Our gazes met and held, then he smiled. “You ready?” He asked as he gestured to the paintings behind him.

“Oh, yeah.” He stood before offering me his hand to help me to my feet. As we approached, the others were already studying the paintings and I wondered about the looks on their faces until I stood in front of the easels. It was almost eerie how very much alike in style our paintings were. Even the use of color and the blending of shades were very similar.

I said out loud what I was thinking. “It's like we share a brain.”

And I knew unequivocally in that moment that Logan was my dad.

***

The following day, Logan accompanied Broderick and Bastian for a supply run one town over, so I was hanging with Saffron. We spent the day shopping for baby clothes and went to lunch. I finally got to meet Chastity since she was in town finalizing the plans for the swordfish festival.

I had to agree with Saffron. The woman was as friendly as a rattlesnake and demanding—ordering people here and there. Her attention zeroed in on a small, heavy-set elderly man. “Take that order to the bakery and make sure they have the final cost to me by mid-afternoon.” She didn't wait for a reply before she turned her glare on the nervous-looking woman standing next to her. “Is the float ready?”

“I'm not sure.”

“Well, go find out.” When she ordered Saffron, Gwen and me to test out the PA system, I came very close to telling her what I thought of her but then I saw the very small smile directed at Saffron that cut through her rough exterior. Clearly there was a story there too.

“It isn't going to test itself. We need to make sure the volume isn't too loud. I don't want to get complaints again like we did last year.” Chastity demanded.

I was stopped from making a biting remark when I noticed an odd look pass over Saffron's face. Gwen must have seen it too. She mumbled, “Here we go.”

“What am I missing?” I asked confused.

Gwen pointed accusingly at Saffron. “She's an attention junkie.”

“I am not.”

“Right and the idea of standing up there and singing isn't running through your head?”

“Well, Chastity did say to test out the system so how better to do that?” Chastity was no longer in sight, having hurried off to spout off more commands.

“Singing, up there, in front of everyone?” I asked.

Saffron looked around. “Everyone who? There's no one here.”

I realized she was right, town square was surprisingly empty. “Well, you have fun with that. I think I'll go get a donut.”

“What are you? Chicken?” Saffron asked which was met with complete silence as I stopped moving and slowly turned around to see a very pregnant lady with her hands on her cocked hips.

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“Chicken?”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Did Bastian put you up to this?”

She actually lifted her hand and started studying her nails. “He may have mentioned something.”

“Such as?”

“That you were still owed payback for being responsible for him having to dress in a pink rabbit suit. Which, I have to say, I would have really liked to have seen that. Anyway, I'm a giver, Lark. I'm always ready to help my fellow man.”

“What a humanitarian.” I muttered.

“So, are you going to get up there with us or are you going to cluck about?”

I looked at Gwen, who was trying really hard not to laugh, before my attention turned back to Saffron. I knew she could see the answer on my face. “Fine.”

“Excellent.”

But once we were up there, I had second thoughts. “This seems like an extraordinarily bad idea.” And that came out in a whine.

“It's fun, Lark, it's like being a rock star for a few minutes.”

Gwen hit a few buttons and Adele's “Rumor Has It” pumped loudly from the speakers.

I was seriously beginning to wonder if this entire town was really some avant-garde mental hospital where the patients were allowed to roam freely. Maybe they even piped airborne narcotics into the air supply to keep the natives from going completely bonkers, though with this—singing karaoke in the middle of the town square—I think we were definitely at or even past bonkers.

Saffron started to sing and I learned that I was just as nuts as the rest of them, because I was actually having fun watching her. I think that part of my enjoyment was the realization that I was being included. Here in Harrington among people who were most likely relations of mine, I wasn't on the outside looking in.

“Your turn, Lark.”

I didn't want to be included that much. “No thanks. Listening is one thing. Singing is something else entirely,” I said.

“So you are a chicken?”

I couldn't believe I was actually being goaded into singing and worse, I was letting myself be. There were just a few people milling around, and since I was so damn competitive, I relented. Saffron grinned like a fool.

I selected a song that reminded me of Bastian, “Brighter than the Sun,” and when the music started, I sort of lost myself to it and the boy. I didn't have a great voice, but Saffron was right, it was a hell of a lot of fun. Made even more so when my eyes met hers and I saw affection staring back. I had never experienced one, but I was pretty sure we were having a bonding moment.

As if I summoned him with song, Bastian appeared, crossing the lawn of the town square heading right to me. I followed him with my gaze as I sang—the words expressed so perfectly how I felt about him. Despite the festival workers around us, I sang just to him and when the song was over, Bastian came on stage to sweep me into a kiss.

“My siren.” He whispered. A devilishness entered his expression. He took a lock of my hair between his fingers. “Seeing you singing up here is so fucking hot.”

“I can't sing to save my life.”

His grin turned borderline lascivious. “True, but it's still hot as hell.” He sealed that observation with another kiss.

***

The following evening Logan and Broderick came to take Bastian to play some pool. Logan's car and Bastian's motorcycle had just left the driveway when I heard another knock at the door and opened it to find Saffron and Gwen.

“Hi.”

“Bastian's gone, right?” Saffron asked as her eyes darted around the foyer.

“Yeah, he just left.”

“Cool, grab a jacket.”

I didn't move. What was she up to?

“Where are we going?”

“To have fun.” She narrowed her eyes at me and she started to cluck like a chicken.

I reached for my jacket as I muttered. “Last I checked, I was the adolescent in the crowd.”

“We are young at heart.” Saffron said, before she turned and started waddling away and I couldn't help calling after her.

“You going to start quacking soon?”

Gwen stared at me a second, then burst out into laughter, but Saffron just looked at me from over her shoulder. I added, “Shoe on the other foot and all that.”

“Nice.” She hissed.

We drove into town, where we got ice cream, walked down Main Street, and spent some time at the harbor. About two hours later we started for home, but instead of going to the little Cape on the bay, we stopped just before Tucker’s—the bar Bastian was at. Gwen parked her car along the side of the road. I followed her out of the car and when I came around to the other side I asked, “What are we doing?”

“Practice.” Saffron offered cryptically.

“Meaning?” I pressed.

Gwen appeared with a cooler and when she opened it, I peered inside.

“What are they?” I asked.

Saffron looked almost sinister. “Swordfish funnel cakes.”

“What are we going to do with them?”

Gwen chuckled as she closed up the lid. “We're going to attack.”

She looked down at me and smiled as understanding dawned.

“The guys.” I said.

“Yep.”

“Why?” I asked.

That was met with two blank stares. “Why not?” Saffron asked, with genuine confusion.