The Griffin's Mate (Hideaway Cove 1)

“It’s nothing,” he said, as though that was the truth. “I didn’t realize you were wanting to sell, is all.”

Lainie shrugged tightly. “Wanting has nothing to do with it. I just have to do the best I can with a bad situation.”

She clamped her mouth shut. And that’s all you need to know about that, she thought fiercely. I’m not having my sob story make its way around town.

She knew she wasn’t being fair, assuming Harrison would gossip about her situation. But she knew how easy it was for one person to let slip a few details to someone who passed them on, in confidence, to someone else… and then somehow everyone knew what was going on.

“You can give me a quote for demolition, right?” she said, her voice sharper than she’d intended.

Harrison’s shoulders stiffened. “Yes. But not based on just what we saw today. I’ll need the plans for the house, if they exist, and info on any recent renovations. Asbestos, any supporting walls removed, that sort of thing. I can do the tests myself if you don’t have the paperwork.” His voice was flat.

“I’ll email you copies of everything I’ve got,” Lainie said. Her mind felt full of cotton wool. She thought she had some of the things she’d mentioned—but all of them? She needed to get back to her files and check. “If you can’t give me the quote now, can you drop me back at by B&B? I need to… there’s some things I need to look after,” she finished lamely.

So much for her plans to leave late today. Harrison looked like the last thing in the world he wanted was to spend more time with her.

CHAPTER EIGHT

HARRISON

Harrison spent the entire drive back down the town trying to find the right thing to say, and terrified he’d say the wrong thing, and mess things up even more.

So he said nothing. He concentrated on the bumpy road, trying to avoid as many potholes as possible. He kept an eye on the horizon, where dark clouds were brewing, and made a mental note to check that Arlo’s boat was in the marina. All the while, a bitter premonition boiled inside him.

He didn’t know what Lainie’s situation was, but whatever it was, she was about to discover it was a whole lot worse. Sell the land? If that was what she was planning, things were going to get tricky.

Harrison sighed. He couldn’t keep this from her. His feelings for her, the fact that she was his mate—that could wait. What was important was keeping her safe.

“Lainie, there’s something you need to know about Hideaway—”

Harrison was so busy trying to make sure his words came out right, that he almost missed the man

who stepped out in front of his truck, waving. He stomped on the break, swearing in surprise.

“Jesus, Guts, what are you playing at—roadkill?”

Guts was a permanently sunburned man in his mid-fifties. Harrison had always found it hard to believe he was related to fashion-plate Jools and her siblings, but he was their uncle. Even his gull form looked like it’d had one too many.

Guts came around Harrison’s side of the car. He gave Lainie a polite nod, then beckoned Harrison to lean down. Harrison wound down his window and stuck his head out.

“What’s got your tail feathers in a twist, Guts?”

Guts’ eyes darted to either side. “Everyone’s down at Caro’s. They want to talk to your girlfriend. Er, Ms. Eaves.” He leaned in closer and whispered, “She is your girlfriend, right?”

Harrison glared at him. “What do you mean, everyone wants to talk to Ms. Eaves?” The hairs on his arms prickled, the only visible sign that inside him, his griffin was puffing out its feathers defensively.

He’d warned everyone ahead of time that they should expect a human visitor, of course, but no one had said anything about wanting to meet Lainie when she was here.

Guts ducked his head guiltily. “It’s the Sweets, and their lot,” he muttered.

“Can we go, please?” said Lainie from behind him, her voice tense. “I still need to get those files to you.”

Her voice was steady, but sounded brittle. Harrison remembered how quickly she’d gone to pieces before, and how annoyed she’d seemed by her own distress. His heart twisted as he realized how scared she must be that anyone would see how distressed the old house had made her.

All those years away from Hideaway must have hurt so much, her only defense had been to build walls around her feelings. Alone.

Well, not any more. She was his mate, and Harrison would do everything in his power to protect Lainie from whatever it was that was causing her pain.

“Guts here says some people from the town council want to talk to you,” he explained. “I don’t know what they’re after—”