Cove Comforts
If someone told me I was floating down the street instead of walking, I would have believed them. It felt like I was floating, anyway, with only Reid’s hand in mine keeping me on the ground.
Actually, I had both hands around Reid’s, holding on to him like I was afraid he was going to disappear.
After his confession by the lighthouse, my mind was all over the place. I had no idea what to do about what he said. It went in the complete opposite direction from what I thought, and that left me a jumbled mess.
A jumbled mess back together with the guy I loved.
For however long it lasted.
I pushed that thought to the back of my mind. I didn’t need to be thinking about it right now. I was happy for the first time this summer, and I wanted to keep that feeling going for as long as I could.
Except this clue business nagged at me. The lighthouse had been a bust when I had been so sure it was the right answer. Every time I felt like I was close to cracking a clue, the real answer evaded me.
This time, though, Reid had thought the same thing. So we were both wrong. As dumb as that was, it brought a little smile to my face. Even someone as smart as Reid didn’t get this one.
We headed down Main Street, dodging tourists who were too busy looking at maps or wrangling kids to look where they were going. Doing the duck and weave had become an expert level sport for those of us that lived here year round.
As we made it to the main stretch, I caught a glimpse of a girl with dark hair across the street.
“Who’s that?” Reid asked, guiding me around a light pole.
“Chloe. She works at the country club, in the catering department, so I see her at the mansion occasionally.”
Reid frowned, staring across the street, but not at Chloe. His interest seemed to be in the boy next to her, someone that looked familiar, but I couldn’t place the name of.
But he didn’t keep my attention long. My gaze shifted, looking at a vintage car.
“Hey! Mrs. Ruth is at the shop. We should swing by and say hi.”
Reid jerked his head toward me, then nodded. We continued down the sidewalk another few yards, before we crossed.
The second Reid took a step off the curb, though, I froze. Without my momentum, Reid stumbled back, tripping over his feet before he righted himself.
“What’s going on?” he asked, his voice a little shaky.
My hand was equally shaky as I lifted it to point at the sign across the street. I stared at it, unblinking, while Reid turned in what seemed like slow motion to see what I pointed at.
“What? What is it—oh. Oh. Oh! You think?” He whispered the last part, his mouth falling open as he fixated his eyes on the sign.
Without diverting my gaze from the lighthouse on the Cove Candy Shop sign, I whipped my phone out from my bag and opened it to the clue. “At the end, it says what you crave—”
Reid cut me off. “And how many times a day do you crave Sea Salt Caramel Pearls? You’re always wanting them. Specifically from Cove Candy.”
My eyes lit with happiness. I nodded, and Reid grabbed my hand again. We crossed the street together, a little spring in my step, and Reid practically beaming.
Once we got to the front windows, almost to the door, I stopped, looking up again.
“Where could the envelope be, though?” The sign above us had a lighthouse the same as town one, with the beam of light pointing to the Cove Candy name, pieces of candy replacing the o and the a in each word.
The lighthouse. The beam of light. The craving. It all made sense, but there was more to it. Just like the clue had been in the dollhouse, this wasn’t going to be as easy as it seemed.
Reid pointed through the front window. “There’s a lighthouse display of candy inside. We can check there first.”
With no other option, we entered the shop. The moment we entered, the bell jingled over our heads, alerting Sam.
“Marlowe! Glad to see you. Mom is in the back harassing Elliott over their taffy pulling skills. Want to go relieve them from the beratement for a few moments?”
I laughed. If anything, Mrs. Ruth was relentless when it came to making the candy her way. She always said, if it worked for fifty years already, why not fifty more?
Honestly, I didn’t see a problem with that. Why mess with that kind of success? Sure, new sweets could always be added, but messing with her signature recipes seemed silly. Especially when they were so good already.
“Go. I’ll mosey around, but won’t look for anything until you get back,” Reid whispered.
I pushed through the half door, finding Mrs. Ruth perched on her stool, her eagle eyes trained on the sweating employee. I wasn’t sure if they were sweating because it was warm by the ovens or because Mrs. Ruth was letting them have it.
I waited until she was done with her current tirade before announcing my presence.
“Hi, Mrs. Ruth! Nice to see you today!” I called, a little louder than usual because of the noise from the convection oven fans.
“Yes, yes, nice for today. But what about lately? You haven’t been around. Where have you been? You’re not at home. I looked,” she snapped without taking her eyes off of the taffy being stretched on the hook.
I grimaced. “I’ve been house sitting over on Bayside for a while. But don’t worry, I’ll be back soon,” I said. My heart gave a lurch as the words left my mouth. “I have extra shifts at the cafe coming up too, so I’ll make sure to grab you some of your favorites.”
The lack of remembering that I had been in the candy shop and had stopped by her house with food just four days ago worried me. I made a mental note to mention it to Sam on the way out.
She waved her hand toward me. “Always grabbing favorites, always coming during nap times. Maybe one of these days you’ll look at a clock and come while I’m awake.”
I pursed my lips to keep from laughing. I loved her cantankerous attitude, especially when directed at me. Mainly because I knew she didn’t intend it to be unkind. And because it reminded me of Grandmum. They both were stubborn and blunt, but that was how they showed their love.
“Maybe I’m just sparing you the heartbreak that comes with the devastating loss when I beat you at gin, Mrs. Ruth. Have you recovered from the last time?” It had been well over a month, which meant we were due for another game soon. Sometimes Saul, her next-door neighbor, joined us. I usually beat them both.
Mrs. Ruth huffed, but it finally got her attention on me instead of the taffy puller. I grinned at her and raised an eyebrow.
“Lucky draws, that’s all it is.”
“Is that so? Is that what you call winning six times in a row? Lucky draws?”
She glared at me. “If you think I won’t tell your grandmother how you’re chastising an old woman, you’re wrong, little M and M.”
That got me to laugh out loud, as well as her use of the nickname she gave me as a toddler. Marlowe Mitchell—aka M and M, like the candy.
“Grandmum would commend me for standing up to you, Mrs. Ruth. And you know the next time the two of you had your little ‘book club,’ she would tell you the same.”
Grandmum, Mrs. Ruth, and a few other older Gennies had been having a book club ever since Grandmum moved to the neighborhood. In the last few decades, it had turned more into drinking whiskey and gossiping about the town than reading. But Grandmum left the house with a book in her hand every time. To keep up pretenses, I supposed.
“Bring me croissants next week and I’ll show you what a real game of gin is, dear. Now go on with you. I need this child to learn how to put their muscles into this taffy pulling.”
I grinned. “You’re on. See you next week.” I shot a look of apology over at the employee who stood with their hands on their hips, out of breath for a moment while the taffy slowly descended toward the ground hanging over the hook.
My mind switched gears quickly as I passed through the half door, remembering exactly why I had come into the store. I saw Reid’s head over the top of the far shelves, and my heart started pounding.
The lighthouse. The clue. It had to be here somewhere.
I practically skipped over to him, but came to a full stop when I rounded the shelving unit and saw the person in front of him.
Grace.