Mrs. Sweets and her friends might never change their mind about her. Regardless of what she said, they would twist it, putting it in the worst light possible.
But that didn’t mean Lainie needed to match her blow for blow. If she played Mrs. Sweets at her own game, the only people that would be hurt were the innocent citizens of Hideaway Cove.
“No,” she said quietly. “No, I’ve made my decision. If those jewels will cover the debts, then that’s what I’ll use them for. If they don’t quite make it—well, I hope your very generous offer still stands. I have no intention of selling off the estate to anyone who would destroy this place. You have Harrison to thank for that.”
She stepped closer to Harrison and wrapped her arm around his waist. He put his arm around her shoulders in return, smiling down at her.
And he wasn’t the only one. All around her, people were smiling and nodding at her. Except for the Sweets.
“Well,” Mrs. Sweets snarled. “That’s all very well, but—”
“That’s not all,” Harrison interrupted her. “Lainie is my mate. I knew it the moment I met her. And it horrifies me, what you’ve done to her. Taken away her family. Left her wondering for all these years why her grandparents abandoned her.” He turned on Mrs. Sweets and her husband, furious. “How many years ago would we have met if you hadn’t done that to her? How many years could we have already been together? And how many other families have you done this to, and kept it a secret from the rest of us?”
In the crowd, someone choked back a gasp. Lainie looked across to see Caro from the restaurant, her face pale.
Harrison followed her gaze, and his eyes widened as he looked at Caro. He looked around, pausing to look into the eyes of every shifter in the crowd.
“A lot of you have been teasing me about running for mayor this year, well, if I was running, this would be my platform. If Hideaway is meant to be a sanctuary for shifter families, we need to accept all members of those families. No one should live here in fear that they’re going to be thrown out of town for falling in love with the wrong person or, God forbid, having a child who can’t shift.
“What’s been done here is shameful. We can keep ourselves safe without tearing apart innocent families, families built on the mate bond, the most powerful force in any shifter’s life.” He took both of Lainie’s hands in his own and looked deep into her eyes. “Lainie isn’t some gold-digging monster. Even after everything that’s been done to her, she doesn’t want to put Hideaway Cove at risk.
“If you all want her to leave, then I’m going with her. But it’s up to you—Caro, Guts, Jools, everyone here. Not just Mrs. Sweets and her friends. Do you want us both to stay?”
“Yes!”
Lainie looked across the sand to see Jools, the gull shifter, standing with her arms crossed defiantly across her chest. “Of course we want you to stay!” the teenager yelled.
Mrs. Sweets hissed. “Bird shifters! You’re all the same—”
“I want you both to stay, too!” another voice cried out from the crowd. “And that’s from a stumpy old land-based predator, Mrs. S!”
“Harrison’s worked through the night more times than I can count to help the people of this town,” a woman called out. “What have you done? Worked through the night to take people’s children away from them?”
More voices joined in. Lainie strained her ears, but she couldn’t hear anyone calling out No, no, make them leave! Even Mrs. Sweets’ backup band were keeping quiet in the face of so much support for Harrison and Lainie.
Lainie looked around in amazement. In exactly none of her wildest dreams had she imagined being welcomed back to Hideaway Cove by a cheering crowd of mostly naked men and women.
Harrison stepped in close to her, cupping her cheek in one hand. “What do you say, Lainie?” he asked, his voice low. “Will you give us a chance? Will you give me a chance?”
There was only one thing left to say. “Yes, Harrison. Yes, of course I will.”
EPILOGUE
LAINIE
Lainie pulled up at the end of the drive. The evening sun lit up the new house like a spotlight, turning its painted walls gold.
Today was the day. After six months of planning, and getting permits, let alone actual construction work, the new Eaves house was complete.
Six months since she’d set foot in Hideaway for the first time in fifteen years. Six months since she’d met Harrison, discovered the secret existence of shifters, and felt the knot of unhappiness that had plagued her for so many years finally start to unravel.
She’d sold the jewels through one of Pol’s contacts, for a price that made all her financial problems disappear. After paying off her grandmother’s debts and setting aside enough for taxes, there had still been enough left for a new project. The house.
Lainie still owned the land her grandparents’ house had stood on, after all, even if the old house was gone. The property she’d inherited made up most of the hill, from the coast up to the lighthouse. With Harrison’s help, she’d selected a new site to build on, a little further down from the lighthouse. After that storm, she didn’t want the new house to be right on the edge of the cliff like her grandparents’ had been.
Bit by bit, the house had transformed from an idea into something real. Lainie kept her job in the city, driving out on weekends to see Harrison and check on the build. And something else had happened. Instead of living at home during the week,
and visiting on weekends, Lainie had started to feel like she was coming home on the weekends. Home to Harrison, and Hideaway Cove.