Sea Glass Cottage Read Online Free Page B

his errands.
     



Chapter Two
     
    I sabella made her way into Murphy’s Market still fuming about the encounter with Thane Delacourt. Whenever she’d had conversations with Logan about Pelican Pointe—both before and after her decision to move here—he’d failed to mention the major asshole tendencies of some of its residents. Oh well, didn’t every town have a curmudgeon, someone who seemed to take pleasure in bringing misery to neighbors? That was Mr. Delacourt.
    She thought back over the last several months when she’d met practically the entire town at various events—the opening of Phillips Park, the outdoor movie nights held throughout the summer, the concerts over the bay, parties she’d ducked. Now she knew why she hadn’t crossed paths with him before today. He probably didn’t get many social invitations and didn’t yearn to make new friends.
    But then she realized she’d done her fair share of shunning social engagements over the past several months. It wasn’t that she was aloof or unfriendly. It wasn’t because she wanted to remain a mystery to people. But how could she explain that she hadn’t wanted to answer the inescapable questions about her past, those that came with settling into a new place. It meant her absence at get-togethers had led a few around town to believe she was standoffish and distant.
    That included the good-looking Zach Dennison. Zach was a nice guy. Ever since meeting at Julianne Dickinson’s Memorial Day barbeque last spring they’d crossed paths a couple of times around town. After one of the concerts, the two had even shared a meal, sort of, when Kinsey had insisted on inviting everyone back to her place to celebrate the opening of Tradewinds Boatyard, Zach’s new enterprise he’d started with pals, Ryder McLachlan and Troy Dayton.
    Now that she thought about it, there were nice guys all over town. NFL career or not, Mr. Delacourt definitely wasn’t one of them. In fact, his moniker from now on should be something similar to “Oscar the Grouch.”
    Maybe she’d stop by Tradewinds Boatyard and say hello, in a neighborly sort of way, to Zach. Maybe she’d take the initiative and do the asking out.
    After grabbing a shopping cart from the row, she began to feel the aftereffects of falling on her bike. Soreness began to settle in, especially around her right knee. Realizing she was fortunate to have nothing but a few bumps and bruises and not a broken bone or two, she entered the produce aisle, perused the selection of grapes. She stopped to add a few vine-ripe tomatoes to her basket but as she turned to toss in a bunch of kale, her head started to ache. Determined to forge on, she moved past a table piled high with Tuscan melons. She reminded herself that she was on her bike and was therefore limited to how many items she could carry home at one time. But as the pain in her head increased she decided that maybe she needed to get back home. But first she had to troop through frozen food to pick up a carton of chocolate caramel gelato. That would make any ailment feel better. If it melted on the trip back, so be it. She’d lap it up soup-style and be in ice cream heaven.
    With enough supplies to hold her for a couple of days, she headed to the front of the store to check out. But as she stood in line behind Prissie Gates, her head began to pound even worse. Her vision blurred before everything went black. Slowly she crumpled to the concrete floor. The last face she remembered belonged to Thane Delacourt.
     

     
    On his way back from the hardware store past the pizza place he had yet to name, Thane spotted the ambulance parked outside Murphy’s Market, its lights still flashing. Knowing Isabella had been headed that way, his first thought was of her. Turning the wheel, he pulled into the lot, and rushed through the double doors only to see her laid out on the linoleum.
    “What happened?” he asked Murphy.
    “Damned if I know. She was standing in line and the