“It seems like you just had the entire conversation for us, so I’m not sure I need to.”
“And you wonder why we don’t get along,” I grumbled. “Em isn’t anywhere near this annoying.”
“That’s a lie and you know it. We’re all equally annoying in our unique and special ways.” Deacon smiled beatifically.
“I hate you.”
“Are you thinking about it, though?” he asked after a moment’s pause.
I shrugged.
“Connor, you literally just told me you were. Not answering now doesn’t actually help your cause.”
I sighed. “I don’t know, okay? I don’t know if I’m thinking about it and I don’t know if I’m not thinking about it. It’s complicated.”
“Because of Julian?”
Just hearing his name made my heart beat faster, and I hadn’t seen him in four days. Or maybe it was because I hadn’t seen him. I’d been trying to give him space, but I did need to talk to him again before leaving.
Or not leaving.
Fuck, I was a mess.
“Well, it is your decision,” Deacon said. “But you’re right. I would be happy if you decided to hang around for a bit.”
I looked away, not wanting to catch Deacon’s eye and have A Moment Of Brotherly Affection (TM) and my gaze fell on the other side of the street.
“Is that Em?”
Deacon looked over as I pointed at what was, indeed, Em getting out of a car, followed by Tate getting out of the driver’s side.
“Hey!” Deacon called as they crossed the street to join us. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Someone forgot to buy coffee at the grocery store last week,” Em said with a grin.
“Excuse me for being busy trying to keep the library floor from collapsing on us,” Tate said, shooting him an aggrieved look.
Em snorted. “You spent most of last week polishing that credenza and you know it.”
“Maybe I did buy coffee, and the ghosts drank it all,” Tate said. “Ever think of that?”
“I’d really rather not.” Em affected a shudder. “It’s one thing to live in a house that is almost definitely haunted by at least three ghosts. It’s quite another for those ghosts to be caffeinated. Now they’ll never sleep and leave us alone.”
“Do ghosts need to sleep in the first place?” I asked.
“Well if they did before, they certainly don’t now. Anyway, what are you up to?”
“Picking up beans, getting a copy of the paper,” Deacon answered, jutting his thumb first in his direction, then in mine.
Em frowned. “Don’t you get the paper delivered?”
“We do. But it’s late.”
“Oh.” Tate grimaced. “Still waiting on that article?”
“Yeah.” I looked at Em. “Has Nora said anything to you about it?”
He gave me a rueful look. “I’ve been doing mostly freelance stuff this week. I haven’t been in the office since Wednesday, and she was still working on it then.”
“In that case, we’d better go inside.”
I walked to the door and held it open, letting everyone else in, and letting the delicious scent of roasted coffee beans drift out. My brothers and Tate headed up to the counter, but I stopped at the newspaper rack by the door, staring.
It was empty.
“Whew, busy morning,” Levi said as I made my way up to the counter with everyone else. He handed two drip coffees and a latte over to a group of moms with juice-box-toting children in tow, then grinned at us. “To what do I owe the pleasure of the entire Murphy clan’s company?”
“We come in search of caffeine and news,” Deacon said. “And the Wisteria’s weekly order. Can I just grab it from the back?”
Levi nodded, and Deacon headed off past the counter to the back hall.
“News?” Levi asked us. “Is there some salacious island gossip I haven’t heard yet? Usually we get things pretty early around here.”
“No, actual news,” I said, stepping up to the counter. “Have your copies of the Adair Gazette been delivered yet?”
Levi’s brow furrowed as he looked at the empty rack by the door. “Weird. It looks like they haven’t.”
“The Wisteria’s didn’t come today either,” I said, my stomach sinking. Fuck. This was bad.
“Was there something specific you were looking for?” Levi asked.
Em glanced around the coffee shop before answering. It was packed with people, tables jammed with extra chairs and strollers, teens perched on the window seat.
“The beach?” Em said, imbuing the word with extra meaning. “You know, the thing Nora was looking into?” He blinked. “Wait a second, have you heard anything about it from her? I know you said the date went well.”
“No, uh, we haven’t—” Levi cleared his throat. “That is, I