“Stay there so he doesn’t see you,” Adelaide said. “I’ve got this.”

Marina had no idea what was going on but she figured no matter what, she couldn’t get in trouble for standing in the park. She inched toward the thickest part of the shrub, then stuck her free hand in it to part the leaves and allow herself to see whatever Adelaide was about to do.

Deputy Jimmy Franks, who was in his sixties and always threatening to retire, was crossing the street in Adelaide’s direction. She motioned him over and he gave her a nod. Harold was almost on top of her, scratching again and glaring at his crotch, when he looked up and realized Adelaide was standing there. He came to a halt and froze. Adelaide looked at Jimmy and pointed to Harold.

“Deputy Franks,” Adelaide said, “this man made a lewd sexual gesture toward me.”

Harold’s eyes widened. “What? No!”

“You did it twice,” Adelaide said. “Grabbing your crotch. I watch the MTV. I know what that means and I don’t appreciate it.”

Marina tucked the box of doughnuts under her arm and covered her mouth with her hand as Jimmy gave Harold a disapproving frown.

“I swear, I wasn’t gesturing,” Harold said. “I have this…this thing.”

“All men have that thing,” Adelaide said. “And you’re not allowed to touch it in public.”

Harold’s face turned beet red. “Not that—it’s a rash, okay?”

Adelaide and Jimmy both stared, looking disgusted.

“Lie down with the dogs, you get fleas,” Adelaide said. “Lie down with sluts, you get STDs.”

Jimmy cleared his throat. “Mr. Trahan, I think you need to see a doctor about that, er, situation. Until then, you need to control yourself in public or stay home. We’ve got kids in this town.”

Harold whirled around and practically ran. Marina managed to hold everything in until Jimmy had walked off, then she sank onto the ground and collapsed in a heap of laughter. Adelaide stepped behind the bush and grinned down at her.

“Got his goat on that one,” she said.

“Oh my God,” Marina said, gasping for breath. “I think I might have peed.”

“It’s an age thing. Welcome to the last half of your life.”

Marina followed Halcyon to the door of the fishing cabin, practically shoving her sister out. Between Halcyon and her housekeeper, she’d been ordered around so much she felt as if she’d joined the military. But she had to admit, the place looked better. The housekeeper had helped her scrub it from top to bottom, and Halcyon had dragged some old rugs, lamps, pictures, and some other items out of storage and told her she could have it all. It was an eclectic blend of things her sister had grown attached to over decades of decorating changes, but the mismatched items added a bit of festivity to the cabin. Made it more interesting and less gloomy.

Remarkably, one outstanding repair issue remained and that was a leak in the bathroom sink. Until the town’s only plumber could fit her in, Marina figured she could just use the kitchen sink to brush her teeth. It wasn’t as though anyone would be there to tell her it was inappropriate. Halcyon had raised hell over the locks until Marina made an appointment for the next week with the locksmith, but she’d installed dead bolts on the inside so that her sister wouldn’t worry about her staying in the cabin that night.