Seaside Reunion by Irene Hannon Page B

Lillian’s question from behind him, Nate blinked. Took a breath. Tilted the screen of his laptop down. She’d offered to let him use her computer, but he’d wanted no record of his search anywhere except on his own machine. He didn’t want the older woman to think he’d been prying into Lindsey’s affairs.
    Even if he had been.
    Swiveling in the chair, he nodded. “Yes. No problem. In fact, I’m almost finished.”
    “That didn’t take long.” She cocked her head and gave him a once-over. “You know, you look a little peaked. Didn’t the lemonade agree with you?”
    “It was great.” He picked up the half-empty cup to take a sip, grasping it with both hands when he discovered his fingers were trembling. “I’ll be out of your hair in a few minutes.”
    “Don’t worry. I’m done for the night.” She gave him another keen perusal. “Are you sure you’re all right? Maybe you caught a chill out on The Point. I hope Lindsey’s okay.”
    He shot her a puzzled look. “How did you know I was at The Point? With Lindsey?”
    She chuckled. “Our mayor and her husband were driving our way on 101 for dinner and saw you and Lindsey start down the path back of the dental office. She told Genevieve. Word travels fast in Starfish Bay. You two keep stepping out together, gossip will have you paired up in no time. So a word to the wise—watch your p’s and q’s, unless there really is something going on between you two.”
    Although he tried to respond to Lillian’s grin with a smile of his own, it was hard to fake good cheer. Much as he wished there was something going on between them, he had a sinking feeling the episode on The Point had dashed any chance of that as effectively as the sharp rocks at the base of the cliffs crushed the fragile shells carried by the waves.
    “I’ll keep that in mind. But I won’t be around long, anyway.”
    “More’s the pity. Genevieve thinks Lindsey’s taken a fancy to you, and I have to say I agree. I also think the feeling is mutual.”
    He pivoted back toward his laptop, hoping the heat on his neck stayed below his collar. “And I think you two are jumping to too many wrong conclusions.”
    “Your pink ears tell a different story. But don’t you worry, young man. Genevieve and I aren’t ones to spread rumors. Our lips are sealed. We do wish you luck, though. And now I’ll leave you to finish up.”
    The door clicked shut as the older woman departed, and he once more lifted the screen of his laptop, then powered down. He’d found the information he’d been after.
    Now he had to find a way to make amends.
     
     
    The fate of The Point wasn’t looking rosy.
    From her seat at the table in front of the room, Lindsey surveyed the town hall. Every chair had been claimed, and people were standing three deep around the perimeter. She’d been watching the faces as Louis Mattson made his presentation, and hostility had given way to receptiveness on many as he walked them through not only a preliminary design for Inn at the Point, but several examples of how Mattson Properties had integrated boutique hotels into other natural landscapes. He’d now moved on to a discussion of his very favorable projected economic impact on Starfish Bay.
    She doodled on her notepad as he talked, anxious for them to get to the Q&A session. During his presentation, she’d jotted down a number of questions to supplement the ones she’d put together over the past few days. If none of the residents asked them, she intended to jump in.
    “Well, that wraps up our formal remarks.” Louis Mattson took in the town council and the residents with a sweeping smile. Tall and slender, his silver hair set off by his perfectly tailored dark gray suit, the man reeked class and integrity. This wasn’t some sleazy operation that would make promises it never intended to keep. The company’s record was stellar, based on Lindsey’s research. It had won both architectural and environmental awards. There was