Chapter 13
MAE
There were lights everywhere. Strings of warm golden lights strung between every post, with garlands of evergreen wrapped around them.
The branches of the barren trees in the park next to the harbor had been strung with lights as well, and the fountain in the center had blue lights in the water, shining up towards the small statue of a woman holding a lantern, facing out towards the harbor.
Large metal outdoor heaters glowed along the dock, bringing warmth to the night.
As we walked closer, I could see mason jars on tables with sand and candles inside.
Christmas songs came out of tall speakers.
The atmosphere was jovial, festive. On one side, there were food stalls all in a line, lit up with fairy lights and lanterns.
The smells in the air were incredible. Roasted chestnuts, woodsmoke and other delicious cooking smells. Immediately my stomach rumbled.
‘I heard that,’ Jonah said, amused, as we wandered towards them.
‘What? My stomach voicing its displeasure at having being made to wait so long for sustenance? Good. It’s all your fault.’
‘Wow. Dramatic much?’
‘Only when it comes to food.’
‘You said you wouldn’t normally have eaten dinner by now anyway,’ he reminded me.
‘I know. But I wouldn’t normally be surrounded by all these divine smells, either. I mean, what is that?’ I sniffed the air as we reached the first stall.
‘That is lobster grilled cheese.’ The woman behind the stall grinned.
She looked familiar, and it took me a minute to place her, but then I recognized her as the woman from the restaurant the other night.
‘Made with lobster caught right here in the harbor and cheese that’s produced just up the road.
You can’t get any more local than that. Hey, Jonah.
How’s your dad? I was sorry to hear about his stroke. ’
‘Thanks, Taylor. He’s doing OK, improving every day.’
‘I’m glad to hear it.’
He put a hand on the small of my back. ‘This is Mae. She’s new to town. She’s also starving.’
‘Hi, Taylor.’ I smiled, as my stomach grumbled audibly again. ‘I’d love a sandwich please.’
Jonah nudged me with his arm. ‘Don’t you want to wait and see what else is on offer at the stalls first?’
‘Oh no, I plan to sample something from all of them,’ I promised him.
He laughed. ‘This could be an expensive night.’
‘Well you don’t need to worry about that, because I’m paying,’ I told him, fishing cash out of my pocket. ‘For both of us. I owe you for the other night.’
‘You don’t owe me anything.’
‘I’m paying. End of story.’
‘Bossy, isn’t she?’ Taylor commented, grinning. ‘Sounds like you’ve met your match.’
He grimaced playfully. ‘I think you might be right. I’ll have a sandwich too please. Jack not working tonight?’
‘Yeah he’s here somewhere. Skiving off and chatting to someone, no doubt. Do you know it takes us an hour to get around the supermarket on a good day because of the number of people who just want to stop and catch up with him?’
‘That’s pretty normal isn’t it? An hour to shop?’
She snorted. ‘Not when your supermarket has only three aisles.’
‘Good point.’
‘He’s only been here five minutes, and you know what Pine Harbor’s like, Jonah.
’ She nodded towards me. ‘You’ll find out.
They’re welcoming and friendly enough, sure, but they tend to keep strangers at a distance.
It can take years for people to be accepted as part of the community.
But not Jack. He’s more Pine Harbor than me, and I was born here. ’
I handed over my money and she passed us our sandwiches. ‘Enjoy.’
‘Cheers,’ Jonah said, peeling the paper back from the side.
I took a bite and closed my eyes, savoring the tastes and textures, the crispy, golden butter-fried bread, with melt-in-the-mouth lobster and melted gruyere cheese.
‘Oh my God,’ I said, after swallowing my first mouthful. ‘That’s the best grilled sandwich I’ve ever had in my life. I’m not even kidding. What’s the herby taste?’ I asked Taylor. ‘Mixed in with the lobster?’
She narrowed her eyes. ‘I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.’
‘They take secret recipes pretty seriously around here,’ Jonah informed me. ‘A lot of them have been passed down through generations of families and are closely guarded secrets.’
I stared at the large kitchen knife lying on a wooden chopping board in front of Taylor. ‘In that case, I withdraw my question.’
They laughed.
‘I’m just messing with you,’ she said. ‘It’s the chef’s own special mixture. Thyme, dill, tarragon, garlic salt, onion salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper. Really compliments the lobster. Or any seafood, for that matter.’
‘You guys should bottle it,’ I told her. ‘I’d buy it.’
She picked up a cute little jar with a homemade label that said The Cozy Catch’s seafood bouquet. Warning, contains plenty of salt! and held it up. ‘We do.’
‘In that case, I’ll take a couple please.’
She popped them into a brown paper bag and I paid.
‘Hang on, I’ll get your change,’ she said, pulling an old Christmas cookie tin out from underneath the counter.
‘Keep it. You’ve saved me from a lifetime of bland lobster.’
‘Thanks.’ She smiled at Jonah. ‘I like her.’
‘Yeah.’ He shrugged, screwing up his sandwich paper. ‘She’s not too bad I suppose.’
I stared at him as we wandered off towards the next stall. ‘Have you finished your sandwich already?’
He nodded. ‘Was good, too.’
‘Did you eat it in two bites? What are you, a Labrador?’
‘Nah. You just talk too much.’
‘Oh really? You’re full of compliments tonight.’
He smiled down at me. ‘You want a compliment? How about this. You look absolutely adorable in that hat.’
I narrowed my eyes. ‘Sarcasm?’
He seemed genuinely surprised. ‘No. I mean it. You really do. On anyone else I feel like that pompom thing on the top could look utterly ridiculous.’ He reached over and gave it a wobble. ‘But not on you. You pull it off.’
‘I don’t know if that’s actually a compliment, or if that’s just a nice way of saying I’m ridiculous enough to pull off the ridiculous.’
He sighed. ‘You’re a hard one to please.’
‘That depends how you’re pleasing me,’ I said, then squeezed my eyes shut, mortified, when I heard the words out loud.
Laughing, he stopped in front of a stall and gestured. ‘Hot drink, milady, to warm you up on this fine evening?’
‘Sure. But I’m—’
‘Paying. Yes, I remember.’ He reached over and did a slap handshake with the guy behind the stall. ‘Hey, Leo.’
‘Hey, man, what’s up?’ Leo replied. ‘What do you guys want to drink?’
I scanned the little chalk-written menu, expecting hot chocolates and teas. But it wasn’t those kinds of drinks.
‘Ladies first,’ Jonah said. ‘Mae?’
‘What’s in the hot cider? Or is that a family secret?’
He grinned. ‘What’s not in it? There’s apple cider, obviously. Some maple syrup, star anise, allspice berries and cinnamon. Generous amount of rum. And then my own special additions: orange peel and ginger. If you’re cold, I guarantee you this will warm you up.’
‘Knock me flat on my butt too, by the sound of it,’ I said. ‘But hey, you only live once, right?’
‘I like your attitude.’ Leo lifted the lid on a slow cooker and started stirring the liquid inside, instantly releasing the smell of warm cider and cinnamon. He scooped some into a takeaway cup and passed it over to me. ‘Jonah?’
‘Yeah, go on. Be rude to let the lady drink on her own.’
I snorted. ‘I’m Gen Z, just. Widely considered to be the Bridget Jones generation, thanks to our yearning for a simpler time, specifically pre-social media. I have no problems drinking on my own.’
Both men stared at me as if I’d just started speaking Spanish.
‘Gen what now?’ Jonah asked.
‘Who?’
I took a sip of the cider and felt it instantly start to warm my blood. ‘Never mind.’
The music stopped, and around us, people started getting up from the long wooden tables and heading in the same direction, towards the town pier.
‘What’s going on?’ I asked, wrapping my fingers around my cup for warmth.
‘It’s time,’ Leo said, putting a small sign up on his stall that said, Back in ten minutes.
‘Time for what?’ I asked Jonah.
He smiled. ‘Time for the turning of the light.’