Warm Nights in Magnolia Bay, Babette Jongh [book club books txt] 📗

with the hose. He had to get out of here and do something different. Get on his motorcycle and let the wind blow through him with a fresh perspective.

Anyway, it was past lunchtime, and his stomach was growling at him.

He ended up at a bayside pub he had ridden past but never had time to stop at. From the outside, the place looked festive but relaxing, with rows of multicolored triangular flags fluttering from the edges of a vine-covered arbor in the morning breeze. Lights that hung from the arbor’s beams were turned off now, but the sun sparkled off the bulbs. As he got off his motorcycle, a wind chime he couldn’t see made a happy, high-pitched clanking sound.

It took a second for his eyes to adjust to the dim interior. The hostess looked up from her station near the entrance. “Table for one?” She cocked her head, her ponytail swinging. “Or would you rather sit at the bar?”

He glanced at the long bar that faced a wall of windows overlooking the water. A few people sat with their backs to him, but the bar wasn’t crowded by any means. “I’ll sit at the bar.”

She led him to a seat and handed him a menu. While he surveyed the menu, he felt a steady gaze on him and looked to his right.

“Hey, Quinn,” Mack said. “How’s it going?”

“Abby dumped me.” He closed his menu. “How you doing?”

“My wife kicked me out.”

Quinn gasped. “Dude. I’m sorry to hear that.”

Mack shrugged. “I guess it’s just as well. Neither of us was very happy.”

“Still, man. That’s raw. I’m so sorry. If you need a place to stay, I’ve got room.”

“Thanks, but I’m okay.”

“Where you staying?”

“The vet’s office. Good thing we kept a full bath and bedroom at the back of the building when we renovated. Figured they’d come in handy if I had to stay overnight to monitor a critical case.” He took a swig of his drink. “Didn’t figure I’d have to move in.”

The bartender came up with a notepad in hand, his pen poised to write. Quinn ordered a loaded burger and fries, then looked over at Mack. “You want another drink?”

Mack nodded, his face glum. “Sure. Straight-up bourbon.”

Quinn held up two fingers. “Another for him and one for me, please.” He looked at Mack again. “You had anything to eat yet? You gotta eat. Whatever you want; I’m buying.”

“Thanks.” Mack gave an almost-smile and spoke to the waiter. “I’ll have what he ordered.”

The food arrived, and while they ate, Quinn told Mack everything that had happened—everything he’d done—to ruin his relationship with Abby.

“Yeah, I knew already. That was boneheaded,” Mack said, his tone neutral and nonjudgmental. “I have to ’fess up that I’m the one who told Abby about the petition. I thought that she and Reva had a right to know what they’re up against and why.”

“Yeah?” Quinn did a gut check to see how he felt about that news, and decided that he didn’t feel any sort of way. Mack was a good guy doing what he thought best. “I guess it was bound to come out sooner or later. How’d you find out?”

“I asked JP how he knew about the land, and he didn’t mind telling me. In fact, he didn’t mind telling me everything.”

“Of course he didn’t.” JP didn’t care about anyone but himself, and he loved to stir up drama and strife.

“What are you gonna do to get back in Abby’s good graces?”

“I don’t know.” Quinn swirled the bourbon in his glass, making the ice cubes clink. “I’ve got to find a way to convince the powers that be not to force Bayside Barn to shut down.”

“The city council is on your side. But the mayor’s eyes are dollar-sign green.”

“Hard to beat the lure of money.” Quinn finished his drink and signaled the bartender for another. “You want another one?” He asked Mack.

“Naw. Two’s my limit.”

“You gotta go back to work?”

Mack shook his head. “Not unless I get an emergency call. I figured since I lost my wife and my office manager this morning, that was cause enough to close early today.”

“Both?”

Mack gave Quinn a droll look. “Same person.”

“Welp, I can help you with part of your problem. Abby used to be an office manager, and she’s looking for a job, or at least she will be once Reva comes home. You should call her.”

Mack’s eyebrows went up. “Thanks for the tip. I will.”

The bartender brought Quinn’s second drink. He raised it to Mack before taking a sip. “Here’s to new beginnings, whatever they look like.”

Mack raised his nearly empty glass. “Here’s to the endings that have to come before the new beginnings, whatever that looks like.”

“I’m not ready to give up yet,” Quinn said. “There has to be a way to salvage the situation with Bayside Barn.”

“JP dangled a baited hook in front of the mayor,” Mack said. “But as bait goes, this one’s pretty slippery and liable to wiggle off before the big fish they’re hoping for comes along. JP’s idea has a lot of potential, but there’s also a lot of risk. They’ll have to do environmental impact studies that could take years, and buying up all those separate properties may not be as easy or cheap as JP makes it out to be.”

“Okay, so…” Quinn made a come-along gesture with his fingers. “It sounds like you have an idea. Let’s hear it.”

“Maybe you could dangle some bait that’s less likely to slip off the hook. A sure thing that would pay off quicker. Elections are coming up in the fall. Mayor Wright might trade the potential of money in the future for a better shot at job security right now.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

“I dunno. Whatcha got?”

The bartender walked past, and Quinn motioned for the check. “All I’ve got is that estate I’m renovating. And to be honest, I was kind of thinking about moving in there myself. With Abby, if she’ll have me.”

“Well, she ain’t moving in with you if you