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I head over to hers, grabbing the promised pint of ice cream along the way, and some wine of my own for good measure. When I get back to Harborview, I park in the large, free lot behind Main Street, and make my way to the bookstore.
I pass by a few people I know, including Billy, the owner of the hardware store, who lets me know that my moms order has come in. They’re renovating their bathroom and doing all the work themselves. Janey Keaton stops me on the corner, and pulls me closer, as if to gossip.
“How was it? The ordeal on the island? I heard you almost died,” she says, in a hushed tone.
“Oh, well, we didn’t almost die,” I say. She looks a bit disappointed at this, so I add, “But we might have, if Carter hadn’t saved us.”
Janey’s eyes widen at this, and I know that the fact that we almost died, and that Carted saved me, will be all over Harborview by tomorrow.
“Did you see any bears? Or a shark?” Janey asks, gripping my arm even harder.
“No,” I say, “but we did meet a grizzled fisherman, who definitely resembled the one in Jaws. And he took us lobster pot hauling.”
“My Sam used to do that,” Janey says. “It’s how we lived. How we fed our kids.”
If I don’t leave soon, I’m going to be in for a thirty-minute lecture about Maine fisherman and the old ways, I just know it.
“Janey, I’m so sorry, but I just realized the time,” I tell her with a sweet smile. “But let me know if you want to get tea sometime soon.”
Being a nurse has taught me that the elderly just want to be listened to, like any of us, and they deserve our time and attention. But right now, I want tacos, wine, and a good vent sesh with my best friend.
Janey and I say goodbye, and I walk over to Cat’s store. It’s a rickety wooden Victorian, framed on either side by two enormous trees, and tucked in between the penny saver and a new ice cream shop. I open the front door, and am greeted by the chime of the bell, and tables and shelves packed with books.
“Coming!” Cat calls from somewhere upstairs.
As I wait for her, I peruse the new releases table. The store is vibrant and well stocked, and I know that it’s been doing a lot better financially since Cat started doing exclusive book signings with one of the most popular romance novelists in the country, who just so happens to be from Harborview. Cat also dedicated an enormous section at the front of the store to romance, new and used. It’s become a destination of sorts.
“Oh my god,” my best friend says as she takes me in. She throws her arms around me. “I can’t believe you’re real.”
“I was only away for a few days,” I tell her, though I hug her back warmly and hold on for a few moments longer than necessary.
“But I was so worried,” Cat says. “About the storm and you guys not having food and getting eaten by a bear.”
What is it with people and bears today?
“There are no bears on Isle North,” I say.
“Well, I didn’t know that. And I thought Carter might drive you to insanity.”
I can tell she’s fishing, trying to get me to talk about him.
“I promise I’ll tell you all about it. But I want tacos first. That’s my price for opening up.”
“I figured as much, and the tacos are prepped. All we have to do is assemble.”
We head upstairs to the tiny apartment above the store that Cat and Jamie share.
“Sorry if it’s a bit messy in here at the moment,” she says. “Jamie doesn’t have that much stuff but he does have a lot of clothes. I never knew one man could own that many blue button down shirts.”
“I’m sure he also has a truck load of hair products,” I say. “He’s always so well coiffed. Carter is more…” I trail off and don’t finish my thought. I was going to say Carter is more mountain man, but I don’t want to sound too horny for him. And Cat hasn’t given me tacos yet.
Cat claps her hands like an excited little kid. “We’ve entered the Carter portion of the evening already, I’m so excited.”
I hold my hand out to her. “Taco.”
“Fine, fine.” She pulls a tray out of the oven that’s full of corn tortillas, and then takes the lid off of the Dutch oven on the stove. The aroma of spiced beef fills the air. “This baby has been braising for hours.”
I put the ice cream away and open up some wine as Cat assembles the tacos, adding cilantro and diced onion as toppings. We sit at the tiny wooden dining table in mismatched chairs and stuff our faces.
