Page 6 of Hot Buttered Rum

“Rain clouds?” I walked to the window and looked out. The clear navy blue sky had been muted by a thick ceiling of clouds, ominously dark clouds. “But that’s impossible. Earlier this evening there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.”

“Storms roll in quickly on Barbary Cove. It’ll be gone by morning. Then you can take out one of the canoes. If you paddle out far enough, the water is clear as glass. You can see everything.”

“Did you say Barbary Cove? Where is Northam’s Cove from here?”

Coco raised her smooth dark brows. “I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of it.”

“But that’s impossible.”

Coco flashed her all too wise grin. “I’ve found sometimes it’s easier not to understand the impossible and just go with it. Come. I’ll show you up to your room.”

“I just realized I can’t possibly stay.” I held out my arms and stared down at my jeans. “I didn’t bring anything with me for a weekend.”

“No worries. I’ll make sure you have everything you need. Oh, but I must warn you, cell phones don’t get reception up here. I’ve found it works though. You’ll be surprised how much fun you can have when you’ve unplugged for a weekend.” My highly unusual hostess winked and motioned for me to follow.

Coco led me up the stairs and down a hallway with two bedrooms. She pushed open the door to one of the rooms and stepped inside.

The center of the room was filled with a beautiful antique bed that was overflowing with pillows and downy quilts. “Oh my, that is a bed that you could get lost in.” I walked to the window, where a cushioned window seat was filled with nearly as many pillows as the bed. The first patters of rain hit the glass. “Will Turner be all right out on his boat?”

“Oh sure. He’s spent his whole life on the ocean. His grandfather was a fisherman. He knows he can come back to the inn if it gets too bad out there.”

Coco headed to another door and opened it. “I suggest you have a nice long soak in a bubble bath to start your weekend.”

I walked forward and gazed into a richly appointed bathroom with a tub that was deep enough to swallow me up. The bathroom was more sumptuous than the bedroom. “I might just wrap myself in bubbles and sleep in that tub.”

Coco laughed. “Might get a bit cold. I’ll go downstairs and fix you something to eat.” She waved her hand around the cozy room. “Enjoy.”

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