She chuckles. “Maybe.”
We stroll toward the waterfront, and I spot Chester and Edna making their way toward Hazel’s coffee emporium. Her coffee is good, but I haven’t been able to convince her to add a mocha latte to the menu. She’s weakening, though, and if she does decide to buy the machine to make them, I’ll have everything I need and never have to leave Lunenburg again. Wait, what?
“When I was young, I used to come here for ice cream with Mom, Dad, and my brother Peter.” Khloe laughs and looks off into the distance as if she’s recalling those times. “Mom said Pearl’s had the best ice cream around. It was good, don’t get me wrong, but I think it was the drive and the family time with the ocean in the backdrop as we chowed down that drew her.”
We walk by Pearl’s, and I’m a little sad that I never had those kinds of memories with my parents. I spot my neighbors Martha and Jack, along with Brett and Liam inside eating ice cream from cups, and they smile and wave as we pass.
“We can get one later if you want,” I say, understanding her mother’s pull to this place. My happiest days were here. Were? Perhaps it’s more like…are. I never realized how unhappy I was until I came back and found my place with these people.
She grins. “I want a triple cone.” She takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. “I forgot how much I liked this place.” My heart squeezes at the thought of leaving. “I wish you were staying longer,” Khloe says. “I’m just getting to know you.”
Nate and Sam rush past us to help Chester, who is having a hell of a time trying to close the door to Hazel’s. The wind keeps pulling it open on him. Nate grabs the door, but before he gets it shut, he gets a cane to the gut.
Nate lets out a loud oomph, and Sam laughs at him.
“Oh my God,” Khloe says, laughing. “Why did he do that?”
“That was Chester. He doesn’t like help. It hurts his pride, and right now, he’s working to impress Edna.” It’s funny how much I’ve learned about everyone in such a short time. I hurry to Nate and put my hand on his shoulder. “You okay?”
“Never been better,” he grunts.
“Last time I tried to help him, he got me right in the nut sack,” Sam says and puts his hands between his legs. “I was singing soprano for a week.”
“Look,” Khloe says, and we all glance up to see a doe and her two fawns walking down the street.
“God, they’re beautiful,” I say quietly. Cars stop to let them pass, and one of the shop owners tosses out a few apples. We walk slowly, not wanting to startle the animals, but jangling bells reach our ears, and from around the corner, Eddie comes racing down the road, scaring the deer away.
Khloe grabs my arm. “What was that?”
“That’s Eddie,” I say. “He’s an asshole.” I point. “And that’s Doug, his owner, trying to catch him.”
Khloe starts laughing. “Here I thought city living was crazy. It’s got nothing on this place.”
“Lunenburg is one of a kind,” I say. “Lots of crazy things happen here. I actually sailed a pumpkin the other day.”
A news van speeds past us, followed shortly by another. We all go still and exchange glances.
“My first question would be, what has Sam done now, but since he’s with us…” Nate says.
“Come on,” I say. We jog to the corner, and after we round it, we find a crowd of people standing outside Ironworks distillery. I shade the sun from my eyes and spot Frank from the garage chatting with my realtor Phillip, as well as Izzy and Heather.
Nate frowns. “I hope it’s not a fire.”
“No fire trucks. No smoke,” I say, just news crew, who are setting up their cameras and interviewing the locals.
Sam points. “There’s Jason.” We all follow him as he zigzags through the gathering crowd. “What’s going on, man?” he asks when we reach him.
Jason scrubs his face. “Look for yourself.”
We follow his gaze, and my head rears back when I spot an image of Jesus on the side of the building.
“What the heck?” I ask. “Did someone paint that?”
“Nope, it just miraculously appeared overnight. People are saying it’s the second coming or something like that.”
“Doesn’t surprise me,” Nate says.
“Sam, did you do this?” I ask.
“Hell no.”
“Let me get this straight,” Jason begins. “Jesus comes back, and the first place he hits is a distillery?”
Sam nudges him. “He can turn water into wine, you know.”
As I stand there in disbelief, figuring this is some sort of small-town hoax, from behind someone taps me on the shoulder and says, “Looks like you’ll be going on that camping trip with us after all.”
I spin around and find Faith and Amber standing there.
“You did say something about the second coming, right?” Faith says.
I open my mouth to protest, but Sam wags a finger at me. “Keeping your word is a big thing around these parts.”
I plant one hand on my hip and glare at Sam. “Are you in on this?”
He holds his hands up, palms out. “Nothing to do with it.”
I turn to Faith and Amber, about to protest, give them the best excuse I can think of, but when I see the huge smile on Amber’s face, I only ask, “When and where?”
Chapter Sixteen
Nate
I steal a glance at Kira, with her knee bouncing as she stares out the passenger side window. Restless energy emanates off her in a wave, but she doesn’t have anything to worry about. No one is going to let her freeze to death, especially me, and once she relaxes, she’s going to have the time of her life camping with Amber and her friends.
“You don’t have to do this, you know?” As we round the corner to McMurtry’s place, I put my hand on her leg and give a little squeeze.
“Yeah, I do. You heard Sam. A person’s word is a big thing around here. I kind of respect that. Even though I think he might have been behind the picture on the side of the distillery.”
“He’s trying to get you to stay. You know that, right?”
“So, you think he did it?”
“No, I don’t think he set you up. He’s not that artistic. But you don’t have to—”
“You know what, Nate?” She turns my way and bounces a little in her seat. “I’m actually looking forward to this camping trip.”