Colleen shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. Tucker and I started watching a documentary one night, and I’ve just been interested in that kind of stuff ever since. I think I just like to know what makes the human mind tick.”

“Well, you can have it. I don’t like any of that dark stuff. Especially not at night time when I have to go to bed.”

“What’s this about going to bed?” William said as he walked up to the table. Colleen loved to see the two of them together. He adored her aunt, and she wanted nothing more than for Janine to finally be happy and settle down. She had been absent from the family for so many years when she was traveling and estranged from Colleen’s mother. Now, it just seemed like the time was right for her to finally put down roots and get married.

“I was just telling Colleen that I couldn’t watch that crime stuff that she does. It would give me nightmares.”

He leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips. “I don’t know, some of that stuff is interesting. I prefer to listen to the podcasts because I’m always on the boat.”

“Want to sit down? We can get another chair,” Colleen offered.

“No, thanks. I actually need to get home and take a shower. I somehow managed to get fish guts all over me today on one of my charters,” he said, pulling at his shirt. Colleen scrunched her nose.

“You know, I could’ve gone the rest of my life without hearing you say that.”

“Sorry. I thought you could take it,” he said, poking her in the arm. “Besides, I just came by to say hello to my beautiful girlfriend and ask her if she would like to go on a fancy date with me tomorrow night?”

“A fancy date? What’s the occasion?” Janine asked, looking up at him.

“Do I have to have a special reason to take you out?”

“I guess not. It’s just that we’ve both been so busy lately that I wasn’t expecting something like this.”

He walked around behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, squeezing them before pressing his lips to the top of her curly hair. “You just get all dolled up and I will pick you up at six o’clock.”

As he started to walk away, Janine called him. “Where are we going?”

He didn’t turn around but yelled back, “Just make sure you wear shoes you can dance in.”

Janine stared at Colleen, a smile forming on her face. “What is he up to?”

“I don’t know, but it sure sounds fun whatever it is.”

Chapter 6

Emma nervously walked down the road toward the inn. Why on earth would she agree to this? It had already been a long, tiring day and now she had to stay on her game while eating dinner with a bunch of strangers.

It was already obvious that some of the women she met were picking up on the fact that she had run away from her old life. Nobody was asking any direct questions, although she was sure that would be coming soon. Julie and Janine’s mother wanted to know her backstory, that much was obvious.