14
HOLDING HANDS, ELENA and Jake sprinted through driving rain to the café. Once under the shelter of the rosy pink awning of Café La Vie, a greenhouse garden oasis in the city, Elena and Jake looked at each other and burst out laughing. They were both drenched. Even her hoodie hadn’t offered much protection against the driving rain.
Hurrying inside, the wind slammed the door shut behind them, rattling the botanical prints on the walls. Her friends had bought the old Victorian home and renovated it, turning it into a fashionable café and inn near the harbor.
Elena pushed her hood back and rubbed rain from her eyes. “Hi, Allison.” They stood dripping water onto the floor. The lithe blond woman at the front desk looked up in alarm.
“Elena! My God, you’re soaked. I’ll get some towels for
