look warmed when he saw her. Maybe in the next month they would be able to renew their friendship, and he would come back to Port Aurora more frequently.
“Rachel was in the break room. She thought she would join us like old times.” Sean opened the wide double doors into the cavernous space where the fish and shellfish were processed for shipping to the rest of the United States.
Sean began pointing out some of the additional machines and the areas that were expanded this year. Rachel stepped away and glimpsed Aunt Betty decked out in her protective clothing with white hat and long gloves at the end of a conveyor belt. While Sean strolled with Jake to various stations, Rachel hurried toward her aunt. Out of the corner of her eye, Rachel spied Ingrid approaching Aunt Betty. Her aunt locked eyes with Rachel and shook her head. She came to a halt. Suddenly, she felt like she was in the middle of a spy movie, which was ridiculous. Aunt Betty could be melodramatic at times, but usually she was levelheaded.
Ingrid paused next to her aunt and said something. Aunt Betty nodded. Rachel would have to wait to appease her curiosity. She released a long breath and pivoted, searching for Jake and Sean.
She caught up with them near the freezers. “I need to get back to headquarters. It was great seeing you again, Jake. You and your grandfather are supposed to come to dinner tonight. A welcome-home party.”
“I’ll come with you.” Jake slanted his glance briefly toward Aunt Betty.
Did he see that nonverbal exchange between her aunt and her? Jake had always been perceptive, which probably made him a good police officer. Rachel gave Jake a smile, waiting until he shook hands with Sean and joined her before heading out of the processing room. In the hallway leading to the exit, she asked, “What do you think of the new additions to the fishery?”
“Impressive what has been done in a short time. Gramps told me things were automated and upgraded where they could be. What’s in the building next to this one? That’s new.”
“The shipping warehouse. Everything going by boat to Anchorage is loaded easily when the vessel docks right outside. They even dredged the harbor to allow for bigger ships.”
“How much is flown out?”
“Maybe a third—more in the warmer months. Ready?” She peered at Jake as he reached to open the main door. His strong profile had been shaped by the recent events in his life—the lines sharper, adding a hard edge to his features.
His hand on the knob, he peered sideways at her. For a few seconds his gaze trapped hers, and she didn’t want to look away.
“Is something wrong with your aunt?”
“I don’t know. She called upset, but we haven’t had a chance to talk alone yet. I’ll stop by after work to see what’s going on.”
“When she went into the processing room, I said hi to her and she didn’t even acknowledge it. She just kept going. I know I’ve been gone, but that’s not like her. She’s the first to want to know everything about a person.”
“I agree she isn’t acting normal.” Rachel headed into the lightly falling snow and made her way toward the office building.
She’d make sure Aunt Betty came to dinner. She’d been invited. The storm shouldn’t hit full force until after midnight, and if she had to, Aunt Betty could stay at her sister’s.
“Why were you at the processing center? I was surprised to see you there.”
Jake smiled. “To see you. I saw you entering the building and came to say hi. I hear you were promoted to bookkeeper.”
“Yes, which reminds me, I have to finish my rounds and give out the payroll checks. I’ll see you tonight.”
* * *
Midway through the afternoon, Rachel called Sean’s office to see if she could talk with Aunt Betty. His secretary told her that her aunt had clocked out early and gone home. Rachel tried Aunt Betty’s home number. No answer. She might not be home yet.
When Rachel was ready to leave two hours later, she made the call to her aunt’s again, and the phone still rang and rang. Rachel’s worry mounted. What if she was sick and couldn’t answer it? She had looked pale earlier. And why had she wanted Jake’s help?
Rachel hurried to her Jeep and navigated the snow-packed streets to the outskirts of Port Aurora. Aunt Betty’s house was on the same road out of town but before Aunt Linda’s house. Both her aunts and Lawrence Nichols, Jake’s grandfather, loved living a little out from town.
When she reached Aunt Betty’s drive, she drove down it and parked in front of the cabin, not far from the shed where her aunt’s truck was. She was home.
Rachel made her way to the covered front porch, the wind beginning to pick up and blow the snow around as it fell. Rachel knocked. A minute later she did again.
When Betty didn’t come to answer the door, Rachel stepped to the side and peeked into the living room window. She froze at the sight of the chaos inside.
* * *
Jake finished getting the supplies for Gramps and strolled toward the checkout at the Port Aurora General Store. It had been good to see Rachel again. Talking to her this morning made him realize he missed their conversations. While in Anchorage, he’d kept himself busy, and he’d let their friendship slip. He should have come back to town before this. Port Aurora had been his home for years until... He shook the image of Celeste from his thoughts and put the items on the counter. Marge, the owner’s wife, began ringing up his purchases.
A bell rang, announcing yet another customer coming into the popular store near the harbor. Jake glanced toward the person entering. He stiffened. He’d known he would see Celeste Howard—the woman who broke off their engagement eight years ago—during his extended stay at Gramps’s, but he’d hoped not the first day in town.
Their gazes clashed. He gritted his teeth and swiveled his attention to Marge to pay for his supplies.
Marge’s eyes twinkled. “She always comes in right before Brad leaves work and gets a drink at the café. She usually picks him up.” Marge, one of the best gossipers in Port Aurora, waited for his response.
He smiled and said, “Thanks. Merry Christmas,” then grabbed his bag and started for the exit of the store, which was dripping with Christmas decorations.
Celeste intercepted his departure. “Hi, Jake. It’s good to see you again. I heard about your injury. How are you?”
She had meant everything to him at one time, but when he looked at her now, a cold rock hardened in his gut. “I’m fine, as you can see.” Then he continued his trek toward the door, welcoming the blast of icy wind as he stepped onto the porch.
The heartache and humiliation of their breakup, done in front of a large audience at their engagement party, still fueled his anger. After his mother had left him with Gramps and gone on her merry way, he’d been wary of forming any deep relationship. First losing his father in a fishing accident and then his mom because she didn’t want to be a mother anymore, had left its mark. Rachel’s friendship had helped him through those hard times because she had gone through something similar with her own mom. Then when he’d fallen in love with Celeste, it felt so right. But the whole time, she’d been making a play for Brad
