The Sea Wolf's Mate (Hideaway Cove 2)

“—have that going for them at least,” Lainie said as Harrison’s face darkened. He looked at her in surprise and she shrugged. “You kids are shifters, aren’t you?”

Kenna and Dylan nodded. Tally joined in a moment later, copying her older siblings.

“Then I’m sure the Sweets would move heaven and earth to look after you,” Lainie said dryly. “Regardless of what they think of the rest of us.”

“Right.” Something in Arlo’s tone made Jacqueline look at him. There was a strange expression on his face. Discomforted and lost.

“Well, they’re not here, anyway,” Harrison said. He raised his eyebrows at the kids. “What do you want to do? We can put you up in the bed-and-breakfast—wait.”

He frowned, and so did Arlo. Jacqueline connected the dots. Someone must have telepathically said something—and from the tense expressions on Kenna and Dylan’s faces, it was one of them, and they hadn’t meant to be heard.

“You know, this whole telepathy things seems like more trouble than it’s worth,” she joked, trying to break the tension. Lainie raised her eyebrows at her.

“No argument there,” she said, and Jacqueline shot her a grateful smile for picking up the end of the tension-breaking stick. “I had to practically re-teach Harrison here to use a phone after we got together. Speaking of which, hon, don’t you need to send out the red alert that another—dramatic gasp—human is walking the streets?” She winked at Jacqueline.

She must be human, too, Jacqueline thought.

Harrison shook his head. “I think the cat’s out of the bag already, sweetheart. I might be wrong, but I do get the feeling this woman might already know about shifters. But that doesn’t solve the problem of the Sweets not being here the one weekend they could make themselves useful.”

“Hey,” said Arlo in a warning tone. “They’re still my parents.”

“Sure, but you have to admit…”

“We could stay with you on the boat,” Dylan blurted out, and Kenna punched him. “Hey!”

Arlo paused. “That’s…”

His eyes slid sideways to meet Jacqueline’s. For some reason her cheeks felt hot.

“Why don’t you set up camp with us for the night,” Harrison interjected. Lainie’s eyes lit up.

“Yes! That’s a great idea. We’ve got all these rooms no one is using.”

Jacqueline expected Kenna, at least, to protest, but both children agreed. Tally nodded happily, too, and Arlo and Harrison winced in the way she’d come to recognize as evidence that the smallest shifter in their little group had the largest telepathic voice.

Lainie clapped her hands together. “Well, why waste time? We’ve got the Land Rover, so let’s all trundle up the hill now and get you three settled in. And some lunch. I don’t know about the rest of you but all this early morning strolling has left me starving.”

“Up the hill?” Dylan asked, and Lainie gave him a conspiratorial wink.

“That’s right. Didn’t I say? We live next to the lighthouse.”

12

Arlo

There wasn’t room in the Land Rover for all of them; Arlo and Harrison decided to walk. Harrison didn’t even wait for Lainie to start the engine before he started to interrogate Arlo.

*So. Jacqueline.*

*Yes.* Arlo gritted his teeth. *Did Pol tell you?*

*Pol? I haven’t seen him all day. I just have eyes in my head, is all.*

Arlo groaned. *That obvious?*

*You might as well be singing and dancing.*

Arlo thrust his hands deep in his pockets and didn’t reply.