“You grew up knowing about this stuff. That makes things easier for you.”
“Yes, and no. Still, you’re clearly dealing with a lot. That’s why I stopped by.”
“Are you offering to explain things to me?” That seemed to be the offer du jour. “If so, I have to say I’m not in the mood for a lot of explanations right now.”
“That’s not why I came.” Ned leaned back in his chair, extending his short legs in front of him as he fixed me with a friendly smile. He was the only lawyer I could ever remember meeting who wore a suit coat with knee-length shorts. It was an odd ensemble, to say the least.
“Why did you come?”
“I figured this might be too much for you,” Ned said. “This isn’t your world, and I know you’re probably wondering how you’ll fit in once the dust settles. My guess is you only came in the first place because of the will’s stipulation that you live here to receive your inheritance.”
Was that true? I’d like to think I’m bigger than that, but it wasn’t untrue. The inheritance motivated me – yes, I feel small because of it – but I was also prodded into action by the thought of learning more about my mother’s family. “I moved here for a variety of reasons. I’d be lying if I said the inheritance wasn’t part of it.”
“And no one blames you for that,” Ned supplied. “I think most people would’ve done the same in your circumstances.”
I believed that, too. Strangely enough, though, that didn’t make me feel better. “Yeah, well, the entire thing is a bit messed up. I’m still trying to sort it out.”
“You look as if you’re suffering because of it,” Ned noted, scanning my face once more. “The thing is, I don’t think May would’ve done this if she realized how much you’d be hurt in the process. Even though she didn’t mention you until shortly before her passing, I think she cared about you. Er, well, I think she at least cared about the idea of you.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“I’m saying that you don’t have to stay here to claim your inheritance,” Ned explained. “Well, at least your full inheritance. I’ve been giving it some thought, and I don’t want to see the lighthouse fall into disarray. It’s very important to the island’s financial longevity.”
I had no idea what that meant. “I’m sorry, but … um … .”
Ned held up his hands in a placating manner. “I apologize. I’m getting ahead of myself. It’s just, well, the lighthouse is a tourist destination and the beach behind it is very important. May was dedicated to keeping up the building and the land.”
“I understand that.”
“You’re in a unique position,” Ned explained. “You came for the inheritance, and now you’re foundering under the weight of Moonstone Bay’s unique brand of truth.”
“I wouldn’t use the word foundering,” I replied.
Ned barreled forward as if he hadn’t heard me. “You don’t want to stay. Under the terms of May’s will, you would have to if you wanted to claim your inheritance. I’m willing to buy the lighthouse from you so that’s no longer an issue.”
I opened my mouth to say something, though I had no idea what. No sound would come out. The offer was generous and something to consider, but I was nowhere near competent enough to make that decision right now.
I couldn’t decide how I wanted to answer without offending Ned. Luckily I didn’t have to figure a way out, because Galen popped up on the side of the porch before I had a chance.
“You want to buy the lighthouse?”
I jumped at the sound of his voice, clutching at the spot above my heart as I made a small gasp. “Where did you come from?”
“I was walking the beach to make sure we didn’t have another problem,” Galen replied, never moving his eyes from Ned’s face. “I heard your voice and wanted to check on you. I didn’t realize you had company.”
Well, that made no sense. If he didn’t realize I had company, who did he think I was talking to? Wait, don’t answer that.
“I was just discussing a few things with Ms. Hunter.” Ned’s smile never slipped, but he seemed surprised by Galen’s sudden appearance. It was obvious that he was uncomfortable. “I heard through the grapevine that she had a spot of trouble yesterday and I wanted to make things easier for her.”
“By buying the lighthouse?” Galen narrowed his eyes. “I don’t think that’s a good idea at the present time.”
“Well, I didn’t ask you,” Ned pointed out, something unsaid passing between the two men. “Ms. Hunter owns the property. Last time I checked, your name wasn’t on the deed.”
“Which means I don’t have a shark in this race.”
Hmm. I tapped my bottom lip as I ran the sentence through my head. “Do sharks really race or is this about shark shifters again? I know you think I’m constantly bringing it up but that’s really not the case.”
For the first time since arriving, Galen cracked a smile as he walked around the porch railing and flopped in the open chair separating Ned from me. He looked to be making himself at home, although I could sense the tension coiling in his body.
“I wasn’t trying to do anything illegal,” Ned stressed. “I’m not trying to scam her. I would pay fair market value for the property. She’s afraid of this place. All of your intricate plans to ease her into things failed and she’s afraid to be here. I mean … look at her. You could swim in the dark pools under her eyes.”
Self-conscious, I touched the heavy spots under my eyes and made a face.
“You look fine,” Galen said, giving my knee a friendly pat. “You just need to catch up on some sleep. It’s not a big deal.”
Apparently it was a very big deal if I didn’t want to frighten small children with my looks. I kept that to myself. “He really wasn’t doing anything but giving me another option,” I offered, recovering. “He was concerned that I was only staying for the inheritance and wanted to give me another option in case I wanted to leave.”
Galen shifted his eyebrows so one was higher than the other as he regarded me. “Is that why you’re staying? Is it because of the inheritance?”
It was a pointed question and I couldn’t help but wonder if I would disappoint him should I answer in a specific way. Of course, I had no idea why I cared about disappointing him.
“I’m staying – at least for the time being – because there are some things I need to know.” I looked to my lap, where my fingers gripped together as I tried to get a handle on my emotions. “I don’t know what to make of all of this right now, so … I’m just kind of going with the flow.”
“That’s fine.” Galen moved his hand to my shoulder, the weight warm and calming. “I don’t think anyone should ask more than that of you.” His gaze was pointed when he focused on Ned. “No one wants you to make a decision before you’re ready.”
“That’s not what I was trying to do,” Ned protested, clearly not missing the fact that Galen was trying to slap him back without causing a scene. “I merely wanted Hadley to know that she has options. She doesn’t have to stay if she doesn’t want to remain.”
“And she doesn’t have to leave if she wants to stay,” Galen fired back.
“Do you think I’m trying to force her off the island?”
Galen and Ned were in their own world where apparently only they could talk. It was almost as if they’d forgotten I was even present.
“I don’t know what you’re doing,” Galen replied. “We all agreed that pushing Hadley before she was ready to make a decision was a bad idea. I don’t think you should be here going against that decision.”
Wait a second … . “When did you agree to that?”
“Last night after I walked you home,” Galen replied. “We had a meeting.”
Oh, good, another meeting. “With the Downtown Development Authority?” I couldn’t be the only one who found that weird.
“No, just a meeting of concerned residents,” Galen replied. “It was at Lilac’s bar. She’s afraid that if w
e pile too much information on you all at once that you’ll crack. I happen to disagree with her assessment, but we decided on a compromise all the same.”
“Uh-huh.” He clearly didn’t understand that anyone – no matter their intentions – making decisions about what I could and could not handle was insulting. “I’m glad you guys decided everything for me. Whew!” I swiped a hand across my forehead. “It’s so good to know that you’re here to make the hard choices so I don’t have to.”
Instead of having the grace to look abashed, Galen fixed me with an unreadable look. “That’s not what we were doing. I’m more than willing to discuss what we were actually doing in a few minutes, if that will make you feel better. For now, I need to have a discussion with Ned.”
“That’s entirely unnecessary,” Ned said, holding up his hands as he stood. “I didn’t come here to cause problems. I honestly thought I was doing a nice thing. I wanted to help Hadley because she appears to be so lost. I don’t want that for anyone.”
“She’s not lost,” Galen argued. “She’s coping. She’s doing it a heck of a lot better than I think most other people in her situation would.”
“Wow, that was almost a compliment,” I muttered under my breath.
Galen ignored the dig. “This is a new situation, and she’s doing remarkably well. I think pressuring her to sell when she doesn’t yet understand everything fully is the wrong way to go.”
“I wasn’t pressuring her,” Ned snapped. “I was giving her an option that she wasn’t aware she had. I was trying to do right by her.”
“Why?” Galen knit his eyebrows. “Why do you care about doing right by Hadley?”
“It’s not Hadley.” Ned’s voice was choked. “It’s May. I always had a soft spot for May because she took me in when I was younger. She kept me for a whole week when my father was on a bender and forgot I was even alive. Did you know that?”
“No.” Galen looked chastised as he leaned back in his chair. “I didn’t know that. I’m sorry.”
“I wanted to make sure that Hadley was taken care of to the best of my ability,” Ned said. “I owe May that. I wasn’t trying to pressure her into something she doesn’t want to do. I was merely trying to make sure that she could make whatever choice is best for her.”
“I guess that’s fair.” Galen nodded slowly. “But I think it’s too soon for her to make a decision that will change the course of her life.”
“I happen to agree.” Ned shuffled toward the steps that led to the driveway. “That doesn’t mean she can’t have all the facts before making her decision.”
“No, it doesn’t. I would never argue otherwise.”
“I guess we’re agreed then.”
“I guess we are.”
Ned didn’t speak again, instead turning on his heel and fleeing. Galen leaned back in his chair and waited for Ned to climb into his car and leave the driveway. He was quiet until the vehicle disappeared. Then I couldn’t shut him up. “I don’t care what he says. You’re not selling the lighthouse.”
And just like that he was apparently ready for round two.
11
Eleven
“Did I say I was going to sell the lighthouse?”
While part of me was glad Galen took it upon himself to stand up for me, the other part was annoyed that he seemed to fancy himself the alpha dog of my pack. My father raised me to think for myself – okay, I’d just recently found out that he made a few decisions for me without my knowledge, too, but that was hardly important at present – so I didn’t need a guy I’d met three days ago telling me what I should and shouldn’t do.
Galen didn’t break eye contact as he shrugged. “No, but I want to make sure you’re not thinking about doing just that.”
“Why?”
“You belong here.”
His answer was so simple it should’ve been easy to ignore. Instead, it only infuriated me more. “You don’t even know me. How do you know where I belong?”
“I saw it on your face last night,” Galen replied, unruffled by my tone. “You were shocked to find out we keep zombies in the cemetery, but you were also excited. You weren’t afraid of them. You didn’t scream and run. In fact, you wanted to see more. By the way, when you want to get a better look there’s a viewing window on the far side of the cemetery. People go there quite often to get a look at their loved ones.”
That was so beyond anything I expected. “You have a viewing window?”
“Of course. We can’t risk people trying to open the gate and getting infected.”
“Oh, well, great.” I shook my head as I lifted my eyes to the sky. “This place is just plain weird. You know that, right?”
“Weird is a state of mind,” Galen replied, blasé. “I find it weird to live in a city where people are shooting each other across the highway.”
“I didn’t come from a city like that.”
“I thought you lived in Detroit.”
“I lived in a suburb of Detroit,” I corrected. “It’s not the same. Even taking that into consideration, it’s not as if you have to wear a bulletproof vest while walking down Woodward in Detroit. Sure, there’s violence, but it’s not like a war zone or anything.”
“Oh, well … .” Galen broke off, unsure.
“That would be a stereotype you were laboring under.” I decided to take the offensive. “Kind of like when you ordered me not to sell the lighthouse even though it’s not currently a consideration.”
“It’s not?” Galen scratched the back of his neck, his smile rueful. “I guess I did jump the gun a bit.”
“You think?”
“It’s just … I don’t want anyone taking advantage of you right now.” Galen adjusted his tone and tack. “You’re vulnerable.”
“Because I’m a girl?”
“Because you’re dealing with a lot of stuff you didn’t know existed,” he corrected. “Hadley, I’m not saying you’re weak. In fact, from everything I’ve managed to glean about you, you’re the exact opposite. This is still more than any one person should have to deal with.”
“Is that why you keep having meetings about me behind my back?”
Galen shrugged, seemingly unbothered. “It wasn’t meant as an attack. We’re not mean people.”
“You have a serial killer.”
“Point taken. There are bad apples in every bunch, though. In general, we’re a close-knit community that tries to help. That’s all I was trying to do.”
My eyebrows flew up my forehead. “You called the meeting?”
“No, Lilac called the meeting and then proceeded to get into an argument with Aurora when they disagreed about how to handle things,” Galen corrected. “For the record, they pretty much hate each other. Okay, hate might be a strong word. They dislike each other with claws at times.”
“Why?”
“Because Aurora likes to get naked and doesn’t care who she does it in front of.”
Yeah, I’d seen that for myself. It was definitely an uncomfortable situation. That didn’t mean I hated her. More that I wished temporary blindness was a real thing. “And what did you argue during this meeting?”
“That you’ll be fine and can take whatever we throw at you,” Galen replied. “I think you’re more open to this stuff than you realize.”
“Paranormal stuff?”
“Pretty much.”
“I’m not so sure.” I licked my lips as I readjusted on my chair. “I went to bed last night convinced that I would wake up and find all this had been a dream. I thought maybe I would even wake up in my old bed and discover that the will never existed.”
“Would that have made you happy?”
It was an interesting question. “I don’t know. That’s what I need to figure out for myself, right?”
“It is.”
“I’m not ready to make a decision either way,” I supplied. “It’s a lot to take in, but I don’t want to make a kneejerk decision that I can’t ever take back.”
“I
think that’s very pragmatic.”
“That’s my middle name.”
Galen cocked an amused eyebrow. “Hadley Pragmatic Hunter. It has a nice ring to it. What’s your real middle name?”
“May.”
Galen stilled, his expressive eyes clouding with something I couldn’t quite identify. “How did you end up with that for your middle name? Didn’t your father name you?”
“Yes, but apparently he and Mom decided on a name before I was born and he didn’t want to change it. He said it was her last wish, so … there you have it.”
“I guess.” Galen rubbed his hand over his strong jaw. “It’s something that ties you to May. That’s probably difficult for you, huh?”
I shrugged, noncommittal. “I finally went up to the third floor this morning.”
“You hadn’t visited before?”
“No. Do you know what’s up there?”
“Spell books. A desk. A lot of photographs.”
“Do you know what else?”
“Is that a trick question?” Galen had an unerring ability to remain calm whatever the circumstances. I admired that about him. I also found it an irritating trait.
“It’s not a trick question. It’s just … there was a journal on the desk. It was right in plain view. I felt guilty about opening it because those were May’s private thoughts, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself. Even though I know she’s apparently hanging around and might not like it, well, I looked anyway.”
“And what did you find?”
“Me.”
Galen pursed his lips. “Do you want to be more specific?”
“She had hundreds of photographs of me while I was growing up,” I replied. “I don’t know how she got them. I’d never seen most of them. They weren’t from my father’s collection or anything. She wrote little messages next to them.”
“What did the messages say?” Galen appeared legitimately curious.
“Usually my age and what I was doing in the photo. Sometimes she wrote little comments like she was sorry she missed my high school graduation or she wished I’d done something different with my hair for the prom.”
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