Page 42 of Thunder Road

They treated themselves to a fancier restaurant with a water view. Since they were driving, they skipped the wine, agreeing to have a toast when they got home. Simon got crab bisque and fried oysters with a tall glass of iced tea. Vic ordered shrimp and grits with an iced coffee.

“I don’t think the other lighthouses are going to factor into the protections,” Simon told Vic as they ate. “The Governor’s Lighthouse and the Harbour Town Lighthouse were built astourist attractions and never were actual working navigational lights. Haig Point was a private beacon, not a full Coast Guard lighthouse, and it’s now a hotel.”

“That’s creative.” Vic dug into the grits with gusto.

“The Bloody Point Lighthouse got turned into a private home. And the Leamington Lighthouse—said to be haunted—was moved inland, and now it’s on a golf course.” Simon finished his soup, which was excellent, before moving on to the oysters.

“I’m hoping that we can do what needs to be done without either Bloody Point or Leamington because there would be ongoing problems with access,” Simon pointed out. “I’m supposed to talk with Father Anne tomorrow to see what she’s come up with.”

They finished the meal with large slices of Key Lime pie and tall coffees for the road. The sunset over the ocean was a beautiful ending to the day, which, while it had been primarily research, offered a long-overdue couples’ day out as well.

Simon couldn’t resist turning up the radio on a Top 40 channel and putting the windows down as they drove.

“I feel like I’m in a road trip movie.” Vic rested his arm on the door and let the breeze ruffle his dark hair.

Simon’s man bun kept his long hair out of his eyes. “Works for me. Once we fix this lighthouse mess, we’re going to need another vacation to de-stress.”

The drive home didn’t seem to take long as they sang along with the music and talked about the highlights of the day. When they finally arrived at the blue bungalow, Simon leaned over to kiss Vic before they got out of the car.

“Thanks for going with me. Even research is better when we’re together.”

Vic kissed him back. “I like having a better understanding of what you’re doing and how you think. So much of it is still new to me, but I’m learning.”

“You’re a quick study.” Simon paused as he reached for the door handle.

“Something wrong?” Vic immediately moved into cop mode.

“Validating that whenever we were close to one of the working lighthouses, the feeling of being watched went away,” Simon replied. “It’s back again.”

“That wouldn’t surprise me.” Vic got out of the car and walked around to Simon’s side like a security detail to accompany him into the house. “Didn’t you tell me that power can sink into the land itself and the bones of a structure?”

“Glad to know you’re listening.”

Vic stayed alert, watching their surroundings as he unlocked the door.

“And you’re right—it can sink in,” Simon said. “But without being renewed and strengthened, I suspect that the range gets smaller and smaller. Instead of protecting the whole coast and keeping the troll constrained, the power is in a more limited area around the lighthouses.”

They turned on lights, clicked the television to life, and checked to ensure nothing was amiss. Simon believed that the wards he had placed around the house and shop were strong enough to hold against most attacks, but he had never gone up against a troll and didn’t want to push his luck.

When he returned to the living room, Vic poured glasses of wine. They settled onto the couch and turned on the end of a sci-fi movie they had seen a dozen times.

Simon slipped his arm around Vic’s shoulders, and Vic leaned into his side. “Next time, let’s go up the coast and see stuff that isn’t haunted,” Simon suggested.

“Do places like that exist?”

“Yeah, but not in the historic tourist areas—which are interesting because they’re old. The deeper the history, the more ghosts,” Simon replied. “Of course, even in places we considerrelatively new, there were always people before us, and they had their own stories and ghosts.”

“So everywhere is haunted, and we’re tripping over ghosts everywhere we go.”

“Pretty much.”

Now that they were off the road and safe at home, Simon felt the effect of driving all day, especially after drinking a glass of wine. “I’m all for sexy times in the morning, but I’m fading fast,” he told Vic after they had exchanged heated kisses. “Rain check?”

Vic laughed and kissed him on the nose. “Gonna give me blue balls,” he teased. “But I’m not surprised between the driving and being outside all day. Let’s lock up and cuddle tonight, and we can go at it like sex-crazed ferrets in the morning.”

Simon drew back and gave Vic a skeptical look. “Okay, not the most romantic image, but?—”

“Just wanted to see if you were paying attention.” Vic laughed. They carried their goblets to the kitchen. Vic turned off the lights while Simon again checked the doors and wardings.

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