he knows it. No, I knew about you before you came back to the island. I get to Seattle. You were ‘out’ there; there’s no reason you can’t be here. Nor that foolish sheriff of ours either. I think I’m actually offended if you two men think you can’t be yourselves here.”
“It’s not that easy,” Niall grumbled.
“The hell it isn’t. I’m an old man, and I’m here to tell you nobody’s gonna live your life except you. Is somebody going to act like a jackass? Hell yes, and it’ll probably be Martin Reynolds or one of his so-called friends—but the rest of us, we don’t care. If your grandparents were still alive, they’d say the same thing. You think they didn’t know? Maybe not Od, but Jo sure did. Kids these days.” Stu shook his head.
“How long have you had that little speech ready?” Niall inquired.
What Stu said was true. He hadn’t tried to hide his sexuality once he moved to Seattle. He hadn’t actually tried to hide when he was a teen either, but there hadn’t been anyone else for him to be with—he’d thought, anyway. He hadn’t known about Mat. Hell, he’d hardly paid attention to him. Niall was older by nearly three years and too focused on his own survival and escape plan to notice Mat.
Stu sat back again, grinning, “A while now. Felt good to get it off my chest.”
“Well, thanks for that. Getting back to me staying,” and off the topic of his sexuality, he sincerely hoped, “Fenrir and I have been politely asked to leave the Orca,” Niall said.
“Hmmm.” Stu crossed his arms across his chest.
“Fred from the general store said that your grandson sells yurts.”
Stu nodded, clearly following Niall’s train of thought. “He does. Runs a good business off Lopez.”
“A yurt, though?” He pictured windswept plains, huge hawklike birds, and cattle with extremely long horns.
Stu waggled his eyebrows. “Ian designs them himself. He has a degree in something fancy to do with sustainability. The fire didn’t do anything to the sewer and water on the property, right? You could plop a yurt down, bring in a temporary shower and toilet, and call it good until the insurance company gets done diddling you around. They can be converted to permanent structures as well.”
The tingle of excitement Niall had felt when he spotted the garden sheds at the general store returned. “What about this time of year? Do you think he’d have anything?”
“If you think you’re serious, I’ll give you his personal number and you can find out for yourself.”
After departing Lulu’s, Niall retraced the route to Hidden Harbor. As the road brought the Subaru close to the Dempsey homestead, Fenrir stood up in the back seat, blocking Niall’s view, his tail moving back and forth with a hopeful swing.
“We are not stopping,” Niall told him. “We haven’t been invited.”
Fenrir caught Niall’s glance in the rearview mirror.
Dammit.
“He’s not even home. He’s out investigating crime.”
Like Niall would’ve been had he not bailed on his career. The guilt over Tanya Nichols, her family still grieving and not able to bury her remains, ate at him every day.
Fenrir didn’t drop his gaze.
“This is a bad idea,” Niall said to the dog. And himself. It was a really bad idea, but he wanted it as much as Fenrir did. “I’m only stopping for you.”
Mat’s cruiser was nowhere in sight. Disappointment warred with relief in Niall’s gut, making his lunch churn in his clenching stomach. Maybe one of these days he’d figure out his feelings. He snorted. Maybe pigs would fly. He pulled in and parked beside Alyson’s car.
Niall lifted the hatch and Fenrir bounded out of the Subaru, heading to the back of the house where his favorite spot to pee, apparently on the entire island, was. Niall grabbed a plastic bag, just in case, and followed him. It was hard not to be at least somewhat cheerful when a big gray dufus of a dog was bounding in front of you.
While he waited for Fenrir to reappear out of the bushes, the back door opened.
“Niall!” Alyson called. “And Fenrir too. Two of my favorite people.”
“You shouldn’t call him a person, Alyson, it only encourages him.” Niall was puzzled at the pleasure in Alyson’s voice. He knew she adored Fenrir and liked him—he just couldn’t figure out why.
“Come in. I have fresh coffee.”
Alyson’s kitchen was bright and cheery and smelled like freshly baked cookies. Mat’s sister Ella sat the kitchen table. She turned as they entered. Fenrir went to