Chapter Fifteen

David’s thoughts buzzed like a horde of mosquitoes. Equally annoying, too. He couldn’t focus on just one. Instead, his brain jumped from trouble to trouble. His heart didn’t help matters. It simultaneously ached like it hadn’t in years and felt whole for the first time in ages.

Taking Adaleigh out on his uncle’s boat tomorrow night would help. He hoped. Being out on the water always did. Bringing her along would feel like a soothing balm on his soul … or increase his longing for a relationship he might have to give up.

“David Martins.” A male voice stopped his thoughts from spinning and his feet on Main Street. “Just the man I need to see.”

“Buck Wilson.” David held in a sigh. Just the man he didn’t want to see. “To what do I owe the displeasure?”

“We need to talk.”

“Why? Is this about my dad? I can’t believe he would work—”

“It’s about your boss.”

“Captain Mann?” That surprised him. The captain wasn’t a fan of Buck Wilson or the new Conglomerate, but why would Buck discuss that with him?

“Were you at the meeting he convened last night?” Buck kept pace alongside David as he made his way toward the lakefront.

“No.” David considered not volunteering the rest of the situation. However, something in Buck’s demeanor urged him to share. “Honestly, I only learned of it by chance. Mann made sure I couldn’t attend.”

Buck rubbed his chin. “I know what your uncle thinks I’ve done, but I need you to put that aside for the moment.”

Unease tightened David’s shoulders. “Why?”

“Mann is headed down a dangerous path. He thinks he’s doing it to spite the Conglomerate, but he’ll end up hurting his employees and losing his business.”

Dear Lord, is that true? “The Conglomerate has put people out of business before, so why should I believe you?”

“Why do you believe everything you hear?”

“Seems like we’re at a standoff.” David stopped, folded his arms. “Why should I help you over Mann?”

“Because you want to keep your job. Because you have a conscience. Because he left you out of that meeting on purpose.”

David lifted his flatcap and scratched his head. “Fine. What do you think Mann is up to?”

“He wants to ruin the Conglomerate. By doing so, however, he’s misreporting his finances, taking unnecessary risks, and running his business into the ground.”

“Explain the finance part.” David ran the two different profit sheets through his mind.

“Members of the Conglomerate pay dues based on their income. If that is misreported, the dues are not calculated correctly. The Conglomerate may not appreciate the lower dues, but misreporting income can bring the Treasury Department and legal trouble. In the end, I aim to help this town, and Mann is treading dangerously.”

David’s thoughts ramped up their buzzing. “Mann’s not part of the Conglomerate. He organizes his own co-op.”

Buck raised an eyebrow. “He joined this last year, after the crash.”

What? Why? And why didn’t David know? Did that mean Buck was right? Did Mann misreport to just the Conglomerate or also to the government? David did not handle the company’s taxes. Could that be the answer behind the two different spreadsheets?

“How can you tell when something is misreported?” he asked.

“When there’s such a drastic difference between one year and the next, it makes the Conglomerate take note.”

“Is that why Joe Spelding is meeting with Mann this week?” It was a stab in the dark, but it fit the situation.

Buck laughed. “I knew you were the right man for this. Spelding is a lawyer I brought in, and yes, he’s meeting Mann to discuss the situation. I’ll figure out a way to get you on that boat tomorrow.”

“Why on the boat, not the office?”

“Negotiation tactics, my man. Best let Mann see what he has at stake.”

David frowned. “And that’s why I still think my uncle has a case against you.”

“Think what you will, but best make sure you still have a job by the weekend.”

David’s gut clenched.

“Say hi to the lovely lady staying with you.” Buck winked. “She’s a fine one.”

Jealousy reared its ugly green head, strangling any reply David could make. Buck clapped him on the shoulder and strode away.

“Liz is home.” Mark Hitchens stepped away, releasing Adaleigh.

She coughed and tumbled to her knees. Her breaths came in gasps, but at least air filled her lungs. Blood rushed to her head. Adaleigh wavered, then caught herself with her hands.

“Pull yourself together, woman,” he hissed, then disappeared.

Adaleigh wanted to burst into tears right then and there. She hadn’t felt so trapped since she was a kid and Ashley had first physically turned on her. Adaleigh had sworn then that she would never let someone have that type of control over her ever again. She trained herself to outmaneuver, out-fight, and out-battle any physical, verbal, or emotional attack that ever came her way. But Hitchens had caught her off her guard.

Mrs. Hitchens’s voice drifted from down the hallway. Adaleigh stood, caught herself against the wall, then took a deep, fortifying breath. She was a Sirland. She could do this.

She straightened her dress and met Mrs. Hitchens in the hallway. The lady of the house gave her a quick hug when she reached her. Adaleigh tried not to flinch.

“I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting. My husband says he was entertaining you as well as he could. We can sit here.” She pointed to the parlor. Adaleigh sat where she had before Mark attacked her. “Now that it’s just us, please tell me more about yourself. Leigh, I heard your name is, right?”

Adaleigh nodded.

“Where are you from? What do you do? What brought you to Crow’s Nest? Please, I have been so curious.” The woman sat primly on the edge of her chair, ankles crossed. The cut of her jacket gave her a professional look, but the shirtwaist beneath offered a lower neckline. No doubt this woman used both her looks and an aggressive manner to succeed at whatever she put her hand to. Weren’t she and her husband just the perfect pair?

Adaleigh managed a smile. “I just finished university.”

“What did you study?”

“Psychology.”

“Ah.” She tugged at her skirt hem and the conversation flagged.

“How is Mathew?” Adaleigh asked.

“Much better.” She brightened. “And keeping us busy. It’s really a lot to keep up with them without help. I thought Amy could manage, but obviously, she was too distracted. I hear they have someone in custody. Marie Martins’s son.” Her eyes narrowed. “You’re staying at her house, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” Adaleigh drew out the word, warning bells clanking in her head.

“Such a shame. I don’t understand why Amy was mixed up with Frank Martins. You have heard his history?”

“Yes.”

“Tragic.” Mrs. Hitchens waved her hand in the air. The gesture casual, the glint in her eye very much not. “Then to treat his family in such a way. And to think I was so hard on Amy the day she died.” She gave a dramatic sigh.

Adaleigh bit the inside of her cheek to keep from demanding the woman get to her point. “It is understandable you were upset,” she said instead.

“I’ve cooled some now. I’m realizing how much we asked of her. If I’d seen the signs … She must have been a confused girl. It got her killed. I will not be allowing Sarah any of that behavior when she gets older.”

Oh dear.

“But we found a replacement, I hope. She seemed quite promising. I met her this morning, gave her an intense interview, and then left her with the children until Mark came home.”

“Wonderful.” Adaleigh tried to sound enthusiastic. “I should really …”

“You must heed the warning as well.”

“What?”

Mrs. Hitchens leaned forward. “The Martins are not to be trusted. They’ll sway you over to their side, make you tell the police what they want you to say just to get that drunken man out of jail. I saw how the detective had you under his control.”

Adaleigh’s jaw dropped open. She’d become Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole into Wonderland where everything was upside down and inside out.

“I asked you here to offer you a safe place to stay.”

Adaleigh clapped a hand over her mouth to catch the laugh that nearly burst out.

“What other way can we repay you than by protecting you from that disreputable family? Chief Sebastian thought it a perfect solution.”

Tears pricked Adaleigh’s eyes. She needed to get out of here before she couldn’t hold them back. “Thank you for your offer. Unfortunately, I have another appointment.” Adaleigh lied.

“All right.” Mrs. Hitchens seemed reluctant, but she stood and extended a hand. “You’re always welcome here.”

The woman showed her out, and Adaleigh could barely contain her unbounded relief at escaping that house. She nearly ran down the street. Free and safe. With no doubt in her mind that Mr. Hitchens had what it took to kill Amy, though he wouldn’t have needed a knife, and that Chief Sebastian was a fool of a man, if not a crooked one. She needed to stay far away from both men.

No one was in the common areas of the house when Adaleigh arrived, so she mercifully slipped upstairs to her room without speaking to a soul. Mark Hitchens’s threat reverberated in her head. Lizzy Hitchens’s suspect connection to Chief Sebastian unnerved her. Greg Alistar’s picture had seared itself behind her eyes. And Frank Martins’s warning weighed her down, despite David’s protest. How quickly the dangers of staying in Crow’s Nest compounded.

Adaleigh locked the attic door and went straight to the washstand. Red, blotchy skin, bloodshot eyes, and a puffy face stared back at her. Bruises in the shape of a hand had formed on her neck. She ran her fingers over the bluish-purple coloring, then splashed water on her face, pressing cold fingers to the swollen areas under her eyes. Then she scrubbed her cheeks so the pink blotches melded into a more normal pattern. The bruise stood out on her neck.

“Adaleigh,” she said to her reflection. “What are you going to do now?”

A knock at her door made her jump.

“Leigh?” Mrs. Martins’s voice came from the other side. “Would you care to help me with supper?”

Adaleigh’s stomach grumbled, reminding her she missed lunch, but she stared at the bruises forming on her neck. She had no way to cover them and didn’t want to discuss it, not right now. “I’m a little tired after the day. Is it okay if I rest first?”

“Of course, dear. Can I get you anything?”

“No, ma’am.” Please go away.

“Come down when you’re ready.”

Adaleigh changed into a nightdress, curled up on the bed, and closed her eyes, praying memories wouldn’t keep her awake.

Friday, June 6

The next thing she knew, there was another knock at her door. Light streamed in the window, but it felt brighter than before her nap when she would have thought it would be darker as the sun set on the opposite side of the house.

“Coming.” She jumped up and realized just how stiff she was. “Just a minute.”

“Are you all right, Leigh?” Mrs. Martins sounded incredibly concerned. “You missed supper last night and have slept half the morning away.”

She did what?

“The chief is here for you, too.”

Adaleigh’s stomach flip-flopped. She did not want to talk to the chief, not after Mrs. Hitchens bringing up his name yesterday. Still, she opened the door to Mrs. Martins and kept a hand over her throat to keep it covered, not knowing how it looked.

“Is she in there? I need to talk to her.” Samantha’s voice reached her like a jousting jab. The young woman pushed into the room. “Kyle is waiting for us down at the park.” Samantha stuck out a hip. “You coming?”

Adaleigh sighed and leaned against the door edge. The last thing she wanted to do was interview more people.

“Have him come tomorrow.” Mrs. Martins laid a hand on Samantha’s shoulder. “I will make something I’m sure he will enjoy for lunch.”

“But—”

“Out with you, Sam.” Mrs. Martins shooed her away. “Leigh, I’ve already phoned Michael. He’s on his way to join the conversation with the chief. So take your time coming down.”

Before Adaleigh could reply, Mrs. Martins closed the bedroom door. Adaleigh sank against it, unable to catch up to her spinning world.

When she first arrived, she had left her motorcycle in a place it wouldn’t be easily discovered. Unless she could come up with money for gasoline, it wouldn’t take her anywhere. Right now, only her feet could get her out of this town. She’d have no trouble slipping out a window and skipping town. However, she doubted she could walk far before someone tracked her down.

Anyway, she couldn’t do that to any of the Martins clan, especially David.

She put on her spare dress, thankful for the high collar, braided her hair into one long rope that hung over her left shoulder, and reviewed her reflection. It wasn’t great, but it would have to do.

Gathering herself, she made her way downstairs. Recalling her three o’clock meeting with Mindy that afternoon and then her date with David that night—it was a date, right?—courage flowed through her. She had people who cared about her, so she could face one annoying Chief of Police.

“Ms. Sirland.” Detective Sebastian set his coffee cup on the kitchen table. He did not stand. Mrs. Martins chopped something at the counter, each strike louder than the last.

“How may I help you?” Adaleigh perched on the edge of a chair across from him. Anxious energy battled to override her positive thoughts. God … the prayer died away, and she rubbed her thighs.

Chief Sebastian glanced at his notebook. “Why did you visit Frank Martins yesterday?”

Adaleigh cleared her throat. She needed coffee. “David wanted to see his father.”

“But why did you visit Martins?”

Adaleigh squinted at him. “What does it matter?”

He squared his notebook on the table beside his coffee mug. “You’re a witness to him murdering Amy Littleburg.”

“No wonder Mr. Martins feels railroaded.” Had she spoken aloud?

“Railroaded?” The word jumped out of Chief Sebastian’s mouth. “Martins is a murderer. You were key to putting him away, now you’re putting my case in jeopardy.”

No, she wasn’t. At the crime scene, the chief had thought her a swooning female incapable of being a witness. How could a woman like that jeopardize his case?

“Maybe that’s not a bad thing.” Adaleigh crossed her arms. “Amy Littleburg deserves having her murderer behind bars. Her real murderer.”

Before Chief Sebastian could answer, the front door opened, and padded footsteps lumbered down the hallway. In moments, Samson hung his slobbery jowls over Adaleigh’s arm. She ran her fingers over his coarse hair and her composure returned.

“What are you doing here, O’Connor?” Chief Sebastian glared at the other detective as he emerged from the hallway and removed his hat.

“Don’t let me interrupt.” Detective O’Connor kissed his sister on the cheek. “Rhubarb, Em? You know I hate that in my strawberry jam.”

She wagged a long reddish-purple stem at him. “My jam-making has been postponed until tomorrow since Marian Ward dropped off some of her garden produce this morning. Including rhubarb.”

Detective O’Connor rolled his eyes and opened the cabinet where the cups were kept. “Well, I’m here for lunch.” At the word lunch, Samson deserted Adaleigh to discover what goodies Mrs. Martins might drop for him. Detective O’Connor glanced at Adaleigh. “Coffee?”

Adaleigh nodded and Detective O’Connor winked. Her shoulders relaxed knowing reinforcements had arrived.

Chief Sebastian moved his jaw up and down before he glared at Adaleigh. “Are you going to help me put a murderer away, Miss Sirland?”

“Of course, Chief.” She didn’t fully manage to remove all the condescension from her tone. Oh well. “But I don’t believe Mr. Martins killed Amy Littleburg.”

“What?” Chief Sebastian exploded from the chair, bumping the table and splashing coffee across his clothes. “But you saw him.”

Detective O’Connor handed her a cup of steaming coffee, hiding a smirk behind his own. The pause to take a sip gave her a moment to collect herself, effectively banishing her unhelpful tone.

“Sir.” Adaleigh focused on Chief Sebastian. “I saw Mr. Martins leaning over Amy. I never said I saw him plunge a knife into her. Or even hold or touch the knife. If you’d listened to me, you would know that, truthfully, I didn’t see anyone actually commit the murder.”

Chief Sebastian’s mouth flapped like a fish out of water, whether from hearing a truth he didn’t like or because it came from a woman, Adaleigh didn’t care. Detective O’Connor patted her shoulder before giving it a squeeze of approval. She put her cup of coffee to her lips as the band around her chest fell away from the confidence of speaking freely.

Adaleigh stood, glancing from chief to detective. “Are we finished here?”

Chief Sebastian sputtered, but Detective O’Connor leaned close to her ear, said, “We’ll speak later.”

Without waiting for an answer from Chief Sebastian, Adaleigh headed for the stairs. Detective O’Connor took her seat, and Samson laid at his feet, his nose resting on his master’s shoes.

“I told you to stay out of my investigation.” Chief Sebastian’s voice traveled up the stairs. “Your interfering is getting in my way.”

“You’re convicting a man who might be innocent.”

“The two of them said …”

Adaleigh didn’t need to hear a repeat of how David and Adaleigh had ruined his investigation by merely reporting what they saw.

“What’s going on down there?” Samantha opened her bedroom door as Adaleigh passed. “Is it about my dad?”

“Kind of.” Adaleigh squeezed her forearm. “I don’t think he’s guilty, and I think he’ll fight the charge.”

Samantha folded her arms tight against her stomach. “The chief sure sounded like he already convicted him.”

“You heard.”

“How can he do that? Isn’t he supposed to find who’s really guilty?”

“On the surface, it looks like your dad is the obvious suspect.”

“But you and David saw what happened.”

“We didn’t see who actually killed Amy.”

Samantha turned away but not before Adaleigh caught the telltale glistening in her eyes.

“I know this is hard, Samantha.”

“Hard?” She spun and spat the word at Adaleigh. “Amy was my age. Sean is my friend. Now my father is considered a murderer? My life has fallen apart. I can’t face my friends. Most won’t talk to me. And I hate my father. But he can’t have killed someone. He’s my dad.”

“Sam, I’m so sorry.” The words seemed pitiful, but it was all Adaleigh could think to say.

“Why are people so mean? And why are you so nice to us?”

“Why am I nice?” A humorless laugh escaped her. Adaleigh had asked David the same question. “It’s your family who has been nice to me.”

“You don’t mind being in a house with the family of a murderer?”

“Don’t doubt your father just because of what other people say. I believe he’s innocent, but he needs to know his family stands behind him.” Adaleigh squeezed the young woman’s shoulders, getting her to look at her. “Anyway, friends who are only kind during the good times aren’t friends. It’s the hard times that show us the people who are really in our corner.”

Samantha nodded.

As her own words echoed in her head, a picture of Mindy came to mind. They were supposed to have coffee together. The clock downstairs chimed the quarter hour, and Adaleigh paused. Did she dare wait for the detectives to clear out, or go to town, hoping Mindy might be free for lunch? Her stomach answered the question. “Samantha, think you can help me?”

Samantha tugged her ear. “Sure?”

Adaleigh glanced back at the stairwell. “I made a tactical error. I’m meeting Mindy at the Wharfside, but with Chief Sebastian downstairs, there is no way I want to go back the way I came. I’m sure you know an alternate way out.”

Samantha grinned. “Right this way.”

The humidity had soaked David’s shirt by the time he reached Mann’s fishing office after cleaning up the boat from the morning run. Clouds mostly hid the sun, but the air held its warmth. One couldn’t ask for a more summer-like Midwestern day. If only his fisherman bones weren’t telling him a storm hovered on the horizon.

“What are you doing here?” Captain Mann greeted David from behind the front counter.

What was he doing here? What was his boss doing there? And why did he have the financial records laid out on David’s desk? He clamped down on the questions that clamored to spill out. Instead, he’d tread with caution. “There’s a storm behind this weather. We may need to call off tomorrow, including the trip with Joe Spelding.”

“No.” Red mottled Mann’s round face, making him look like a splotchy tomato. “We’ll run the boats when I say.”

“And if we lose the boat to a large wave?”

Mann’s face grew even redder. “You youngsters think you know everything. I’ve been fishing these waters since I was a boy. This thunderstorm will blow right by us. Mark my words. We’re running all three boats in the morning.”

David clenched his jaw. “You’re the boss.”

“Don’t you forget that, or you’ll be looking for another job.”

“Yes, sir.” David spun for the door. Anger and frustration fighting for supremacy. Financial questions might have legal ramifications, but not listening to the weather could be deadly. He pushed through the door, the humidity smacking him in the face. His feet hit the aged boards of the wharf with a harder force than usual.

“Hi.”

David stopped as the voice penetrated the dark clouds of his mind. Adaleigh stood at the corner of the Wharfside fence looking like a lake breeze in her green dress. His emotions immediately calmed. He hadn’t seen her since he left her at the Hitchens’s house yesterday.

“Hey, you. Grandma said you were tired last night, that that’s why you weren’t at supper.”

She scuffed her toe against the ground and ran her finger along her collar. “I slept through till this morning.”

Wow. Was she feeling okay? Had her visits to the jail and the Hitchens’s left her that drained? David settled for stating the obvious. “You must’ve needed it.”

She nodded, but didn’t meet his eyes. Hmm. Something was going on. No need to pry with the bustle of the wharf at midday. He’d wait until later. “So whatcha doing out here?” he asked.

“Waiting for Mindy.” She gave a little shrug, more reserved than he had ever seen her. Could he be the reason for this shift in demeanor? “She invited me for coffee, but we’re going to lunch instead.”

“Good.” David infused as much happiness into his voice as he could, given that he’d planned to go home for lunch so he could see Adaleigh. “How was your visit with Matt’s mom?”

Her hand reached for her neck, but then she snapped her arms across her stomach. “Awkward.”

David grimaced. He should have stayed with her. Adaleigh turned away from him. The movement was slight, and might appear as if she were looking for Mindy or out at the lake, but he had a feeling she was trying to hide from him.

“How was fishing?” she asked.

He’d play along until he could puzzle out what she was thinking. “Clouds are moving in, but if the water stays relatively calm, fishing should be good this evening. Would you still like to see what all the fuss is about?” His heart beat hard. Would she agree?

“I’d like that, David.”

His poor heart. It was about to jump clean out of his chest like a trout on a line. He cleared his throat to be able to force words past that traitorous, thumping organ. “Let’s get you a fishing license. Follow me.”

As much as David didn’t like the idea of returning to the office, he wanted to spend time with Adaleigh more than he wanted to avoid Captain Mann. Fortunately, the rotund man wasn’t behind the counter any longer, and the ledgers were filed away.

“You’ll get one of these.” David slid a pin across the counter. It was yellow and white, with 1930 Wisconsin across the top, the license number in the middle, and non-resident fishing license on the bottom.

“That’s it?” Adaleigh held the pin in her hand. “Doesn’t it cost something?”

David gave her a wink. Adaleigh ducked her head. Heavens, he liked this woman.

“Still here, Martins?” Mann’s voice boomed as he exited the back room. “Who’s this?”

“Leigh, meet my boss, Captain Mann.”

“Leigh?” Captain Man engulfed her hand in his meaty one. “You’re not the one who rescued Matty, are you?”

“She is, sir,” David answered when Adaleigh stuttered. “Been staying with us since.”

“Impressive rescue. Not many of us old captains could have reacted so quickly.”

David couldn’t stop his grin, and Adaleigh blushed.

“Brave thing you did, lassie,” Captain Mann continued, all charm now. “You’d be a good addition to a crew with that quick thinking. Ever fish before?”

“No, sir.” She glanced between David and his boss, and David had to wonder where Captain Mann was headed with his questions.

“I’m hoping to take her out on my uncle’s boat tonight.” David tapped a pen on the desk as he paused in filling out the paperwork.

“Be sure to have the business cover it.” Captain Mann squeezed Adaleigh’s hand. “As a thank you for your actions.”

Adaleigh blushed an even deeper shade.

“Yes, sir.” David came around the counter. “May I walk you out, Leigh?”

“Good, good. In fact, take the rest of the day.” Captain Mann gave him a highly exaggerated wink over her head, and David held back a groan as he pushed open the door.

“There you are!” Mindy adjusted her shoulder bag as she met them outside. “Hi, David.”

“Mindy.” David gave her a smile.

As much as he’d prefer to walk Adaleigh home for lunch, letting the girls talk would be beneficial for both of them. He could look forward to having Adaleigh to himself later.

“You two have a fantastic time. Leigh, I’ll see you back at the house whenever you get there.”

He watched them walk away, but his mind was struggling to wrap itself around his boss’s behavior. The extra free time had to be a ploy. He’d mention it to his uncle next time he saw him. For now, David would use the time wisely, so he and Adaleigh could leave as soon as she returned home.

“He’s one of the good ones.” Mindy hooked her arm through Adaleigh’s as they headed south down the boardwalk.

So many questions. Where to start? “Are you sure you’re okay to leave work?” Adaleigh asked, instead of prying into Mindy's and David’s friendship. But oh, how she wanted to know more about it.

Mindy waved her off. “I switched half a shift with one of the other girls. We cover for each other, so no need to worry about me. My job is secure.”

That eased Adaleigh’s worry. Until another popped up. She’d been so thrilled to be invited, she forgot to mention she had only pennies to pay for coffee or lunch or anything. But how did one introduce such a quandary? Stall for info. “Uh, where to?”

Mindy pointed south. “I share an apartment with several other girls. It’s above the bakery a block down from Sweetie’s, so I thought we could make sandwiches there and sit outside. The owners let us use the tables if it’s not too busy.”

Phew.

“We’ll have to go through the bakery, so you’ll get to see it. It’s cute, not like the Wharfside. It’s decorated like a nod to the local dairy farms. But someday … oh, I don’t know, it’s crazy.”

Adaleigh cocked her head. “What’s crazy?”

Mindy paused in the middle of the boardwalk. “Do you think a girl like me could open her own bakery or café someday?”

“I don’t see why not.” Adaleigh took a literal step back at the question. “A girl like you? I don’t see why that matters.”

Mindy started down the boardwalk again. “I mean, I don’t have an education. I work at the Wharfside. How could I own a nice café?”

“You’d probably need capital, someone to invest in the project.” Which would be difficult with the recent economic struggles. “You’d need a building to start with, then all the cooking and stuff to go inside.”

“Stove? Tables? Cups?”

Adaleigh’s turn to laugh. “Exactly. All that technical stuff. You’d have to get various permits, I’m sure, but once you’re past that, what’s to stop you?”

“You really think I have a chance at that?”

“Why not?”

Adaleigh and Mindy reached the bakery—The Barn, as it was called—and Mindy held the door. Just as she described, it had the perfect dairy farm feel to it from the bright red outside to the wood floors inside. Hay bales were stacked, and black-and-white pictures of black-and-white cows lined the walls. Adaleigh’s favorite part was the stools along the counter that looked like tall versions of the traditional milking stool.

Adaleigh followed Mindy past a handful of customers, through a back door, and up the stairs. They put together sandwiches, then returned downstairs, Mindy waving at a plump older woman who shouted a greeting from the doorway to the bakery kitchen.

Then they found a small table outside, looking out over the harbor. The sun glistened on the water and Adaleigh smiled. She could get used to living here.

“You know.” Mindy took a bite of her food, swallowed before continuing. “My mama keeps tellin’ me I need to make better friends, and after that evening with Joe, it got me thinking. Maybe with better friends, I wouldn’t pick guys who treat me like the dishes I clean up after customers pay the bill. But all my girlfriends have jumped ship, gotten married, or work jobs like me. I ain’t educated, but I got dreams. I wanna be more than just a small-town diner waitress without a life. Then, seeing you with Mr. O’Connor and David, I can just tell they think you’re a good person. If they do, then I think so too.”

Adaleigh tried not to let her jaw hang open.

“Sorry.” Mindy set down her sandwich. “That was too much, wasn’t it? You haven’t even taken a bite yet.”

“It took me by surprise, is all.” It was so many words, so fast after sitting down. Honestly, Adaleigh was still sifting through them.

“It’s just, you’re different than people around here. Anyway, Mr. O’Connor wouldn’t be helping you if he didn’t see good in you. He’s like that. You know, he comes into the Wharfside a couple times a week and is my best customer. He’s a funny man, with that cute dog of his. And that mustache! But he treats me like a human being, a lady even, and not like the servant girl who is good only for getting his coffee or having a fling.”

Adaleigh had no words, and even her books couldn’t lend her one.

“And then there’s David. I haven’t seen him spend time with hardly anyone—maybe Silas Ward, but he was gone for years—let alone a girl, since his mama died. David is smiling again, laughing even, and you’re the only person who could cause that. I see him every day, so I’d know. If you can do that to him …” She let her thought hang in the air and studied her food.

Adaleigh waited, unsure whether Mindy had finished. Nor did she know what to say in reply. There was so much wrapped up in Mindy’s words. But what stood out to Adaleigh the most was the thought that someone would want to be her friend without getting to know her first. Could a person really decide to like a complete stranger from first sight?

“Working at the Wharfside, I hear stuff and see stuff. All the captains have been talking about you since you saved Matt. You’re the only girl who’d‘ve jumped in that water. I betcha half the boys wouldn’t’ve neither. Least not as fast as you did. That’s some quick thinking. Captains like that.”

“I simply reacted. Nothing special about it.”

“See, you have good instincts. I don’t have much going for me. I mean, I make bad decisions, and people think I’m dumb. And I know I talk a lot, but after a day of working at the Wharfside, I gotta talk finally, ya know?”

Adaleigh smiled, then looked away. “What if I can’t stay in Crow’s Nest?”

“I ain’t never had a letter-writing friend. I wouldn’t tell no one we still kept in touch if you didn’t want me to. I’m sounding kinda desperate, ain’t I?” She cracked a grin. “Well, I kinda am. Joe scared me. I need someone—a friend with good instincts—to keep me from doin’ that again.”

Adaleigh had never met someone as guileless as Mindy. She lived her life where everyone could see. Her eyes held no secrets. Her expression hid nothing. She probably wouldn’t even know what an ulterior motive was. To her, the world was full of possibilities.

The positivity Mindy exuded reached into Adaleigh’s soul, both convicting her and lifting the heaviness that weighed her down. Anyone who entered Mindy’s orbit would leave a better person. Shouldn’t Adaleigh, who believed in an Almighty God, leave others feeling the same?

“You still there?” Mindy waved her hand in her face. “I get lost in my thoughts, too. What were you thinking?”

“That I envy you.” Another unchristian feeling.

“Me?” She pressed a hand to her chest. “Why?”

“My life is so complicated, and you have such hope and brightness.”

Her laugh was as lighthearted. “We all are born and we all die. Why not wholeheartedly enjoy what’s in between?”

Why not, indeed.