Island Intrigues
Reid wouldn’t be here for the summer.
He wasn’t coming back.
I didn’t know if that made me feel happy or sad. It threw me into a tailspin of confusion, that was for sure.
Did I want him here? Debatable. Our friends were looking forward to seeing him, and eventually I would have to deal with it at some point. But until that happened, I sat in a state of limbo. There was no telling how I would feel until I saw him.
And now Mrs. Bennett confirmed that he wouldn’t be coming. I had to get my emotions in check.
So far, sadness won. There must have been a part of me that hoped to see him again. It was expected, after all, being the beginning of summer. I must have been clinging to that bit of knowledge in order to push back my feelings until later.
But later wasn’t coming. Later was now. And knowing Reid wouldn’t be here this summer broke my heart all over again.
Had I been expecting to fix things with him if he came back? Maybe. We ended last summer on such uncertain terms. At least, for me, that was. Reid had been pretty clear when he said, “I think we should break up.” Though I understood the words, the meaning behind it still didn’t make sense to me. And without talking to him for the past ten months, I had no concrete conclusion to jump to.
“Marlowe? Are you still there? Did I lose conn—”
“I’m here! I’m sorry. Did you say… did you say Reid wasn’t coming?”
Mrs. Bennett must have covered the phone with her hand for a moment while whispering to someone next to her. “What was that, dear? Oh, Reid. No, he stayed at home with some friends for the summer instead. I wanted to call and ask him to fly out, but Jonathan said it was better to let him be with friends. Ever since… Well, let’s just say it’s been a hard year for him. A hard few years, actually.”
My heart sank. Mrs. Bennett and I were excellent at not saying what we really meant. But we understood just the same.
“So, can you?” she asked, and I could tell her patience was waning.
“Of course,” I replied quickly. “Do you need me to swing by before you leave?”
“No need. I’ll put the key in the planter. You know the dogs and your way around. We leave in three hours, and will let them potty before we go, so anytime this afternoon is fine. Ainsley already made up the guest room on the first floor, so it’s yours while you’re here. I’ll drop a credit card on the kitchen island for you to use for groceries, food, or whatever. We should be back by the end of the month! Muchas gracias, Marlowe, you’re a lifesaver. Call us if you need anything and make yourself at home, alright?”
I opened my mouth to reply, but she had already hung up. Mrs. Bennett was super sweet and the perfect mothering type, but she and her husband also ran a multi-million-dollar company, so her time was limited.
With a groan, I rolled out of bed and threw on a pair of jean shorts I found on the floor and a clean purple tank from the drawer. After getting ready in the bathroom, I headed to the kitchen to grab a water bottle. It was time to cash in the freebies I had from yesterday, starting with a coffee from Muggsy’s in town.
Everything seemed normal in the kitchen at first. Then I saw it—a cupcake. With a candle stuck in it. A chocolate with chocolate frosting cupcake sat on one of Grandmum’s old blue ceramic plates on the dining table, all alone except for one thing next to it.
A bag of Sea Salt Caramel Pearls. My favorite candy from Cove Candy.
I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face, or the tear that somehow escaped and rolled down my cheek.
Grandmum hadn’t forgotten after all. Well, maybe she forgot on the actual day, but it was fine. This made up for it.
I didn’t want to wake her just yet, so I wolfed down the cupcake, tossed the Pearls into my bag, and left a thank you sticky note for her.
Then, I climbed onto my bike and took off down the street. The sun peeked over the horizon, filling the sky with cotton candy hues. I hated wasting such a gorgeous morning, so I headed out early to enjoy the quiet before Covington Cove woke up.
The first stop I made was to Mrs. Ruths’ house on the next street over, Genevieve Street. She was an OG—an original Gennie. She also owned Cove Candy, the local candy shop that got swamped every summer during tourist season.
I let myself in with the key under the mat. Everyone knew it was there—I wasn’t the only one who stopped by as often as possible to check on her, make sure her fridge was stocked, and she had everything she needed, even if that just included company. She refused to move out of her home and in with her son, Sam, who ran the candy shop.
After quietly opening the door, I returned to my bike basket and took out the food I swiped from the cafe before I left yesterday. Now she would wake up to a wonderful breakfast of blueberry muffins and croissants, and lunch for the next few days.
“If you’re a robber, there’s nothing to steal here. Check Saul’s next door,” her voice floated from down the hall.
A laugh escaped me before I could contain it. “It’s just me, Mrs. Ruth. Marlowe.”
“M and M? What on god’s green earth are you doing here so early?” she shouted back.
“Just dropping off some food! I’m on my way to grab some coffee from Muggsy’s, though. Do you need anything else?”
The sound of the water running clued me in to her location. “Did you bring the blueberry muffins?”
“Of course! I wouldn’t dare show my face here without them.”
“Good girl. You can go now. Remind your gran that book club is this week, would you? She won’t return my calls.”
I laughed again, knowing very well Gran’s hatred of cell phones. I called out to her as I opened the front door. “Will do! See you later, Mrs. Ruth!”
She reminded me a lot of Eleanor. Between the two of them, I knew so much history about Covington Cove. They were completely different women, one born into wealth and one self-made, but their experiences on the island weren’t all that different.
After locking the front door and returning the key under the mat, I waved to Saul, the neighbor to the right, and hopped back onto my bike, heading downtown.