picture of him?” She nodded, and he pulled out his wallet. “This was the August before he died. His mom had this silly costume made for the Mermaid Parade.”
She took the picture from him and examined it with a smile. “He looks like you.”
“You think?” People said that a lot, but he also saw a lot of Kerrie in their son.
“Totally. The eyes especially. If he’d lived long enough to grow his hair, you could have had a mini-me.”
He laughed. “My ex wouldn’t have allowed it. She was always after me to cut my hair.”
“Really? It sort of seems like your signature thing.”
“It definitely helps me maintain my hermit image.” He was gratified when she smiled. “I started growing it in high school because I had a fling with this older tourist one summer, and she was into long hair. Then I just got used to it.”
“You grew your hair to please Mrs. Robinson!” she teased.
“Pretty much.” She laughed, but he had no problem owning that. Hell, he would have done anything Sarah, his Mrs. Robinson, had asked him to, so profoundly had she blown his seventeen-year-old mind. He still thought of her with fondness.
“So you already had the long hair when you met your ex?”
“Yep.”
“I don’t understand people who get into a relationship with someone and then proceed to try to change stuff about them. Like, didn’t you kick the tires? Didn’t you know what you were getting?” She’d been speaking increasingly urgently and seemed to realize it suddenly. She flashed him a sheepish grin. “Sorry. Rufus hated my hair, too. He always wanted me to grow it and stop dyeing it.”
“Does Chloe the Resident have long hair?”
“You’d better believe it. Long, shiny blond hair—which isn’t any more natural than mine, but it’s a less extreme shade—to go with the perky, perfect boobs.”
Nora’s boobs seemed pretty perky to him. Small, yes, but they were in proportion to the rest of her. Not that he was going to say any of that. He limited his commentary to her hair. “I like your hair. It suits you.”
“I like your hair, too.”
Which was something they’d said to each other enough times now that it was starting to feel like an inside joke. He smiled. It was a beautiful night. The sky was just beginning to turn a darker blue. They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes. Well, not silence. You could hear the lake. He glanced over at her.
She must have felt his attention. She said, “Jake?” though she kept looking at the sky.
“Hmm?”
“Thanks for everything today. For the painting help, of course, but also just for…being here.”
“No problem.”
“I don’t want to freak you out or anything, but I think you’re my first real friend in Moonflower Bay.”
He nodded. He found he didn’t mind that idea at all.
He was also pretty sure the waves would not come today.
Chapter Six
When Jake got to the bar on Friday, it was packed with people, and not the usual crowd. Sawyer and Eve were at the bar, but so were Karl, Pearl, and Eiko.
He approached with caution. Jake respected the elders of the town, but they were trouble when they had a mission—and he was pretty sure, based on the way they were talking animatedly to Sawyer and Eve, that they had an active one. Some of the younger folks had nicknamed the town Matchmaker Bay after the machinations of the older guard. They said it like it was cute. It was not cute. He started to turn. He was going to leave before anyone saw him.
“Jake! Jake!”
Dammit.
Pearl was waving at him and pointing to his usual stool. He sighed and walked over, but he didn’t sit.
“We’re talking about the new doctor,” Pearl said. “What do you think of her with Jason Sims?”
“I say this with love, but you should leave that alone,” Eve advised. “She just got out of a five-year relationship. She told me last week she’s here to clear her head, and that she’s not looking for anything like that.”
“Yeah, but I think Jason likes her,” Eiko said. “Or likes the idea of her, anyway. I don’t think they’ve met yet.”
Eve curled her lip a little at the mention of Jason, perfectly summing up Jake’s thoughts about the town lawyer. He had mild douchebag tendencies.
They all looked at Jake like they were waiting for his vote on the matter. Okay, then. “Her clinic isn’t even open yet. Maybe let her get settled for two seconds before you start meddling.”