“Your cottage is a lot like mine,” she said.
He nodded. “The bedrooms are on either end of the open space. We even have the same paint on the walls—Sherwin-Williams’s Agreeable Gray.”
“I think your floor is darker than mine.”
“Maybe.” The small talk was killing him. How did he ask about her life, what she liked, and how she’d grown up? Would she be offended if he probed?
He wiped damp palms on his jeans before reaching for a handful of popcorn. “So, you were best friends with Lisbeth. How’d that happen? I mean, what drew you together?”
Her eyes flickered, and she leaned down to pet Lucy, his calico cat who had decided to come out of hiding. At first he didn’t think she was going to answer, but she straightened and folded her hands in her lap.
“I traveled a lot as a kid, so I can’t exactly say we grew up together, but we knew each other from summers here. When I went to college, she was my roommate. She always made me laugh with the goofiest expressions and her droll way of looking at the world. And she saw the good in everyone. I tend to be more cynical and think people are out to pull one over on me.”
He winced inwardly. And wasn’t that what he was doing? Masking his romantic interest by talking about Lisbeth’s death was just as bad as what other guys had probably pulled with her. When she walked into a room, he could see how she’d command attention from every guy out there with her striking features and gorgeous thick hair. How many people had seen it down like she was wearing it tonight? A stab of jealousy surprised him.
“You ever been married?”
Had he really said that or just thought it? But when her eyes widened, he knew the words had come from his mouth. “Sorry, that’s too personal.”
“No, it’s fine. No, never married. Engaged once but it didn’t work out. I’m sorry about your wife. That had to have been hard to lose her. How long was she sick?”
A safe assumption since it was how so many died. “She died in a freak accident at an amusement park. A car on the Ferris wheel came loose. Julie and I were in the car, and I tried to grab her when she fell out. I missed. Hailey was below with my sister and saw the whole thing. She says she can’t remember it, but she has nightmares, and I think deep down she remembers more than she thinks.”
Torie put her hand to her mouth. “Oh, Joe, I’m so sorry. That’s horrible.”
“It was hard, but we’ve found healing here on the island.”
He suddenly didn’t want to talk anymore so he stuffed his mouth with popcorn before he said something he’d regret even more.
* * *
After work on Wednesday, Torie biked along Old Plantation Road past the turn-of-the-century buildings lined with oak trees, their twisted limbs dripping with hanging moss. Magnolia branches displayed their shiny leaves and fought with pine trees for a share of the sunshine. Shrimp boats motored past in the distance as the birds sang overhead.
She saw Island Sweets Shoppe and couldn’t resist heading that way. She stopped and leaned her bike into a stand. The scents of ice cream, fudge, and waffle cones greeted her when she stepped inside, and the aroma took her back eighteen years to when she was ten.
The little girl in front of the counter turned to face her. “Torie!” Hailey’s face lit up. “I told Daddy we should have stopped by to see if you wanted to come with us.”
Torie’s gaze met Joe’s. “Great minds think alike. What’s the best flavor of ice cream?”
“Sea turtle,” they both said in unison.
“What’s in it?” she asked.
“Sea turtle–shaped chocolate chips in caramel ice cream,” Joe said.
That was a no-brainer. “Sea turtle cone, please,” Torie told the girl behind the counter.
Joe ordered two of the same, but Hailey shook her head. “I think I’ll have rocky road today. I want to be different.”
Joe gave her a sidelong glance but changed the order.
The surge in Torie’s spirit at seeing them took her aback, but Hailey had an engaging way about her that blew down her defenses. Joe was another story. Being with him last night had been a little uncomfortable.
“Dessert instead of dinner seemed a good way to avoid another Mexican meal tonight,” Joe said. “I don’t think I can look another fish taco in the eye for a few days.”
Torie chuckled. “I’m with Hailey. I could eat Mexican every meal.”
“You have plans tonight?” Joe asked.
She accepted her cone and shook her head. “Just getting the lay of the land while I have some time off. I’ll be working all next weekend.”
“Me too. Walk with us?”
“Sure. Where are we headed?” She followed them back into the sunshine.
“Daddy promised me a glass sea turtle necklace.” Hailey pointed down Pier Road. “It’s supposed to be ready.”
They turned toward more small shops, and a splash of color in one of the windows drew her attention. Rogers Glass. Wasn’t that the artisan Aunt Genevieve had mentioned—the one making the glass globes for the scavenger hunt?
“This is the place.” Joe held open the door to the small building.
The interior was full of light reflecting off a kaleidoscope of glass colors. A woman behind the counter looked up with a smile. “Hailey, I thought I might see you this week. I’ve got your sea turtle done.” She reached behind her into an old quartersawn oak cupboard and pulled out a small box.
“It’s all she’s talked about, Amelia,” Joe said.
The shop owner opened the small white box and withdrew a green sea turtle that sparkled in the light. Hailey squealed with delight when Amelia fastened it around her neck.
“It’s amazing,” Joe said. “Thank you.”
Torie studied Amelia Rogers and tried to recall if they’d ever met. She didn’t remember her if they had. Amelia was in her fifties with a trim figure and smooth skin. Her hair was that reddish-brown color that had been enhanced with a bottle, but it suited her coloring. Her ready smile encompassed all three of them, and Torie instantly liked her.
Something about being back on the island had stripped away some of Torie’s defenses. Maybe it was coming home, back to her roots and the life she’d led before she’d learned most people only wanted to be friends because of her money and family connections. She didn’t know if she wanted it to last or if she wanted to don the mantle of reserve again.
Maybe she had no choice. Once she left here, she’d likely be right back where she was with constant travel and never getting a chance to know someone better than the preliminary niceties.
But what else could she do? Going against her father’s expectations wasn’t something she knew how to do.
Amelia directed a smile at Torie. “Hello, I don’t think we’ve met.”
Torie returned the smile. “Torie Berg. I’m working at the hotel in the IT department.”
“Oh good, so you’ll be around for the upcoming glass globe event.”
“I just heard about it this week from Ms. Hallston. It sounds intriguing. Do you have some of the globes here?”
“They’re all ready. I’ll show you.” Amelia beckoned them to a door on the other side of the counter.