“Lainie, I—”
She turned to him, her eyes full of angry tears. “Oh, don’t you start. You don’t want me to sell—would you prefer me to stay? After hearing that?” Her whole body was shaking with anger. “This whole thing was a mistake. I never should have come here in the first place. I’m leaving, now. You’ll hear from my lawyer about the demolition work, and you—” She turned back to Mrs. Sweets. “You will hear nothing, not from me or anyone who has anything to do with the estate.”
Without another word, she stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Harrison stared after her, a hole forming in his chest.
“Well,” said Mrs. Sweets behind him, sniffing. “What a catastrophe. And what a conniving, thoughtless—”
Harrison rounded on her. “Lainie Eaves is. My. Mate,” he growled. “Whatever you were about to say—don’t.”
“Ah. I had heard some disturbing whispers about that, but… you’re sure? That is unfortunate.” Mrs. Sweets was two feet shorter than Harrison, and still managed to look down her nose at him. “You have a difficult decision ahead of you, Mr. Galway. I hope you make the right choice.”
“What are you talking about?” Harrison snarled.
Mrs. Sweets brushed an invisible speck of dust from her skirt. “Dear little Lainie’s nonsense about selling off her grandparents’ property will come to nothing. It will be a nuisance, but that’s nothing new when it comes to her family!” She sniffed. “I mean, Mr. Galway, that you will have to decide between remaining in the sanctuary of Hideaway Cove—or leaving with your human.”
“I’m not going to leave Hideaway,” Harrison said automatically. Mrs. Sweets smiled.
“Then no more talk of Ms. Eaves being your mate, please. It will be better in the long run if you forget all about her.”
She swept away, gathering up her husband and cronies as she left the restaurant. None of them met Harrison’s eye.
The place was almost empty now. The only people left were Caro, wiping down the bar with a stony look on her face, and Arlo. The wolf shifter was still sitting at the table, a stricken look on his face.
“Jesus, Harrison,” he muttered.
“And what the hell are you doing here, again?” Harrison snapped at him. “Since when are you on the town council?”
Arlo glared at the table, not meeting Harrison’s eyes. “It’s not like that, Harrison. Mrs. Sweets asked me to talk to you…”
“And what? Convince me to leave Lainie—or just to roll over and listen to Mrs. Sweets insult her? Exactly whose side are you on?”
Arlo’s shoulders went up around his ears, and Harrison tried to reel in his rage. Arlo might look rough, but Harrison knew his gruff exterior hid some ancient hurt. He was a loner, had been ever since he moved to Hideaway. Intelligent, and savvy, but not comfortable around people.
“Just… think about it, Harrison,” Arlo muttered now. “Ignore that it’s Mrs. Sweets who said it. Hideaway Cove is the only place most of us have ever lived where we feel safe, and Lainie Eaves is endangering that. If she sells the property…”
“If Mrs. Sweets doesn’t sabotage the sale, you mean.”
Arlo lifted his eyes to meet Harrison’s. “Harrison, what happens to Hideaway Cove if Lighthouse Hill fills up with humans? We’ll lose everything we have here. Our safety. Our home.”
Harrison sagged. He sat down opposite Arlo and leaned his forehead on his knuckles, rolling his head back and forth to massage out a growing headache.
“No. Lainie’s a good person. If she knew what was at stake…”
“Does she even know you’re a shifter?”
The answer must have been clear on Harrison’s face. Arlo groaned. “You haven’t told her, have you?”
Harrison rubbed his face. “I need to talk to her. I have to explain everything. Damn it all, I thought I’d have time…” He stood up.
“Be careful.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to do anything stupid.”
“I mean—think about what you’re doing. The Sweets don’t want her around because they don’t want any humans to know about Hideaway Cove. If you tell her…”
“Then they’ll have no reason to make her leave, will they?”