“They also have riding lawn mowers that seat them high enough to see into her living room window, and one of the guys was peeping at her,” William said.
Heather grimaced. “Tell Mom to close her curtains and stop saying the word peeping.”
“Peep. Peep. Peep.” William laughed when she tried to swat him. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Me? Oh, no. It’s your turn.” Heather picked up the bottle of window cleaner off the floor by the candy case and handed it to Lorna. “Get your lawn mower ready, favorite child.”
“Would you just call her? See if you can’t smooth it out?” William insisted. “She’ll listen to you.”
“I was thinking about going down to the coffee shop. Does anyone want anything?” Lorna wanted to give them some privacy.
“Great idea, I’ll walk with you.” William patted his sister on the shoulder and gestured for Lorna to join him. “You can call her while we’re gone.”
“Heather?” Lorna asked.
“Latte,” Heather muttered, still staring at William. “And maybe a new brother.”
“I love you.” William touched his hand over his heart.
“Yeah, me too.” Heather wrinkled her nose and waved at them to leave. “Oh, can you let Melba know Ace is here so she doesn’t worry? Tell her I’ll leave food out for him.”
“Will do,” William answered.
Lorna hadn’t been expecting the company. He held open the door for her and walked along the street side of the sidewalk. She wasn’t sure why she noticed the etiquette, but her attention was focused on his actions. His gaze swept her face, and she forced her eyes forward.
“Are you enjoying your new town?” he asked.
“It’s nice here. I’ve been down to the beach a few times but haven’t explored past city limits too much. I like working for your sister. She’s been amazing.” Lorna twisted the ring on her forefinger. “She was telling me about Julia Warrick when you came in.”
She felt a subtle change in William’s demeanor. “They’re just stories.”
“So it’s not true? She wasn’t a medium?” Lorna asked.
They passed a couple on the sidewalk, and William said a quick hello. He paused to let them walk away before answering, “No, Julia claimed to be but she wasn’t.” He took a deep breath and sighed. “Please tell me you’re not into that stuff like my sister. You seem sensible. Don’t let her stories of family history influence you.”
“I can see why people want to believe they can communicate with the dead.” Lorna had that same wish herself. What was wrong with needing answers and trying to find them?
“But wanting something and getting something are two different things,” William countered. “I love my sister, but Heather always thought we had some great witch legacy. Having a con artist in the family who takes money to pretend to talk to loved ones, to me, is a family shame, not a family badge of honor. I want nothing to do with that. I even sold Heather my half of the Warrick building inheritance for a dollar. If it weren’t a historical landmark, I would have torn my half down.”
Obviously, this was a sensitive topic for him. Lorna didn’t intend to comment further.
“I’m sorry. This is a strange turn of conversation. My family has been living with Grandma Julia’s eccentricities for generations. I can’t tell you how many times people have heard my last name and then asked me if I can see their dead relatives with them. Sometimes they’re teasing. Sometimes they’re serious and desperate. One lady tried to shove money down my shirt and began screaming when I wouldn’t help her. Deluding yourself about the great beyond isn’t helping anyone,” William said. They turned the corner toward the coffee shop. “And I have no idea why I keep talking about this.” He gave her an apologetic smile. “You were telling me how you like living in Freewild Cove.”
“It’s fine, nice. I’m settling in.” Lorna could empathize with his frustration but found his strongly expressed opinions slightly off-putting. “That must be very difficult to have people asking those things of you.”
He stopped walking several feet short of the coffee shop door. “You want to say something more, don’t you? You’re agitating your ring and I feel a giant but at the end of that sentence.”
Lorna glanced down to where she twisted the ring on her finger and released it as she debated answering. “Okay. Yes. I get how it would be difficult to have people asking you if you can talk to their deceased family members, but it’s a little harsh to call the need to believe in something a delusion. Sometimes people just need answers. Sometimes those answers can only be given by someone who is no longer with us.”
“People?” he repeated.
“Yes, people.”
“You mean you.” William’s eyes said more than his words, and he looked at her as if he knew all the secrets she was hiding. A cool breeze swept down the sidewalk and clouds moved over the sun, casting a shadow over them.
“Fine, yes, I mean me.” Lorna crossed her arms over her chest, feeling exposed. All the emotions she repressed rose to the surface. She glanced to the side, seeing a couple holding coffee cups staring at her. “It’s all over town, isn’t it? Everyone knows about me, don’t they?”
“Well, I—”
“I need to get back to work.” Lorna kept her head held high and her expression even. She walked past the bookstore window to go inside the coffee shop. The smell of coffee overwhelmed the narrow wooden room. Everything appeared to be for sale except the wi-fi. Paintings from local artists hung on the wall next to displayed t-shirts. A lady sold assorted pastries to the right as the line for coffee formed to the left. Tea tins and homemade jams crowded kiosks. A display near the cash register held handcrafted necklaces.
“He’s beautiful, isn’t he?” Vivien suddenly appeared next to her.
“Excuse me?” Lorna gave a small jolt of surprise. What was with this woman? Did she always start conversations in the middle as if the other person had been listening to the thoughts inside her head?
“William. He’s got that James-Dean-Gerald-Butler-bad-boy-brooding-sex-machine vibe,” Vivien whispered as if she shared a girlish secret. Then louder, she said, “Hey, Janet, how are those grandkids? And is that a new jam flavor I see?”
When the woman by the pastries answered Vivien, Lorna’s gaze moved to the window to see William walk toward the bookstore to talk to Melba about her cat.
“Try this.” Vivien handed a small cracker with a green gelatinous substance on it.
“What is it?” Lorna asked, sniffing it.
“Green pepper jelly,” Vivien said. “Tell me if it’s any good.”
Lorna put it in her mouth and chewed. “Spicy-sweet. Not usually what I think when I think jelly. It would be good in a pork glaze.”
“Do you cook?”
Lorna nodded. “Sometimes. When I have people to cook for.”
Vivien turned and grabbed a jar. “Thanks, Janet. I’ll pay with my coffee.” She turned to Lorna and handed her the jelly. “Welcome to Freewild Cove. Janet said to pour it over softened cream cheese and serve it like a dip with crackers at your next party.”