Page 34 of May 11

She rolled over and grabbed her phone. Going through her playlist, she played Roll Me Away by Bob Seger. Rolling onto her back, she stared up at the ceiling and softly sang along with the song.

It was one of her mom's favorites. Many times, they rode together in the car with the music cranked. Her mom would at first fight the urge to sing. But eventually, she would join in, and it was the best feeling.

Just her and her mom, loving life. Loving each other.

She blinked. Tears rolled into her hair.

When the song ended, Wire plopped on the bed beside her. She rolled against him and inhaled deeply, shaking off the sadness.

"Babe?"

"I'm okay."

He petted the back of her head, smoothing her hair. "You weren't even born when that song came out."

She smiled against his chest. "Still...it's a good song."

"Yeah." He chuckled. "That it is."

He held her until she got control of her emotions. She kissed him and pushed off the bed. It was her time to shower, and she planned on taking all the hot water.

Chapter Thirteen

THREE WEEKS INTO WORKING at Whale's Tail, Cora had a good guess which customers were tourists and who were locals. She approached a table with two drinks.

"Here you go." She smiled. "Is there anything else you'll need?"

"This is perfect." The older woman pulled her drink closer. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome." She stayed at the table, reaching into her pocket. "Can I ask you ladies if you've seen the man in this photo around town?"

"Sure." The other woman, who appeared to be the adult daughter of the duo, leaned forward. "Is someone lost? I haven't heard of anyone missing. Though it seems like every summer, someone gets stuck out on the rocks when the tide comes in. It's such a tragedy, despite how many warnings are posted around town."

She ignored the question and held up the picture of her brother. "He'll look older now. In his late forties."

Both women shook their heads. She slipped the photo back into her pocket.

"Thanks for looking." She smiled, hiding her disappointment.

The older woman caught Cora's wrist. "Is he missing?"

She nodded. Her brother's history was hard to explain to people. It was easier to leave the past in the past without explaining more than Jeff was missing.

Returning to the counter, she filled the bean container when the phone rang. She answered, taking the to-go order. When she finished, the two ladies at the table came to pay their tab.

Once the shop cleared, she filled the pickup order. Locals tended to call ahead to avoid the tourists who seemed to take longer to shop and had no schedule to return to since they were on vacation.

Halfway through, Brooke walked in the front door. Cora waved.

"Has it been busy?" Brooke stopped in front of the counter.

"Not too bad." She turned on the steamer. "Only one phone order came in. The big rush is over, and things are slowing down."

Dania was running errands and would be back in time to close the shop.

"What are you doing on your day off?" she asked.

Maverick walked through the door, joining his wife. Brooke put her arm around her husband.

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