Chapter Eight #3
“You’re right,” she said. “For a second, I thought it was you in this photo.”
He chuckled. “I’m not that old, and I’ve never been married, but I know what you mean.
I am, however, just old enough so our childhoods were captured with print photos, and there’s a shoebox of them in a closet.
My mom wished us luck figuring out who’s who, and she wrote Collective Childhood on the label. ”
Lucy was laughing when they stepped out onto the deck, so of course they all looked.
Nick was trying so hard not to be tense, but he was afraid one of them was going to make a bad joke about them living together.
Or ask her about Las Vegas, or—even worse—reference the old rumors about Iris Macauley.
They didn’t know as much as he did, because they didn’t spend as much time with Helen, but even the basic gossip could be hurtful.
He wasn’t surprised Lucy had no trouble relaxing and fitting right in.
She was personable and warm and so many things Nick wasn’t, and soon he was enjoying himself.
She asked them all questions about Wayward Harbor and what they did for fun.
Theo told her about his work with the fire department before she had a deep discussion with Sierra about their favorite movie princesses.
He noticed she never asked any of them about work and the family business, which he appreciated.
“Oh, I meant to ask you about one of the signs I saw,” she said to Nick after setting her empty plate on the table. “I know this town loves some nautical puns, but it can be hard to tell what a business sells before it opens for the season. What is Dinghy Doodads?”
All four of them laughed, but it was Gray who answered. “It’s…a gift shop, I guess you’d call it?”
“That makes sense,” she said.
“It’s kind of a co-op thing,” Beck added. “Basically the community can make things to sell there, and the shop takes a cut and the crafter gets the rest. It’s definitely targeted toward tourists.”
“That’s an understatement,” Nick said. “We have some true artisans in the community, so there’s pottery and art and jewelry. All ocean related, of course, and mostly specific to Wayward Harbor. But tourists will buy anything, honestly.”
“One lady buys these little teddy bears in bulk, and her daughter makes them T-shirts that say Wayward Harbor, and they get obscene amounts for them. Some of the kids collect driftwood, and they have a stencil for using a wood-burning tool to do a silhouette of a lighthouse on some rocks with a sailboat. People buy them like they’re museum pieces. ”
“My favorite, though,” Theo said, “is Doreen, who uses molds to make tons of small chocolate balls. She sells them in clear little baggies with a tag that says Moose Poop, and she literally can’t make them fast enough to keep them in stock.”
“And tourists will buy anything that is made from any part of an old lobster trap,” Beck added. “Brooke, my best friend’s wife—well, ex-wife, I guess—is part owner of the place, and she’s said she’d feel bad for taking their money, but they’re practically throwing it at her.”
Lucy, who had been laughing through their tales of tourists being easily parted with their money, held up her hand. “That’s settled. I will definitely be visiting Dinghy Doodads when she opens.”
“Probably two weeks from today,” Beck said. “She usually opens mid-May to catch the retirees who want it to be warm enough to enjoy the outdoors but before Memorial Day kicks off the summer season.”
“Remind me to add it to our shenanigans list,” she told Nick.
He nodded, knowing his smile didn’t quite make his eyes because he caught the questioning glances from his brothers. Nick having anything to do with shenanigans would surprise them. His sharing a joint shenanigans list with a woman they’d just met would make them ask questions.
“We should get going,” he said, so abruptly Lucy frowned at him. “I hate to eat and run, but I want to finish trimming out the window in that bedroom today. Gray, I’ll need to get with you about the electrical finish work soon.”
“We should help clean up,” Lucy said, standing and picking up her plate.
“We’ll take care of it,” Beck told her. Nick could tell by the way Beck had been watching him that he’d sensed the shift in his brother’s mood. “Thanks for coming with Nick. It was great to meet you.”
“Thank you for dinner. I hope I’ll get to see you all again soon.”
Once they were back in his truck, Nick’s guilt over the forced departure seeped in.
Lucy had been having a good time, and he’d rushed her out of there.
And telling himself it was so one of his brothers couldn’t say something that would embarrass her didn’t change the fact he was actually afraid they’d back him into a conversational corner.
He’d either have to tell them he was falling for a woman who intended to leave Wayward Harbor in her rearview mirror, or he’d have to say that, yes, she was attractive, but there was nothing between them.
And Nick wasn’t prepared to say either of those things out loud.