Chapter Eight
Owen found Ruby at the counter with a customer when he entered the store. He waved as he went into her living quarters and poured a glass of cold water in the kitchen. He took a long drink, splashed the remainder of the water into the sink, and waited for Ruby’s customer to leave. When he heard the front door close, he went out to the store. He needed to talk to his great-grandmother and didn’t want an audience.
“Gigi, you have a minute?”
“Always have a minute for you. Maybe more, if you need them.” She gestured to the round table along the wall. “Want to sit a spell?”
He nodded and waited until she’d made her way across the room, her feet shuffling in her white tennis shoes. After she’d seated herself in her chair, he took the other and rested his forearms on the tabletop. Neither spoke for a few minutes, but Owen could feel her eyes on him, and he had the feeling they were searching. It wasn’t the only time he’d thought she had such an ability. He’d seen her do it to others. He didn’t know how she did it, but when he was younger, he imagined she had some sort of invisible ray that could secretly probe your mind. At times, just suspecting she was capable of reading his thoughts had kept him on the straight and narrow. He’d secretly thought of it as Gigi’s own form of search and destroy. As a boy, he believed the Gigi Ray was indeed awesome.
He no longer thought of her as possessing the Ray, but he knew she had abilities most people didn’t have. He’d long accepted it, even as he’d never accepted or appreciated similar tendencies in himself. But earlier in Scoop, when Ken Lockhart had walked in, the hair on the back of Owen’s neck had stood straight up, and he’d sensed . . . something.
“You seen my sister yet?” Ken had asked, his eyes narrow and dark.
“Nice to see you again, too, Ken. It’s been a while.”
“I asked if you’ve seen my sister.”
Owen’s Spidey sense began to tingle. “Not in a couple of years.” Owen tried to recall the last time he’d seen his ex-wife. “Maybe two years. Why?”
“Might be time you caught up with her again.”
“She knows where to find me.”
“That’s a fact.”
“What are you trying to say, Ken?”
“Just that you need to mind your own.”
With that, Ken had turned his attention to the flavor board. But the look he’d shot across the room as Owen and Cass were leaving had spoken volumes. Unfortunately, Owen was at a loss to understand what the message might have been. All he knew was that the hair on the back of his neck was still standing straight up.
“Gigi, I got this feeling,” Owen said after relating his exchange with Ken. “I can’t even put it into words.”
“If you’d spent less time trying to push away what you knew all these years, you might not be needing words.”
“What does that mean?”
“What I been telling you all along, but you be determined to deny the gift what was in you by nature. Maybe if you’d been watching, listening, not turning a blind eye and a deaf ear pretending you didn’t see or hear, you’d have seen what you needed to see, heard what wasn’t said.”
Owen sighed. “You mean the sight, or whatever you want to call it.”
“I call it a gift, boy, and it’s not about just seeing or hearing. Sensing, knowing. Understanding what you sense, believing what you know without being told. You been refusing to see, and I been telling you time’d come when you want that sense and it be gone, sure enough. That’s where you be right now.” She folded her arms across her chest and stared him down. “I don’t mind being the one who told you so.”
“Okay, yes.” He nodded. “I wish I could figure out what it was I sensed.”
“Tell me.”
“It was like there was something there I should have known, but didn’t. Something hidden.” He paused, almost embarrassed by what he was going to say, so he lowered his voice. “Like something was reaching out to me. Something . . . Gigi, I felt a pull, but I don’t know where it was coming from. I know it wasn’t a pull toward Ken. And it wasn’t about Cyndi. I’d have known if there was still something there, but there isn’t and there hasn’t been.” He thought that over for a few seconds. “That’s not exactly true. In spite of everything, I still think of her as a friend. I’ll never think less of her because of what happened. She’s not a bad person.”
Ruby stared at him but said nothing.
“Do you know?” he asked.
“Tell me again what he said.”
“That I should catch up with her, and that I should mind my own.”
Ruby nodded. “He be right, son. Time to mind your own.”
“Mind my own what? My own business? I always do that.”
Ruby stared at him as if waiting for him to say more.
“You’re not going to tell me what that means, though, are you?”
“Not my place.”
“What was pulling at me?” Owen whispered.
She appeared not to have heard, though he knew she had. “Ada be on her way about now. That woman sure can talk.” Ruby glanced at the door seconds before her neighbor Ada Banks entered. “You’ll find what you find, and you’ll do what you’ll do. You’ll do right in spite of everything that’s been done to you.”
“Oh, hey, thanks. That makes it all so clear,” he grumbled.
“Hadn’t been such a stubborn cuss all these years, you wouldn’t need me to see for you what you should be seeing for yourself.”
He watched Ruby greet her neighbor and smiled in spite of himself. He’d thought talking to Ruby would help clarify the mixed feelings he had and maybe even explain the odd vibe that had floated from Ken. It had been more than just a reaction to Ken’s coolness and cryptic message. There’d been something visceral, something that spoke directly to something inside him, but damn if he knew what it was all about.
He’d put it aside for now. Maybe one day soon he’d find out where in Ballard Cyndi’s parents had moved, and he’d stop over and see what was going on. Owen had a more immediate concern. Once he’d been bombarded by whatever he sensed from Ken, he had one thought in mind: talk to Ruby. In his haste to get back to Cannonball Island, he’d all but pushed Cass out of the car. After the day they’d spent together, he’d owed her better than that.
“I’ll be back,” he called to Ruby as he left the store and headed for the inn. Because walking to the inn would give him more time to think, he set off on foot to St. Dennis.
It had been years since he’d walked into town, though when he was a kid, his two feet had been his primary means of getting around. But once he’d gotten his license and discovered the joys of driving, walking became passé. This time around, he needed to be alone with his thoughts and to sort through them. But once he arrived at the inn, he stood outside, wondering what to do now that he was actually here. He took his phone from his pocket and sent a text:
Got a minute?
CASS GRABBED A towel from the nearby rack and wrapped it around her before reaching for a second one to dry her hair. She was still confused by the way the day with Owen had ended. The drive back to the inn had been all but silent except for the radio. She was relieved when they arrived at the inn and he’d stopped near the back door.
“I guess you missed afternoon tea.” He’d pointed at the clock on the dashboard.
“That’s okay. I’ll see Grace at dinner. She invited me to join her and her daughter, Lucy, and her daughters-in-law. I think she realizes I don’t have any friends here—well, other than you, Ruby, Lis, and Alec—so I think she wanted me to meet some others. Nice of her, don’t you think?”
Owen’d nodded, but his mind was clearly elsewhere.
She sighed. Why try to fight it? Just say good-bye. “So thanks so much, Owen. I had the best time. It was a really great day.”
“Except for being forced onto the Contessa.”
“Even that was pretty cool, after a while.” She’d hastened to add, “Not that I’m in any hurry to go back out on the water, but it was okay. And you were right. I didn’t die.”
“I was pretty sure you’d be okay.” He’d obviously been trying to lighten things up, but he missed.
They’d sat in an awkward silence until he said, “You don’t want to be late for your dinner.” His fingers tapping on the gearshift had made it pretty clear he was ready to leave.
“Right. Thanks again.” She’d forced a smile and let herself out of the car. Before she closed the door, she said, “Owen, you’ll remember to talk to Jared?”
Owen had nodded somewhat absently and waved before he pulled away.
She’d gone through the double doors without looking back. I don’t understand men. In particular, I don’t understand that man, who all of a sudden seems to be running hot and cold.
Once back in her room, she’d gone straight to the French doors and opened them. She’d leaned on the railing that surrounded the balcony and tried to mentally rewind back through the day up until the time things had gone off the rails. The drive to Chestertown had been amicable, and the walking tour he’d planned had clearly pleased and surprised her. There’d been no mistaking the satisfaction Owen had taken in her joy as she all but danced from one historic property to the next. He’d listened to her describe what she saw with a smile on his face, his hands in his pockets. He might have been bored to death, but he had made an effort to hide it.
Yes, he’d forgotten to talk to Jared, but as long as he took care of that tomorrow, she was okay with it.
Then there’d been the Contessa. He thought he’d planned yet another surprise treat for her, and when that hadn’t gone as he’d planned, he’d done his best to help her through the two-hour cruise even as he’d tried to hide his disappointment. The drive back to St. Dennis had been pleasant enough, fun conversation and reflection on their past marriages, their expectations and their failures. They’d stopped for ice cream on a whim, and he’d still been chatty and relaxed.
Then the guy with the beard had come into Scoop, and everything changed. She’d felt it as surely as she’d felt the bay breeze on her face while she stood on the deck of the Contessa.
One way or another, she was going to find out who the bearded guy was and what he’d said that had brought the curtain down on what had, up to that point, been a near-perfect day.
With one eye on the clock, Cass dried her hair, dressed quickly, and put on the minimum of makeup and made it downstairs to the cozy dining room just as the others were being seated.
“Ah, there she is,” Grace greeted her arrival, and made introductions all around.
Cass made mental notes and hoped to keep everyone straight even while her mind was elsewhere. Lucy, Grace’s only daughter, was the inn’s wedding and event planner and was married to Clay, who partnered with Steffie’s husband in the brewery. Jamie wrote self-help books and was married to Grace’s son Dan, who ran the inn. Cass realized she’d read one of Jamie’s books about the importance of honesty in relationships and thought wryly it might be time for a reread.
Before her marriage to Grace’s youngest, Ford, Carly owned several art galleries and currently was in charge of the town’s art center. Ford, Grace told Cass, had taken over the St. Dennis Gazette, their family’s newspaper. All three women were vivacious and friendly and chatty, and under other circumstances Cass would have delighted in their upbeat company. As it was, she could barely keep up with the conversations that swirled around her. She slipped out before dessert, citing a headache that was very real.
Cass was halfway to the stairs when her phone pinged to indicate an incoming text.
She read, then reread, the text.
Got a minute?
She paused at the bottom of the stairwell, debating how to respond. Her first inclination was to ignore the text altogether. She could always claim not to have seen it until a later time, such as the next day. Or she could text back a simple no. But wondering why he was asking would drive her crazy speculating, and she wouldn’t get a minute’s sleep.
What’s up? she typed, and waited.
A moment later came his response: We should talk.
Duh. Ya think? she wanted to reply, but before she could begin to type, her phone pinged again.
Are you busy right now?
Why? she typed back.
She was waiting for him to get back to her when the lobby doors opened. She glanced up at the sound and was startled to see Owen striding toward her.
“I was just texting back to ask you for your room number.” He slipped his phone into his pants pocket.
“Where were you?”
“Outside. Look, can we go someplace quiet, where we can talk?”
Cass looked around, but most of the sofas in the lobby were occupied. They couldn’t go into the bar; they’d have to pass through the dining room, and she’d already left Grace and her family to go to her room with a headache. Cass could think of only one place in the inn where they’d have privacy with no chance of running into Grace.
“I guess we could go to my room.” She pointed to the stairwell. “Second floor.”
“Okay.” He fell into step with her as they climbed the stairs and followed her down the hall.
Cass felt a little awkward unlocking the door and pushing it open. They hadn’t exchanged a word since they left the lobby. But if what he had to say had anything to do with their just keeping things friendly, she wanted to hear that now, tonight. It hadn’t felt that way all day, but if he’d had second thoughts, better to know now. She’d take it, and fine, they could just be friends. She braced herself for it.
But when she closed the door behind them, he reached out for her with both arms.
“Come here. Please.” He’d tugged until she was close enough for him to wrap his arms around her. His lips brushed against hers lightly, and whatever annoyance she’d felt faded. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“You should be. You have some ’splaining to do.” She decided to go straight to the moment when things had shifted between them. “That guy in Scoop—”
“—is my former brother-in-law. Cyndi’s brother.”
“What did he say that made you freeze up like that?” She pulled away, that confused feeling returning.
“He asked me if I’d seen Cyndi, and when I said I hadn’t, he told me I should.”
“So that was enough to cause you to shut down? And don’t deny that you shut down, Owen.” Cass took a deep breath. She saw no reason not to speak her mind. “One minute things were great, and the next minute . . . well, the next minute, they weren’t.”
“It wasn’t so much what he said, as the way it felt.”
“Look, if you still have feelings for your ex-wife, it’s fine. You don’t have to pretend you don’t. I’ll understand. But you need to say it.”
“I don’t have that kind of feeling for her. I told you. I don’t hate her; I’ll always think of her as an old friend. But I’m not carrying a secret torch for her.”
“Then what was it about seeing him that made you act like you couldn’t get rid of me fast enough?” There. That was what she hadn’t been able to put into words even to herself. But that was how she’d felt.
“It had nothing to do with you.”
“It sure didn’t feel like it. Actually, it felt like it had everything to do with me.”
“I really wish I could explain to you what happened, but I can’t because I don’t understand myself. I got this very strong feeling that . . .” Owen paused as if trying to find the words. “That there was something I didn’t know that he was trying to tell me, something I should have known, something he was angry about, but he wouldn’t say what it was.”
“That doesn’t sound like a random hunch. Are you sure there isn’t something you’re not telling me about your relationship with her? Are you sure she isn’t still in love with you?”
“No way is she in love with me. Trust me on that. She and I knew when it was over, it was over. No, it wasn’t about her.”
“What else could it be? Did you owe him money or had you insulted him in some way in the past?”
“No. Not that I’m aware of, anyway. And I never borrowed a thing from him. He was never around. No, it was more like he knew something, something I should know but it’s hidden and he’s pissed off about it.”
“That’s pretty specific.” Cass laughed. “What are you, a mind reader?”
“No. I can’t read minds,” he said softly.
“If you and his sister have been divorced for two years, what could he possibly be angry about now?”
“That’s what doesn’t make sense. I was never good friends with him—frankly, I never really liked him all that much, and now that I think back on it, neither did Cyndi. So his attitude—his whole demeanor—is baffling. I’m afraid I let it get to me and I overreacted. I am so sorry you were caught there, at that moment.”
“I get it. But I wish you’d said something sooner, like when you dropped me off.”
“I wish I had, too. I should have, but I was still sort of startled by the whole thing, and I was trying to think it through, trying to understand. It’s bothering me because it felt so personal, but maybe I just read too much into it.”
“We all get hunches from time to time. And there is another explanation.”
He raised an inquiring eyebrow.
“Maybe he’s just an asshole.”
Owen covered his face with one hand for a moment, then laughed. “Well, unless he’s changed a lot, yeah. That fits.”
“So there you go. Mystery solved.”
“Cass, I had a great time with you today. Like, one of the best times I’ve had with anyone in a very long time. I’d like to do it again, soon.”
“I guess you just can’t get enough of those old buildings and all that architectural talk.”
“Yeah, I could spend all day looking at rooflines and porch brackets. About as much as you’d like to spend a few more hours on the deck of a ship headed out to sea.”
Cass pretended to grimace. “How ’bout next time we try to find something mutually agreeable?”
“Next time I’ll let you in on the planning.”
“Not that I didn’t appreciate the thought that went into today. And I really loved Chestertown.”
“We’ll go back sometime just for dinner.” He pulled her a little closer. “There’s a restaurant right on the river. We can sit and watch the Contessa go by.”
“As long as other people are on it, I’m all in.” Then, because she couldn’t help herself, she said, “Speaking of ships . . .”
“I know. Jared. I’ll talk to him tomorrow, and if he can get a read on the bay side, I’ll let you know.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Speaking of plans—how ’bout being my date for my sister’s wedding?”
“I’d love to. But you know I was invited—because of my work with Alec—so I’m going to be there anyway.”
“So now you can be there with me.” Owen seemed to think about that for a moment. “Well, you can meet me there. I’m walking Lis down the aisle. Ruby and I are, together. But after the ceremony we can be together. Sit together. Dance together. It’s going to be a fun wedding.”
“Alec has been telling me about some of their plans. A little unorthodox in some respects, but it does sound like fun.” Cass smiled. “So, yeah, we can be together. Dance together. And stuff.”
“ ‘Stuff’ always intrigues me.” Owen smiled back. “So it’s a date. Not that I won’t see you before then.”
“I’ll be around.”
“Are you coming over to the island in the morning?”
Cass nodded. “Next up is the Davies place. If I finish early enough, I’ll start on the Blakes’.”
“I know both places. If I’m finished diving early enough, I’ll stop over to check your progress.” He drew her back to him and kissed the side of her face, then lightly touched her lips with his. “So I’ll look for you tomorrow somewhere between the Davieses’ and the Blakes’.”
“I’ll be the one in the dirty tank top and the grass-stained shorts swinging a sickle.”
“Should be easy enough to find.” He paused to give her one last kiss before leaving.
Cass closed the door behind him and leaned back against the wall. Even though she still didn’t understand what had really transpired between Owen and his onetime brother-in-law, it gave her an odd sort of peace to know that Owen didn’t seem to know, either, but that he’d taken the time to seek her out and explain things to her. It made her feel as if she mattered. The feeling she’d had earlier in the day began to seep back in, the feeling that all was right in her world, and she welcomed it.
She went to her closet and scanned the clothes she’d brought with her, but nothing said Eastern Shore wedding in early autumn. She’d be forced to go shopping, and she knew just where she’d be heading as soon as she cleaned up from her cemetery duties in the morning.
CASS WAS HALFWAY through the Davies graves when she heard an incoming text and knew it was from Owen before she even looked at it.
Making a second dive. Will probably not finish till later this afternoon. Sorry I won’t be able to help this morning. TTYL
All of which was okay with Cass. She’d been stretching out the work anticipating Owen’s arrival, so now she could finish up, run back to the inn to shower and change, and she’d be in the center of town by noon. And by center of town, she meant Bling, the upscale boutique with the gorgeously dressed windows that brimmed with all its tempting dresses and bags and shoes.
She sent Owen a reply—OK. Talk to Jared?—and made it to Bling by eleven thirty.
Cass took a deep breath as she walked into the shop. She knew she’d find just the perfect thing for the wedding, and maybe a few other little somethings. She hadn’t been shopping in forever, and she was due. She knew she’d come to the right place the minute Vanessa, the shop owner, smiled and said, “I have just the thing for you.”
She led Cass toward the back of the store where the fancier dresses were kept and pulled out three items from the rack. A deep blue lace with long sleeves and a sweetheart neckline, a blush-pink lace with short sleeves and a boatneck, and a light blue silk with three-quarter sleeves and a deeply rounded scoop neck.
“The dark blue lace is classic, the pink is beautiful with your skin, but the light blue is a little sexier. That scoop shows just enough of the girls to make it interesting.” Vanessa held up first one, then another.
“I think I’ll try on those last two. The light blue and the pink.”
“You can’t go wrong, either way.” Vanessa led her to a dressing room. “You give a shout if you need help. I’ll be up front. It’s a light day, so . . .”
As she spoke, the front door opened and another customer came in.
“I spoke too soon. But call me or just walk up front so I can see how they look.”
Cass went into the dressing room and closed the door. She tried on first the pink lace, but thought it might be just a tad summery for early fall. Besides, the silk dress had been speaking to her since Vanessa held it up. Cass slipped it over her head and adjusted the front. Vanessa had been right. There was just enough cleavage to be interesting, but not so much as to be inappropriate for a wedding. She stepped out of the dressing room and peeked into the front of the store.
Vanessa was at the counter wrapping up a sale to a tall, pretty blond woman who was chatting up a storm. In her arms she held a child who was clinging sleepily to her neck. “. . . and as soon as I saw this bag, I knew it was mine. I love animal prints, don’t you?” The blonde held up the bag to admire it again. “Perfect.”
“I’ll get a box for you.” Vanessa turned toward the back of the store and saw Cass. “Oh, that’s fabulous on you. Walk out here so I can see. Do you have some really high, strappy shoes?”
“I do, but they’re in Baltimore.” Cass checked herself in a mirror. She did love the way the silk glided over her hips. “I might be able to drive up there between now and next weekend.”
“Tell me you’re going to the big wedding.” Vanessa took a box from a shelf along the wall and returned to the front counter to pack the bag for her customer.
Cass nodded.
Vanessa nodded. “We’ll be there, me and my honey. We don’t really know the bride. I’ve met her, but I don’t really know her, but we do know the groom. Oh, and if you want to try on a pair of stunning heels, I just happen to have a pair there on the display.”
“The floral ones?” Cass lifted a shoe that looked like a watercolor on silk shantung. “These?”
Vanessa nodded. “Your son is so good,” she told her customer as the woman handed over her credit card.
“He’s sleepy. He doesn’t sleep well anywhere but his own bed, and for the past few days we’ve been at my parents’,” the pretty blonde replied. “I hope he adjusts soon.”
“How long will you be staying?” Vanessa rang up the sale and handed the slip to the woman, who leaned over the counter to sign it.
“I’m not sure.” The customer passed the slip back to Vanessa.
“Well, it’s a nice time of the year on the Eastern Shore.” Vanessa slid the box into a shopping bag and handed it over the counter. “Enjoy your bag. Come see me again.”
“I will.” The blonde picked the bag up by the handles and started to the door, but with no hand free, she paused. Cass hastened to the door and opened it for her.
“Oh, thanks.” The woman flashed an engaging smile and left, the child in one arm, her bag in the other.
“That was nice of you,” Vanessa said. “I should have realized she’d need help, but I was distracted wondering where I’d put this pretty silver necklace with blue beads and white pearls we got in early in the summer. I hope I didn’t sell it. It would be perfect with that dress.” Vanessa looked through her jewelry displays. “Oh, here we go.” She lifted it from under the counter and placed it on the glass. “Since it was summer merchandise, I can let it go for half price.”
Cass made a beeline to the counter and held up the necklace. “I love it.”
“Do you want to try the shoes?”
“I do. Seven and a half, please.” Cass fastened the necklace and admired it in the mirror. “I do like this.”
“It’s sweet, right?” Vanessa handed Cass the shoe box.
Cass put on the shoes and stared at her feet. “These are so pretty. It’s like having works of art on your feet, so how can I resist? I’ll take the whole thing. Dress, necklace, shoes. I haven’t been shopping in a long time, so I’m due.”
Cass took off the shoes and put them back into the box, which she left on the counter, then went back to the dressing room and changed out of the dress.
“Nothing perks you up like a good shopping day.” Cass put the dress back onto the hanger before handing it to Vanessa.
“I know, right?” Vanessa had already bagged the necklace and the shoes, and she now slipped a plastic carrier over the dress. “I feel the same way. I love to get something new for myself. I’m surrounded by all this, but I rarely have time to try anything on. I will find something for the wedding, though. Everyone in St. Dennis and Cannonball Island’s been invited. It should be some party.” She glanced up at Cass. “I’m guessing you’re not going solo.”
“Actually, my date is the brother of the bride, Owen Parker.”
Vanessa’s hand stopped writing.
Cass couldn’t help but notice. “Is something wrong?”
“Oh, no. But funny coincidence? That woman who just left? Her last name is Parker, too.”