Driftwood Bay (Hope Harbor #5) - Irene Hannon Page 0,21
answering him.
Logan stifled a grin.
As if.
Without waiting for a response, Charley moved to the grill, sprinkled some seasoning from a large unmarked container on the sizzling fish, and handed a small piece down to Molly on a napkin. “Tell me what you think of that.”
She gave the offering a dubious scrutiny but finally picked off a section and nibbled at it.
Her eyes widened. “This is real good.” She finished off the rest in a single bite. “Like those flower cookies the lady next door made.”
“Two orders of tacos, coming right up.” Charley set more fish on the grill and tossed some onions and red peppers on the sizzling griddle. “You wouldn’t be talking about that tasty lavender shortbread Jeannette bakes, would you?”
Logan frowned. “How do you know she’s our neighbor?”
For that matter, how had this stranger known his name?
Charley chuckled. “There’s only one lady in town I know of who bakes cookies with flowers.”
Oh.
There was that.
As for knowing his name—it was possible he’d heard the new doctor in town had bought the place next to the lavender farm or read the brief article in the local paper.
“Nice woman.” Charley went back to stirring the veggies, flipping the fish, and laying some corn tortillas on the grill. “I had a pleasant chat with her this morning as she was leaving the early service at Grace Christian.”
So the taco chef knew his neighbor.
Would the man be willing to share a few tidbits about her?
“Seems to be. We’ve talked twice.” He kept his tone conversational. “Does she run the farm alone?”
“Yes. Moved here about three years ago, cleared an acre of the property, built the beds, and planted every one of those lavender starts by herself. She puts a ton of TLC into that place.”
No wonder she’d been upset by Toby’s destructive digging.
“That’s a big job for one person to take on. She must not have much downtime.”
“Could be that’s how she likes it.”
Logan squinted at him.
Why would a person want to be that busy . . . unless they had no other interests—or people—in their life?
Is that what Charley was implying?
Could he drill deeper without sounding nosy?
“She must not have many personal obligations.” If there was a more discreet way to ask about the woman’s relationships, it eluded him.
“If you mean family-type responsibilities, I believe that’s true.”
“Sounds lonely.”
“I expect it is.” Charley finished assembling the tacos, added some more of whatever seasoning was in that container, and wrapped them in white paper. “But sometimes people need a nudge to realize what they’re missing. Here you go.” He slipped the order in a brown bag and slid it across the counter.
“How much do I owe you?” He pulled out his credit card.
“No charge. First order for newcomers is always on the house. But keep this in mind for future reference.” He tapped a small “cash only” sign that was taped on the side of the serving window.
“Seriously? No plastic?”
“There’s too much plastic in the world already. I like to keep things simple—and real.”
Not a bad philosophy.
Logan put his wallet away. “If these taste half as good as they smell, you’ll have two new regular customers. And thank you for the gratis dinner. This was a pleasant surprise.”
“Happy to do it. As you’ll discover, this town is filled with unexpected blessings.” Charley flashed his white teeth again, and once more leaned on the counter to talk to Molly. “I hope to see you again soon. Maybe you can draw a picture for me to add to my collection.” He swept a hand over the wall behind him.
“Would you put it up there?”
“I’d be honored. What would you like to draw?”
Her expression grew wistful. “A friend.”
“That’s a wonderful idea. Sometimes if we draw what we wish for, the wish comes true.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Right, Floyd?” He addressed the seagulls again.
One of them squawked, while the other cackled.
“Can you talk to birds?” Molly gawked at the man, her fingers clenched around the shiny penny.
“I talk to everyone.”
“Do they talk back?”
“If they’re in the mood to chat.”
Logan’s lips twitched.
This guy was a character.
“You two enjoy those tacos.” Charley straightened up and spoke over Logan’s shoulder. “Be with you folks in a sec.”
They must be holding up the line.
Logan took Molly’s hand. “Thanks again for the lunch.”
“Happy to do it. Welcome to Hope Harbor. I’ll be waiting for your picture, Molly.” With that, he shifted his attention to the next person in line.
They walked back to the car in silence, Logan picking up the pace as the mouthwatering aroma set