“Isn’t Sadie Thompson the lady who has the big old house on the cliff? The oldest house in town?” Andie asked as she sat across from her mother and took her hand gently.
“Yep. She’s an old friend of Mom’s from when they were teens, remember?” Jane frowned. “I think they had some kind of falling out, but maybe not. Mom’s memory about recent events isn’t so great, but she remembers everything about when she was young.”
“What’s this about a stolen sweater, Mom?” Andie asked.
“Sweater?” Addie looked at Andie, her expression clouded, as if she didn’t recognize her or remember about the sweater. Then suddenly her expression cleared, and she reached out to touch her arm. “Andie, you came. It’s so nice of you.”
Jane’s heart almost broke seeing the looks on her sister’s and mother’s faces. She was glad her sister had come out. Obviously it was doing Addie good.
“Of course I came, Mom. Your room is great. Looks just like you wanted at Tides.”
“I do love it here at Tides,” Addie said.
Andie glanced at Jane. “It’s a great place.” Apparently, she agreed with just playing along.
“I’m going to go talk to the staff about some stuff and let you visit with Mom, okay?” Jane said.
Andie nodded and turned back to her mother. “Now, why don’t you tell me about the sweater?”
Andie was glad her mother was in a nice place, but she’d changed so much since she’d last seen her that it was a bit of a shock. The last time she’d been out to visit her mother, she’d been forgetful, but not like this. As she held her mother’s hand, she couldn’t help but notice how fragile the tiny bones and paper-thin skin were.
“What sweater, Bridgie?” Addie used the nickname she’d called her older sister, Andie’s Aunt Bridget. Bridget had died fifteen years ago, but Andie didn’t correct her.
“You said you lost a sweater.”
Addie nodded. “That’s right. My sea-green sweater. I didn’t lose it, though. That Sadie Thompson took it.”
“She did? Huh, I’ll have to see if I can get it back for you,” Andie said, scanning the room for a green sweater lying about and coming up empty. Maybe it was in the bureau or closet. She’d look later. Right now it felt good just to sit here and hold her mother’s hand.
Jane had done a good job. The room resembled their mother’s bedroom at Tall Pines but with a few modern updates. And the place was nice. Andie couldn’t have picked anything better herself. How was Jane paying for this? Hopefully she wasn’t using her own retirement savings.
Judging by the state of things at Tides, there wasn’t much money in the business. Her earlier comment about Tall Pines being expensive had raised her sister’s hackles, indicating that broaching the subject of how it was being financed wasn’t going to be easy. Andie would have to tread carefully on that, but if her sister needed financial help, she wanted to chip in. Not that she had a lot of money, but she could cut a bit here and save a bit there and maybe even dip into her own retirement savings.
“It was so good of you to come, dear,” Addie said, pulling Andie from her thoughts. Now her mother’s eyes were clear, and her smile had that sparkle Andie remembered. “How are things in New York?”
Suddenly her mother remembered who she was. Jane had said she had moments of clarity and moments of confusion. Andie would take the clarity when she could get it.
“Things are really good. I do love my job, and I’ve made a good life there.” Except for Doug. Her mother didn’t need to know about that, though. Getting involved with him had been a mistake, and one of the benefits of living away from home was that all your mistakes weren’t flaunted in front of the whole town.
Addie scowled. “Well, I suppose the bright lights in the big city are fine for a while, but I don’t think you’ve really made a life there. The city won’t give you what you really want. Your roots are here.”
Andie was shocked into silence. Her mother’s memory might be failing, but her perception skills were spot on.
“Now, don’t you forget about Tides. It’s as much as part of the family as you and your sister are, and it needs to be kept up.” Addie clutched Andie’s hand with a surprisingly strong grip. “Promise to help your sister with the inn.”
Andie covered her mother’s hand with her other hand. “I promise, Mom.”
“That’s good, Bridget. I knew I could always count on you.” Her mother’s eyes turned cloudy again, her gaze drifting to the window. Andie’s heart pinched. Her mother had gone back to the past. Maybe her mother thought that it was Bridgett who had just promised to help with the inn. That might be just as well, as Andie wasn’t sure she could keep that promise, even if Jane wanted her to.
“Well, I guess Mom was right about one thing.” Jane appeared in the doorway holding a sea-green sweater with seashell-shaped buttons down the front. “Sadie Thompson actually is here, and she really did have Mom’s sweater.”
Chapter 13
Maxi took the scenic route to Tides, walking along the path on the ocean cliffs called the Marginal Way and then down across the beach once that path ended. She arrived right at ten, just as Jane had requested.
Jane was standing on the back deck, and a striking woman with long dark hair pulled up in a ponytail stood beside her. Was that Andie? Maxi hadn't seen her in years, since her visits to Lobster Bay were so infrequent.
"Andie, do you remember my friend Maxi?" Jane asked.
"Of course." Andie shook Maxi's hand. "How are you doing?"
"Fabulous. How are things in New York?"
Andie gave a half shrug, and Maxi sensed that maybe New York wasn't all she had hoped it would be. "It's okay. Right now I'm enjoying this amazing beach. You don’t get that in the city. In fact, I was going to go take a walk on the beach. Unless you guys need me?" She looked at Jane.
"No, go ahead. Maxi and I are just going to discuss how we might decorate for a wedding here.”
Andie hesitated for a second but then started down the steps onto the beach. "Okay, I'll leave you to it, then."
"How are things going with your sister?" Maxi asked as they watched her walk toward the surf.
"It's nice having her here, but I doubt she’ll stay long, so there’s no sense in having her in on any of these plans." Jane’s voice didn't hold much emotion, but Maxi sensed regret and wondered if Jane wanted her sister to stay. It might be good for her if she did. Jane needed someone to be close to, especially now that her mother was at Tall Pines.
The back porch at Tides was wide, with an unobstructed view of the ocean. Living right on the ocean must be amazing. Sure, her house up on the cliff was nice, and it had a fabulous view, but to be down here right on the sand, listening to the waves crash on the beach and smelling the salty air, was a whole different experience.
"I was thinking the dance floor could go over there." Jane pointed to an area to the left of the house near the old garden. The garden used to be Jane’s mother’s pride and joy. She’d had a knack for gardening, and the whole area would be bursting with color and lush with greenery. Now it was overgrown and dotted with dead, dry leaves.
"Of course, I have to spruce up the gardens," Jane said, as if reading Maxi’s mind.
They descended the steps, walking out onto the sand then turning to look back at the house.
"The tent would go over the dance floor, and the seating could be up on the deck for small weddings and then maybe under the tent for larger ones,” Jane said. “That’s what I know so far. Do you have any ideas as to how to make it cozy and unique?”
Maxi liked the idea of seating on the deck. It was under cover, so there would be good protection if it rained. She was brimming with ideas on how to make it unique. “How about getting some sheer drapes and hanging them at the corners of the deck and the sides of the tent? Bunch them up so they don’t obstruct the view, but let them flutter in the breeze. It would add a dreamy feel to the wedding, and if you got the right type of rings, you could remove them wh
en the wedding was over.”
"That sounds perfect. I never would've thought of that!" Jane’s eyes shone with an excitement that Maxi hadn’t seen in a long time.
"And you need fairy lights. Depending on how you do the garden, we could twine them around some of the shrubs and string them on the tent. The deck, too, but we don’t want to go overboard. You could keep the ones on the deck even when there isn’t a wedding. And maybe add some lanterns with soft lights.”
Jane clapped her hands together. “Another great idea. It would be magical."
"Yes." Maxi spun around, looking at the area, trying to picture it decked out for a wedding, searching for what else she might want to add. She pointed toward the ocean. "An arched arbor with roses climbing at the edge of the garden would be a perfect frame for the bride and groom to say their vows.” She turned back to the house, pointing to the steps and running an imaginary trail with her finger. “You could roll out a runner on here for the bride to walk down the steps to the arbor.”
"This all sounds amazing." Jane was thumbing notes into her phone. Maxi smiled. It felt good to be doing something productive and useful.
While Jane made notes, Maxi gazed out at the waves. The tide was coming in, so they were large, peaking up about three feet and then crashing into the beach. Farther to the right, where the tidal river met the open ocean, several surfers were bobbing in the water with surfboards, waiting to catch the perfect wave. Down near the edge of the water, a small dog chased a Frisbee, leaping into the air to catch it.
“That dog looks like he’s having fun. Have you seen that one that you met at Tall Pines again?”
Jane looked up from her notes. "Yes, a few times. Actually, his owner, Mike, is doing my website.”
“He is? How did that come about?” Maxi was intrigued. Jane wasn’t the type to just ask strangers to work for her. She must really have taken a liking to the owner, as well as the dog.
Jane sighed. “Well, none of the contacts Claire gave me could do it in time, and I was having a hard time finding anyone else. He’d said he was a freelance programmer, so I figured I’d see if he needed extra work. He can do it right away, and I’m desperate.”
“Oh, great. Is he expensive?”
“That’s the best part. He’d heard about the breakfasts at Tides, and that’s what he wants for payment.”
Maxi’s left brow quirked up. “Breakfast?”
“Yeah, I know it doesn’t even out. I’ll give him money, too, but the point is it’s not going to break my budget, and I’ll get a website fairly quickly. We need it for the weddings, and Tammi said people want to book online these days. Plus, I get to see Cooper more. Actually, they’re coming this morning to discuss what I want.”
“That sounds perfect.” Maxi tried not to smirk. She guessed Mike’s interest might be in more than work but kept it to herself, as Jane appeared to be oblivious.
“Let’s hope.” Jane tapped her phone. "Thanks for these ideas. I really appreciate it."
"No problem. I'm happy to help. When you do book a wedding, just let me know, and I’ll come over and make some of these ideas come to life for real."
They hugged, and Maxi headed back down the beach. She hoped that Jane would get the wedding and be able to start making Tides profitable again. And she couldn’t wait to meet this mysterious Mike and his dog. She had a feeling things were about to get interesting.
Chapter 14
Jane sat at the old table in the kitchen, her laptop open and her attention wavering from the screen showing her bank account balance to the whopping electric bill in her hand. The air-conditioning at Tides cost a small fortune. The inn had been built before central air-conditioning was invented, and they didn’t have a complete house-wide system. She relied on window air conditioners and a few wall units her father had had put in years ago. Good thing she had Sally working on the weatherproofing. That would cut down future costs, but that wasn’t going to help her with this bill.
Eventually she’d modernize the air-conditioning and heating systems, but right now she couldn’t afford that. Nor could she afford this electric bill. The utility budget for the year had already been spent, and it was only July. How long could she go before they shut it off? She certainly couldn’t risk that, and the bill was due tomorrow. She’d have to divert some funds from the account she used to pay the food-supply company that delivered to the inn.
The food bill wasn’t due for another two weeks. Hopefully money would come in between now and then to pay it. As an accountant, Jane knew that taking all the money from one account to pay another was not a healthy way to run a business, but what choice did she have?
“Thank God, coffee’s brewing.” Andie came into the kitchen, and Jane folded the utility bill back up and slipped it into the envelope. Andie didn’t need to worry about the inn’s financial troubles.
Andie poured coffee into a white ceramic mug and leaned against the counter, sipping. “I was out walking the beach. What are you doing?”
“Just tending to some of the finances of the inn.” Jane closed the laptop and smiled at her sister.
“Running the inn is a lot to handle. I really appreciate that you do this,” Andie said.
Jane was taken aback by her sister’s kind words. Was it wrong not to tell Andie about the financial troubles? But what good would it do to tell her? She would be leaving, and everything would be up to Jane. No sense in even talking about it.
“I’ve spent a lot of the past year taking care of Mom, and some things are falling by the wayside. But now that Mom is safe at Tall Pines, I’m going to fast-track repairs and get this place up to full earning potential. Of course, I have Sally, but I’ve also hired someone else to help out.
“In fact, I think you know the person. It’s Shane Flannery,” Jane said. “That’s the guy you used to date, right?”
Andie shrugged, staring into her coffee. “Yeah, just a bit.”
Just a bit? Jane seemed to remember that they were inseparable, if Shane Flannery was the one she was thinking of. So many years had gone by. Her memory was actually a little shaky, and at the time, she’d been sixteen and too self-involved to worry too much about her sister’s love life.
But judging by the way Andie wouldn’t make eye contact and seemed a bit too disinterested, she had the distinct feeling her sister’s relationship with Shane Flannery had been more than her sister was letting on.
“When is he coming?” Andie turned to top off her mug.
“Later this afternoon.” Jane watched her sister, amused.
“Oh.” Andie fell silent, working on her coffee for a few sips. “Do you need any help with anything around here?”
“No. You’re on vacation, you should enjoy yourself. Go out on the beach,” Jane said, even though she actually could use help. A lot of help.
She didn’t want her sister to know that, though. If Andie kept the same pattern she had before, she wouldn’t be staying long, so there was no sense in getting her involved in a project.
Jane glanced at the clock over the stove. It was almost eleven thirty, and Mike would be here soon to talk about the website. Would he bring Cooper? Jane hoped so.
Andie stood at the edge of the surf, her coffee mug in her hand, tentatively dunking a toe in the water. She’d forgotten how frigid the ocean could be in Maine, even in the middle of summer.
She turned and looked back at Tides. It was still a magnificent house, even if it did need a few repairs. A surge of love for the inn bubbled up. She wanted Tides to succeed, but she was worried because it needed a lot of care. Jane had said she didn’t need help, but was that just her pride talking?
Andie had made a promise to her mother about helping Jane. Even though her sister pushed her off, she wanted to do something useful while she was here. As a girl, she’d loved working in the garden with her mom. Maybe that was something she could do to help out.
She headed toward the garden, slipping her phone out of her pocket to check for messages. Still no
text from Doug, but that didn’t bother her. She’d almost forgotten to even look. It was as if being at the ocean had a cleansing effect where he was concerned.
The garden needed some serious tending. The weeds had taken over most of the flowerbeds, but Andie could still see purple cone flowers, brilliant red monarda, and clumps of black-eyed Susans. It would take some weeding, some bark mulch, and a few new flowers here and there, but these beds could be beautiful again.
Her mother had always planted impatiens and pansies along the garden edge. Andie had usually helped with that task, under her mother’s instruction. Now she’d have a chance to see if she’d inherited her mother’s green thumb.
Her mother had always put out bird feeders too. Some of Andie’s fondest memories were sitting and watching the jewel-toned hummingbirds battle around the feeders. No feeders were out in the garden now, but did they even still have them?
On the other side of the driveway that circled around the front of the house sat the three- car garage attached to the old outhouse the family used for storage. Her grandfather had called the outhouse a three-seater. His stories of how he and his two brothers would use it at the same time for warmth in the frigid winters had always had Andie and Jane giggling. By the time Andie and Jane had come along, indoor plumbing had been installed, but the structure still stood. It was useful for storage, though it did need a good paint job.
She rummaged around inside, pushing spiderwebs and dust away until she found the familiar red-topped glass hummingbird feeder. It was a little dusty but in good condition, with little perches shaped like flowers on the bottom.
She’d forgotten how fun it was to watch the tiny birds. They didn’t have any of those in New York City—or if they did, she’d never seen one. Maybe she’d been too busy working to take the time?
If memory served correctly, all she had to do was mix one part sugar to four parts water to make the nectar. She headed back to the house, eager to get the bird feeder set up as soon as possible.
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