“Of course,” I assured him.“And we have lobster rolls on our menu today.”
Oliver grinned.“Oh, you will definitely see me later then.”
I smiled, hoping he could see my thankfulness for his friendship in my expression.He tipped his hat, and I knew he was mimicking Justin’s earlier gesture.My smile turned into a genuine laugh.That made me feel better.
“Come on, Dave,” I prompted as I passed my bartender, still standing at the glassblower booth.
Dave blinked as if coming back to reality after being hypnotized.
“That guy is a banger,” he said, which actually made me chuckle again.Apparently, “banger” was Dave’s new favorite word.
We headed down the alleyway of vendors, eventually locating the Steamy’s Pub stall.It was set up next to another food vendor—one I’d never heard of.Opulent Occasions.
And “opulent” was the right description.Their booth was stunning, decorated with burgundy velvet curtains all around the scaffolding.The front was adorned with evergreen boughs, tastefully glittering ornaments, and ribbons of gold and silver.Red poinsettias dotted the greenery giving a rich and elegant pops of color.
Even from where I stood, I smelled the aroma of mulled cider and roasted nuts.
Then I looked at the Steamy’s booth.I had rented a tent, which, thankfully, was canvas at least.I’d almost gone with white Tyvek, but decided since it was Cameron’s grand opening, I should spring for the classier tent rental.But our decorations were just green and red garland and some white lights—all found in my grandmother’s boxes of old Christmas ornaments.
We looked like Opulent Occasions’ dollar store next-door neighbors.
Thankfully, I could smell the delicious scents of clam chowder and steaming lobsters coming from the pots Jimmy had set up on gas burners on the other side of our makeshift, particle board counter.
“Your llama is a real b?—
George Sprague, who was Steamy’s number one patron and resident barfly, sat on a barstool at the end of the counter, eyeing Jack, who nibbled at a tuft of dandelions next to where George sat.
“Did you bring that stool from the pub?”I asked him before he could finish his comment about my beloved pet.
I could admit Jack Kerouac could be ornery and probably hadn’t been terribly cooperative with George and Jimmy, who’d agreed to bring him to the event today.Jack didn’t love getting loaded into the back of a truck.Or a sedan.Which had happened on one occasion.
“Well, I needed a place to sit,” George said as if that fact should be obvious.“Especially after wrestling that bi?—”
This time, his insult was interrupted by our neighbor from Opulent Occasions.
“Steamy’s?That’s a fun name.”
I turned to see a couple in their mid-thirties that could only be described as the personification of a “Ken and Barbie Holiday Collector’s Edition.”
They stopped several feet away from our little booth as if our glaring lack of taste might rub off on them.Definitely not locals.
“Steamy’s has been the pub name since nineteen seventy-three,” I said, trying not to fidget with my elf costume.“Change doesn’t come readily in Friendship Harbor.”
They both looked fantastic in stylish Christmas clothing.The woman wore a red velvet skirt and a silk blouse with a bow at the neck.The man wore a suit jacket and a bow tie with holly on the silk material.
“Change isn’t always a bad thing,” the man murmured under his breath.
“Your booth is so fun, too,” the blonde woman said, smiling brightly.
I tried to decide if there was any irony in her voice, but her smile seemed genuine.The man, however, appeared thoroughly unimpressed.
“I guess with a kitschy name like Steamy’s Pub, you definitely wanted to play up that aspect of your business,” he said.He literally looked down his perfect nose as he surveyed our cobbled together decorations.
I managed a bright smile.“Yes.That was my thought.Although, I guess, I didn’t realize the theme was a Victorian Christmas.”
More irritation rose in my chest.Cameron was my boyfriend, and I had gotten no information about what to expect.Then, I immediately felt guilty.To be fair, Cameron had been ridiculously busy getting the inn ready to open, and I could’ve asked what the event was going to be like myself.In fact, I should’ve asked.Even though Cameron and I had only been dating a few months, I should’ve known that he would pull out all the stops.That was Cameron.
And Oliver could have told me too.He and Henry had to have known what the plan was.
