Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 121871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Not just sad.
Tension emanated from him. I waited for him to be served his coffee so I could walk out with him.
If he was surprised by my company, he didn’t mention it.
The unique harbor aroma hit us as we stepped outside, and a spring breeze blew through my hair as I followed him across the street. Murray stopped at the harbor barrier. Behind us was the row of different-colored buildings housing all the stores and hotels. There was no parking on the harbor front, only over at the ferry terminal, so it was free of cars here and safe for pedestrians. The scent of seawater, fish, and the sound of gulls flying above were a familiar stirring of my senses.
For a tiny village, Main Street overflowed with businesses. The buildings were each painted a different color and inside them was everything from the volunteer lifeboat service and ferry crossing office to vacation apartments, two hotels, a hostel, a beauty salon, a convenience store, a coffee/bookshop, a bakery, two gift shops, a museum, a hardware store, a chocolate shop, a whisky distillery, pharmacy, Italian restaurant, and a fish-and-chips shop. And that was just on Main Street. In the village beyond were more stores, a fishmonger, a butcher, a doctor’s surgery, a fire and police station, and a small supermarket. Farther out on Glenvulin were a couple more cafés and restaurants, a cheese farm, Quinn and Cammie’s parents’ farm and their farm shop with fresh produce, as well as a few more hotels and B and Bs.
But Main Street was the hub, and on a spring day like today it was busier than it had been over the winter months. Still, with Murray … we might as well be the only two people in the world, I was that hyperaware of him.
As Murray and I leaned against the harbor barrier, I felt an overwhelming sense of melancholy at the thought of having to leave this place.
So, instead of my problems, I distracted myself with the prospect of someone else’s.
“You okay?” I asked, daring to nudge his elbow with mine.
Murray hugged his daughter’s books to his chest as he rested against the barrier and sipped at his coffee with his free hand. He didn’t look at me as he inquired, “What makes you ask?”
“You look like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.”
He peeked down at me, bemused. “Recognize the feeling?”
I smirked. “Well, you did let me unload on you yesterday, so it’s only right I return the favor.”
“You don’t need to hear about my problems, London.”
“I want to.”
Murray blew out a breath between his lips, and I tried not to stare at them or think about how much I wanted to trim his beard for him.
Disappointed at his continued silence, I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess it’s none of my business.”
“It’s not …” Murray sighed again. “It’s hard for me to admit my failures, that’s all.”
I frowned. “How have you failed?” It seemed impossible. The guy was adored around here. He employed so many of the islanders and was a fair and kind boss, he clearly loved his daughter, and he was always the first to offer a helping hand. No one had an unkind word for Murray Shaw.
“Jill. My ex. I’m sure you’ve heard.”
I winced at his sardonic tone because the downside to small-town life was everyone knowing your business. “I heard some things.”
“Well, they’re true. Jill gets a monthly salary out of the business’s gross profit. Not net. Gross. And it’s becoming a financial liability. None of that …” Murray turned slightly toward me, worry gleaming in his beautiful eyes. “None of that compares to how she’s treating Kelly. Neglecting her and keeping company with men I don’t want around my daughter.”
At the harsh anger in his words, I had to stop myself from pressing a reassuring hand to his arm. I’d never seen him so distraught.
“What can … is there something to be done?”
“I’m trying to get sole custody of Kelly, but it isn’t easy. As for the company … Jill can drain that dry until I marry again, so that’s not an easy fix.” Murray’s gaze roamed over my face. “I shouldn’t be burdening you with this. Have you solved your own problem?”
“Not yet.” I shrugged but smiled with more confidence than I felt. “But I will.”
“I’m … if I can help—”
“No, you have your own stuff.”
“Aye, even so, you know where to find me if you need anything.” Murray stepped back from the barrier. “For now, I need to get back to the office so …” He raised his coffee. “Have a good one, London.”
“You too.”
And as I watched him walk away, his long-legged strides eating up the cobbled Main Street, those broad shoulders slightly hunched, holding the books and a father’s tension … it suddenly hit me.