Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
“What happened then?”
Harlee snatched the paper out of Palmer’s hand, and I had to fight to keep from giggling.
When I finally got myself under control, I said, “It really wasn’t that bad, Harlee.”
She shook her head but remained silent.
“You’re not going to tell us what happened?” Palmer asked.
With a sigh, Harlee replied, “We were told we had to dance together because we were both in the wedding party, and they’d paired us up. But then we got in a bit of a…tiff.”
“A tiff?” I asked.
Harlee nodded. “Yes. Braxton got pissed at something I said and turned away from me. So, to an outsider, it probably looked like he snubbed me. But he didn’t.”
Palmer and I both stared at Harlee.
“What did you say?” I asked.
With a roll of her eyes, she said, “It doesn’t matter. I wasn’t snubbed!”
I held up my hands. “Okay, okay! You weren’t snubbed.”
Palmer giggled and then quickly stopped when Harlee shot her a dirty look.
The bell above the door dinged as a man and a little boy walked in. All heads in the place swung toward the door to see who the newcomers were.
“Who is that?” Palmer whispered.
“An angel from God come to prove you wrong about the men in Seaside,” I said with a chuckle.
Palmer shot me a dirty look, then went back to watching the stranger. Ruby led them to the corner table and started taking their drink orders.
Seaside wasn’t exactly a touristy kind of town, mostly because vacationers didn’t think we had nice beaches—which we did. Don’t get me wrong, we got our fair share of people coming through, especially because of our historical downtown area. And Lighthouse Island was a tourist spot for sure; everyone loved the ferry ride over. Still, despite being a port city, we’d lucked out some in that we didn’t get loads and loads of tourists. So anytime someone new made an appearance in town, people were naturally curious.
“I’ll pay you fifty dollars to let me work that table,” Palmer said to Ruby as she walked over to get their drinks.
Ruby, who had gone to high school with my mother, stared at her with a confused expression. “You’re not working today.”
Palmer pleaded with Ruby silently, her eyes wide. Finally, Ruby sighed. “Fine. He wants a Diet Pepsi and the little boy would like a glass of water and a small milk.”
We all watched as Palmer quickly got to work on their drinks. Before walking over to their table, she glanced back at us and winked. “Let the reconnaissance begin.”
As soon as my sister was out of earshot, I looked at Harlee. “Reconnaissance, my ass. She saw that tall drink of water and wants to find out if it’s pure spring or contaminated.”
Harlee let out a bark of laughter and then quickly covered her mouth.
We watched as Palmer set the drinks on the table, then bent down to the little boy’s level. She laughed at something he said before standing and taking their order. They all exchanged a few more words and Palmer headed back toward us to put their order in.
“So? What did you find out?” Harlee asked in a hushed voice.
Palmer shot me a look, then focused on the computer screen as she typed in their order. “You’re never going to believe who that is,” she said.
“Who is it?” Harlee hissed.
After finishing the order, Palmer turned and leaned her hip against the counter. “That’s Dr. Mason Bryan and his son, Charlie.”
“No!” Harlee and I both said in unison.
Palmer nodded.
I looked back over to the corner table and saw Mason…er, Dr. Bryan, coloring with his son. “I have an interview with him tomorrow. He looks so young,” I said. “Like, he’s my age.”
“He’s thirty-five, and his son is five.”
The three of us all swung around to see my mother standing there and wiping her hands on a towel.
“How do you know?” I asked.
She winked. “I had dinner with Dr. James and his wife Lily last night. Dr. Bryan was there with his son. And before you ask, no, I did not quiz him, he offered up the information.”
“Is he single?” Harlee asked.
My mother winked. “That I did ask. The answer is yes. He divorced his wife shortly after their son was born.”
“Wonder what happened?” Palmer said as she snuck another peek at the handsome doctor. His hair was light blond, and he looked to be almost six-feet tall. And from the way he filled out the T-shirt and jeans, he was clearly in shape.
Mom shrugged. “He didn’t offer that information, but don’t worry, Lily knew.”
Harlee let out a pfft. “Of course, she did. Between her and Kimberley, they both know everyone’s business.”
I gasped. “Do you think Lily is the writer of the gossip column?” I asked.
Mom laughed. “Please, she constantly complains that whoever writes the column never follows up on the tips she calls in.”