Up at the inn, she stood in the driveway as she’d done many times before, and she looked at the magnificent building that she’d loved so dearly as a teenager. She wasn’t here to reminisce though. She wasn’t here to lead Aaron on a tour. She wasn’t here to show her friends what she’d bought and what she hoped it would become.
No, today was the day that the work started. She would have plenty of time to dream big dreams and fantasize about full rooms and money in the bank—once the work was done.
Eloise had dressed in a plain grey T-shirt and a pair of cutoff shorts, and she was ready to get sweaty and dirty. Anything she could get done today, she would.
Aaron had to work this whole week, and he’d taken two days off to take his girls back-to-school shopping, and then take them to the parent night. She’d not been invited along for any of the activities dealing with school, though she wanted to go. She wondered if she should say something to Aaron about it.
She quickly pulled out her phone to send him a text. I’m up at the inn today working, she said. I was just wondering if you wouldn’t mind if I tagged along with you and the girls as you go shopping this week.
She looked at the words and read them over, trying to decide if she needed to add anything else. In the end she did typing out quickly, If you don’t want me to come, I completely understand.
She sent the whole lot of words to him, knowing that he was very busy this week. He’d hired two new cops for the force, as he’d lost a couple of men in the last month or so. He’d also applied for and received a grant for two canine dogs, the first to ever come to Five Island Cove.
He’d been very excited about it, but he also needed a new officer to work with the dogs, train the dogs, and then get the dogs out on the streets where he wanted them to be. There’d been a bit of an increase in the drugs coming through Five Island Cove on their way to the East Coast.
Aaron wanted to clear his streets and keep the cove safe. That was the reason he’d gotten the dogs from the canine program operating out of Savannah, Georgia. Eloise had helped him research the facility and then apply for the grant. She’d coached Aaron through the process and told him not to be too disappointed if they said no.
However, everything Aaron Sherman touched seemed to turn to gold, and nobody ever seemed to tell him no, including Eloise. He was made of muscle from the time he spent running on the beach, lifting weights, and dealing with over thirty men who kept the cove safe.
He had a no-nonsense personality with his girls and his men, but when he was alone with Eloise, the vulnerable, shy and quiet Aaron Sherman manifested himself. He was service oriented; he was helpful. He paid attention to her needs, and he listened to what she said. He was an excellent lover, and Eloise wanted to wake up every morning in his bed and go to sleep every night in the cradle of his arms.
She realized as she unlocked the caretaker’s suite that it wasn’t the size of her childhood home that bothered her. It was that she’d felt like she’d grown up inside a prison cell and that she would never get out. The day she’d left Five Island Cove had been one of the best and worst days of her life.
The scent of mustiness hit her nose, and Eloise reached into her purse and pulled out the mask that she’d bought at the hardware store. She strapped the mask into place and stepped inside the caretaker’s suite to look around. The water had been off at the Cliffside Inn since she brought her friends to look at the place in June, so hopefully there was no new water damage.
Eloise decided to start at the very beginning, and that was right inside the door. She pulled the plastic garbage cans that she’d purchased into the suite and started loading trash inside.
She didn’t want to keep anything in here. It had all been sitting here for twenty-seven years since her father had abandoned the Cliffside Inn, abandoned his family, and abandoned the life he’d built in Five Island Cove.
He’d kept it from her, even in death, but even he couldn’t control the bank. She’d bought the inn when it had been repossessed and put up on an auction.
Eloise wished she could turn off her mind and shutter the memories behind the closed doors where she’d kept them for so long. As it was, it seemed like she had no control over her mind, which used to be ironclad and unstoppable.
She wondered if she even knew what was important to her anymore. “Of course you do,” she said to herself as she picked up a stack of old, moldy National Geographic magazines. Her father had loved the National Geographic, and the sight of the iconic yellow volumes hit her straight in the chest. She could see her father sitting in his recliner, leafing through the National Geographic to look at the photos and read the articles. He’d told her once that that was how he experienced the world.
He’d also fancied himself a bit of a photographer, and he adored the photos in the magazine, talking about how if he could travel to Egypt, he would take a photo from this angle.
Eloise had loved listening to her father talk about the photos, his ideas, and his wishes to travel. She loved coming to the Cliffside Inn during the summer to work with him and the guests. He came alive behind the pages of a National Geographic and inside the doors of the Cliffside Inn. It was who he was at his core. Eloise wondered if she’d inherited that from him, and if she would be able to find herself within these walls, small as they were.
She’d hauled out two trash cans full of garbage to the Dumpster before her phone buzzed. Aaron’s name flashed on the screen and he said, Of course you can come school shopping with us. We’re going Wednesday and Thursday. Tell me what time you want to come and we’ll go together.
A smile filled Eloise’s face. He wanted her to be with them. It was as important to Aaron that she had a relationship with his children as it was to Eloise. He’d told her that he was falling in love with her.
When they made love, he was gentle and kind. In those moments, she believed him. In moments where she hadn’t been invited to go school shopping, her doubts started to take over.
Eloise was still quite good at pruning her doubts and making sure that she asked the right questions to get the answers that she needed.
She worked steadily throughout the morning, only stopping when her stomach practically screamed at her to get something to eat. She hadn’t brought anything to the inn with her. Not that there was any way to keep it refrigerated or heat anything up if she had. She drove her mother’s down the winding road from the cliffs on Sanctuary Island to the beach.
Summer was still in full swing, and there were several permanent food stands setup on the most popular beach on the island. Dozens of sunshades kept the sand cool and the picnic tables out of the direct light. People of all ages filled the tables as it was definitely lunchtime, but the lines moved quickly and the food came out at lightning speed.
Eloise waited in line for a seafood wrap—one of her favorite foods that came from Sanctuary Island. Everybody on the islands put seafood in everything: tacos, salads, rolls. But this stand was known for its wraps. Her favorite was the salmon wrap with plenty of romaine lettuce, lemon butter, garlic mayo, and capers.
She always ordered the jumbo, because that came with double fish and double the sauce. They cut it in half for her and she had enough food for two meals.
As she returned to the inn an hour later, Eloise faced another mountain of work. Instead of diving right back into the work that needed doing, she decided to call Robin.
Robin picked up the call on the first ring and said, “Eloise, I’ve been waiting for you to call.”
“I’m surprised you haven’t called yet, Robin,” she said dryly.
“Yes. Well, I knew you were busy getting settled in,” Robin said. Robin knew everything, it seemed. Eloise also knew that there was a struggling woman inside Robin that she wrestled with every day. She didn’t let very many people see that woman, and in fact, Eloise thought only she, Alice, AJ, and Kelli knew of Robin’s internal war.
“I’m wondering how busy you’re going to be over the next few weeks,” Eloise sa
id, deciding to do some of that insertion that she had done with Aaron earlier. “I need help at the inn. I know Alice has a few clients now. I know you’re busy with the wedding planning. I know Duke will be home soon. But I’m wondering if you could perhaps fit me in a couple days a week. It’s easy stuff. It’s hauling trash and cleaning things out. I have masks to protect against the mold.”
Eloise forced herself to stop talking, because she didn’t need to lay out all the problems the inn had.
“I have a wedding this weekend,” Robin said. “After that, my next event isn’t until the third week of September. Duke will be home right after the wedding. The girls start school, and life should settle down once we’re more routined,” Robin said. “I can definitely come help you with the inn, Eloise.”
“Really?” Eloise asked. “Really, could you?” She didn’t dare hope that she could gather her friends around her for moral support. More hands meant more got done in less time.
“Absolutely,” Robin said. “Alice would too, you know. She does have a few clients, but once her twins go to school, there’s no way she’s going to be busy all day long.”
“I’ll ask her,” Eloise said.
“You know what? I got a weird text from Alice this morning,” Robin said thoughtfully. “She said there was a visitor in town who might need a job, and she wondered if I had anything for her to do.”
“Who is it?” Eloise asked.
“I don’t know,” Robin said. “I was going to call her, and then my client stopped by. She just barely left, and then you called and I haven’t been able to get to it yet.”
Eloise said, “I’m going to call her right now. I’ll ask her about the visitor.”
“Sounds great,” Robin said.
“Are you sure?” Eloise asked, with a laugh. “You’re the one who likes to know the inside scoop before everyone else.”
Robin giggled, but she didn’t deny it. “You know what, Eloise? I’ll pass you the baton. You call and get the gossip and then let me know what it is.”
“I don’t even know who I’m talking to,” Eloise said, they laughed together. The call ended, and Eloise immediately dialed Alice. The woman didn’t pick up on the first ring or the second. She did on the third and she said, “Eloise, I’m on another call. I’ll call you right back.”
She watched the phone screen darken, and she worked against the twinge of self-consciousness. She decided she would work until Alice called back, and she opened all the cupboards in the small kitchen in the caretaker’s suite and emptied everything into a bin.
She took it out to the dumpster and made three trips before everything was gone. She pulled the fridge out from the wall, and then the range and she got them as close to the door as she could. Aaron would come and help her move them to the driveway, where the recycled appliance center would come pick them up.
Eloise moved on to the living room, which had one wall of built-in bookcases. A television could be housed there, but there was none. She pulled out the books and threw them all away. Deciding to take a break, she sat down on the dilapidated bench that overlooked the island.
She had loved this spot as a teen. She could see her house from here, as well as the beach. She felt like she could see the whole world from right here. As a teenager, the whole world had been wide open, ready for her to experience it, ready for her to come see what it held.
Her phone rang, and Alice’s name sat there. “Alice, hey,” she said. “You must be really busy. I’m sorry to bother you.”
“Not at all,” she said. “I’m a little bit busy this morning, but just because I picked up a new client and I…” Her voice trailed off, and Eloise’s curiosity jumped to a new level.
“I actually picked up two new clients,” Alice said, her voice strong and confident, the way Alice always seemed to be.
At the same time, Eloise had seen Alice break down too. She’d watched her marriage dissolve over the summer, and she’d watched Alice get to a state where she was not eating or sleeping.
“I’m up at the inn today, working, and it’s a mess, Alice. A huge mess. And I know I’m asking a lot, especially if you just got two new clients.” Eloise stalled, because she didn’t want to add more to Alice’s plate.
“You need help,” Alice said, not asking. “I can come help, Eloise.”
“Can you, Alice? I hate to ask.”
“You didn’t ask. I just offered,” Alice said. “And yes, I can. Now this week, I’m really busy this week. But once the twins start school, they’ll leave the house by 6:45 am, and I can’t do any lawyering until at least ten, when all the offices are open. I can definitely come help.”
“That would be so amazing,” Eloise said. “I think if you and Robin came, the three of us could really get the inn cleaned out in no time at all.” Then she could get the repairman in. She could get things ordered, and maybe she could have the inn done by Christmas.
“Maybe we can have Christmas here at the inn,” she said.
“Christmas in the cove does sound amazing,” Alice said.
“I know you’re the one who always entertains,” Eloise said. “I would hate to take that from you.” Her mind started to work. Could she hope to host guests for Christmas at the Cliffside Inn?
Her desires and dreams for herself seemed to have no limit. They reached the atmosphere and then they pushed through, going on and up into outer space, where they could not be contained.
“I don’t have to entertain,” Alice said. “I really don’t, Eloise. That was the old Alice. The new Alice is perfectly happy letting someone else clean up after everyone is gone.”
They laughed together and Alice said, “Eloise, you’ll have four sets of hands, because Kelli showed up on Saturday night.”
“What?” Eloise asked. “Showed up? What do you mean showed up?”
“I mean she showed up,” Alice said. “My doorbell rang, and I opened the door and Kelli stood there with Parker.”
“Why?” Eloise asked. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” Alice said. “She wouldn’t say.”
“Is she staying with you?” Eloise asked, her pulse pouncing for some reason.
“Yes,” Alice said. “She said she didn’t want to talk about it right now. She had some things she needed to do at her mother’s. So she took Parker out there yesterday, and I haven’t seen them since.”
“She didn’t say anything?” Eloise asked.
“Nothing,” Alice said.
“Time for a dinnervention,” Eloise said.
She could envision Alice nodding, as she said, “Absolutely. Do you want to set it up?”
Eloise wondered what had happened to her friends in the last couple of months. They had a group text going, and all five of them contributed to it.
But Robin had told Eloise to call and get the gossip, and now Alice was asking her to set up the dinnervention.
That was something Alice did. In fact, Alice had coined the term dinnervention, where they could have a good meal together while getting out hard things. That was her definition.
She should be the one setting up the dinnervention, but Eloise heard herself say, “Sure. I’ll set up the dinnervention. Is this something I need to get AJ here for?”
“I don’t think so,” Alice said. “I saw her social media last night, and it says she’s in Denver, covering a story with the basketball team there. I don’t think we’ll be able to get her, and even if we could, it will be a while.”
“We don’t have a while,” Eloise said nodding. “I’ll call you with the details as soon as I have them.”
Chapter Six
Kelli had been gone too long. She couldn’t rush the process of finding somewhere she and Parker could live, though. She’d been forced to show up on Alice’s doorstep unannounced, and thankfully, her friend had been kind enough not to ask any questions. Alice had let Kelli and Parker in the house. She’d fed them, along with a few teenagers, and given them a bedroom to sleep in.
; Kelli had left with Parker bright and early the next morning, taking only half of the luggage they’d brought with them to Five Island Cove. She’d gone straight to Bell Island, but the ferry ride from Rocky Ridge took over forty-five minutes.
Her mother, a ball of nerves, had met her, and Kelli had declined breakfast out in favor of hiding in the house. They’d talked a lot about Zach, and Kelli’s relationship with him. He had not called or texted her back, and thankfully, her mother hadn’t seen him again either. Perhaps her threats had prompted him to leave the cove and go back to his life in Maine.
“Should we head over to our last one for today?”
Kelli shook the past couple of days out of her head. Blinking, she focused on the real estate agent she’d contacted, Shane Rogers. “Yes, please,” she said, holding her head high. She hadn’t done anything wrong. She knew that, and she’d been telling herself that it didn’t matter who else knew it.
She knew it.
She followed the dark-haired man that was probably a decade older than her out of the rental house she’d been looking at. She couldn’t stay with Alice forever, and she’d managed to get Shane to take her house-hunting within twenty-four hours. It helped that she didn’t need to get a mortgage loan. She was simply going to rent.
Nerves flittered through her stomach like hummingbird wings. She had no idea how she could possible afford to pay the rent on any of the places she’d looked at that day. She felt like she was on the bottom of the ocean, drowning. No matter how hard she kicked, or how vigorously she swam, she couldn’t reach the surface.
The water pressed down on her lungs, filling them with the wrong substance until she was left gasping and choking for air.
“Thanks for driving,” she said as she buckled her seat belt. She glanced at Shane, who smiled back at her.
“I’m used to it,” he said. “With our ferry system, I can’t expect people to be able to drive themselves. And the RideShare fee would be astronomical.” He chuckled as he pulled away from the curb in front of the simple, two-bedroom home she’d just toured.
The Cliffside Inn Page 5