The Griffin's Mate (Hideaway Cove 1)

“Sure. They come down quickly at this time of year. That one dumped so much water on us, I was worried the whole town would float out to sea.”

Lainie looked around. The sky was clear, and bright with stars; around her, what she could see of the surrounding buildings by the light of the streetlamps looked undamaged. “There wasn’t any damage, I hope?”

“Oh, we have enough storms this time of year that any buildings that were going to slip off their foundations would have done it years ago. The worst that happened was a fuse blew in the ice cream parlor.”

“Sounds tragic!”

“It very nearly was,” Harrison agreed solemnly. “Luckily, my team was ready to spring into action.”

“Your team?”

“I run a—well, sort of a Jack-of-all-trades workshop. I told you I took over the local building company? Well, apart from me, there’s Pol, our local electrician, and Arlo, who you—uh, who looks after any boat work that needs doing. He runs the storage facility you must’ve driven past on your way into town, too.”

“Sounds like between you, you keep this town running,” Lainie said.

“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far. There are more important town institutions. Caro’s chowder, for one.”

“A town that runs on chowder? I can believe that, it was probably the best I’ve ever tasted. And thanks for reminding me, I’ll need to make time to see your friend Arlo tomorrow, about a storage container.” Lainie swept her hair back behind one ear. “So—what’s the first stop on this tour?”

“A storage container?” Harrison’s eyes lit up. “I’ve gotta say, the words ‘storage container’ and ‘only staying one night’ don’t sound like they go together. Are you sure you’re not planning on staying around?”

Lainie twisted her automatic grimace into a smile. Stay in Hideaway? Never. “Well, I wasn’t planning on it,” she said lightly.

Harrison winked at her. “All right. Anyway, I thought we’d start on the northern end of the bay, seeing as we’re almost there already, and head south. That way we’ll end up close to Mrs. Hanson’s B&B. That’s where you’re staying, isn’t it?”

“You know, some people might call that a bit creepy,” Lainie said, laughing. “Have you been stalking me?”

Harrison grimaced. “Sorry, I didn’t even think about that. I’m so used to Mrs. Hanson’s being the only place anyone stays.”

“It’s a lovely little place,” Lainie said, thinking of the airy room Mrs. Hanson had put her in, with the picture-window overlooking the town and, beyond, the water. “And reasonable rates, too, given she’s got the monopoly on tourist accommodation in the town.”

“Don’t let her hear that—she’ll get ideas.” Harrison laughed.

They walked together for a while in silence. Harrison led Lainie along the broad sidewalk at the seaward side of the main road. A low stone rail separated the path from the water, which splashed against the retaining wall. Occasional stone steps led down to the water, and as they walked, the water retreated, pushed back by a pebbly beach.

Lainie kept her eyes on the ocean. After the beach, she knew, the hill on which her grandparents’ house stood rose up like a knuckle from the protected bay.

“Here we are,” said Harrison suddenly, and for one moment Lainie thought he was talking about the road up to her grandparents’ house. Her heart hammered in her chest, even after she saw that he was waving his hand at a small building nestled against the sea wall.

“What—oh!” Lainie chuckled. “The famous ice cream parlor?”

“The one and only.”

Lainie looked at the small shop. It was just as she remembered it: wooden walls, tile roof, and wooden fretwork around the eaves and under the windowsills. Like it had jumped off the pages of a storybook.

It was closed, of course, the windows shuttered and a curtain drawn across the inside of the front door.

“I’ll have to see if I can make room in my schedule for it,” Lainie lied. If there was any chance the place was still run by the old lady she remembered from her childhood, there was no way she was coming back here when it was open.

Harrison stuck his hands into his trouser pockets, staring out onto the water.

“What did you say it was brought you out here, again? I don’t mean to pry, but although we might not get many visitors, they do usually stay longer than overnight. And they don’t usually prioritize storage containers over ice-cream.”

“It’s a long drive for a short visit,” Lainie agreed. Her mind raced. Should she tell him? “It’s… family business,” she said in the end. “Just some loose ends I have to tie up.”

“You’ve got family here?” Harrison sounded surprised, but more than that—excited, as well.

“Sort of. Not anymore.” Lainie shrugged. “My grandparents, on my father’s side, used to live here. They’ve both passed now.”