
Kate laughed. “Tell her about the wet suit.”
Even Simon was laughing now. “All right, all right,” he said, turning to me. “Casey’s is the kayak rental business, but they won’t rent to you unless you get certified. And to get certified, they take you out and teach you how to kayak, what to do if you flip over, how to deal with the waves, that kind of thing.”
“That makes sense,” I said.
“It’s Lake Superior,” Jonathan piped up. “They can’t send people out there who don’t know what they’re doing.”
“So, what about the wet suit?”
“You need to wear one if you’re kayaking because the lake is so cold,” Simon said. “Let’s just say mine was a bit . . . snug.”
Jonathan snorted.
“Every ounce of baby fat on display for all to see!” Simon wailed. “It was mortifying. I looked like a sausage. Anyway, I got past that, and out we went into the water. The first thing they teach you is how to capsize your kayak and swim out when you’re upside down.”
I shuddered. I wasn’t so sure I wanted to kayak after all.
“I went first,” Simon said, taking a sip of his drink. “The capsizing went fine. I unsnapped the skirt from the kayak and swam out of it, no problem. I was thinking: I’m a pro! I’m great at this! I’ll bet the teacher has never seen anyone so naturally adept in his first lesson!”
Jonathan put his face in his hands and shook his head. Kate was in tears, and even Nick was laughing.
“Then you need to get back into the kayak. In open water. You have to flop on top of it, on your belly, and somehow maneuver yourself back into that little hole so you can sit down. Kayaks are tippy! They are not at all stable. And you’re trying to twist around like you’re suddenly in Lake Superior Cirque du Soleil.”
“Whoever thought this up is a total barbarian,” Jonathan added.
“In that wet suit, I was a walrus trying to flop onto an ice floe,” Simon said. “And it was my birthday! Total humiliation on my birthday.”
“Now we have champagne and play croquet on birthdays instead,” Jonathan said.
Dominic was wiping his eyes. My stomach hurt from laughing.
Then Jonathan began to regale us with stories about their recent antiquing trip, and Simon had us in stitches again, complaining about his latest bridezilla.
“Whoever thought it would be a good idea to open up the ballroom for weddings should be impaled with a poison boutonniere,” Simon declared.
“That would be you, dear,” Jonathan said.
Dominic caught my eye and mouthed, “Ballroom?”
I nodded. “Simon inherited the house from their grandmother, who grew up here,” I said to him. Then, turning to Simon, I asked, “Isn’t that right?”
“Exactly,” Simon said. “I lived here with Grandma Hadley and took care of her for the last years of her life.”
Tears threatened although I tried to hold them at bay. They were always ready to make an appearance lately. Dominic must’ve sensed it because he took a couple of steps toward me from his spot leaning against the porch railing, and put a hand on my shoulder. Nick took notice of this in a way I didn’t quite appreciate.
“Brynn knows a little something about how difficult that is,” Dominic said to Simon, his voice filled with gentleness and understanding. “You did a good thing, taking care of your grandmother.”
“No trouble at all. She was a sweet old girl,” Simon said. “Funny, too. Wasn’t she, Kate?”
Kate chuckled. “She always cheated at cribbage.”
Simon hooted. “I had forgotten that!”
I smiled at them, marveling at the joy that had found its way in to temper their grief at losing such a big part of their lives. I wondered when, or if, I would ever get to that place. Dominic’s hand was still on my shoulder. I put my own hand on top of his and looked up at him. I knew he knew exactly what I was thinking. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nick watching us. Yet again.
He and Kate exchanged a wary glance. I wondered what that meant.
I broke that silence.
“After your grandma passed, you decided to turn the house into an inn?” I asked.
“Oh, long before that,” Simon said. “Gram, Kate, and I had been talking about it for a while.”
“I wasn’t too involved at that stage just after Grandma died,” Kate said. “I was caught up in my own . . . drama.”
“Divorce from Hellboy,” Simon said in a loud stage whisper, eliciting another rare laugh from Nick
.
“I think you mentioned you recently completed the renovations in the house?” I asked Simon.
He nodded, taking a sip of wine. “We did the whole house, floor by floor. Everything needed work, from the plumbing to the electrical to the decor. The whole thing was Jonathan’s brainchild.”
“The ballroom was the last project,” Jonathan said. “We thought when it was finished it would be a hot ticket for weddings and other types of events. Little did we know. Kate does most of the heavy lifting with that part of the business now, thank goodness, leaving us free to tend to the other guests.”
Nick was busy refreshing everyone’s drinks. He caught my eye and smiled. I couldn’t quite figure him out.
I watched him, remembering Simon’s comment about Nick being like Eeyore. It wasn’t right, the characterization. I found Nick to be friendly and welcoming, but extremely wary. Even tonight. Overly so. But he had a right to be, I thought, with all he had seen as a cop. Still, I noticed him glancing at Dominic over and over again. What was that about? It was starting to pool in my consciousness, and not in a good way.
“We were all upset to hear about what happened with Alice last night,” Simon said, leaning in toward me. “Is she okay? Are you?”
“She’s okay,” I said, squeezing Dominic’s arm. “This guy was the hero.”
Did Nick just roll his eyes? Or did I imagine it? A flare of irritation rose within me, and after what we had all been through the night before, it got the better of me. I was well and truly tired of what I perceived to be this man’s attitude toward Dominic.
“She disappeared into the lake, Nick, unless you didn’t get the full report from your guys,” I said, with more than a little irritation in my voice. “She went under. It was pitch black outside. Dominic raced into that dark water after her without giving it a second thought. He dove several times before finding her and carrying her out of there. He saved her life.”
“Really,” Nick said. “Good job there, man.” But the look on his face didn’t match his words. And I didn’t much like what I was seeing.
I stared at him, aghast. “Your squad got there several minutes too late,” I pressed on. “We were already walking back up to LuAnn’s. Dominic was carrying Alice. If we had waited for your people, she would have drowned. Lucky for Alice and her family, Dominic was there.”