Page 75 of Tattered (Lark Cove 1)

“Not trash, Mommy.” Charlie stopped examining a rock to scold Thea before looking up at me. She had on her favorite baseball cap, but I could still see her smiling eyes. “We’re looking for treasures.”

“Trash to become treasure.” Thea tilted her face to the sky, letting the sun warm her skin before smiling at me. “I like to take the tattered and lost and make it shine. Garbage doesn’t have to stay garbage. Things just need to find their right place.”

Their right place.

This was my right place. Being with Thea and Charlie gave me a sense of belonging I’d never felt so strongly before. I reached into my pocket to get my phone for a picture but realized it was gone. I’d left it in the car.

I hadn’t left it behind in years.

Should I get it? No. I’d enjoy the afternoon in Lark Cove.

Besides, next week, I’d be back in New York and could get all caught up.

They didn’t know it yet, but Thea and Charlie would be there with me.

I couldn’t stop rereading the email on my phone.

From: anonymous743

Subject: You’re a fucking whore.

That was it. The subject line, anonymous sender name and nothing else.

It had chimed into my phone a few minutes ago. I’d been stunned at first by the email, but the shock was fading. It had been sent to the bar’s account and since I was the only one who checked our emails, I’d had it set up on my phone.

It had to be spam. Didn’t it? Who else would send an email like that? It was probably a scammer trying to get me to respond.

I hit delete but it didn’t make me feel better. The timing was bothering me. It was odd that I’d get an email calling me a whore just days after I’d started sleeping with Logan. Wasn’t it? Except no one knew that I’d been with Logan except Hazel and Jackson.

It is spam.

Somehow, the bar’s account had been added to a hacker’s list somewhere and I was one of many who’d gotten an offensive email.

“What’s the matter?”

My head whipped to Logan as he stepped into the workshop. “Nothing.” I set my phone down, shaking off the email. “Is she asleep?”

“Yep. She didn’t make it through the third book.” He grinned as he took up his regular leaning position against the cabinets.

“Thanks for putting her to bed.”

“Anytime.” He gestured to the table where I had our score from today. “How’d we do?”

“Not bad. I was just brainstorming things to do with this stuff.” At least I had been before that email had come through.

We’d spent the afternoon at the lake, alternating between wandering along the shoreline, picking up our “treasures” and taking breaks to splash in the water. By the time we’d turned back for the car, it had been nearly dinnertime. The three of us had loaded up and gone to Bob’s Diner, the other Lark Cove restaurant. Then we’d laughed and joked over my favorite greasy burgers and fries.

It was the best afternoon and evening I’d had in ages. And the entire time, Logan hadn’t taken a single phone call or even checked his emails.

After dinner, we’d come home and spent some time visiting with Hazel. Charlie had requested Logan put her to bed after bath time, so while they’d been snuggled in her bed reading, I’d come out to the workshop to start organizing our pickings.

Charlie had added a pail of pretty rocks to her collection, while Logan and I had mostly found junk. We filled the garbage bag quickly and ended up using his bucket for more trash. But mine had come home with some real potential.

“So what are you going to do with all this?” Logan asked.

I picked up one of the two empty bottles of sunscreen we’d found. “I think I’ll add these to my collection.” I nodded to the box in the corner, overflowing with plastic sunscreen bottles. “I thought it might be cool to do something with the lids. Maybe melt them down into chessboard pieces. And then I could use the plastic from the bottles for the board. Cut them into squares and laminate them on plywood. Something like that.”

“I call dibs on that one. I love chess.” Logan grinned. “What about the cans?”