Saving Sandcastles

by Meredith Summers

  Hailey appreciated that he wanted her input. “That’s a great idea and very generous. I was wondering, though. Maybe we could bring some of the ingredients for more cupcakes. The cabinets didn’t get wet, and the more we sell, the more money Claire can make toward fixing this.” Hailey gestured toward the ceiling.

  “Good point. Let’s bring them.”

  Hailey started gathering ingredients. “I hope she won’t be out of business for too long.” And I won’t be without a paycheck for too long.

  “Oh, don’t you worry. I can rearrange my store so she can sell from there.” His brow creased with concern as he glanced at Hailey. “Naturally, I’ll need extra help. I’ll pay you to work the same hours you do here, maybe a little extra since you’ll be helping the bread customers too.”

  Hailey liked the guy. He was perceptive and very sweet. He must really have a crush on Claire to go to all that trouble.

  “We can make do with one storefront until Claire gets the pipes fixed. Unless Claire doesn’t want to.” Rob looked up from the cupcakes at Hailey. “Do you think she’ll ever stop seeing me as the enemy?”

  Hailey had a feeling she already had, but a little encouragement from Hailey couldn’t hurt. “Maybe I can help with that.” Hailey piled the baking ingredients she’d collected on top of the cupcake containers in Rob’s arms. “Now let’s get across the street. We have a lot of work to do if we are going to pull this sale off.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Maxi had called Jane on the way to Claire’s cottage, and she showed up as Maxi was blow-drying Claire’s hair. Claire sat in the vanity chair in her bedroom wrapped in a terry robe. Even though her shop had just been ruined, she actually didn’t feel so bad.

  Jane pulled open the closet. “Maybe you should wear something less—” Jane glanced down at Claire’s wet clothing now on the floor. “Dowdy.”

  “My clothes aren’t dowdy.” Claire looked at the pile uncertainly.

  “Well, it wouldn’t hurt to put on something a little nicer than a gray T-shirt. I mean you will be waiting on half the town, and you want to make a nice impression.”

  Claire pushed Maxi away as she tried to curl her hair. “I think everyone in town knows me already.” She didn’t miss the look that Maxi and Jane exchanged in the mirror. She knew what they were up to. They were trying to make her look nice for Rob Bradford. Claire was much too mature for that sort of thing. Besides, she liked the way she looked already.

  “I’m really sorry this happened,” Jane pulled out a pretty pink short-sleeved shirt with turquoise trim around the neck and arms and laid it on the bed.

  Claire’s heart plummeted. Despite her hopeful feelings that Rob’s generous offer might save the cupcake sale, the fact still remained that her shop was ruined. How could her business survive?

  “Might be a blessing in disguise.” Maxi placed a mascara wand and lipstick in front of Claire.

  “How to you figure that?” Claire asked, ignoring the makeup in front of her.

  “Insurance.” Maxi opened the mascara and put it in Claire’s hand.

  “Insurance?” Claire started to apply automatically, curious about Maxi’s statement.

  “You have insurance for Sandcastles, right? Well, before this, you were going to fix the pipes on your dime, but now that the pipes have burst, you can put in a claim and let the insurance company pay for it.”

  “Good thinking. Get some use out of those high premiums you pay.” Jane pulled out a pair of off-white linen capri’s with thin turquoise stripes. “So, it turns out Rob really is a nice guy. I hate to say I told you so.”

  Jane’s good-natured barb hit home. “I guess I was wrong about him. I feel terrible.”

  “Don’t worry,” Maxi said. “It’s easy to misconstrue things when it involves things close to our hearts. Like my relationship with James.”

  Claire glanced up at her friend. She thought she’d sensed something wrong between them earlier but had been so wrapped up in her own problems she hadn’t been paying attention. “Is something wrong?”

  Maxi smiled. “No. Well, things are different since the kids left. But I misconstrued that as James losing interest in our marriage and in me. It turns out we just need to adjust.”

  “That makes sense. It’s a big adjustment going from a houseful to nothing,” Jane said.

  “Yes, and I didn’t have a lot to occupy my time, so I overanalyzed everything. I was too close to the situation. But everything is good now, and I’m even going to start drawing again. James suggested it, actually.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Jane said.

  Claire agreed, even though she still saw a shadow of doubt in Maxi’s eyes.

  “I guess I’ve done the same thing with Mom,” Jane said. “I couldn’t look at it objectively because I’m too close to it.”

  “And now you can?” Claire asked.

  Jane shrugged. “A little bit more. It’s still gut-wrenching, but I think I know what the right decision is.”

  “I suppose that I have been blowing things out of proportion. Sandcastles is my baby, so it’s hard not to get emotional. Maybe it really was a blessing that the pipes burst. I would have had to close the bakery to fix them anyway. I would have had to take out a loan to cover the repairs and backfill money lost from not being open with my savings. Maybe now I’ll be able to keep my savings if insurance pays for it.” Claire smiled at her two friends. “I’m sorry if I acted kind of crazy about Bradford Breads.”

  Maxi put her hand on Claire’s shoulder. “No need to apologize. Sometimes you just have to take a step back from the situation.”

  “Speaking of which.” Claire pushed back from the vanity and grabbed the outfit Jane had laid out. “We better get going. I have a cupcake sale to run.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Claire had never seen so many people packed into one small shop. Despite the locals and tourists descending on the new bakery in droves, Rob had found the time to move the tables from in front of Claire’s store and arrange them on the sidewalk in front of his. The interior of the store was dedicated not to sitting space but to cupcakes and bread.

  The men and women stepping into the store were immediately drawn to the cupcakes, which now sat on freshly washed tiers. A sign in front of the table read “Sandcastles.” The sign was a surprise. When in the world had Rob had time to make that?

  Maxi stood next to the cash register, ringing up orders and recording every sale in a little notebook to keep track of cupcake revenue. Jane had rushed back home but promised to bring Addie later on.

  Claire’s face hurt from smiling at everyone through endless explanations of why she wasn’t across the street. The notice Hailey had put on the sandwich board had done its job of directing customers in here. Hailey was kept busy helping customers with both bread and cupcake purchases, and it appeared she and Rob had quickly formed a bond of some sort.

  The bell over the door tinkled, as it did constantly throughout the day. It was approaching noon, and Claire would have been out of cupcakes soon, but she’d snuck into Rob’s bakery kitchen and scrounged together a new batch. As soon as they cooled, she would send Hailey in to frost them and bring them out to sell.

  Two old men entered the store, looking bewildered at the mass of people moving from shelf to shelf and plucking it clean of bread. They scanned the interior until they spotted her brightly colored table. Then, with matching smiles, Harry and Bert made their way over to her.

  “Looks like we’re almost too late!” Bert exclaimed.

  “I have more cupcakes in the back,” she assured them, her smile genuine. “The new flavors are going fast, though. You’d better grab some while you can.”

  Harry adjusted his glasses and leaned in. “What flavors do you have, now?”

  Claire launched into the spiel she had memorized by this time. Lemon raspberry, chocolate mocha, cookies and cream, red velvet, and of course, the traditional chocolate and vanilla. Harry and Bert both asked for a box containin
g one of each. Claire obliged.

  As she gently slipped the cupcakes into the rectangular boxes, she said, “I’m afraid your regular table isn’t available this morning. I would have saved it for you if I could.”

  “Why is the store closed?” Bert asked.

  Claire stifled a sigh. It was a question she’d fielded endlessly that morning. Fortunately, her back was turned, and they wouldn’t see the slip in her smile. She took a deep breath, pasted it back on, and turned, offering them each their boxes.

  “I had an incident at the store with the pipes. Until Ralph replaces them, I’ll be closed. But Rob Bradford was kind enough to lend me this table so no one will miss out on the cupcake sale today.”

  “That’s a stand-up guy,” Bert replied with a nod.

  Claire’s gaze travelled to the swinging door leading to the kitchen. Rob walked out with a tray of bread to replenish the dwindling supplies on his shelves. In giving her the extra space to display her wares, he had moved much of his bread back to the kitchen.

  He caught her watching and smiled. She couldn’t help herself. She beamed back.

  She had misjudged him. If Rob wanted to put her out of business, he would have left her in her kitchen, sobbing into her cupcakes. Instead, he had organized his space to save her cupcake sale and had motivated her out of her dour mood. If not for him, she would still be wallowing in misery, stuffing her face with cupcakes in the flooded bakery she owned.

  Her problems weren’t solved, but at least she had today.

  “How long will the bakery be closed?” asked Harry, jarring Claire out of her thoughts.

  She fought back a grimace. “I don’t know for sure. Ralph told me two or three weeks initially, but I haven’t booked him in yet. It’s Saturday, so I’ll have to call him on Monday unless he happens to stop by the sale.”

  “Two or three weeks! During summer?”

  “I’m afraid so.” To stem any further questions, she patted him on the arm and pointed toward the cash register, where Maxi perched on a stool. “You can pay for those over there, with Maxi. If you’re also buying bread, you can pay for it at the same time. We’re keeping track of what’s what.”

  Reluctantly, the two men left, making room for more customers to step in. Claire handed out boxes and explained the flavors, smiling all the while until her cheeks hurt. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Maxi’s husband, James, step into the store. He was a distinguished man with a well-trimmed beard and hair threaded through with silver. Even when he wore casual slacks and a polo shirt, like today, he somehow seemed as though he wore a suit. Claire followed him with her eyes as he made his way through the store to the front, sparing Claire no more than a glance and a nod in greeting.

  For a second, Claire worried that James was unhappy that Maxi was helping with the sale, but the tension drained out of her as James reached his wife. They smiled at each other, and he leaned forward to kiss her cheek. Although they were too far away for Claire to hear what they were saying, he didn’t seem angry. He seemed attentive, if the hand lingering lightly on her arm was any indication. She said something more to him then applied herself to helping the next customer in line. He didn’t seem put off at the change in her attention.

  Claire’s gaze was drawn to the doorway, where an older man had just entered. He searched the crowd. His eyes lit, and a smile cracked his face as he found his target. “Rob!”

  Claire watched Rob turn at the mention of his name. A look of surprise spread on his face. “Frank!”

  The men strode toward each other, meeting in front of Claire. They hugged, genuinely happy to see each other.

  “What’s going on with you? Did you come all the way down for this?” Rob asked.

  “Wouldn’t miss it, my friend.” Frank surveyed the store. “It’s looking good. Little small.” His gaze fell on Claire’s sign. “Sandcastles. Isn’t that the bakery across the street?”

  “It is.”

  “Why aren’t you open over there?” Frank stepped closer, squinting at the cupcakes in the tiered display.

  “I had a problem with the pipes.”

  Frank nodded knowingly and glanced up at Rob. “Let me guess. My man Rob here took you in. Reminds me of old times.”

  “Old times?” Claire asked.

  Frank stuck his hand out, and they shook. “Frank Martin. I owned the bakery across from Bradford Breads in Bar Harbor. Rob and I used to do a lot of cross-promotions. Made those last years before my retirement really profitable.”

  Bar Harbor? That was where Peter and Sandee had said Rob put the bakery out of business.

  “You retired and closed your bakery on purpose?” Claire asked.

  Frank shrugged and went back to inspecting her cupcakes. “Yeah, none of my kids wanted to run it, so I just shut down.”

  Peter and Sandee had been telling tales. Had they made it up or just assumed? It didn’t really matter. They had been wrong about Rob. But then, Claire had already come to that conclusion on her own.

  Frank picked up a chocolate cupcake. “I used to bake a mean cupcake myself, you know.”

  Rob laughed. “He sure did. Yours weren’t as good as Claire’s though.”

  “You don’t say. I guess I’ll have to try some.” Frank picked out three cupcakes while continuing to talk to Rob. “I’m down for a few days. Maybe we could get together.”

  “Sounds great.”

  Frank nodded and handed his three cupcakes to Claire, who put them in a box. “Well, I know you’re busy. Give me a shout tonight, and we’ll catch up.”

  He sauntered off to the cash registers, but Rob remained at Claire’s side.

  “He’s a nice guy. Baked a great apple pie.”

  “He’s not the only nice guy.” Claire tilted her head to meet Rob’s smiling eyes. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Sally at the wheat bread giving her a knowing look. She tried not to feel too uncomfortably aware of the man standing next to her. They were adults, after all. Business owners. Colleagues of sorts. And she was in his store.

  “How is the sale going?” he asked.

  “Wonderfully. I think I might need to use your kitchen again if the customers keep up through the afternoon. What time do you usually close?”

  “Five o’clock on weekends, but we can stay open later if there’s still a steady stream of customers.”

  We?

  “You should take a break and find yourself something to eat. Maxi or Hailey can cover for you while you do.”

  Claire smiled. “You’re always thinking of others, aren’t you? What about taking a break yourself?”

  “I had a sandwich in the kitchen, but I could be persuaded.” He trailed off as the door opened with a jingle of bells. When he smiled widely at the newcomers, Claire turned to see who had arrived. Jane stood next to her mother, cradling Addie’s arm and taking some of her weight as she moved. The old woman tried to shake off her daughter, but her foot must still hurt because the attempt was half-hearted. The pair carefully made their way over to Claire and Rob.

  “Addie, it’s so good to see you,” Claire exclaimed.

  The old woman blinked owlishly. “You too.”

  The terse answer and her blank look told Claire that today wasn’t as good as she had hoped. She met Jane’s helpless gaze.

  “I’m glad you’re here. Should I box up some cupcakes for you and Addie?”

  Jane nodded. “Thank you. We’re here to pick up a couple loaves of bread too.”

  Rob gestured at the shelves. “Be my guest. I’m happy to talk about a more regular delivery at a later date.”

  Jane nodded but didn’t commit. “I guess we’d better move along. You’re busy, and Mom can’t stay on her feet too long.” She leaned in and whispered to Claire, “The outfit looks great.”

  Claire self-consciously straightened the black apron she’d put over the pink-and-turquoise top and quickly boxed up the cupcakes for her friend, the last of the new flavors. As she turned back, she saw Addie lean closer to Rob
with a wink.

  “Don’t forget our date.”

  Rob gave her a chagrined smile as Jane led the old woman away. The moment they were out of earshot, the babble swallowing up any sound Claire would make, she asked. “Date?”

  Rob smiled. “I believe she thinks I’m taking her to a high school dance.”

  “Ah.” It worried Claire that Addie’s memory was so muddled, but at least she seemed happy.

  “Speaking of dates,” Rob said, leaning closer as he lowered his voice. “Maybe we should have dinner together sometime soon. We can talk about how we can work together to promote our bakeries and how to keep yours in business during the repairs.”

  Did he say dates? As in like a business date or…? Claire’s heart fluttered in her throat. She swallowed before she answered in a small voice, “Why? I’ve been such a jerk to you for no reason at all. You’ve been nothing but kind this whole time, but I just couldn’t see it. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for the way I acted. I really—” She swallowed again, and her gaze dropped to her hands, which she twisted nervously. “I really appreciate what you’ve done here for me today.”

  Rob reached out to put his hand over hers, stilling her nervous movement. His hand was warm, as were his eyes when she looked up again. “It’s my pleasure. I meant it when I said I want us to work together. I’m sure we can find a way to benefit both our businesses. Besides, we can’t let Hailey go without work while Sandcastles is being repaired. She’s a great worker, and I’ve seen what she drives. She needs the money.”

  “That would be nice, but I’m not sure we’d have much to talk about. You could keep Hailey on, but I don’t have a shop to work out of at the moment, and I don’t know for sure when I’ll reopen.”

  “This arrangement seems to be working,” Rob said, gesturing to the table. “You didn’t have trouble working in my kitchen either.”

  Claire frowned. “What are you saying?”

  His eyes twinkled. “I’m saying you can set up here until your shop is up and running.”