“No problem.” He picked up his fork. “Do you want me to help you tell Max?”

Yes, absolutely. “No,” I said, trying not to sigh and doing a poor job of it. “Thanks, but Max is my friend. He should hear this from me.”

Ash nodded. “Okay, but if you change your mind, let me know.”

“I can go with you,” Rafe said.

My heart swelled with love and affection for these men. How did I get so lucky?

“But it would have to be early because of Monday night football.”

“Going to be a good game,” Ash said. “Tank said we’re welcome to watch at his place. He bought a new flat-screen. Eighty-six-inch, I think he said.”

My mushy smile faded as I remembered that I didn’t have a completed house to move into. And was it my imagination, or was Ash starting to take on some of Hal Inwood’s least-appealing characteristics?

As Rafe and Ash argued good-naturedly over whose turn it was to bring the beer that night, I decided to put a hold on telling Ash what Lindy had told me about the bicyclist. It could wait a few days.

“What was that?” Ash asked.

“Didn’t say a word,” I said.

“No, but your face was speaking in complete sentences.”

I made a mental note to start taking my poker-face practice more seriously. “It’s getting late, is all,” I said. “Who’s paying?”

*   *   *

Outside the restaurant, I exchanged a hug and a kiss with Rafe; then he got in his car to head up to the middle school and I hurried back to the marina for Eddie, because it was a bookmobile day and if Eddie wasn’t riding along, I’d never hear the end of it.

“You’re late.” Donna, who was sitting on a rock and soaking in the morning sun, pointed at her wristwatch.

I picked up Eddie’s carrier and shut my car’s passenger door. “Would you believe that I’m a minute and a half late on purpose so you could get more time in the sunshine?”

“No, but it is a nice byproduct. Hello, little friend.”

The greeting was for Eddie, who mrr’d in return.

“He said hello to me!” Donna smiled in delight.

“Sure he did.” I unlocked the bookmobile door and oomphed Eddie’s carrier up the stairs. “Because cats are so well-known for their social conversation skills.”

“Maybe not all cats, but certainly Eddie.” Donna came up behind me and looked around. “You know, I forget how wonderful this place is.”

I beamed. “Comments like that will get you the choice chores of the day.”

Her look was cautious. “Such as?”

My smile went wider. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”