Page 9 of Hidden Harbor (Evergreen Rescue #1)

P icking up my phone at the end of my last class was a mistake. If I’d thought my impromptu coffee date with Drew wouldn’t get around, I’d underestimated the island grapevine. And Zach. Maybe he held a grudge against Drew for flouting his authority and coffee line. Maybe he just had a big mouth.

Rae: What’s this I hear about you and Tall, Dark, and Broody (TDB) having a cozy coffee date this morning?

Vi: Rude. That’s my brother you’re talking about.

Lucy: I call him Tall, Dark, and Booty.

Rae: lol

Lucy: Who can blame me? That ASS. Who’s rude now?

Vi: You. Always you. I thought Rae was classier.

Rae: Sweet summer child…

Rae: I thought YOU accepted that TDB and CAD were top-notch island thirst traps by now?

Vi: I’m afraid to ask.

Lucy: Captain America’s …

Vi: Luce, if you say dick, I’m going to talk up your private glass blowing lessons to every annoying tourist who comes into the shop.

Vi: You’ll owe Gran your firstborn by the time you buy enough weed gummies off her to keep your cool.

Rae: Get your mind out of the gutter.

Vi: MY mind???

Rae: DIMPLES – Captain America’s Dimples

Maybe I shouldn’t have given Drew a hard time this morning.

My friends were just as thirsty and not shy about sharing it.

I squirmed. Just because I hadn’t used the nicknames didn’t mean I hadn’t heard them.

At least the code name chat distracted them from any questions for me.

But the minute they got me in person, I’d be toast.

Ignoring the whole exchange and pretending like I didn’t see it was my best bet.

I walked home, my two-block commute one of the best things about the island. It was a far cry from the traffic I’d left behind.

“Hey,” Violet greeted me, looking up from her book on the couch. “The gang suggested we meet up at the brewery for dinner tonight. Cheese curds are calling my name. Can you join us?”

I bit my lip. Avoiding an interrogation would be impossible if I walked into the lion’s den, but: cheese curds.

“Sure, just let me change.”

Slipping out of my yoga outfit and into a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved screen-printed tee of a kraken devouring a ferry took only a few seconds. I ran a brush through my hair and freshened my lip tint.

“Did you have a busy day?” I asked as we walked down the hill.

The brewery was a block beyond the ferry overflow lot. Close enough we could see it from the house.

Vi shrugged. “Good sales, considering it’s not peak season yet. I’m experimenting with some new recipes using our salt blends for summer, so that’s keeping me busy. What about you?”

“I’m grateful for so many regulars. I’m working on a promo for the marathon to try to attract a few runners for a pre-run class.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I can entice them with a pre-run scone.” She rubbed her hands together. “But afterward? They’re all mine.”

In June, the local market hosted a half-marathon. It brought a flood of runners to the island for the weekend and unofficially started the summer tourist season.

“Does the route still go by the farm?” I asked.

Vi smiled wryly. “Yep. And if your real question is if Gran is going to sit on a lawn chair in her truck bed with giant signs to heckle the runners, the answer is bet on it.”

Violet’s grandmother was a local legend for a reason. She’d founded the Fenwick family empire as a young widow, finding her way with grit and a sense of humor. Her strong personality and sense of self were something I admired.

“I want to be her when I grow up.”

My friend rolled her eyes. “Be careful what you wish for. I love her, but she’s a handful. If she hadn’t babysat the sheriff when he was a kid, I’m sure she wouldn’t get away with half the crap she does.”

The brewery was busy, and I was glad to see Rae had already arrived and staked out a table. A very large table.

“Is it just us tonight?” I asked, suspiciously. Maybe I should have paid more attention to their text messages.

“Zach’s joining us. I’m not sure about anyone else.”

I smelled a rat. Vi wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“Hey, Rae.” I slid into a chair next to our friend. “Who all is joining us tonight?”

“Us and Lucy, Vi’s brothers, Lee, and that park ranger from dinner at your place.”

My shoulders relaxed. There would be plenty of people around. No need to have awkward conversation with Drew. We could just forget about our morning together and go on with life. I’d pretend I never found him attractive. Never considered giving up my self-imposed exile from the dating pool.

Drew paused at the host station, as if my thoughts had summoned him.

Zach hovered behind him. Drew looked good.

Too good. Freshly showered and shaved, his hair slicked back with moisture, he’d tossed on jeans and a navy hoodie.

I squirmed, the flash of awareness making me wish the chair by me was already taken.

He ate up the ground between us in five large strides and claimed the seat next to me, one large paw clasping the chair back.

“May I?” Drew asked.

So polite. Denying him would be churlish. But having him sit so close would be torture. I was entirely too aware of him.

Zach slid into the chair his brother wanted with dimples flashing. The flair of mischief in his brown eyes told me he knew exactly what he was doing to his older brother.

“Hey, Anya. Good to see you.”

Drew hulked over his brother, glowering down at him. “That was my chair.”

Zach looked up at him, his expression angelic. “And this morning, it was my coffee and my business . All’s fair, brother dear.”

“I’ll remember this.” Drew kept his voice low, but the threat was clear. My lips twitched. Zach looked entirely too pleased with himself.

Clay and Lee arrived, clustering at the other end of the table with Drew. We ordered drinks and food before conversation turned to island gossip.

“Has anyone heard more about the investigation into Jordan’s accident?” Vi asked.

Questioning if we could confirm it was an accident danced on the tip of my tongue, but one look at the sorrow pinching Rae’s features made me pull back.

“I saw the sheriff yesterday. They may have a wait for the coroner’s report, then a longer wait for the tox screen. Something about a backlog at the lab,” Drew said.

“The rangers have been chatting up visitors at sunset, but no one reports seeing him that night,” Clay said.

“Has anyone talked to his business partner, Brandon?” Lee asked.

“He hasn’t been around the marina,” Rae reported. “Their boat is in its slip.”

“What about Jordan’s wife? Has she heard from Brandon? Wouldn’t he want to pay his respects?” I asked.

“Maybe he’s off island somewhere?” Vi suggested. “I think he has family in Bellingham.”

“It’s damned odd,” Lucy said.

“I hope none of you will go out to the bluffs alone to watch the sunset.” Drew looked at me, eyes hard, then at his sister. “Call one of us to go with you.”

His overbearing attitude should have made me bristle. I was my own woman. I’d survived hairier situations than he could probably imagine. But part of me relished feeling cared for. How long had it been since someone thought of my safety? Had they ever?

“I doubt there’s a killer pushing random islanders off the cliffs at sunset,” Violet admonished, shaking her head. “Drew, I love you, but you’re a bit much.”

“He’s got a point,” Lee said gruffly.

Vi rolled her eyes. “Don’t you start. Of course you see murderers behind every tree trunk. It’s practically in your job description.”

A muscle ticked in Lee’s jaw as he stared Violet down, something dark brewing in his gaze that I struggled to name. “Some of those trails get dicey. There’s nothing wrong with having a buddy along for safety. What if I like sunsets?”

He should have known better than to argue with a woman who had three older brothers. Violet’s face flushed, a sure sign she was about to let loose.

“A buddy system is always a good idea in the parks,” Clay jumped in, his voice affable and calm. “There’s all sorts of wildlife to be wary of, not just the human variety.”

Lucy rolled her eyes. “I doubt one of our red foxes herded Jordan over a cliff.”

“I’ve seen some weird shit in the parks service.”

“Like what?” I asked, desperate to move beyond talk of killers and falls.

“A man stumbled out of the forest at my last post in half a Bigfoot costume.”

“Was he looking to make a love connection?” Zach joked.

Clay arched a dark brow. “Forty minutes later, I kid you not, a woman trekked out in the other half.”

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Zach said.

“And don’t even get me started on the parks service Yelp and TripAdvisor reviews.

” Clay shook his head, expression rueful.

“We read them all, and it’s impossible to keep a straight face over some.

Can you imagine saying you thought the park employees should train the wildlife to hang out near the parking lot for visitors?

And for our favorite local national park: OK, Americans, Brits did better.

Not that interesting .” He chuckled. “I guess we can’t make everyone happy. We’re not tacos.”

Clay’s stories took some of the sting out of Lee and Violet’s sparring, but I was aware of Drew’s gaze on me. Sure, he’d called me beautiful. But would he still find me so attractive if he knew the truth? Keeping my distance was the best way to stay safe. And to keep him safe too.