“You don’t need to hear about it.”
“Unless it’s some female trouble thing that’s going to give me nightmares, I want to hear about it. Your problems are now my problems, so lay it on me.”
I wanted to point out the reverse was also true, which meant his problems — including the approaching festival — were now my problems, but I knew better than to push him before he was ready. In a short amount of time I’d learned to read his moods, and it was obvious he was trying to calm himself before we got to the main conversation of the evening.
“I talked to my Dad today,” I volunteered. “I tried to pin him down on the witch stuff.”
“Let me guess, he suddenly remembered something he had to do and hung up on you.”
“He said goodbye before ending the call, so he didn’t really hang up on me. Of course, he didn’t wait for me to say it back, so ... I guess he did hang up on me.”
Galen pursed his lips as he regarded me. “I’m not sure what you want me to say,” he said finally. “Your father sounds like a real piece of work. I think you’re better than him. But he’s still your father. You can’t choose your parents.”
“Which is why you still haven’t introduced me to your mother, right?”
He growled. His mother, who lived on the island, was a sore subject between us. He swore up and down I was better off not meeting her, but I was starting to get a complex about it. We were supposed to be in love, yet he wanted to hide me away. It wasn’t a good feeling.
“Forget I said that,” I offered. “I don’t want to argue.”
“I don’t either. I’m trying to set something up so you can meet my mother ... even though I guarantee you’ll regret that meeting before it’s all said and done.”
“I just want to know where you came from.”
His smile was sweet. “I get that. I really am working on it. Give me a little time.”
That had been his mantra for two straight weeks and I’d seen no forward momentum. I couldn’t even get my father to talk to me for more than five minutes, though, so I had no room to judge. “Okay. You can have as much time as you need.”
“Thank you.”
I thought better of my previous offer. “Scratch that. You can have another two weeks and then I’m tracking her down myself.”
He let loose a sigh and then nodded. “Just let me get through this festival. It’s too much to deal with while trying to wrangle my mother. She’s ... difficult.”
“Maybe we should introduce her to my father. They can be difficult together.”
“That sounds like a nightmare in the making.”
He wasn’t wrong. “Anyway, I want him to come out and visit me. I want him to see the lighthouse, see that I’m happy here. I want him to meet you, unless you’re opposed to that for some reason. He won’t even stay on the phone long enough for me to extend the invitation, though. He’s driving me crazy.”
“I have no problem meeting your father. I might say a few things to him that will upset you, but that can’t be helped. I don’t think he treats you well and I want him to correct the situation.”
“He’s not a bad father,” I argued hurriedly. “In fact, he was a great father growing up. He never yelled or anything.”
“That just means he wasn’t a monster. I know you don’t want to hear it, but the fact that you’re afraid to talk to him means something.”
I was curious. “What do you think it means?”
“That he’s a jerk and he doesn’t know how lucky he is to have you in his life.” As if to prove it, Galen lifted my hand and pressed a kiss to the palm. It was a romantic gesture that should’ve made me roll my eyes. Instead, my heart stuttered and I had to work overtime to calm myself. “Me, on the other hand, I know exactly how lucky I am to have you.”
My cheeks heated at his gaze. “That was really smooth,” I offered when I was certain I could speak without my voice cracking and giving me away. “I take it you’re bucking for adult playtime when we get home.”
He chuckled and released my hand. “Why do you think I ordered the oysters?”
“Yeah, about that ... um ... I’ve never eaten oysters and I’m afraid they’re gross.”
“Why would you think that before you’ve eaten them?”
“Because I’ve known people who have … um … indulged, and there’s a rumor they taste like snot.”
“They don’t.”
“Maybe you have a higher tolerance for snot and don’t realize they taste like snot.”
“They don’t taste like snot. They’re good. You’ll like them.”
I wasn’t convinced, but at least I’d lodged my discomfort on the record. There was nothing to do but wait until I could confirm the snot theory. “So ... Calliope was hot for you. I can’t tell you what it did for my ego when you turned her down in favor of me.”
“I would turn down anyone in favor of you.”
“I think you proved that with Calliope.”
“Meh.” He shrugged, seemingly indifferent. “She really does nothing for me. I prefer my women dark and mysterious ... and with a touch of witchy fun.”
“Well, then I’m perfect for you.”
“I’ve thought that since the moment I met you.”
When I thought back to our first meeting, he’d seemed agitated. Bringing that up now was unnecessary. I wanted to hear more about the festival. He’d been talking about it for two weeks, but in our love haze I’d tuned out most of it.
“What’s the deal with the Alastair guy? June says he’s richer than God and can basically buy and sell the island.”
“He’s not that rich. Don’t get me wrong, he’s well off, but there are others on this island who have more money than him.”
“He seems to think he can get the DDA on his side. You have to be nervous about that possibility.”
“I’m not afraid of them.” He said the words with bravado, but I knew better. The members of the DDA could hurt him if they put their minds to it. I didn’t know much, but I did know that.
“I’m sorry he’s making things difficult for you.” I meant it. “You’ll be fine. Everyone in this community loves you.”
“Not everyone. And, honestly, I only care about you loving me right now.”
“I definitely love you.”
“Right back at you.” He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to my lips, pulling back at the sound of a wistful sigh.
There, standing next to our table with an appetizer platter in her hand, was Lola Pierce. A local woman a few years younger than Galen, obvious about her crush on him. Most of the women I’d come into contact with on the island had crushes on my boyfriend — and weren’t afraid to share that little tidbit with me — so I was pretty much used to it at this point.
“Here are your appetizers.” Lola didn’t move her eyes from Galen’s face as he leaned back and cleared room on the table for her to place the platter. “Can I get you anything else before your entrees are ready?”
“We’re still working on our drinks, so we’re good,” he replied, offering up a friendly smile. “Thanks for the oysters, though. I plan to put them to good use.”
“Oh, yeah?” For a moment, Lola looked hopeful. Then, apparently, she remembered Galen wasn’t alone. The look she shot me was dour. “Well, enjoy your dinner.”
I watched her go with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. “Do you know what I find interesting?”
“No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
“Every woman on this island would be willing to kill me for a shot at you.”
His forehead wrinkled as he drew his eyebrows together. “I think that’s a gross exaggeration. Most of the people on this island are incapable of murder. At most, they might be willing to pull your hair or gouge out an eye or something.”
Oddly enough, that didn’t make me feel better. “Well, thanks for that.”
He chuckled and grabbed one of the oyster shells from the tray and handed it to me. “Bottoms u
p.”
I eyed the slimy-looking delicacy and frowned. “I don’t know. Can’t I just eat the mozzarella sticks? They’re more my speed.”
“You have to at least try one. I won’t make you eat more than one if you don’t like the first, but you should always be open to new experiences. If you weren’t, we wouldn’t be here right now. You’d still be hiding out in the lighthouse trying to figure things out on your own.
“Instead, you opened yourself to a new experience, and it worked out well for both of us,” he continued, grabbing his own oyster. In a move I never saw coming, he hooked his arm through mine and then returned the oyster to the spot in front of his mouth. “We’ll do it together.”
I wasn’t quite ready to admit defeat. “What if you eat all the oysters? Then you’ll be all riled up for tonight and I’ll happily go along for the ride.”
“Just try it.”
I glared at the oyster. “This is going to be gross. I just know it.”
I decided to attack the situation as if slamming a shot. I tipped up the shell, emptied the contents into my mouth and swallowed as quickly as possible. I couldn’t keep my face even as the taste hit me.
“Good, huh?” Galen smiled as he wiped the corners of his mouth with his napkin. “Did you like it?”
“Yeah, that totally tasted like snot.”
He held out his hands and offered up a lopsided grin. “You win some, you lose some.”
HE DROVE MY GOLF CART ALONG the beach during the ride home. The moon was bright above the water, the breeze stiff, but welcome after the heat of the day. The golf cart had been a gift from my grandfather because vehicles — unless expressly needed for farm work, construction, taxiing guests to the various hotels or law enforcement – were strictly forbidden. I’d come to cherish the cart. Sure, it had been peach when he first gave it to me, but Booker had helped me paint it a lovely purple, and now I had plans to use it for my business ... if I ever got it up and running.
“It’s a nice night,” I noted, my head resting against the seat. “I never realized what I was missing by not living on an island.”
He slid me a sidelong look. “You were talking about me, right?”
“Among other things.”
He moved his hand over to hold mine as he drove. Luckily for both of us the beach was relatively flat and there was no worry of running into anything. I knew he would hold true to his promise and check the festival area. I also knew that he would shut down the festival, despite the damage it could do to his own career, if he felt things weren’t up to snuff.
“When is the festival supposed to start?” I asked.
“Tomorrow, but my understanding is only the VIP guests arrive tomorrow. They get a private night on the beach. The other guests come in the next day.”
“How many VIP guests are there?”
“I have no idea. However many idiots they could suck an extra ten grand out of, I guess.”
I was flabbergasted. “What? People paid ten thousand dollars to attend this festival?”
“That’s what the regular guests paid. The VIP guests paid twenty grand.”
“That is ... ridiculous. You could buy a car for that.”
“Yes, but we’re talking about people who get off on their station in life rather than what’s important. Why else do you think they’re following a celebrity whose only claim to fame is a song about a diamond-encrusted thong?”
Oh, well, now we were getting somewhere. “I didn’t think that was your sort of music. I’m surprised you know who she is.”
“I did my research when news of the festival popped up. She essentially has three songs to her name, a reality television show that proves she’s trying to cling to her fame, and nothing else. I listened to one of her songs because one of my deputy’s daughters said she’s ‘to die for.’ It was auto-tuned nonsense.”
“So ... you don’t like hearing about diamond thongs?”
“Unless you’re wearing the thong, I genuinely don’t give a crap.”
“What kind of music do you like?”
“Bob Seger.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. “Are you sure about that, Grandpa?”
“Go ahead and joke. The man is a legend. I also like Bon Jovi.”
“You’re a constant surprise.”
“And don’t you forget it.”
We lapsed into amiable silence for the rest of the ride. He was the first to break it as we drew closer to our destination. “Well, it looks like they’ve made some progress,” he muttered.
“Are those Porta-Potties?”
He nodded. “They belong to the city. They’re kept in a warehouse outside of town. We usually don’t need all of them, but in this case I think it’s necessary.” He killed the engine on the cart and climbed out, casting a glance back at me. “You don’t have to come. I just need to check this out. I won’t be long.”
“I would rather stick with you.” I moved to join him, frowning when I caught the look of mischief in his eyes. “What? Oh, don’t tell me I have something on my face. It’s probably oyster slime. My body is still rejecting it.”
He laughed and shook his head. “No. That’s not what I was thinking.”
“What were you thinking?”
“That I can’t believe a few short months ago I didn’t have anyone who would rather stick with me. It’s kind of ... humbling.”
“It will be rewarding if you hurry up and check everything out that needs to be checked out.”
“Oh, yeah?” He cocked an eyebrow. “How so?”
“I’ll show you when we get back to the lighthouse.”
“If that’s not a way to get me moving, I don’t know what is. Let’s do this.”
He held my hand as he led me through the rows of portable bathrooms. There looked to be about fifty, which seemed overkill, but given how many people they were expecting at the festival I couldn’t be sure it was enough.
“Are they going to pass your test?” I asked after a few minutes.
“They’ll get a reprieve,” he replied, releasing my hand and pulling out his phone. “They need twice as many units as this, but the fact that they got these out here as fast as they did means they can do the same in the morning for the rest of them.”
“Who are you texting?”
“Alastair.”
“I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to hear from you.” I grinned as I turned away, my eyes falling on something on the ground near a beach lounger. I first thought it was a towel, probably discarded by someone taking a swim to cool down. The more I stared at it, though, the more I thought it resembled something else. “Galen?”
He didn’t immediately respond because he was busy typing on his phone.
I cleared my throat to strengthen my voice and tried again. “Galen?”
“Hmm? I’ll be right with you, Hadley. Then we’ll head to the lighthouse and you can reward me like you promised.”
I had bad news for him. Nobody was getting rewarded tonight. “I don’t think that’s in the cards.”
“Oh, you can’t back out now. You already promised. I’m revving on oysters. It’s cruel and unusual for you to tease me that way.”
“Yeah, I’m not the problem.” I extended a shaky finger toward the lump on the ground. It was about fifteen feet away, but the distance was too great to make out any features under the limited moonlight. “I think that’s a body.”
“What?” He was perplexed as he shifted his eyes to the spot I indicated. Instantly, his nostrils flared and his back went ramrod straight. I remained rooted to my spot as he approached the shape. The set of his shoulders told me everything I needed to know. “Well, crap,” he lamented as he lifted his chin. “I guess those oysters are going to waste.”
4
Four
Galen kept me close as he studied the body while waiting for the medical examiner to arrive. Even though he was intent on his task, he kept flicking his gaze to me to make sure I didn’t wander far. It didn
’t hit me until after the third time that he was worried.
“What happened to her?” I asked, focusing my full attention on him. I didn’t want to look too closely at the body. I had a bad feeling about what I would find.
“She was stabbed,” he replied, his eyes going between me and the golf cart. “You know, you don’t have to stay here. I can call Booker to take you home and I will follow with the golf cart as soon as I’m done.” He turned apologetic. “I’m sorry you ate an oyster for nothing.”
I tried to muster a laugh for his benefit, but came up empty. “I’ll stick with you.”
“I could be here for hours.”
“I guess it’s good I’ve yet to start my job, huh? I don’t have to get up tomorrow morning until I feel like it. I’ll stay.” I was firm this time, letting him know that there was no sense arguing because my mind was made up. “Do you know her?”
He nodded and blew out a sigh. “Her name is Salma Hershey. She’s the daughter of Benton and Barbara Hershey.”
It was wrong to be judgmental, but I couldn’t stop myself. “There’s a guy named Benton Hershey on the island?”
Galen let loose a hollow chuckle. “He’s a banker. He owns a fifty-one percent stake in Hershey Banking and Trust.”
I recognized the name. The banks were regional in the South, but located almost everywhere, including on Moonstone Bay, where they were the only option. “I take it that means he’s rich.”
“You could say.” He had on rubber gloves, pulling them from his pocket after our discovery, and his fingers were busy as they moved over the woman’s chest. “She’s twenty-one. Lived here her whole life.”
There was something about his tone that set me on edge. “Did you know her well? I mean, like, were you guys ever involved or anything?” I felt foolish asking, but he seemed to be taking the young woman’s death harder than I thought he would.
“Seriously?” The look he shot me was withering. “She’s twenty-one.”
“So? She’s been an adult for three years. I’ve been here only a few months. I know darned well you had an active social life before me.”
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