Chapter 12

Returning home, Morgan stashed the ring in her wall safe for safekeeping and wandered into the kitchen.

The back door slammed. Quinn appeared. "Hey, Morgan."

"Hey, Quinn." Morgan opened the refrigerator door and began rummaging around.

"There's not much in there to eat. We need to go grocery shopping."

"No kidding." Morgan closed the door. "I guess I need to move onto Plan B."

"Which is?"

"Driving over to the bakery to peruse the offerings."

"Peruse the baked goods for dinner?" Quinn wrinkled her nose.

"Sure." Morgan warmed to the idea. "Something sweet and savory sounds good. Maybe I'll have one of Elin's gourmet blueberry muffins."

"Elin's muffins." Quinn licked her lips. "Now you're talking. I'll go with you. I'm starving."

The friends climbed into Quinn's car for the quick trip to Locke Village. They found plenty of empty parking spots and even snagged one right out front.

Stepping inside, the overhead bell tinkled, announcing their arrival.

Elin Jensen, the bake shop's owner, peeked over the top of the display case. "Hello, Quinn, Morgan."

"Hey Elin."

"Were your ears burning?" Elin finished sliding the tray into the empty slot and slid the door shut. "I was just thinking I hadn't seen either of you in days. You must be busy."

"Way busy." Quinn rolled her eyes. "The art gallery is all hustle and bustle."

"Ditto for the bed-and-breakfast. Every day we have guests packing up and leaving and new ones coming in," Morgan said. "How is the bakery biz?"

"The same." Elin tapped the top of the baked goods display case. "The treats are flying off the shelves."

"A few more are about to take flight," Morgan joked. "Quinn and I have decided to eat nothing but decadent goodies for dinner tonight."

"You're in luck." Elin rattled off what was available. "I have double crumb blueberry muffins, sky high chocolate chip muffins. There are even a few aebleskivers left."

Quinn clapped her hands. "We'll take those for sure."

"Along with two croissants and a blueberry muffin," Morgan added. "You might as well throw in a couple of those sky-high chocolate chip beauties."

Elin grinned, reaching for the tongs. "You weren't kidding. I think I'll grab a bite to eat, too." She loaded the goodies onto a plate, poured three glasses of lemon-infused water and caught up with them at a table in front of the window.

While they munched, the women chatted about the fall color touring season, which was right around the corner. "Ronni, Grace and I are going all out. We're kicking it off with a joint event for guests from both the Lilac Inn and Locke Pointe."

"How fun."

"If it works out, we might expand and plan special events for all the upcoming holidays." Morgan sipped her water and fiddled with her straw. "Tina will handle making most of the food. I was thinking I'll also need some of your signature baked goods."

"I love making fall treats. Let me know what and when. I'll be happy to help chip in." Elin changed the subject. "Greg stopped by earlier to pick up a few things for Tina. He's over the moon about his new home. It's all he talked about."

"He's super excited," Morgan said. "The carriage house has finally found its purpose."

Quinn tapped her friend's arm. "Tell Elin about the ring."

Morgan shared the story, starting with how they'd found the custom storage compartment and finished with finding the key and discovering the ring locked inside.

"Morgan's going to try to find the owner," Quinn said.

"I already have." She filled them in on what happened when she showed up on Gabe Locke's front porch. "When he found out why I was there, he slammed the door in my face."

"Poor Gabe." Elin tsk-tsked. "Ruby broke his heart."

"More like Ruby's father broke his heart," Quinn said. "I wonder what happened to her."

"The family moved to the mainland," Elin said. "Ruby and I are friends."

Morgan's eyes widened. "Do you know how to find her?"

"She lives in Port Huron."

"Is she…married?"

Elin shook her head. "No. We get together every few months. I can say she hasn't stepped foot on the island in years. I never heard the story about the ring. Maybe because Ruby didn't know about it."

"What should I do with it? Clearly, Gabe never got over Ruby." Morgan plucked a plump blueberry from her muffin and popped it into her mouth. "What if she's as heartbroken as he is?"

Quinn began shaking her head. "Playing matchmaker could blow up in your face."

"True," Morgan said. "I wonder how many years have passed."

Elin thought about it. "Gosh. Probably close to thirty years."

"When I was a toddler," Morgan said.

"And Gabe would've been around twenty at the time. Ruby was seventeen," Elin said. "Let me ask Ruby about it."

Morgan brightened. "Would you? He's not married. She's not married. What if they're still in love?"

"I suppose it's possible." Elin promised to put some feelers out, to gauge Ruby's reaction.

The conversation shifted to other matters, and before Morgan knew it, she'd eaten two aebleskivers, a blueberry muffin, half a croissant and half a chocolate chip muffin.

Quinn had eaten about the same. She leaned back in the chair and groaned. "I may live to regret this meal."

"Me too." Morgan covered her mouth and delicately burped. "It sure tasted good going down."

"Dinner is on me." Elin began gathering up the dishes.

"No way." Morgan insisted on paying for dinner and after finishing, she and Quinn climbed back into the car.

"I'm not ready to head home," Quinn said. "There's still some daylight left. Let's take an evening cruise."

"Sounds good." The days were growing shorter and although Morgan was looking forward to the holiday season, she missed the Florida sunshine. "Do you ever miss Florida?"

"Yes, and no. I miss the warmth and sunshine. Around January or February, I'll probably be ready for a break from the cold and snow."

"Me too. We can always book a winter break and head south for a few days." Morgan warmed to the idea. "I think we should. Let's plan a Florida trip after the holidays."

"You have yourself a deal." Quinn gave her a fist pump. "We can hit all our favorite restaurants and beaches."

"I like your way of thinking."

Returning home after a leisurely cruise around the island, Morgan's first order of business was to take Chester out for an evening walk.

The sun had gone down and a brisk breeze blew in off the open water. Morgan's teeth chattered as she braced against the chilly evening air. "C'mon, Chester. I should've brought a warmer jacket."

Back inside their snug and cozy cottage, Morgan curled up on the couch and turned the television on. She must've dozed off because the next thing she knew, Quinn was standing over her. "Hey, sleepyhead."

Morgan stifled a yawn, lifting her hands over her head in a long stretch. "I must've dozed off."

"And started snoring."

"Thanks for the wake up shake up." She threw the blanket on the back of the sofa and called her pup. "Time for bed, Chester."

Zipping through her bedtime routine, she tossed her dirty clothes in the hamper and crawled under the covers. It had been a busy day. Greg's move. David Wynn showing up at Locke Pointe. The offer. Tracking down Gabe Locke. Spending the evening with Quinn.

It was a nice night, a great night. Evenings spent hanging out had become fewer and farther between. Quinn had settled into her life—a busy work schedule, and now Brett. And Morgan had hers, which was shaping up to become even busier with the Wynn Harbor Inn project on the horizon.

Morgan finally fell asleep, but it was a restless sleep filled with tossing and turning. Her grandmother's sage advice kept ringing in her ears. She needed to make the best decision for her—to pick the road best traveled.

Chester flopped over and pressed his paws against her back, as if telling her it was time for her to settle down.

"Sorry for keeping you awake. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to relax until I sign on the dotted line." Morgan flopped over again, vowing as soon as she got up the next morning, she was going to do precisely that.