Page 21 of Meet Me at the Grand

Henrietta turned, a pastry bag tucked under her arm, and the wrinkles around her eyes grew even more pronounced when she smiled at Dani. “Hello, dear. You look tired. I hear there’s a good reason for that, though, hmm?”

The gossip mill had clearly gotten an early start today. Dani smiled. “Yes, I’m tired, but nothing a good coffee can’t fix.”

“Who was that man with you last night? Looked downright important, he did, with his fancy suit. I saw you drive past Martha’s diner with him in tow.”

“Oh, he’s just…a friend.” Dani grimaced, realizing howthatsounded. No better way to get the island gossips going than to imply there was more between her and Liam than there was. “A friend of Seb’s, that is. I was just giving him a quick tour.”

“What’s he doing here at this time of year, though?”

“You’d have to ask Seb.”

“Hmm, all right, dear. Have a good morning.”

“You too.” Dani winked at the older woman as she hobbled past, clearly favoring one hip more than the other. Then she stepped up to the counter.

Pushing a piece of hair behind her ear, Jill tilted her head. “The usual?”

“Yes, please. With an extra shot of espresso. And some extra caramel too, if you don’t mind.”

“You got it.” After turning to her helper—her eighteen-year-old niece, Olive—and giving her Dani’s order, Jill rang up her total. “So you’re really not going to tell us who the new guy in town is?” Jill swiped Dani’s card without looking at Dani at all.

But no matter how nonchalant she might try to seem, everyone knew that the Kelleys—who owned all three of the eating establishments currently operating on the island—were the central hub of the gossip mill.

Dani had to hold back an eye roll. “Nothing to tell.” Yet.

“I heard he’s handsome.” Tapping the credit card on the edge of the register, Jill peeked up at Dani while the receipt printed out. Then she tore it off and held both it and the card out to Dani.

“Really? I didn’t notice.” Okay, technically not the truth. He was objectively handsome. But he was a city boy. Besides that, he was only here for a week, maybe two, if that. And Dani knew better than to entertain thoughts about an outsider.

“Gonna be close-lipped about it, I see.” Grabbing a pair of tongs, Jill slipped behind the pastry case and pulled out a chocolate croissant, which she slid into a teal bag. “Go ahead. Keep your secrets. The truth will come out…eventually.”

Now Dani really did let loose the eye roll as she took her pastry from Jill and her coffee from where Olive had placed it on the counter. “Have a good day, Jill.”

“I’ll find out, you know!” the woman shouted from behind her.

Dani’s only response was to hold her drink in the air on her way out the door, as if to toast Jill’s efforts. Sometimes, living in a small town could be suffocating. Those were the times Dani dreamed of traveling abroad. But as her eyes scanned the adorable downtown—in one direction, Doug’s grocery store, Blueberry Hill Park, the old church, the Island House Inn where Liam was staying, and the historic Fort Jonathon down by the water; in the other, Martha’s on Main, the old fudge shop, Kelley’s Bar & Grill, and the public library—she couldn’t help but wonder how she would ever leave.

It’s why she hadn’t really and truly considered Dad’s offer to move to Florida and work for him. If she did that, then it would be the end of an era. The Sullivans had lived here for two hundred years.

What would it mean for her family legacy—for herfamily—if she left too?

She crossed the street and approached the door to the Tourism Bureau, holding her pastry bag by the teeth as she fished her keys from her purse with her right hand. She inserted the key into the lock.

“Need some help?”

She glanced up to find Uncle Seb strolling toward her, a silver coffee tumbler of his own in hand. Aunt Elise must have made him one to go. Pushing the door open, she dropped her keys back into her purse and snatched the bag from her mouth. “Got it!”

He chuckled. “I don’t doubt it.”

“Sorry, am I late?” Dani stepped inside the one-story building that was over a hundred years old. Getting to work here had always been a highlight of Dani’s life. She loved everything about it, from the way it smelled like old books—thankfully minus the mold that often accompanied the scent because Uncle Seb was religious about checking his properties for the stuff—to the walls papered with a vintage anchor print.

“No, I’m a few minutes early.” Seb flipped on the lights, which flickered before roaring to life. “Anxious to hear how everything went last night. I’m sorry again for not being there. My virtual meeting went long.”

“I understand.” Dani set her coffee and croissant on the large wooden desk at the entry, where brochures were arranged in an oak case that desperately needed updating, then headed to the thermostat to turn on the heat. “To tell the truth, after my tour with Liam, I was anxious to meet with you too.”

“Uh oh. That doesn’t sound good.”

The heat kicked on, and Dani turned to pick up her coffee and croissant again. “I just want to get your perspective on a few things, is all. Come on back.” She waved him through the lobby and down the tiny hallway.

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