“You love me.”
“That I do.” Maeve reached through the cage, and the bird bent her head forward so Maeve could give her a little scratch. Too bad Methuselah couldn’t speak. It’d be nice to have two-way conversation with him, even if sometimes it didn’t make sense.
The smell of fresh coffee lured Maeve inside.
“Thought I heard The Wife up and at it,” Tug said. “What are you doing here so early?”
“I don’t know. Couldn’t sleep.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. You know how sometimes a thought is right there at the front of your mind?” She took a stool at the counter. “Like you’re forgetting something, or there’s something you should take care of? I have no idea what it is.”
“I hate that.” He grabbed a coffeepot and filled a heavy white mug for her. “You’re always welcome here before business hours. Glad you came.”
“Thanks.” She added one sugar to her coffee, and Tug topped off his.
“Gonna be a hot one today.”
Idle chitchat never did sit well with her. “It’s summer. What do you expect?”
“What do I expect?” Tug took a slug of coffee. His cup rattled on the counter when he set it down. “Customers, tourists with sunburns, random thunderstorms to cool things down, and lots of fresh fish. The wahoos are running big-time.”
“You know I love what you can do to a fish. I might have to come for dinner one night this week.”
“I’ll save you the best seat in the house.”
“Sounds good.” She lifted her gaze to the water beyond the bank of windows. The sun was beginning to poke the tippity top of its bright-orange rim over the horizon. “So, what’s the latest?”
He leaned his large forearms on the counter. There’d been a time when he had muscles like Popeye. Now they weren’t sculpted, but they were still big. “Well, rumor has it down at the campground there was a group of naked campers. A whole club of ’em.” Tug shook his head. “Now why on earth would anyone want to run around with the sand fleas and prickly briars in their nothings? That’s just a recipe for disaster.”
“Beats me. Did the police arrest them?”
Tug shook his head. “Gave ’em a warning. I heard they packed up and left, asked for a full refund. Nobody told them they had to leave, just had to put on some pants. I wouldn’t refund them, but you know how McDuffy runs his campground. He’s a softy.”
“My goodness. How do you even talk with people like that? I think I’d have given them their money back to avoid the awkward conversation. Good riddance.”
Tug snickered. “I heard they were all senior citizens too. Must have been a sight.”
“I guess.” She drank the last of her coffee, and Tug poured her another.
“How about a crabmeat-filled crepe? Does that sound good?”
“Fresh blue crab?”
Tug pulled off his ball cap, revealing the flaming tips of his ears beneath that shock of white hair. “Of course. You know me better than to ask that.”
It was meant to be a little jab, because everyone knew Tug only served fresh crab. He hated it when people asked, and she loved it when his ears got red like that. “I’m in.”
“Good.” He washed his hands, then went to work on breakfast for the two of them. “Heard there’s a guy wanting to open a workout venue here on the beach.”
“Here, or over on the public access?”
“Right below the diner there.”
“Like Muscle Beach?” She’d seen that in the movies once. “Why would someone want to do that?”
“I heard the guy trying to schedule an offshore fishing trip with Captain Aubrey the other day. The guy told Aubrey he’s taking it to the town meeting for approval next week.”
“I don’t like it,” Maeve said. “There’ll be trash and a bunch of people making noise. Tourists on the private beach too.”
“Could mean more customers for me. Can’t say that’s a bad thing.”
That was true. It wouldn’t be half-bad for Tug. “Would there be equipment out there?”
“No idea.”
“If not, I guess mostly they’ll just be jogging the shoreline, trampling my shells.”
“Or stirring up ones still below the surface.”
“Okay. Yeah, maybe.” She didn’t want to be one of those cynical old ladies, but darn if it didn’t come easy lately. “Why can’t more businesses be like Paws Town Square? They serve a need for the community and help others too. Plus, it transformed that horrible eyesore of the empty building. Now the entrance to Whelk’s Island looks welcoming. In fact, it looks more like the courthouse than the real one.” She laughed. “Won’t Mr. Muscle Guy be surprised if he pulls up to Paws Town Square thinking it’s the courthouse only to be met by a bunch of dogs running around!”
“Yeah, that place does look a lot nicer than our real courthouse.” Tug flipped a crepe in the air.
Maeve let out a quiet, “Impressive.”
Tug looked pretty pleased with himself. He slid the slip of a pancake onto a plate, then filled it with a fluffy layer of crabmeat and a drizzle of his famous milk gravy. He put another on a second plate, rolled it, and slopped it with another bit of gravy before setting the plates on the counter in front of them.
She inhaled. The natural salt from the crab teased her senses, and that rich gravy had her stomach growling. “That smells very good.”
He never prayed, but he always paused for her to have her own little silent moment. She bowed her head and silently thanked God for her food and many blessings. Then she added, And thanks for Tug. He’s been a true friend. A real best man. Amen.
When she opened her eyes, he was smiling at her almost as if she’d said those last words out loud.
At the same time, they plunged their forks into the meal before them.
“Here goes nothin’.” Tug took a hearty forkful and shoved it into his mouth.
Maeve took a bite. “Oh yeah.” She lifted her other hand to her lips. She was raised better than to talk with her mouth full, but this was too good to wait. “So good.”
“Just what I was hoping. Love it.”
“I vote for this to be on the menu.”
“At least a special when the crab is in season.”