“Just headed to the Anchor to meet Ralph and Mindy for lunch.” I still haven’t thanked Gram’s best friends for helping out around the place since her passing. I should be so lucky to have people like them in my life. Then again, I actually do. For the time being, anyway.
“I won’t keep you. I was just out for a walk and thought I’d check in to see if you were coming to the party tonight. Lots of people want to meet Gram’s granddaughter.”
“You bet. Nate and I will be there.”
“I also wanted to see if you were interested in joining our book club.”
“Oh,” I say, touched that they thought of me. “I don’t have a lot of time to read right now.”
“No worries. We basically drink wine and plan events for the Pathfinders.”
“I’m good at drinking wine,” I say, and we laugh. “But I have no idea how to plan events.”
“It’s fun. We’ll be heading outside for a survival camping trip before the snow. You’re welcome to join us.”
“Sure, I’ll join you.”
Her eyes widen in disbelief. “Really?”
“Yeah, right after the next resurrection.”
She laughs hard. “That’s what Gram always used to say when she didn’t want to do something.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just that death by hypothermia or bear attack…not high on my list.”
She laughs. “We’re used to this weather. You will be soon, too.”
I’m about to tell her I won’t be here long enough for that, but she goes on.
“And bears…they’re more afraid of you. Anyway, if you change your mind, we’d love to have you. Amber really likes you. Apparently, you’re way cooler than her mom.”
I laugh at that, and when Faith steps out, I follow her. I zip my coat to the neck, but the damp chill seeps into my bones. Yeah, I’d last all of three seconds on a survival trip.
“You’re out for a walk…in this cold?”
She waves her hand. “It’s a balmy five degrees, Kira. If it jumps any more, we’ll have to dig out the bathing suits,” she teases with a wink.
I shake my head. “East coasters are one of a kind.”
“The best kind. You’ll see.”
She disappears around the house, and I jump into the land yacht and head to the local pub. Judging by the nearly full parking lot, all the Hooked employees must come here for lunch. Inside, I search for Ralph and Mindy. It’s been so long, I’m not so sure I’ll recognize them. In the short distance, a hand raises to gesture me over.
“Ralph,” I say as he tugs me in for a hug. Mindy is next, and neither one of them has changed a bit. Once we exchange pleasantries, I take a seat in the chair across the table from them.
“I’m sorry it took so long to reach out to you both,” I say. “I’ve been slowly working on the house. Gram has a lot of knickknacks in the basement, and I’ve been boxing them and donating to the church for their summer flea market.” It’s the bigger things on the list that I haven’t gotten around to.
“No worries,” Mindy says, and the lines around her cloudy blue eyes crinkle as she smiles at me.
“Ralph, I want to thank you for keeping an eye on the place, and helping the crew continue to run it as a B&B.”
“Anything for Margaret,” he says.
“Look at you,” Mindy pipes in. “You’ve grown into a beautiful young woman.”
I smile at Mindy’s compliment and her motherly warmth. She reminds me of Gram in a lot of ways. The server comes, and I order a water with lemon, while Ralph gets a beer and Mindy asks for a hot cup of herbal tea. I steal a glance around, and my heart jumps into my throat when I spot the big pickle jar from Gram’s dining room sitting on the bar top.