Lighthouse Way (Huckleberry Bay 1)

She sighs happily and then points to the tray.

“Enjoy a treat and each other’s company for a while. It’s not as though there’s a lot to do in this weather otherwise.”

“Thanks, Grandma,” June says as Annabelle leaves, closing the door behind her. “You know, even if they do get all of the mold out of that house and it’s safe to live in again, I don’t think I’ll move back there.”

“Why not?” I ask her as I reach for a cookie. Scones and cookies in the same day probably isn’t the best idea, but I’ll take a walk on the beach later and work it off. “The house isn’t that bad.”

“It’s not great,” June replies and pours the hot chocolate out of an old-fashioned silver teapot.

Annabelle always served us with fancy things like this. She said it made everything taste better.

“It’s not my home,” June continues. “I’ve known it for a while, but I’ve been too consumed with work to really take the time to do anything about it. But this was a good push to find something else.”

“Will you rent again?” Sarah asks and sips her hot chocolate. “Whoa. Sidebar, what does she do to this to make it so damn good?”

“There’s probably extra sugar in there,” June says. “Or, you know, crack.”

We laugh, and then June sobers.

“I don’t really want to rent again,” she continues. “I’d really like to buy something, but with the influx of out-of-towners moving in, the prices have gone sky-high. I don’t know what I’ll be able to afford.”

“The right thing will come along,” I assure her. “Probably when you least expect it.”

“In the meantime,” Sarah adds, “you can live here in this gorgeous room and let Annabelle spoil you.”

“It’s not a hardship,” June agrees with a small smile. “Not at all.”

November 1, 2008

* * *

Dear Diary,

Well, I’m finally over 21, so I got to go to the Halloween party that Annabelle throws every year! Holy crap, it was so fun! The theme this year was Dr. Seuss, and I went as Thing 2. June was Thing 1.

We had a great time dancing and playing games, and then, when the party was finished, June didn’t want to go home, so we decided to make a spooky night of it and go to the cemetery behind the Little White Chapel.

I don’t know why, exactly, because I know precisely where to find a real ghost, but it was still fun. We giggled and had a good time walking around town after dark. It wasn’t raining for once! I guess this is one of the good sides to living in a small town, feeling safe enough to walk around whenever you want to.

Anyway, I need a nap now.

Love,

Luna

Chapter Seventeen

Wolfe

“I need an oil change,” Apollo announces from the doorway and grins at Zeke and me.

“You’re in the right place,” I reply as I wipe my hands on a rag and cross to him. Zeke’s head down in the business end of a Toyota, so I tap the keys on the laptop that sits on the counter, ready to help Luna’s brother. “I have some information to get from you on this first visit, but then you’ll be in the computer, and we won’t have to do it next time.”

“Cool.” As I type, Apollo glances at the papers on the desk. “Who’s building a house?”

I have some floor plans spread out that I was looking at earlier.

“No one. Yet,” I murmur, frustrated because I can’t type so I have to peck at the keys with two fingers. “I want to, but Luna’s too busy to start thinking about it yet.”

There’s a heavy silence, and I look up into Apollo’s sober face.

“You want to build a house with her?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Are you planning to marry her, or are you just going to shack up with her forever?”

Forgetting all about the fucking computer, I lean on the counter and answer the other man truthfully.

“Oh, I’ll be marrying her. I just haven’t asked her yet.”

“Why not?”

“Well, it’s only been a few months, and like I said, she has a lot on her plate right now.”

“No woman ever has so much on her plate that she can’t accept a proposal. And it seems to me, that if a man has been living with a woman for a few months, one he’s known for his whole life, he’d know whether he wants to put a ring on that girl’s finger.”

He smiles innocently, and I can’t really argue with him.

“I told you I’m going to marry her.”

“Okay, then. And regarding the house? I know she’s busy with the B&B, but maybe you could take over the house project yourself. Have her choose some plans, and then you take it on. She’ll be relieved.”

“You think so? Don’t women want to be involved in all the details when there’s a project like this, though?”