They walked up Spring Street and stopped in a small café to get coffee, only to walk out with hot cocoa because Rennie loved the smell of chocolate. Their next stop was the Trident Bookstore. When Rennie opened the door and bells sounded, she looked at Graham and winked.
“Do you know what we’ll find in here?”
He looked at her quizzically. “Books?”
“Not just any books, but books on folklore, especially mermaids.”
Sure enough, as soon as they stepped in, MERMAIDS AND OTHER SEA CREATURES was the first section they came to. Rennie walked slowly down the aisle, her finger dragging along the spines of the books. Every few steps, she’d stop and hand her cup to Graham so she could leaf through the pages. Most of them had top-edge gilt, which Rennie loved. For her, the added gold made her feel like the book in her hand was a classic.
Each aisle they visited, either she or Graham found something to share with the other. Graham showed Rennie a book about the history of Washington. He flipped to the page that told the story of the Whale Spout and of how it had been built from a pirate ship. Rennie added the book to the ever-growing pile in her arm.
At the checkout, Rennie added a magnet for her refrigerator and a couple of bookmarks. One depicted the San Juan Islands, and the other had the name of the bookstore on it. After she paid, Graham took the bag and slung it over his shoulder.
“I can carry the bag.”
“I know you can.” He reached for her hand and wove their fingers together. They continued their exploration of the small town, going in and out of stores, buying souvenirs, and arguing happily when Rennie insisted that Graham buy a whale cut from driftwood.
“It would look amazing over the bar, and you know it. You can’t deny it.”
The salesclerk looked at Graham and Rennie expectantly.
“You’re right. We’ll take it,” Graham told the young kid behind the counter.
Rennie beamed when Graham said we. She thought they’d make a good team, that she could make him happy. She already knew he did the same for her.
When they left the store, Rennie carried the wooden whale sign. It was long and bulky but lighter than the books, and she was secretly elated to carry it. Graham had bought something she loved, and that made her smile.
They crossed the road and went down a side street. Graham stopped them in front of Lou’s Lavender. “This summer, when we come back, we’ll go to the fields. Right now, everything is dead, but I want you to see what they do here on the island with the lavender.”
Rennie rubbed her hands together. “Show me.”
He opened the door and motioned for her to go in. Inside, soap, lotion, perfumes, and sprigs of lavender surrounded her. Rennie turned toward Graham. “You know purple is my favorite color,” she stated as she held a sprig to her nose and inhaled.
He nodded. “I know, Ren.”
Graham took the whale sign from her and set it by the door with her books. They browsed together, smelling the lotions and perfumes, adding soap to their handbasket, and flipping through the photos of the fields.
“I wish it wasn’t winter.”
“It won’t be in a few months,” he told her.
Wherever Rennie went, Graham followed. And when she would stop, she knew he was right next to her. His hand would rest on her back, or he would bend toward her and examine whatever she showed him.
After an hour, Rennie settled on a bottle of lotion and a half dozen bars of soap. She took a business card from the stack on the counter and thanked the clerk, who happened to be the owner, for creating such amazing products. They collected their other packages and headed back out into the crisp air.
“I have one more place I really want to show you,” Graham said to her. She linked her arm in his and told him to lead the way.
He led them down the street and back toward the marina and into a small ice cream shop. “We’ll take one of each, please.”
Rennie went to tell him she didn’t like people ordering for her, when she finally read the menu. They only served two flavors: lavender and lavender with honey.
“Lavender ice cream?” She wasn’t really asking Graham or the young woman behind the counter, but both of them laughed and said yes. “I really feel like I’m in an alternate universe here.”
Graham paid and took their two dishes over to the small white wrought iron table-and-chair set. “Dig in.” He pushed the cup of ice cream toward her.
Her first bite was small, enough to whet her palate. She let the ice cream rest on her tongue before she swallowed. “Okay, it’s good, but . . .” She couldn’t find the right word.