Page 55 of Moonlit Harbor Nights

“Thank you again,” she said softly, brushing her hair back behind her ear in a gesture that was almost shy.

He just nodded at her. He didn’t want to open his mouth, in case he blurted out how much he was interested in her romantically, and he didn’t think it was the right time for that. After all, he was still simply rejoicing that she was no longer angry with him after their tense conversation.

“Don’t forget about your coffee,” he said finally. “You wouldn’t want it to get cold.”

“Is lukewarm coffee against health code regulations?”

“Oh, of course.”

They shared a laugh, and Terrence thought to himself that he wanted to make her laugh all the time.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Julia set down her pen with a slight flourish and closed her laptop. She was in the office at the pub, getting some financial work done. With a latte from Seaside Sweets Bakery at her elbow, she’d been able to focus particularly well, and she’d gotten a lot done.

Things are looking up,she thought.I think that soon, we’ll be able to recover from the impact made by Dad’s gambling debts. As long as we keep getting as many customers as we have been.

She bit her lip, glancing out the window. It had been a beautiful, sunny day, and now the last traces of the sunset had painted pinks and oranges across a sky that didn’t have a single cloud in it. Her mind, however, felt suddenly cloudy and overcast. She wondered if the McCormicks’ new restaurant was impacting The Lighthouse Grill. The last time she’d been in the dining room, they’d seemed a bit slower than usual.

Her stomach grumbled loudly, and she glanced at the clock. It was time for dinner, and she decided to go out into the dining room and see if the staff had the time to throw something together for her. She didn’t want to bother the cooks directly, but she knew her mother was out front, and Vivian would be able totell her if there was a side of unclaimed sweet potato fries lying around somewhere or something like that.

She stood up and stretched, then downed the last of her latte. She made her way out to the dining room, and as soon as she stepped through the doorway, her footsteps slowed. She noticed her mother standing near the counter, staring into space and looking a bit sad. Around Vivian, the pub seemed to be significantly slower than usual. It was only around half full, and usually at dinnertime, especially on a Friday night, they were full to the bursting. They usually had several people waiting at the front of The Lighthouse Grill for tables to open up.

“Hey, Mom,” she said, walking up to her mother and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Are you doing all right? You look a little down.”

Vivian hugged her daughter sideways and offered her a sad smile. “It’s just so slow. Weirdly slow—and it was slow the other day too. I’m just wondering if the McCormicks’ new restaurant has anything to do with it.”

Julia shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. We’ve had plenty of nights in the past that were weirdly slow. It’s just a fluke of the restaurant business, I’m sure. You shouldn’t read too much into it.”

Vivian nodded, but she looked doubtful. “I don’t ever remember it being this slow on a Friday night. Not since we started years ago. A lot of our regulars aren’t here.”

Julia squeezed her mother’s shoulder. She felt a pang of worry in her chest at hearing her mother’s words, but she didn’t want Vivian to see her concern. “Maybe they’re just not here yet. Our regulars are devoted to us, don’t you worry about that.”

Julia could tell that her mother was worried about losing that important customer base. Their regulars meant more to them than just the money—their friendship and loyalty to the pub were one of the best rewards of the restaurant business.Julia knew how devastated her mother would be if their devoted regulars stopped coming to the pub.

At that moment, as if in answer to her thoughts, the front bell of the restaurant jingled. Julia turned around to see Terrence walking into the pub. He was wearing a peacoat and earmuffs and a plaid scarf which he had tucked into his coat collar in a precise manner. Julia thought to herself with a chuckle that Terrence might look rather persnickety if it weren’t for the big, friendly smile on his face.

Vivian immediately brightened when she saw him. “Why, hello, Terrence!” She hurried forward to shake her friend’s hand eagerly. “Are you here for dinner?”

“I most certainly am,” Terrence said, shaking her hand warmly. “My goodness, it smells incredible in here.”

“Thanks.” Vivian grinned at him. “Why don’t you come take a seat at the counter? We’ve got a great special today, breaded cod with a side of spicy scalloped potatoes.”

“Hmm, sounds delicious.” Terrence followed Vivian to the counter, and Julia smiled, glad that he had been able to cheer her mother.

She felt worried about what her mother had said, however, and she found that her appetite was suddenly gone. She wanted to go back to the office to recalculate numbers and see if they were in trouble or not. If there really was a decrease in their customers, then maybe they weren’t about to recover from her father’s gambling debts after all.

She was just turning around and starting to walk back toward the office when the front door of the pub jingled again. Julia heard the sound of many people talking at once, and when she turned around, she saw a crowd of people entering The Lighthouse Grill.

Her first thought was that it must be some kind of busload of tourists, but then she realized that everyone in the crowd wasa neighbor or a friend. Most of them were regulars of the pub. Julia’s eyebrows lifted, wondering what was going on.

“What’s this all about?” Vivian asked, coming forward. She looked surprised, although she was smiling broadly to see so many of her friends there at once.

Cedric Turner stepped forward, holding his winter hat in his hands. His deep voice filled the pub.

“Well, Vivian, we’ve all gotten to talking. It’s become clear that the McCormicks didn’t get help from you—it’s rather the other way around. They stole your recipes so that they would be able to steal your business.”

Murmurs of disapproval flicked through the crowd, and many people shook their heads.

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