Page 35 of Moonlit Harbor Nights

Dean winced. “I guess you’re right.” He didn’t want to say it out loud, but he was terrified that Noelle would admit to himthat their relationship was more difficult than she’d anticipated, and she couldn’t see herself staying with him.

“Dean, in a relationship, these difficult but important kinds of conversations are never going to go away. There’s always going to be something new to talk about.”

He sighed. “You’re right. It looks like it’s time for me to call Noelle.”

Hazel smiled at him. “Don’t worry. I think you’ll be really glad you talked with her about all this.”

He did his best to smile back. “I hope you’re right.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Terrence glanced up at the building in front of him with admiration. He was scheduled to inspect the restaurant of a golf course on the edge of Rosewood Beach, and the exterior of the building was very impressive. It was situated on the top of a hill, which meant that it would offer a beautiful view of the surrounding golf course. Although the terrain was covered with snow, there were still many cars in the parking lot, proving that the restaurant and country club associated with the golf course were still very popular even in winter.

He walked across the parking lot to the ornate double doors of the building and stepped inside. A delicious aroma of coffee, garlic, and onions met his nostrils and he took a deep breath.

This should be an easy job,he thought, glancing around and noticing how immaculately clean the lobby was.Places this bougie are usually right on track with all the health codes.

He started toward the front office, where he was scheduled to meet with the golf course manager in a few minutes. He was a little early, but he decided that he would go straight there anyway. If they needed to delay his inspection for a few minutes, he would know to look that much harder for any signs of cover-ups or cutting corners.

He was halfway across the lobby when two familiar faces walked across his path. The men were entering the lobby from the doorway of the restaurant, and they were both smiling broadly and looking pleased with themselves, engaged in a conversation that Terrence was too far away to hear.

The first man, wearing a bright yellow tie along with his sleek gray suit, was Judd McCormick. Although Terrence always behaved professionally around the other man, he had never been particularly fond of him. Now that he knew how much Judd had pitted his brewery in competition against The Lighthouse Grill, he felt inclined to give him either a cold shoulder or a piece of his mind.

The other man, wearing a checkered blazer and a dazzling grin, was the man that Terrence had seen in the pub the other day. The one who Vivian had seemed to know well, and who Terrence had hoped was her cousin or something. She had called him “Alan.”

When Terrence saw Judd thump Alan on the back, laughing with him about something with a friendly comradery, Terrence felt sure that Alan was not, in fact, related to Vivian.

In the next moment, Judd caught sight of Terrence watching them, and his laughter quickly morphed into a plastic, self-satisfied smile.

That’s a mask,Terrence thought to himself with a touch of pride.I make him uncomfortable, but he doesn’t want me to know it.

Terrence nodded at Judd a bit stiffly, and then turned his attention to Alan. The other man was smiling at him knowingly as if he also remembered Terrence from when they’d both been in The Lighthouse Grill together. Either that, or he’d heard things about Terrence from Judd. Terrence had the odd feeling that Judd knew that Alan knew Terrence, and that Alan knew that Judd knew Terrence. He liked the idea that they might havediscussed him, even if it was in a negative way. It made him feel as though Judd might consider Terrence to be a spoke in his wheel, and that was something Terrence was happy to be.

Have they talked about me together?he wondered, feeling another spark of pride.I wonder why they would.

The unsettled feeling that Terrence had experienced when he’d seen Alan with Vivian returned. He rolled his shoulders back, telling himself firmly to remain polite. After all, even if he didn’t like Alan, the man was clearly Vivian’s friend. That meant he should remain cordial, for her sake.

“Mr. Rawlins,” Judd said, nodding at Terrence.

“McCormick.” Terrence nodded back. He turned to Alan, unsure of the man’s last name. “And you are?”

Alan’s mouth curved upward in an almost condescending smile, as if he thought that Terrence was simply pretending to not know his name. “Alan Gifford,” he said, reaching out to shake Terrence’s hand. “I saw you the other day in The Lighthouse Grill. You kept trying to get Vivian’s attention.”

Terrence’s eyebrows lifted. He wondered if Alan had noticed the fact that he was interested in Vivian. Terrence didn’t mind if he had. He wasn’t ashamed of the way he felt about Vivian, and if Alan ever asked him outright about it, he would gladly answer him directly. He felt his feathers ruffle a little bit as he made eye contact with the other man, however, because there was something about Alan he didn’t like.

It’s just because I see him as a competitor,he told himself.I’m sure he’s a perfectly decent person if Vivian likes him so much.

Still, his smile as he responded to Alan was forced. “Yes, she’s a good friend of mine. I’ve been helping her choose a new coffee for The Lighthouse Grill. We were discussing the details of that.”

“New coffee, huh?” Judd frowned with interest. His tone was somewhat chilly toward Terrence, and the health inspectorguessed that Judd was probably still smarting from their rather public interaction at The Lighthouse Grill’s Christmas event. Terrence had declared his loyalty to the pub, stating clearly that their sincere, heartfelt way of doing business was more in the spirit of Rosewood Beach than Judd’s focus on profit. “Why bother? That place is so outdated.”

“I would hardly call it outdated, considering how popular it is,” Terrence said coolly. He knew that Judd was just being a poor sport, but he wanted to defend the restaurant of his friends nevertheless. “And they’re choosing a new coffee brand because their regular one went down in quality. They’re pretty spectacularly professional, if you ask me. And I’m the health inspector, I should know.”

Judd’s mouth curved up in a brief, sarcastic smile. “How nice. Personally, I would never bother eating there. There are so many better options.” He gestured to the elegant country club building they were in.

“Your friend here has been eating there a great deal,” Terrence pointed out. He couldn’t help feeling slightly competitive toward Alan, but he forced himself to keep his tone polite. “Haven’t you, Alan? Seems like you’ve been choosing the pub over this place, or even over going to have a beer at the McCormick Brewery.”

Judd scowled a little over Terrence’s last remark, but Alan simply smiled grandly, as if the other two men were guests at a party he was hosting.

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