cast-iron platter of seafood in the center of the table. With a flourish, he squeezed a fresh lemon over the top. The lemon was covered in a fine mesh to keep the seeds from dropping out. When he drew back, a second waiter set a basket of bread beside the platter.
My stomach growled.
Josh took in the seafood. “We are definitely talking about this later,” he said to Madeline.
“The sourdough is to die for,” Madeline said to me.
The bread looked and smelled wonderful, so I took her advice, helping myself to a slice along with a pat of the herbed butter that was on the side.
Josh seemed to have decided to go with the flow as well. He lifted the silver tongs from the seafood tray.
“Lobster?” he asked me. “Or crab?”
“Anything’s fine.”
He set a variety of things on my little plate.
“Auntie M?” he asked.
“Same for me,” she said. “I love it all. They grill it fresh over a hardwood fire.”
Josh served his aunt and then himself as the waiter brought our soda waters.
As we dug in, I eyed the bottle of wine with a little bit of envy. It would have gone very nicely with the delicious seafood.
Reginald arrived back at our table a few minutes later. “I’m very sorry to disturb you all.”
“This is delicious,” Madeline said to him with a smile. “Please do tell the chef.”
“Thank you, ma’am. I certainly will.”
He looked at Josh. Josh cocked his head as he took in the man’s expression. “Is something wrong, Reginald?”
“I’m afraid so.”
My first thought was Butch. I started to rise. “I’ll go check.”
Reginald looked puzzled.
Josh put his hand over mind to stop me. “It’s not the dog, is it?” he asked Reginald.
“Dog?” the man asked.
“Dog?” Madeline asked.
“Butch,” I said to Madeline.
“From the shelter,” Josh added for Madeline’s benefit. “We left him in the SUV.”
“I’m afraid it’s the road,” Reginald said. “I just learned that we’ve had a washout from the storm.”
I sat back, relieved. No, wait, not relieved—relieved about Butch, of course. But a washout didn’t sound good.
“We’ve called the county. They’re sending a local contractor to deal with the problem.”
“But we’re stuck here for a while,” Josh said.
“You might want to plan on overnight. The washout is quite significant.”
Madeline clapped her hands together. “Oh, that’s fun.”
I wasn’t sure about fun. I was hoping for a shower and a change of clothes as soon as possible.
“We can offer you a two . . .” He gave me a fleeting glance. “Or a three-bedroom cottage.”
“Three bedrooms please,” Josh said.
“I’ll arrange for it. I’m very sorry for the inconvenience.”
“And Butch?” I asked, hoping the dog would be allowed in the cottage.
The back of the SUV was a whole lot small than his pen back at the shelter. I wasn’t even sure he could stand up straight in it.
“We do allow pets,” the man said.
Well, that was good. I wondered then if they sold clothes. It was an upscale place. They might have a few shops.
Reginald moved on to the next table, obviously spreading the bad news to all the patrons.
“Do they sell clothes here?” I asked. I wanted to change out of the tan and boxy coveralls.
“I don’t think so,” Josh said. “The gift shop has souvenirs but not much else.” Then he grinned. “But you look cute as a button in that.”
I gave him a mock frown.
“And now you can both have some wine,” Madeline said, taking up the half-full bottle.
“Let me,” Josh said.
He poured me a glass and then he poured one for himself. Then he flagged down the waiter and ordered another bottle.
“We can’t do anything about your outfit,” he said, lifting his glass to me in a mock toast. “But if you have a little of this, you won’t care so much anymore.”
*
We got rained on again dashing from the restaurant to the cottage. Josh made the smart move of holding Butch under the porch roof for an extra minute, taking the brunt of the spray as Butch shook himself before Josh brought the dog inside.
The cottage was very cozy, built of polished logs and tastefully decorated with two soft leather sofas, a big woven rug, and various tables with that held carved wooden animals. There was a kitchen alcove on one side, and an elaborate brick fireplace ready for use with paper, kindling, a lighter, and a box of split wood.
Josh offered to light the fire while Madeline and I explored the second floor.
Upstairs there were two identical bedrooms with a bathroom in between. The third bedroom