Read Online Sweet Salt Air by Barbara Delinsky - Free Book Online Page B

that .” She returned to the lounge. “By the way, I think it’s mustard seed in that slaw.”
    “Is that an herb?”
    “Mustard seed? No, it’s a spice.”
    “What’s the difference?”
    “An herb comes from the leaves of a plant, a spice from the seeds,” Nicole explained. “Some plants produce both, like cilantro and coriander. Salt is a mineral. We call it a spice, but it isn’t.”
    “What’s pepper?”
    “A spice. A peppercorn is the seed from a pepper plant.”
    “Did Cecily Cole cultivate mustard plants?”
    “Sure did.”
    Charlotte grinned. “Q.E.D.”
    Nicole laughed again. “That proves nothing. We don’t know for sure what herbs Rose uses in her slaw.”
    “We’ll ask. What we really need to do,” Charlotte decided, “is to explore Cecily’s gardens—you know, take pictures and all. She’s the matriarch of island cooking.”
    “Tell that to her son.”
    “I will.”
    “He has a gun. He shoots gulls for sport.”
    Charlotte winced. “What does he have against gulls?”
    “I don’t know, but I’m not looking to find out. Cecily’s plants are all over the island. We can get what we need from everyone else.”
    “But her garden is the source,” Charlotte argued, as Nicole got up again. “Where are you going now?”
    “I’m cold,” came her little-girl voice. “I want to get dressed.”
    “Just grab a blanket from inside. It’s gorgeous out here.” She breathed in. “This air is amazing. Sweet.”
    “Charlotte, it’s salt air, and there’s no sun.” She shot a hateful look at the clouds. “I honestly thought it was coming out, or I wouldn’t have suggested this. Sun is cheerful. That’s what I want. Actually,” she called over her shoulder as she headed toward the house, “I think we should drive into town. It’d be good to let everyone know we’re here.”
    *   *   *
    Nicole had trouble sitting still. Charlotte couldn’t shake the feeling that she was running from something and that the something was her . There were times when Nicole wouldn’t look her in the eye, which meant maybe she did know about Julian and her, and was trying to move on.
    Chastened, Charlotte got dressed. She offered to drive, but Nicole insisted on taking the old SUV that her parents kept at the house, giving her good reason for sadness. “Dad never worried about my driving here,” she reminisced. “There’s only one road, so you can’t get lost, and you can’t speed because it’s bumpy.”
    “Do they ever repave?” Charlotte asked, jouncing now that she didn’t have a steering wheel to hold.
    “Not often. It’s not a Quinnie priority. We’re the spoiled ones. I was thinking I’d give this car to Eleanor Bailey, kind of as a thank-you. She was always bringing over crab cakes—remember those little minis? She knew Dad loved them.”
    “I loved them, too. That’s another recipe we’ll need.”
    Nicole was silent, staring out the windshield with both hands on the wheel, which would have been fine if her knuckles hadn’t been white.
    Charlotte touched her arm. “You okay?”
    She nodded, cleared her throat, brought herself back. “Just thinking of Dad.”
    “As long as there’s nothing else.”
    Nicole shot her a glance. “What else would there be?”
    “Me,” Charlotte dared say. “Are you sure you want me here to do this?”
    Nicole looked stricken. “You don’t want to be here. You have something better—”
    “Better than this ?” Charlotte cut in. “ Nothing is better than this. Helping you with a book? I’m honored .”
    “Then don’t say anything else,” Nicole said gently. “We have the ingredients for an amazing team.” More fiercely, she added, “And, please, don’t even think of leaving.” She drove on.
    Paying penance . That was Charlotte’s first thought in response. Her second was more poignant. “Maybe I bring back too many memories.”
    “Like, they won’t come anyway? At least with you here, I have a shoulder to cry