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“What about Jade?” Harry asked. “Sam asked Jade the other day how she felt about you selling Sully’s Corner, and she was quite sad about it.”
“Oh!” Mike’s eyes widened as he realized he hadn’t even asked Jade how she felt about selling the place. “I didn’t even ask her.”
“That’s because you’re still a bachelor at heart,” Harry teased him. “I think Jade will be okay with whatever you decide as long as you keep the cottage because she loves it here on the island.”
“I know.” Mike nodded. “She’s convinced me to look into buying Arrow from the Scotts for her.”
“Ah, so you are going to get her a horse?” Harry enquired.
“You saw how good she is with horses and how well she rides,” Mike told him. “I can’t deny her something that brings her so much joy.”
“Or how much closer it will bring you to a certain Nicky Scott?” Harry teased.
“What is wrong with you?” Mike shook his head at his friend. “Nicky is just someone who wants to buy the store and enjoys the company of people who are interested in horses like she is.”
“I hope you like bassetts as much as you’ve started to like horses.” Harry grinned.
“What are you talking about?” Mike frowned.
“Jade offered to walk Nicky’s basset for her.” Mike pointed through the back doors. “Unless you got a dog in the last twenty-four hours. I’m pretty sure that’s Nicky’s dog.”
“What?” Mike said and spun around to see Jade and Harry’s daughter Gemma running toward the bookstore from the beach with a basset hound. “How do you know more than I do about my niece?”
“I live in a house that is currently mostly female, and your niece is there with Gemma nearly every day.” Harry shrugged. “I hear things.”
“Well, thanks for the heads up about the dog,” Mike hissed.
“Ah!” Harry nodded in understanding. “You’re still not good with them, then?”
“It’s not me!” Mike defended himself. “It’s them. Dogs just don’t like me.”
“Nor do cats.” Harry reminded him. “Oh…” He grinned. “And parrots. Do you remember Pirate Pete, Sully’s parrot?” He gave a low whistle and shook his head. “That bird and you did not get along.”
“Pirate Pete was a very large Macaw with a bad attitude!” Mike looked at Harry wide-eyed. “He was jealous of my relationship with my uncle.”
“He was fine with everyone else,” Harry pointed out. “And I meaneveryoneelse.”
“Can we not talk about that horrid bird.” Mike suppressed a shudder, remembering his late uncle’s parrot.
“Uncle Angus had a parrot?” Jade asked, she and Gemma catching the back end of the conversation as they rushed into the bookstore with the large floppy-eared dog.
“Yes, he did,” Harry answered before Mike could. “Your Uncle Mike had nightmares that Pirate Pete would outlive Sully, and as Mike was his only heir, he was afraid he’d have to take on the care of the bird.”
“Oh, no!” Jade looked at Harry. “Is it even birds that don’t get along with Uncle Mike?”
“Uh-huh!” Harry nodded.
“I’m standing right here!” Mike reminded them. “And I get along with animals.”
To prove his point, Mike leaned down to pat Belvedere, who, to everyone’s surprise, flopped over onto his bag and acted like a possum.
“Wow!” Harry exclaimed. “The dog’s acting dead to avoid you.”
Harry, Jade, and Gemma laughed as Mike crouched down and scratched the basset’s stomach.
“See, he wanted me to scratch his tummy,” Mike said, proud of his accomplishment.
“This is Belvedere, Uncle Mike. He’s Nicky’s dog,” Gemma told him. “Jade and I volunteered to walk him for her a few times a week.”
