Page 47 of All the Ways You Save Me
“You want to know who thefishermenare dating?” Garrett points a finger at the men. “Pete’s been married to his wife for forty years, Joe’s on his third marriage, Alan is dating a nice man on the mainland—a doctor, if I’m remembering correctly.” His finger pauses at the last man. “Henry is available, though.” His lips quirk. “You want me to introduce you?”
“No, thank you. I’m not looking to start a relationship.”
Garrett strokes his chin, thinking it over. “Good point. You’re here on vacation, so you’re probably better off having a fling with a tourist. Not getting too attached.”
“Sort of like you do?” It comes out abruptly, and I’m annoyed at how much I’m bothered by the thought of Garrett chatting up bikini-clad young women who are here on vacation. Thankfully, none of them are likely to come into Hudson’s.
Garrett’s eyebrows shoot up. “But you weren’t talking aboutme, though.”
I’m saved from having to answer when Henry approaches the bar. “Hey, new girl,” he calls in a gruff voice. “Can we get some more beers over here?”
Garrett gives Henry a grin. “Better not let Chloe catch you calling her that.”
He grunts. “Well, what’s your name then?”
“It’s Madeline.”
“Madeline, can we get some more beer?”
“Sure, I’ll bring them over.” I head to the other end of the bar to the beer taps, where I pour four drafts and mark them down on the tabs that Chloe showed me earlier. When I return to the bar after delivering their drinks, another group has stepped up to put in a food and drink order, and once I’ve gotten that sorted, a couple needs my attention. Garrett gives me a wave to let me know he won’t keep me from my work and then wanders over to a table with Ian.
Chloe joins me behind the bar as we’re hit by the dinner rush. Henry’s gruffness aside, the Hudson’s crowd is friendly and welcoming, especially when Chloe tells them I grew up here. I quickly adjust to taking orders and pouring drinks, realizing I’m having fun chatting with the locals about the places on the island I loved as a kid.
The rush slows, and Chloe heads to the back room to sort some paperwork. An attractive man with sandy-brown hair approaches the bar, taking a seat by himself.
“Can I get you anything?” I ask with a friendly smile.
Instead of returning my grin, the man tilts his head, eyes squinty, and looks me up and down. “You’re Madeline?”
“Yep.” I guess it’s gotten around at this point. “It’s nice to meet you.”
I expect him to introduce himself, but he just leans in and says, “And you grew up here on Sandy Harbor?”
“That’s right.” The other locals I’ve met today have all asked friendly questions about where I lived and what my parents did, trying to figure out if they knew my family. There are a lot of communities on the island, and my mom, Josie, and I lived a few miles from here, so nobody has remembered me yet. This guy’s questions shouldn’t seem out of the ordinary, butthere’s something in his tone that has my spine straightening. I grab a glass from under the bar, hoping to move this along. “Can I get you a drink?”
He ignores my question. “And you left the island at the start of summer ten years ago?”
I set the glass down. “How did you know that?”
He shrugs. “I heard some things.”
In all of my conversations tonight, I didn’t mention when we left, I only said my family moved when I was in high school. I guess this guy might be able to estimate my age. He seems a few years older than me—probably in his mid-thirties. “Did you know my family back then?”
“Not exactly…” The way he trails off implies he knows something about my family that he’s not saying.
A loud crash echoes from across the room, and it looks like one of the women playing darts got so excited by a bullseye that she accidentally elbowed her glass off the table. I’ve never been so happy to have to clean up a mess. “If you’ll excuse me,” I say, slipping out from behind the bar to hurry over with a dustpan, broom, and a handful of towels. The woman is apologetic, and I’m tempted to assure her that I’m grateful for anything that gets me away from that guy at the bar.
As I bend over to sweep up the glass, I peek in the sandy-haired man’s direction and notice him watching me. A shiver runs up my spine. Maybe the guy is harmless. There are definitely some characters in here, like Henry and his fishermen friends. But Henry is a bit gruff and a little eccentric—he’s not creepy.
I look away and focus on cleaning up the glass. Maybe I should say something to Chloe, ask her what his deal is, but I don’t want her to think I’m someone who stirs up drama or needs her to swoop in and save me. It’s my first day here. The guy hasn’t actually done anything besides give me a weird vibe.I stand and carry my dustpan of broken glass to the garbage can, and when I get back to the bar, I’m relieved to see that Chloe has poured him a drink so I don’t have to. Still, his eyes follow me as I move around the bar serving other customers, and I can’t wait for him to pay his bill and get out of here.
TWENTY-SEVEN
PRESENT DAY
Madeline
“You sure you’re okay to get home alone?” Chloe walks me to the front door so she can lock it behind me.
