Page 21 of The Cottage on Plum Island
“Give Em a hug and kiss from me,” Harley told Daniella.
“Will do.” Daniella nodded, adding before she left. “Oh, and I wouldn’t drink that coffee. It’s been there for two days.” She waved goodbye and walked off toward the nurse’s station.
After checking on Betty, Jennifer and Harley returned to Beach Plum Cottage, where he’d left his car.
“Thank you, Harley,” Jennifer saw the surprise in his eyes as she walked him to his pickup truck. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been there last night.”
“Of course,” Harley said, opening his vehicle and sliding into the driver’s seat. “You can call me anytime.”
Jennifer nodded, pushing the door closed as he started the engine and slid the window down. “I’ll stop by the clinic later to see Betty if that’s okay with you?”
“Yes,” Jennifer said, a twang of guilt for the way she’d attacked him for taking her aunt out yesterday sliced through her. Harley really did care about her aunt. “Please take the day off and relax. It’s been a stressful night.”
“I hope you’ll take Daniella’s advice and get some rest yourself?” Harley said.
“Yup!” Jennifer nodded, stepping back as Harley put the pickup in reverse. “I’m headed to my bed as soon as I’ve had a shower and something to eat.”
“Sweet dreams, Jennifer!” Harley’s voice was low and husky, sending a warm shiver through her.
“You too!” Jennifer squeaked, feeling flustered as she waved Harley on his way.What was that? An impression of Alvin the chipmunk?She cleared her throat. Glad he couldn’t see the embarrassed heat creep through her cheeks.
Later that afternoon, Jennifer was at the lighthouse visiting Caroline and waiting for Liam to arrive and drop the kids off. Jennifer was perched on a kitchen stool on the dining room side of the kitchen counters, watching Caroline make cookies for all the teens staying at her place that night.
“Where is Aunt Betty now?” Caroline asked Jennifer.
“Harley helped me fetch her from the clinic and get her home,” Jennifer explained. “Daniella met us back at Beach Plum Cottage, and she and Harley fixed Aunt Betty’s home hospital bed.” She sipped her coffee. “It’s now the perfect height, and Daniella fixed the side rails, so Aunt Betty has something to hang onto getting in and out of bed.”
“I told you to get her the normal one and not the height-adjustable one,” Caroline pointed out.
“I bought that one as Aunt Betty isn’t getting any younger, and I don’t know when she’s going to need all the added bits that go withthe bed, including being able to make it go higher and lower.” Jennifer defended her choice of bed.
“One shiny beacon of light to come from Aunt Betty’s fall is you and Harley seem to be getting along much better,” Caroline commented.
Jennifer’s heart gave an unexpected lurch.Traitor! Her eyes narrowed in on Caroline, who casually went on rolling out cookie dough as she threw that into their conversation.
“I guess.” Jennifer shrugged, deciding to play it cool. “He’s been very helpful with Aunt Betty.”
“Uh-huh!” Caroline looked at Jennifer with a sly smile. “You seemed to enjoy each other’s company at the dinner partybeforeAunt Betty’s fall.”
“We were trying not to cause a scene among the peopleyouhave to work with on The Cobble Cove Mysteries.“ Jennifer took another sip of her rapidly cooling coffee. She was about to move the conversation onto Jules and Reef when Jules flew into the kitchen, followed by her animal possie.
“They’re here at last!” Jules’s voice was laced with excitement as she yanked open the back door and disappeared outside.
“Looks like my brother’s arrived.” Jennifer smiled.
Sliding off the stool, Jennifer headed toward the back door, silently breathing a sigh of relief. Although she knew Caroline would pick up the topic at a later point. The next few minutes were a whirlwind of greetings and gifts from Disneyland.
The house quietened down again when Jules and Lila left the kitchen followed by the animal trio.
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay having a bunch of teenagers staying over?” Liam accepted the cup of coffee Jennifer made for him and stole a choc-chip cookie from the cooling rack.
“It won’t be a problem. Brad will be here and is staying in one of the guest bedrooms,” Caroline told them. “The teens want to put up the tent out front.”
“Like we used to do.” Liam smiled, leaning against the kitchen counter as he dunked his cookie in his coffee.
“Yes.” Caroline nodded, grinning. “Brad and I will discuss it later when he brings Emily, Tucker, and Reef.”
“They’re going to do the Cobble Point hike together tomorrow,” Jennifer informed her brother.
