That was part of the reason why she’d decided to fly in and surprise him. The other part had been because of her ex-boyfriend and the rather harsh reminder she wasn’t wife material in the morning paper. She’d cashed in all her unused vacation time, and she’d left the hustle and bustle of Chicago for the sleepy seaside fishing town of Everlasting.
The more she struggled to find anything that looked familiar, the more she thought she should have called first and given him a heads-up. She came to a spot in the road where she had to make a choice, left or right. She went with right and soon found herself driving down a narrow road, on a cliff side that overlooked the ocean. The storm was still going strong, so Penelope went slow, wanting to arrive in Everlasting safe, not be fished out of the bottom of the ocean by a search-and-rescue dive team.
She clutched the wheel tighter, white-knuckling her drive, as she wondered if Everlasting even had a search-and-rescue team at all. They weren’t exactly a large town.
When the rain reached a rate that made it impossible for the rental car’s wipers to keep up, she pulled the car to the side of the road once more, put the hazard lights on, and parked. She’d wait it out before she tried to push onward. There was no sense in risking life and limb to get there sooner. Check-in at the bed-and-breakfast she was staying at wasn’t until later in the day, so she had plenty of time yet.
She wasn’t sure how long she sat there before a set of yellow flashing lights came up from behind her. The lights were too bright to see what type of vehicle was there, but it was evident it was a sizeable one. Vaguely, Penelope made out a shadowy figure making its way toward her car.
She tensed, having seen one too many horror movies in her lifetime. As the figure drew closer, fear raced up Penelope’s spine. The person was wearing rain gear from head to toe and walking slowly, dragging one leg slightly. Lightning rent the sky behind the figure, making them look even more ominous.
Oh boy, she thought.
Paralyzed by fear, she sat perfectly still, positive the newcomer would succeed where the GPS had failed and actually kill her. She’d end up a statistic. A footnote in a local paper.
Coming to her senses, Penelope made sure the car locks were engaged and then looked around for anything that could be used as a weapon. Much to her dismay, the only object that might work was a ballpoint pen. Still, she clutched it for dear life, her heart pounding madly.
There was a hard rap on the window, and Penelope yelped, suddenly wishing she’d taken her chances with the man in boxers. She turned her head, unsure what she’d find, but positive it would be something horror-film worthy.
Much to her surprise, she found a woman who looked to be in her mid-sixties there, tapping lightly on the driver-side window, a huge, nonthreatening smile on her face.
Penelope sighed with relief, rolling down the window.
The woman beamed. “Lost?”
“And then some,” replied Penelope, releasing her death grip on the ballpoint pen.
“Where you headed?” asked the woman, a Maine accent evident.
“Everlasting,” replied Penelope, ignoring the rain that was coming in at her from the open window.
The woman laughed. “Well, child, you’re in luck. You’re in Everlasting. There was a sign down the road there. Couldn’t have missed it.”
Penelope’s face reddened. She’d more than missed the sign. “Really? My GPS told me I had another twenty minutes. Right before it tried to drive me off a cliff into the ocean.”
The woman waved a hand flippantly. “Those don’t work so well around these parts. Follow my truck, and I’ll get you off this stretch of road and closer to the heart of town. Tonight isn’t a night for wandering.”
“Thank you.” Penelope barely got the words out before the woman was headed back to her truck.
They couldn’t drive fast with the rain, but it didn’t take long before they encountered something that looked like civilization. A small roadside fuel and service station was there, along with a hotel and tiny restaurant. Every parking space in the hotel lot was filled. Penelope wouldn’t have thought of Everlasting as a tourist destination, but she was starting to wonder.
Chapter Two
There was a certain small-town charm about each of the places she drove past, following behind the woman’s truck, reminding her of something from a painting rather than current times. The woman pulled her truck to a stop under the awning of the fuel station, and Penelope did the same with her rental car.
The woman was out of her truck and to the entrance of the service station in seconds, still limping as she pulled out a set of keys. She smiled wide. “You can come in here and wait out the storm, or you can head on over and get some food at the place across the way. I’ll warn you, Chickadee’s is better.”
“Thank you, um…”
“Jolene,” she said. “And you are?”
“Penelope Messing,” she returned, thankful to be out of the rain for a moment.
Jolene stiffened. “You any relation to Wil Messing?”
“I am. He’s my grandfather,” said Penelope with a smile. It was as she remembered, everyone knew everyone.
The woman glanced around as if she was worried someone might have possibly overheard the conversation. “Come on in, and I’ll put on a pot of coffee. This storm should blow through soon enough. In the meantime, we can get dry.”
Penelope followed close behind. She instantly noticed the collection of old oil cans that lined the shelves in the office. Someone had taken great pains and time to make sure every one they had was worth something. She’d sold a lot of them once a year or so ago at the auction house, and they’d done decently. There was a market for everything if you knew where to look.
“I love your collection,” said Penelope, motioning to the cans.
Jolene drew to a stop in front of a coffeepot and glanced up. “Oh, those. They were something my father was into collecting when he was alive. I sort of inherited the habit when I got the shop from him.” She started a fresh pot of coffee and then set about removing her rain gear. Under it all, she had on a pair of overalls and a gray sweater. She looked like a strange combination of Lands End meets a mechanic. Somehow, it worked for Jolene.
Jolene opened the door to the cabinet above the counter area and pulled down a white box that read Witch’s Brew Coffee Shop and Bakery. The second Jolene opened the box, the office filled with the sweet smell of baked goods, making Penelope’s mouth water. Her stomach growled, feeling as if it were touching her spine. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she’d smelled the delicious goodness in the box.
Jolene’s eyes gleamed as she put two items on a small paper plate and brought it over to Penelope. “Here. Anna made these cranberry scones. I dare you to eat just one. It’s impossible. These melt in your mouth.”
Penelope smiled and then took a bite of the fluffy goodness. The flavor of nutmeg and cranberries exploded in her mouth, making her moan and Jolene laugh. They were the best scones she’d ever had.
“Good, aren’t they?” asked Jolene, helping herself to two as well. She then took a seat behind a desk. Paperwork was piled high to one side. She lifted her leg and plopped her boot-covered foot on the desk unceremoniously. She ate a bite of her scone and then scowled at her ankle. “Twisted the damn thing a good one this time.”
“Do you have ice? I can make you a cool compress,” offered Penelope.
Shaking her head, Jolene remained seated. “Nah. I’ll be fine. I twist it all the time. I broke it a good one back when I was only twenty, and it never healed right. I pretty much have a trick ankle now. Never know when it’s going to go out on me or act up. I have a set of crutches I keep out back in case it gets too bad to walk on, but this is tolerable. So, you’re Wilber’s granddaughter?”
“I am.”
Jolene looked her over slowly, a soft smile forming on her face. “You look like your momma. I should have seen that right away when I came up on you on the road.”
�
��You knew my mother?” asked Penelope, her chest tightening. She hadn’t considered that people in Everlasting would remember her parents. Their deaths had occurred when she was so young that it no longer brought tears to her eyes whenever she thought of them. Long ago she’d learned to accept the fact they were gone. She missed them and would always love them, but understood life went on.
“I did. Knew your father too. He was a good boy who grew into a fine young man. Tragic that they were taken so young. I know it broke something in Wilber. He’d already lost his wife years before, then his son, and then you were taken from him. He was never the same. Tends to keep people at arm’s length now, never letting them fully in. A man can only take so much heartbreak in one life, I guess.”
An awkward silence filled the room before Jolene spoke again. “Your granddad know you’re in town?”
Biting her lower lip, Penelope glanced away. “No. I wanted to surprise him.”
“Mmmhmm, sounds like there’s a story there,” said Jolene, settling into a relaxed position with her foot up and her scones in hand. “I love a good story.”
With a sigh, Penelope found herself confiding in the woman. “The man I thought I was going to marry decided I wasn’t good enough for him. He’s now engaged to another woman.”
Jolene frowned. “How long ago did the two of you split?”
“Not that long ago.”
“And how long were you together?” she asked.
Penelope expelled a long, slow breath. “Two years.”
“Ouch,” said Jolene. “He sounds like a jerk. Good riddance to him. His loss is our gain. We’ve got plenty of eligible bachelors here in town.”
Penelope gasped. “Thank you, but I’m not really ready to start dating again. The sting of it all is still too fresh. I only just saw that Craig was engaged several days ago. Certainly didn’t take him long to move on from me.”
“Honey, it shouldn’t take forty-eight hours to realize he’s a loser,” said Jolene in a way that left Penelope smiling. “There. That is better. Now, let me think. Who would you be best with?”
Penelope took another bite of her scone as Jolene touched her cheek, deep in thought.
Finally, the woman pointed. “I’ve got it. Hugh Lupine. Now, he’s a bit rough around the edges, but that isn’t anything a good woman can’t iron out. His bark is worse than his bite, and that’s saying something. He’s a big, strong man. Looks like those men you see in pictures that make all the women around sigh and look dreamily at them. Once a month he’ll vanish for a few days, giving you time to yourself. And he’d be perfect for you, since it’s clear you like dogs.” Jolene pointed to Penelope’s sweater.
Penelope choked on her scone. “Um, thank you, but really, I’m good. I’d like to take some time to just focus on me, not on a man.”
“Can’t fault you for that, but there is no harm in meeting Hugh. If he’s not to your liking, I can set you up with Curt Warrick or even my nephew Sigmund. All are great choices.”
It was pointless to argue, so Penelope resorted to smiling awkwardly instead.
Jolene glanced up at her. “Now, your grandfather will take exception with Hugh as my first choice, but my gut is saying he’s the one. I’m pretty well known around these parts for my matchmaking skills. I’m rarely wrong. Hugh is the one for you. Not that loser Craig.”
It was hard to argue with the fact that Craig was indeed a loser. The longer Penelope sat talking with Jolene, the less she felt devastated by recent events and the more she felt relieved. Had Craig not dumped her, she might have actually married him and then had to spend her life with him.
The idea no longer made her feel happy and content. It depressed her. A life with Craig every day? Always hearing his criticisms, always listening to how she wasn’t good enough and wasn’t going far enough in her career?
She shivered.
Maybe it was a blessing things hadn’t worked out with him.
“Fate has led you straight to Everlasting,” said Jolene.
“Fate?” Penelope asked, never being one to put much stock in the idea of the future being preordained. “I’m not sure about that. I’m just here to visit my grandpa and then it’s back to Chicago for me.”
Jolene eyed her slowly. “If you say so.”
Penelope smiled. “I have a great job to get back to.”
“We have jobs here too, you know.”
“You sound like Grandpa,” said Penelope. The man was always trying to convince her to give up everything in Chicago and move to Everlasting. He had big hopes she’d take over his shop for him one day. “And if fate really led me here, it’s got a twisted sense of humor since my GPS tried to route me off a cliff.”
Jolene let out a rather loud snort. “Those things don’t work worth a damn for anyone around here. Don’t take it personally. If Everlasting wanted you dead, it would have been more direct.”
Odd.
“Storm should be letting up soon. How about some coffee to warm you up?” asked Jolene, making a move to stand.
Penelope hurried forward. “I’ll get it. You sit tight.”
Once she was done making two cups of coffee, she set one before Jolene then pulled an extra chair out from the side of the office. The chair reminded Penelope of something one would find in a school in the mid-seventies, but it served its purpose. She sat and sipped her coffee, nearly spitting it out the moment it crossed her lips.
Jolene cackled with delight. “Forgot to warn you that I like it strong.”
Penelope pounded on her chest as she set the mug on the desk, fearful that if she dared take another sip, she’d lose her stomach lining.
Jolene sipped her coffee like it was the best-tasting thing she’d ever had, and Penelope just sat and watched.
“Are you friends with my grandfather?” she asked, never one to like silence.
Jolene stiffened and then set her coffee down as well. “Of sorts.”
Of sorts?
That didn’t really answer her question. All it did was pique Penelope’s curiosity. She hid a smile as she thought back to when she was younger, and her mother would tell her that she asked far too many questions and had an overactive imagination.
Penelope grinned, deciding to spin Jolene’s words back at her. “Now there is a story in there somewhere. I’m sure of it.”
Jolene blushed, surprising Penelope. “At one time, your grandfather and I were an item. We were young and idealistic. We thought love could conquer all. We were fools. Our parents didn’t agree with the relationship, and back then, you listened when your parents said no to something.”
Penelope sighed. “That’s so sad.”
Jolene shrugged. “Our lives went in two different directions. A few years later your grandfather met your grandmother, they fell in love and had your father. And here you are today. See, it worked itself out in the end.”
“What about you?” asked Penelope, invested in the saga now. “Did you find love?”
Jolene glanced away, unshed tears filling her eyes for the briefest of moments. “No.”
“So you didn’t end up marrying and having children?”
“Oh, I married. He wasn’t a good man. Had a love for the bottle and a heavy hand.” Jolene adjusted her foot on the desk. “He died after we’d been married two years. He drowned at sea.” The way she said it didn’t hold any remorse. She almost seemed pleased by the fact.
Penelope would have asked more on the matter, but there was a sharp rap on the exterior door. She nearly shot out of her seat like a skittish animal.
Jolene remained in place and glanced at the door. “Come on in!”
Chapter Three
A strikingly handsome man, who was obviously a law enforcement officer, entered the service station office wearing a uniform and a raincoat. His wet boots squeaked on the linoleum floor, sounding like a rubber ducky in the hands of a sugar-high toddler. He had on a large hat with a rain cover on it as well. A star-shaped badge could be made out through the rain
cover on the hat. The cover itself reminded Penelope of a shower cap. It nearly made her laugh.
The man had skin that looked to be tanned all year round and was clean-shaven, showing off his good looks. The slightest hints of black curls peeked out from under his hat, and Penelope found herself raking her gaze over him slowly, admiring the show. She wouldn’t mind getting pulled over if he was the one doing the frisking.
He removed the hat once he was indoors, freeing his ear-length black hair. The action only served to up his hot factor. The man had already been up there as it was. He held the hat to his chest, the muscles in his arms flexing slightly. His dark brown eyes found Jolene. “Ma’am.”
Jolene stayed in her seat. “What’s got your knickers in a twist, Deputy March? You only darken my doorstep when you’re on a case.”
March? Darken her doorstep?
What bad b-movie did she drive into?
If there was a scuffle between the two, Penelope was putting her money on Jolene. While Deputy March was certainly good-looking and armed, Jolene had something about her that said she could be scrappy, and that she was a survivor.
March kept his hat held to his chest, his gaze moving to Penelope and then back to Jolene. “I just talked to some folks, and they said you were up near Sapphire Parker’s place, and then near the cliffs, with a car none of them could recall seeing in town before.”
Jolene nodded. “I wasn’t near the lighthouse, but I was by the cliffs. I spotted Penelope, who was pulled over on the side of the road there. Her GPS was acting up. You know how they can be in Everlasting. What’s this about? I can’t see where that alone would send the town into a tailspin. Though, in this town, the gossip never ends.”
Penelope remained silent as she noticed the deputy causing a small puddle of water to pool around his feet from the amount of rain he’d had on him when he entered. He’d stopped moving around, thus ending the squeaks. It was plain to see he’d been stuck out in the downpour for a length of time.
Once Hunted, Twice Shy: A Cozy Paranormal Mystery (The Happily Everlasting Series Book 2) Page 2