Page 35 of A Spot of Tea
She smiled a small smile. “I’m trying to look for him.”
“What?” Mackenzie shook her head as if she’d been slapped. “How? Why?”
“There’s a reward.” She smiled. “And I have a partner.”
Mackenzie cocked her head to the side. “You have to tell us.”
Maybe she shouldn’t tell them. Maybe Mackenzie would scold her, but at the same time…Eliza never had the good story. Her life wasn’t the one packed with excitement or new people.
How could she not tell them about someone as cool as Joey?
She smiled. “It’s a lot. I’ll get some tea.”
Fourteen
With the changes at the sea pen site, Joey was in high demand, flying as many workers and supplies as he could fit into the plane.
He didn’t mind. He liked being busy and it was his job, after all – but he felt himself pulled to the tea shop. Every time he took off, his mind was back on the ground, wondering what it’d be like to meet Eliza’s mysterious older sister and her wild best friend.
When Eliza had first told him they were going to visit, all she would tell him was, “They’re both lovely, but very different. It’s…complicated.”
Joey liked complicated. It gave him something to think about on the long flights between Seattle and Stuart Island while his passengers discussed drywall and ductwork and filtration systems.
It took two days before he snagged himself an invite to the tea shop. Eliza was hosting a board game night for the patrons, and both Mackenzie and Cora had insisted on participating.
“You’re lucky,” Eliza said when he met her in the tea shop kitchen. “We only had one more spot at our table.”
“I know I’m lucky,” he said, loading the dishwasher with cups. “This is the social event of the season.”
She rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t gothatfar.”
“It’s packed out there! I saw a dad threatening to make his kids play Monopoly if they didn’t stop arguing.”
“Did it work?”
“Oh yeah, right away. Those kids knew better than to ruin their big night out.”
Eliza flashed a smile at him and filled four teapots with hot water. She loaded them onto a tray and held it up. “Do you mind carrying this for me?”
He was already reaching for it. “Not at all.”
“Our game tonight is Cascadia – Mackenzie’s choice. You win by building the best habitat for the animals. Bears, eagles…you get the idea.”
“Sounds hard.”
“It’s not. It’s fun, but I have to warn you. Mackenzie’s competitive.”
He followed her out to the London-themed tearoom, where a group had pushed two tables together for a sprawling game of Settlers of Catan.
“What about Cora?” he asked, placing the teapots down.
“She’s more of a saboteur. Her favorite thing is to annoy Mackenzie. Luckily, you can’t really do that in this game.”
“Too bad. I would’ve liked to see it.”
They returned to the kitchen just as a bell rang out – a request for a plate of cookies. Eliza didn’t need his help, but he tagged along anyway and secured a lemon sugar cookie for his troubles.
This was the sort of business he could get behind. A cozy, laidback spot to hang out and drink tea.
