Emily murmured, clenching her hand around the glass of iced tea, “I know he’s watching me.”
“Watching you? Do you mean he comes outside and stands guard over his orchard? What? Is he afraid you’re going to pilfer green apples?”
Emily laughed. “No. He looks at me from an upstairs window. I happened to catch sight of him the other morning and he’s been there every day since.”
How strange.
“I stop and pet Elvis and then Elvis follows me to the edge of the property. The dog never goes beyond the orchard and then returns to the house.”
“Has Nick made any more late-night appearances at the inn?” I asked, not that Emily would know, unless she purposely set her alarm to check.
“Not that I know of,” she said. “But I doubt that he has. He said he wouldn’t come again.”
“That’s a shame,” I murmured. I doubted Emily fully understood what drew Nick to the inn. I felt certain it was the solace he felt here, the comfort, the healing Paul had promised and so many others had found as well. After what Dana had told us about the death of his brother, I knew what had drawn Nick to the inn. I didn’t mention it because Emily wouldn’t understand. The minute Emily told me that Nick walked around the inn’s property in the middle of the night and that he found peace here, I understood. Again and again I’d had my guests mention the same thing. If coming to the inn helped Nick deal with the loss of his brother, then I wouldn’t begrudge him that.
“A shame?” Emily asked, cocking her head to one side with the question.
“Yes, a shame; he’s welcome anytime.”
“I told him that.”
I read the disappointment in her eyes. “I know.”
Emily set her empty glass aside. “I don’t think he wants to see me again. I think he might dread inadvertently having to talk to me.” She hesitated. “I have the feeling he figured out that I knew about the death of his brother; he’s afraid I’m going to pry and ask questions. I wouldn’t, but he doesn’t know that.”
I was fairly certain Emily was on to something.
After our short talk, I went into my room and took a hot shower. Because I was still full from our lunch and on an emotional high from my time with Greg, I decided to skip dinner.
It was Emily’s turn to cook, so she made herself a chicken-salad sandwich and called it good.
I was in my room reading with Rover at my feet when my phone rang. Caller ID told me it was Greg. A sense of happy anticipation filled me, and my heart instantly zoomed to my throat.
“Hey,” I said, doing my best to hide my eagerness to talk to him.
“Hey,” he returned. “I hope you’re available next Saturday evening.”
“I can be,” I told him and was again silently grateful for Emily’s presence at the inn. She’d repeatedly assured me she’d be able to look after my guests anytime I needed her to. Her own schedule was flexible, as she didn’t have any immediate plans. “You got the reservation?” I asked, wondering if he’d tell me or if he planned to keep it a surprise.
“I did. Ever been to Blake Island and Tillicum Village?”
My heart rate immediately accelerated. “No, but I’ve always wanted to go. You mean you got tickets?”
“I did.”
Tillicum Village is an Indian cultural experience with traditional songs and dance performed by the tribe along with a Chinook salmon dinner cooked over an alder wood fire. I’d heard about Tillicum Village for years, but it was one of those things I’d put off doing, waiting for the right opportunity.
“Greg, this is something I’ve always wanted to do but never have.”
“You’ll love it. It’s the quintessential Northwest experience.”
“So I’ve heard. What time should I be ready?”
“Six,” he told me. “I’ll bring a boat around to pick you up at the Cedar Cove dock. Normally, the boat sails from Seattle, but it will be far more convenient for us to leave from the cove.”
“You have a boat?”
“My brother does. He told me anytime I wanted to use it to give him a heads-up. I’ve been out with him dozens of times and never found a reason to ask until now. It seems my entire life got better as soon as I met you.”
The things this man said were enough to melt my heart. “Thank you, Greg.”
He paused. “I know it’s early in our relationship, Jo Marie, and I don’t want to say