She filled a mug with steaming water, dunked in a tea bag, and trudged to the sofa. Snoot hopped up beside her and rested his chin on her thigh, his liquid eyes brimming with concern.
“I know, Bud.” She stroked his sleek head. “I miss him too, but he needs space.” She slumped against the cushions. “Which usually means the guy has changed his mind.” She sipped the tea, scalding her tongue, then set the mug down too hard and sloshed scorching liquid over her knuckles.
“Crap on a cracker!” She blew on the injured skin, which didn’t do a damn thing to ease the sting. Neither did Snoot’s tongue-swipe.
Tears prickled Addy’s eyes, and she hugged the Lab tightly. He rested his head on her shoulder and sighed.
“I’ve had one-night stands before, you know? Sometimes it was my idea, and sometimes the guy was dishonest about what he wanted, but Kieran seemed so sincere. And a guy who’s just out to get laid says all his sweet words before sex, not after.”
Snoot woofed softly.
“You’re right. I’ll text him.”
The dog nudged her cheek with his cold nose.
“Just once, then I’ll let him be.”
She fetched her phone from its charging stand and tapped out,
Last night was amazing. Please don’t let one bad dream come between us. When you’re ready to talk, I’m here.
After a trot on the beach with Snoot, Addy checked her phone again. Still no response from Kieran, who’d promised her a tour of the town and some special spot on the beach today before…
“Well, he’s not here, is he?” Addy forced a grim smile as she brushed out her wind-tangled hair. “And I’m not going to waste a beautiful day waiting for a call that might never come.”
She left Snoot with a new bully stick and headed into town, disappointment weighing her steps. “Fake it till you feel it,” she muttered, but when she rounded the corner onto Main Street, the kitschy Halloween decorations coaxed a genuine smile to her lips. Even in the off season, Trappers Cove embraced the funky, joyfully tacky vibe that drew tourists all summer. So much more fun than her bland, new-construction neighborhood near the base.
She started with the little shops of Souvenir Galaxy, an UFO-themed outdoor mini mall where tinsel spiders, bats, and witches on broomsticks dangled over the brick pathways. The window displays were cute, colorful, and inviting, but nothing tempted her inside to buy. If Liv were here, she’d probably leave with armloads of shopping bags, but shopping alone? Meh.
Next door, the sugary, yeasty smells drifting from Sweet Dreams Bakery reminded her she’d skipped breakfast. Fortified with an almond Danish and an Earl Gray tea, she packed her sourdough loaf into her canvas tote and continued up Main Street, passing art galleries,—Why decorate when I’m moving soon?, a neon-lit arcade—Kid stuff,and the cute bookstore—Already been there.
Pretty pathetic how, in a beach town brimming with amusements, nothing tempted her to play, or sample, or indulge. Kieran’s rejection had morphed her into a world-class grump.
Across the street, a garish window display caught her eye.
“Madame Zora’s Psychic Emporium.” She chuckled. “Well, that’s different.”
She moved closer to inspect the life-size skeleton wearing a tie-dyed T-shirt and holding a wicked-looking carved dagger. Real jack-o’-lanterns spilled glittering crystals from their grinning mouths. LED candles flickered from brass candelabras draped with spider webs, and a menagerie of figurines—dragons, elves, fairies, trolls, Sasquatch, space aliens—danced around the tableau’s centerpiece, a glowing crystal skull.
“Very creative,” Addy murmured and stepped through the door.
The doorway bell’s merry tinkle greeted her, along with soothing pan flute music. And wow, what a riot of colors and scents! A stone Buddha on the counter wafted patchouli-rose incense. Racks of rainbow-hued clothing crowded the narrow aisle, bumping up against book racks, glass display cases, trickling mini-fountains, hanging macrame plant holders, musical instruments from faraway lands, and an alluring array of crystals, some raw, others carved into pillars, wands, angels, skulls, dragons…
The proprietor, a short, round, grandmotherly woman with a pouf of gray curls and enormous dangly earrings, was busy at the counter helping a customer, so Addy drifted to the crystal display, running her fingers over their smooth coolness, their jagged points. So many colors and textures. Fascinating, to think of all these beauties hiding in the earth.
A touch on her arm made her jump.
With a squeak, Addy set down the crystal she was examining and clapped her palm over her heart. “Sorry, you startled me.”
The old hippie mama smiled up at Addy, her dark eyes twinkling. “Jumpy, aren’t you?” She gave Addy’s arm a comforting pat. “I’m Zora. Tell me, what’s troubling you, dear?”
Hard to imagine a less frightening personage than this sweet-faced woman, dressed in Birkenstocks, leggings, and a fluttery batik tunic. Something about her smile invited trust.
“Too many things to count,” Addy confessed. “But mostly, I’m stuck on how to help a friend.”
“Ah?” Zora lifted a questioning eyebrow.
She was sorely tempted to pour it all out to this sympathetic stranger, but—
