Chapter 56
Nell stared at the man who’d miraculously healed the cat and bit her lip. What should we do now? she repeated to herself with disgust. OMG. Andrea’s one-night stand suggestion must have burrowed into my brain.
“I mean, do I owe you for your services?” A hot flash, either from embarrassment or hormones, sent beads of sweat down her back. She wanted to disappear. Instead, she said, “Your vet services, I mean.”
The man’s biceps flexed, distracting her from her discomfort. “You don’t owe me anything. You saved Jeff.”
“Jeff?”
The man lifted the cat in his arms. “This is Jeff. And I know his owner will appreciate your help.” The man licked his lips. “I’m Thomas, by the way. I’m the town vet, although you probably already guessed that.”
She thought she heard someone say, “This is worse than The Bachelor,” but when she looked around the room, no one was there. Turning back to Thomas, she nodded. “I’m Nell.”
“Nice to meet you, Nell. I’ll make sure Jeff gets home safely.”
That seemed to be Nell’s signal to leave. She nodded again and hurried out of the room, straight through the reception area, and out to her car. She leaned against the door, hesitating to get in. Her hands were shaking, and she didn’t know where she was going.
Nell dropped her head back on the cool metal. What had gotten into her? Moving to Driftwood Pointe to help Tricia was a big deal, but was it stressful enough to cause delusions of moving books and talking animals and to be rude to the first man she’d noticed since her divorce?
“It’s fine. You’re fine.” She took a few breaths and grabbed her phone to get directions to Tricia’s house when she noticed she had a voicemail.
“Hey, Nell. Not sure why you aren’t answering your phone, but I’m stuck in transit.
This could only happen in Driftwood Pointe, but a herd of goats has taken up residence in the middle of the road.
Who knows how long this is going to take to clear up, so grab dinner in town and I’ll text you when a goat-herder shows up.
Or whoever takes care of these things. Bye. Love you.”
Seeing Tricia tonight had been the light at the end of the tunnel, and now Nell had to fend for herself.
Swallowing down her disappointment, she checked her appearance in the side-view mirror and flinched at her reflection.
Nell comforted herself that no one in town knew her, and it didn’t matter that she looked like she had driven five hundred miles and dealt with an injured animal.
Nell left her car in the animal clinic’s parking lot and set off on foot to find someplace to eat.
She headed toward the water, enjoying the sound of waves hitting the shore.
She strolled down Harbor Street, passing a pet shop and a bookstore.
Flyers for a Fall Foliage Tour hung in their windows.
She continued until she spotted a sandwich board for The Hex & Hearth, proclaiming the best lobster roll in town. Her stomach rumbled with excitement.
She pulled open the ancient wooden door, and it took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust. When they did, Nell gasped.
She’d stumbled into a bar—not just a bar but an authentic northeastern pub, complete with paneled walls and understated lighting.
She studied the pictures lining the walls: a lighthouse, the bar, a church.
She stopped in her tracks. The next picture was the house she’d passed before she found the cat.
She squinted at the placard. “The Lost House on the Point, 1876.” The place had seen better days, that was for sure.
Nell passed a woman at the bar reading a book similar to the one at the vet’s office.
She paused, trying nonchalantly to read the title, but sputtered when she saw the counter was empty.
The woman caught her gaze and gave her a lazy smile before taking a sip from the mug in front of her. It must have been a trick of the light.
Nell continued to the bar where the bartender stood.
His dark hair was pulled back at his nape, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing strong, sinewy arms. Nell couldn’t tell how old he was, only that he looked vaguely familiar.
He set a coaster on the mahogany surface, his silver ring glimmering in the dim light. “Your drink will be ready soon.”
She glanced over her shoulder, looking to see who he was talking to, but she was the only one there.
When she turned back, the man added syrup, gin, lime juice, and ice into a cocktail shaker, shook it, then poured the concoction into a frosted martini glass.
He added a sprig of rosemary, then a slice of lime.
“How did you know I like rosemary gimlets?” Nell asked.
He set the drink on the coaster. “Joining us for dinner tonight?”
Confused that he seemed to know what she needed before she could ask for it, she nodded. “The lobster roll, please.”
“With a side of waffle fries, Nellie?”
Nell stepped back. Rosemary gimlets were not unique, and the house specialty was listed as lobster rolls with waffle fries, but the nickname she hadn’t used since high school? He was either really good at his job or he’d been spying on her. “How did you know my name?”
His eyebrows raised, and he pointed to a table next to the fireplace. “Sit. I’ll bring your food when it’s ready.”
Feeling completely dismissed but strangely seen, Nell took her drink and wandered to her seat.
She stopped in front of the Lost House portrait.
It showed a house with a fresh coat of paint and a pristine roof.
Shutters rested next to shining windows, and the plants next to the winding driveway were manicured.
She studied the upstairs window where she’d seen the woman.
Her hand shook. The gimlet spilled onto her leg, but the cold didn’t bother her.
What bothered her was the woman staring out at her from the picture. The same one she’d seen that afternoon.
Nell’s legs wobbled, but she made it to the table at the same time the bartender delivered her food. He placed it in front of her, then stepped away.
“Wait.”
The man turned and appraised her. Nell expected him to speak, but when he remained silent, she cleared her throat.
“What can you tell me about the Lost House on the Point?”
His eyes flicked to the painting on the wall, then to the woman at the bar, before he leveled his gaze on Nell. “Name says it all.”
The woman at the bar snorted, and the bartender returned to his post, leaving Nell to eat the best lobster roll she’d ever tasted.