Fish Perfume (Cozy Harbor Marina Series) by Sammie Grace Page B

and we headed over to the tidal flat, our favorite spot. We clammed for about an hour and did pretty well today, getting almost a bucket full. After we were done, we took a little boat ride over to Potter’s Pond.
    I asked Mac, “Are you playing poker tonight?”
    He laughed and said, “Yeah, I’d better show up, too. I won the pot the last two weeks in a row, and the guys will be out for blood tonight.”
    “Is it a high stakes game?”
    “Just a nickel a hand, but the guys take it serious. You’d think we were playing for big bucks.”
    “Sounds fun.”
    He nodded and said, “Oh, it is. We’ve known each other for years, and we reminisce a lot and tease each other unmercifully. Hang on to your old friends, Meggie. There is nothing better than having lifelong friends you share a history with. You laugh at the same things and have the same values. Our opinions differ sometimes, but that makes life interesting.”
    I told him, “I’ve had the same two best friends since grammar school. After high school, we went to different colleges, but we’ve never drifted apart. My friend Helen is coming to visit next week.”
    “She’s invited to go clamming with us any time. I’ll look forward to meeting her.”
    “She’d like that, Mac. I just have to warn you; she’s a character.”
    “You girls should have a good time then.”
    “Oh, we will.”
    “Have you seen Ian lately? Any progress?”
    I blushed and told him about Friday night and that I haven’t seen Ian since.
    “Well, I think Ian’s starting to come around. First he insisted on taking you home. That’s a good sign. I don’t think he liked you dancing with those other fellas. Second thing is, if he kissed you back, then he is definitely interested. It’s not like you’re some girl he just met. Ian’s known you and your family for years. If he kissed you, he meant it.”
    Doubtfully I said, “I don’t know, Mac. I hope you’re right. To be perfectly honest with you, when I saw him for the first time after all these years, I felt like you did when you met Marie, all warm inside. Every time I see him, it’s like there’s this magnetic force field pulling me toward him. I never felt that way before about a guy. I can’t get him out of my head. He’s on my mind constantly. People always say you’ll know when you meet the right one. I never believed in any of that. Now I wonder if there isn’t something to it.”
    “Always go with your gut, Meggie.”
    We headed back to the marina and saw Ian coming in on The Stalwart . He looked over at us and gave us a wave. My heart started to pound and my hands began to sweat. I’ve been anxious but nervous about seeing him again. Mac and I got the boat tied up. We each took some clams, and I went back to the office.
    I just got settled in at my desk paying some bills when Randy from the Blood, Sweat and Beer s knocked on my door jam.
    He said, “Hey, Meggie, sorry to bother you.”
    I turned toward him. “No problem. What can I do for you?”
    “Well, I had a pair of really nice Maui Jim sunglasses on the boat, and they’re missing. I could have misplaced them, but I always keep them in the exact same place, and they’re gone. I just wanted to let you know in case somebody turns them in.”
    “Sure. I’ll put a notice up on the bulletin board and let you know if I hear anything.”
    “They were expensive,” he informed me. “My wife bought them for me for my birthday and she doesn’t part with a buck easily. She told me she found them on sale. She’s the consummate bargain shopper. She cruises a sale rack like a shark going through a chum slick.”
    I laughed and said, “I hope you find them.”
    “Me too,” he said and left the office.
    I made up a notice about his missing glasses and put it on the bulletin board out in the store. By the time I finished the bills, it was time to close up. Journey took off for the day, and I closed up the store. After sitting for most of the afternoon, I