Page 20 of Hide Me Darling

“Hey, Taylor,” she says, sliding into the chair across from me. “Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all,” I reply. It takes a moment before her name comes to me. “How is your day today, Madeline?”

She waves her hand dismissively. “Oh please, call me Maddie. My day is going well. More importantly, how are you liking the island so far?”

I can’t help but smile at her bubbly personality; it reminds me of Seanna. Who I make a note to call later today.

“It’s nice here. The locals I have met have all been very friendly,” I reply.

“Well, of course they are being super nice. At the moment, you’re just one level up from a tourist. They will all just smile and wave at you until they can see if you stick around. Then the real fun begins.”

I blink at her, but something tells me she is right. It’s not going to be easy or quick to dig beneath the surface of this little town, but maybe the woman sitting in front of me might be able to help with that. Leaning back in my chair, I roll my eyes jokingly.

“Here I thought all small towns were a hive of gossip.”

The grin on her face is huge as she leans forward almost conspiratorially. “Welllll, I could tell you a bit of gossip if you want. Best person for gossip around here, though, is Allegra. She hears it all.”

I chuckle under my breath because Allegra kind of already told me as much. “I'll have to see if I can get some gossip with my coffee in the morning then.”

Maddie grins. “You’ve met her already?” she asks.

At my nod, her lips lift even more. “That’s great! Tell her I said hi when you see her.”

She waves Lily over and orders a seafood salad for herself before leaning an elbow on the table. “Now tell me, who else have you met?”

With a laugh, I go through the list of people I’ve met so far. Maddie nods along but doesn’t provide much more information until I mention Rye. Then she grimaces.

“Yeah, sorry about him. Unfortunately, he has a good reason to hate city girls. His ex-wife was one. Honestly, from what I know, the whole marriage was a shitty one, but then she ran away back to the city and divorced him within a month.”

I wince, understanding helping me feel less personally attacked. Maddie suddenly motions with her head towards the café entrance. “What about the good doctor? Have you met him yet?”

Following her motion, I look over to see a man leaving the café entry, obviously having finished and on his way out. He doesn’t look old enough to be a doctor, and I wonder if there should be some rule against doctors having perfectly tanned, tattooed skin because there is no way I could go to a man that pretty when I feel like shit.

His hair is dark blond, almost brown, and wavy, and like many others on the island, he wears it longer than usual. Do they only have one barber here who can do only two kinds of cuts?

But that’s not what draws me in. It’s his smile. It’s big and charming when he stops by an older couple before exiting the door.

“No, I haven’t,” I reply, watching the interaction. I definitely need to create a profile for him, even if it is mainly to remember how pretty he is.

“That’s Dr. Lachlan Hughes,” Maddie says, leaning in a bit closer. “He’s a general practitioner here. He’s thirty and the youngest doctor we’ve had, and probably the most unconventional. But he’s good at what he does.”

“Unconventional?” I question, my mind slipping back to the way the stab wounds were described in the blogs.

“Yeah, he’s practiced in a lot of different techniques and such.” She waves her hand dismissively making me think she knows more than she is letting on, but I don’t want to push my luck. Other than Allegra, she is one of the few who seems to speak openly to me and I can’t afford to ruin that.

I watch as Dr. Hughes chats with the older couple, his demeanor warm and attentive. It’s clear he’s well-liked by the locals. But either way, something has me thinking I need to keep an eye on him.

“He seems nice,” I say, turning back to Maddie.

“He is,” she replies, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. “And very dedicated. Moved here a few years ago and just fit right in.”

“Let's hope you’re saying the same about me in a few years,” I say, trying to endear myself to her. Maybe if I’m seen to be fitting in well, then I will be able to dig deeper into the people.

She smiles and nods as our lunches are placed in front of us. Our conversation drifts to lighter topics as we eat our meal. Maddie’s company is refreshing, and I appreciate her openness and friendliness. After a while, she checks her watch and stands up.

“I should get back to the office,” she says. “But it was great getting to know you. We should do this again, okay?”

“Definitely. Thanks for the company, Maddie,” I reply with a smile.

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