Sea Haven 01 - Water Bound

special.”
    He looked pleased as he patted her door with his hand and then waved to her. Rikki’s hand shook as she turned the key. She was fortunate that it was Jonas who had stopped and recognized her. And she had to ask Judith about the reporters and what Jonas had been talking about. Really, she should read the paper more and at least turn on the news. She saved the newspapers for a week, just in case she wanted to read them. But they were always so depressing.
    She turned off the highway to enter the village. As a rule, tourists came from all over to see the small, artsy town set on the edge of the sea. Today, it was packed. Overrun. Her pulse went into a pounding beat she felt inside her head. Ordinarily she would have driven straight to the headlands to sit overlooking the ocean, but she’d promised Jonas she’d deliver his package.
    She probably hadn’t been speeding. He’d most likely taken one look at the mass of people and turned tail and run, waiting for an unsuspecting innocent to do his dirty work for him.
    She blew out a disgusted puff of air as she found the only available parking place in town—a good distance from her sister’s shop. Even the 95

    grocery store lot was filled. Rikki looked down the street and every single parking space was filled. People jammed the wooden sidewalks. And trying to go into the local coffee shop was impossible. There was a crowd ten deep.
    She’d been thinking about a nice cup of coffee. Damn Jonas Harrington. He was probably somewhere smirking right now.
    She sat in her truck for a few minutes, working up the courage to fight her way through the crowded sidewalks to her sister’s shop. Far out, she could see the blue of the ocean, and her entire being yearned to be out there where the waves swelled and crested, rolling in beautiful, powerful displays.
    She understood the sea and the rules there, the life and death survival. But here . . . She looked around her. Here, she was definitely the proverbial fish out of water.
    Well, she had something to do. Resolutely, Rikki shoved open the door of her truck and stepped into the street. Out at sea, on the deck of the Sea Gypsy, she could keep her legs under her, riding the swells with perfect balance, but here, on land, the uneven terrain always made her feel clumsy and awkward. Maybe it was all the people. She could barely breathe. There was no way to drown out the noise. She had coping mechanisms that she’d developed over the years. Counting her steps sometimes helped, but she’d never seen Sea Haven so packed.
    She kept to the street, walking close to the bumpers of the parked cars to avoid the masses on the sidewalk. Her temperature soared and she had to wipe beads of sweat from her face. She kept breathing, her sunglasses firmly in place, wishing she were on her boat where she could see whatever was coming at her.
    She had to push through people to get inside Judith’s shop and it was difficult to avoid touching anyone. Twice she was jostled and nearly fell to the sidewalk. Once a tall man’s elbow struck her in the head, knocking her sunglasses askew. He quickly caught her elbow to steady her, apologizing profusely. She nodded and scurried into the shop, banging the door closed behind her, hoping to keep everyone else out so she could breathe. She stopped, her entire body shuddering. The store was packed.
    Judith looked up and saw her. Judith. Her lifeline. Tall, slim, hair flowing like a cascading waterfall of black silk—a heritage from her Japanese mother—Judith came immediately to Rikki, working her way through the crowded aisle, her expression one of concern. Rikki would never have come into her shop with people around, not if it wasn’t important.
    Rikki felt relief, knowing Judith understood.
    “What’s up, baby? Anything wrong?” She looked back toward the counter and raised her voice. “Airiana, I’ll be a minute.”
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    Airiana, another one of Rikki’s sisters, looked up with a small frown of annoyance until she saw Rikki. There was instant concern. “Of course. I can handle it. Hi, hon. Everything okay?”
    Rikki lifted a hand to reassure her, but immediately turned and shoved open the door, practically falling onto the sidewalk. She needed to be outside where she could gasp for breath. There were still too many people, so she pushed her way through them to the street. She drew in several deep breaths, holding her head down to clear her dizzy brain.
    Judith put a comforting hand