Grave Homecoming (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 1) by Lily Harper Hart

fell into that category. Wow. This is cold.”
    “It’s early in the season,” Maddie said, bending over and releasing the turtle. “Farewell, Monty.”
    Nick barked out a laugh. “Are you still naming them before you release them?”
    “I guess so. It’s been ten years since I’ve had one to release.”
    “Ah, Freddy,” Nick said, nodding knowingly. “He was one of a kind. It took me twenty minutes to catch him.”
    Maddie was flabbergasted. “You remember that?”
    “I remember it all,” Nick said, exhaling heavily. “I remember it all.”
    “Me, too,” Maddie said. “I also remember you having something of a meltdown last night.”
    “Yeah, that’s why I came looking for you,” Nick said. “I owe you an apology.”
    “No, you don’t, Nicky,” Maddie said. “You actually saved me.”
    “I did?” Nick raised his dark eyebrows, surprised.
    “It was a horrible night before you got there,” Maddie admitted. “It only got worse once you left.”
    “Why? Did he put his hands on you?”
    Maddie was taken aback by Nick’s vehemence. “No. He tried to force feed me lobster, and then he tried to make me go for a walk with him on the beach, and then he brought me home.”
    “Did he … did he kiss you?”
    “Do you really want to know the answer to that?”
    “No,” Nick said. “Did he?”
    Maddie snickered. “No. Maude was waiting on the front porch. She threatened him with a potato chip bag clip to the groin if he put the moves on me.”
    “I’ve always loved Maude.”
    “She’s always loved you.” Maddie bent over to study the ground by her feet, plunging her hand into the water and returning with a stone. She rubbed it, studied it for a second, and then tossed it to Nick. “For luck.”
    Nick caught the rock. “It’s a Petoskey Stone.”
    “They’re still your favorite, aren’t they?”
    “I love Petoskey Stones like you love turtles,” Nick said. He stuck the stone in his pocket. “I really am sorry about what happened last night.”
    “It was a horrible situation,” Maddie said. “I still don’t know how I ended up there – especially in that dress.”
    “Yeah, that was something new,” Nick said. “I didn’t even know you owned a dress like that.”
    “Christy and Maude forced me into it,” Maddie said. “They’re not big on boundaries. I told them it wasn’t me, but they just don’t listen sometimes.”
    “You looked beautiful in the dress, Mad,” Nick said. “You just shouldn’t have worn it for the likes of Todd Winthrop.”
    Maddie had no idea why she pushed the subject, but she couldn’t stop herself. “Who should I have worn it for?”
    Nick pursed his lips. “I don’t know,” he said finally. “Who did you want to wear it for?”
    “I never wanted to wear that dress for anyone,” Maddie said. “I felt like I was naked. It was too small for me.”
    “The dress was not too small for you,” Nick said. “You looked like … an angel. A really … hot … angel.”
    Maddie snorted as her cheeks warmed. “You don’t have to lie to me. I know I looked ridiculous.”
    “Maddie … I wish you would stop doing that,” Nick said.
    “What?”
    “You don’t see yourself how others see you,” he said. “You never have. That’s your biggest fault. You don’t see how … beautiful you are. You see the beauty in others fine. When you look at yourself, though, you see something else. I’ve always wondered what that is.”
    “I just see … me,” Maddie said. “Just plain, old Maddie.”
    “You’re such a putz.”
    Maddie kicked out with her foot and splashed him. “You’re a putz.”
    Nick extended his finger. “Don’t start a war you can’t win, missy.”
    “Who says I can’t win?”
    Nick bent over and cupped his hands in the water, aiming them at Maddie.
    “Don’t you dare!”
    “Say you can’t win.”
    “No.”
    “Say you can’t win,” Nick pressed.
    “No.”
    Nick scooped the water up and flung it in Maddie’s