by Kay Correll
“Oh, you’re a knitter and crossword person?” Dorothy’s eyes lit up. “My two favorite pastimes. I’d love to see your knitting project. And there is a wonderful yarn shop on the island. We could go there and pet the yarn…” Dorothy laughed. “I mean buy some yarn.”
Mary’s eyes shown. “I’d love that. I used to have a knitting group I’d go to, but then I moved to a new place in Atlanta to be near Adam.”
“We have a knitting group that meets tomorrow. You could come with me.”
“I’d love to.”
Dorothy reached out and gave Adam two keys. “Here you go.”
“Let me show you the way to your suite.” Susan waited while Adam picked up his suitcase and his mother’s. She led them to the corner suite at the far end of the inn on the first floor.
Adam and Mary entered the room.
“Oh, it’s so lovely.” Mary looked around the sitting room then crossed over to the French doors that led to a small patio. “Oh, Adam, come look at the view. It’s so pretty.”
“Told you it was a special place, Mom. I knew you’d love it.”
“Well, I’ll let you two get settled.” Susan turned to leave.
Adam walked her back to the door. “Thanks, Susan. I’ll be out in a bit and we’ll talk.”
Susan closed the door behind her and couldn’t help noticing the grin she felt plastered across her face.
Adam was back.
* * *
Adam settled his mom into their suite. She was tired from the trip and wanted to lie down for a bit. He explained how she just needed to walk out the door and down the hallway to the lobby and she’d find him there, or Dorothy would know where he was. He still felt a bit anxious at leaving her alone in a new place.
“Adam, go on. Quit fussing over me. I know you worry about me, but please, let me still have some independence.” His mother shooed him out the door and he went in search of Susan.
He found her in the office talking to her computer. “Give me the number. I mean it. You can’t hide it from me forever.”
He laughed as he entered the room, glad to be back on Belle Island, glad to be back here with Susan. “Does it help when you threaten the computer?”
Susan looked up at him sheepishly. “Sometimes my threats work and the computer obeys, but sometimes it just makes me feel better.”
He pulled up a seat and sat backwards, resting his elbows on the chair back. “So can we talk for a bit?”
“Of course.” Susan pushed away the offending keyboard.
“I wanted to explain something. I ah… well, why I brought my mother along.”
“I’m glad you did.”
“She…well…” Adam sighed. It was still hard to say it and the mere word struck fear in his gut. “She was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.”
“Oh, Adam. I am so sorry.” Susan’s face crinkled with concern.
“It’s early stages, but she did get lost a while ago and now I worry about her all the time. I should have seen the signs, but she’s always been kind of scattered and forgetful. After she got lost, I took her to the doctor. They ran a bunch of tests and this is what they came up with.” Adam could feel the fear creep up his spine. “I have a caretaker that comes in each day when I’m at work to check on her. She stayed overnight with Mom while I was here before.”
“That must be hard for both of you.”
“Mom doesn’t like people to know. She wants them to just treat her like before. But I wanted you to know just in case you find her… confused at times. I really haven’t figured out how to deal with all of this.”
He placed his chin on his arms. “But I’m not comfortable leaving her for very long and feel like she needs to be checked on regularly. I got this super easy cell phone that she can push one button and call me if she needs me. I still feel like I need to do more, but without taking away all of her independence.”
Susan got up and walked around the desk. She pulled up a chair beside him and rested her hand on his arm. “It must be hard to find the right balance.”
“It is.” Adam stared at her hand. The fingernails were painted a bright pink, and a simple silver bracelet encircled her wrist. He looked up into her eyes and saw sympathy. “I don’t want you to feel sorry for us, Susan. We’re doing fine. We take it day by day.”
“I don’t feel sorry for you. I feel for you. Different things.” Susan squeezed his arm.
He let out a long breath. “And that is why I was trying so hard for the bonus for closing the deal on the inn. Before I figured out that mom was having memory problems, she was swindled out of all of her money. The police are looking into it, but so far no leads. I’ll never forgive myself for not checking in on her more and realizing what was happening.”
“So she depends on you now?”
“I support her, yes. She’ll need a lot of expensive meds and care in the future and I was counting on the bonus to help with that. I’ve lost that now.”
“Oh, Adam. You gave up so much for us.”
“It wasn’t only for you. It was for me. I couldn’t live with myself working with a man with no morals, no ethics.” He sighed. “But I’ve got a mess to figure out now. After we find a way to stop Mr. Burns, I’ve got to find a new job right away. I’ll start looking while we figure out how to stop Mr. Burns from causing any more trouble.”
Susan leaned forward and before he knew what was happening, she kissed him gently on the mouth. He reached up and cradled her face with his hand, pulling her closer.
She pulled away after a moment and smiled shyly. “I’ve been wanting another kiss.”
“Me, too.” His voice was deep and gravelly. “How about another one?”
Chapter 20
The next day Susan, Adam, and Jamie sat at the worn wooden table in the small library at the inn while Adam’s mother and Dorothy went to the knitting group. Adam caught Susan staring at him and grinned at her. She looked away quickly, a pretty blush covering her face.
“So we have no idea what Russell is going to try and pull next? He gave you no clue?” Jamie looked at Adam.
“No. There was nothing in the files about what other tricks he had up his sleeve. Mr. Burns kept a lot of things a secret it seems.”
“I don’t think you need to keep calling him Mr. Burns. He’s not your boss anymore.” Jamie tossed a wry smile.
“I guess I don’t. Russell. I can call him that. I think.” Adam grinned, then he felt the grin slip away. “I did find out something before I left though.”
“What’s that?” Susan frowned.
“Russell is planning… well, he’s planning to tear down the inn completely if he buys it.”
“No.” Both Susan and Jamie said the word in unison.
“He can’t. The inn has been part of this island for so long. It’s part of its history, just like the lighthouse. We can’t let him tear down the inn.” Susan’s eyes filled with worry.
“All along, I thought he was planning on incorporating it into the resort. Maybe rehab and update a bit, but keep the soul of the inn. Not so much. He plans to tear it down and build some kind of modern resort to the limits of size that the island building codes will allow. That’s why he also bought the adjoining property.”
“We have to stop him.” Susan pushed away from the table.
“We will, Mom. He’s not going to do this to you, to us.” Jamie looked as worried as Susan.
Adam grabbed the pad of paper in front of him. “Okay, first let’s make a list of everything we need to get done to fix all the trouble he’s already caused. Then I’m going to make a few calls and see if I can figure out what he’s planning next. I should have pumped Mr. Burns—I mean Russell—for information before I quit. I was just feeling so self-righteous that I didn’t think to find out his plans first.”
Jamie took the list when they finished and went to make some phone calls for repairs.
Susan sat lost in thought after Jamie left. Adam secretly watched her as he aimlessly jotte
d down more items on the writing pad. She looked up and smiled at him, a smile that warmed him and made him feel like he was someone special to her.
Was he special to her?
I could ask her…
Before he could get up his nerve, Susan stood and stretched. “I really should go help Jamie.”
He stood beside her and without second guessing himself, he wrapped an arm around her. He pulled her close and she leaned against him. It felt so right to have her here in his arms. He wanted more than anything to take that look of worry away from her eyes. But, to tell the truth, he wasn’t sure they were going to be able to stop Russell. The man always seemed to get his way when he set his mind on something, and he sure had his mind set on getting the inn.
* * *
Susan could still feel the heat of Adam’s body as she walked away from him. She could have stood for hours, just letting him hold her. But that wasn’t going to get any of their problems solved. She crossed over to the reception area and told the girl working the desk that she’d take over.
Dorothy and Mary came into the lobby chattering about their knitting group.
“I had the best time. Thank you so much for letting me tag along.” Mary set her knitting bag down beside the reception desk.
“It was great to have you there. You’re quite the knitter. That lace shawl you’re working on is gorgeous.” Dorothy set her knitting behind the desk. “We could sit and knit later when my shift is over if you’d like.”
“I’d like that very much.” Mary smiled.
“I’m glad you two had a good time.” Susan clicked a key on the keyboard but nothing happened. She checked the connection. Click. Nothing. “I swear this machine hates me.”
Dorothy reached over and clicked the escape key and the computer blinked to life.
“Figures. I think I just don’t have the magic touch with the cranky old computer.” Susan sighed.
“Don’t talk bad to her, or she’ll start acting up.” Dorothy grinned.
“I can barely work a cell phone, much less a computer.” Mary laughed. “Well, I think I’ll head back to my room. Might knit some more on the patio. It’s such a gorgeous day. If you see Adam, tell him where I am.”
“He’s in the library, I’ll tell him when he comes out.” Susan still eyed the computer with a look of distrust and poked a key on the keyboard to make sure it was working.
Mary headed down the hallway. Dorothy stared at Susan and wrinkled her brow. “Hm, you look all… I don’t know. If I didn’t know that you were going through all this trouble with Russell, I’d almost say you look happy.”
Susan grinned. “I might be. Well, not about the inn’s problems, of course.”
“It’s Adam, isn’t it? You’ve forgiven him and you like him, don’t you?”
“I do like him.”
“Ha, I knew it!” Dorothy flourished a pen in triumph. “Oh, and don’t forget you’re meeting Tally and Julie tonight. You said to remind you so you wouldn’t be late.”
“Yes. Thanks.” Susan turned, walked out around the reception desk, and momentarily froze.
Where the heck was she headed?
Oh, to find Jamie. That’s right.
More thinking about what was going on, and less thinking about Adam, that’s what she needed to do.
As if that were going to happen…
* * *
Julie carefully set the small table for dinner with her friends. They usually ate at The Sweet Shoppe or Magic Cafe, but Julie liked to cook for them every so often. You’d think she’d get enough cooking and baking at The Sweet Shoppe, but sometimes it was fun to experiment with new recipes for three, instead of big recipes for lots of people at the bakery. She did do a lot of cooking for Reed, too. Cooking was one of the great joys in her life.
“We’re here.” Tally’s voice rang through the small cottage. She and Susan entered the kitchen.
“Smells heavenly.” Tally walked over to the stove and peeked in the pot.
“New recipe. I hope it turns out.” Julie turned the heat down on the stove and checked the oven. “We have about thirty minutes. We can sit out on the patio, or go up to the widow’s walk.”
“I’ll always choose the widow’s walk in nice weather like this.” Susan quickly made the decision for all of them.
They poured glasses of wine, climbed the stairs, and settled into the chairs. Julie glanced at her watch and vowed to keep an eye on the time so everything turned out perfectly. She’d run back downstairs in twenty minutes to check, but for now she settled back in her chair. “I have some news.”
“What’s that?” Susan took a sip of her wine.
“Well, I know you thought it would never happen, but Reed and I set a wedding date.”
“You did? That’s wonderful.” Tally nodded her head. “Been hoping you’d come to your senses and pick a date. When is it?”
“About six months. The first weekend in April. Susan, I’m hoping to have the wedding at the inn? I did call Jamie to see if you were booked for a wedding that weekend, but I made him promise not to tell you until I had a chance to talk to you.” Julie looked at her friend.
“Of course you can. We’d love for you to have it there. We can make that happen. Oh, Julie, I’m so happy for you.” Susan raised her wine glass in a toast. “To our Julie actually setting a date for her wedding.”
Her friends raised their glasses and Julie was overwhelmed with the warmth of friendship she shared with these two women. She raised her glass and smiled.
These two women had been a lifeline and support system, they pushed her when she needed it, and listened when that was all she wanted. She was one lucky woman to claim Tally and Susan as friends.
* * *
After dinner, Tally sat with her two friends, drinking coffee and chatting. “So, we’ve talked about the wedding, but how about you fill us in on the Adam situation?” Tally peered over her glasses and looked at Susan.
“So we’re calling him a situation now?” Susan grinned.
“Call him what you want, but he’s back in town and we want the scoop.” Julie set down her mug.
“He’s here and staying at the inn. He brought his mother with him.”
“His mom?” Julie raised an eyebrow.
“He… well, he thought she could use a vacation.” Susan looked away, then continued. “She’s very nice. She and Dorothy hit it off and they’re stealing every minute they can to sit and knit. Oh, or do crossword puzzles. They both love doing the crosswords, too.”
Tally didn’t miss the strange expression on Susan’s face when Julie asked about why Adam brought his mother along, but she brought the subject back to the main course—Adam. “And Adam?”
“Adam is… well, he’s trying to help. I’m really worried that Russell is going to succeed. He’s trying every underhanded trick in the book to strong-arm us into selling.” Susan’s eyes flashed in anger. “And you know what Adam found out? Russell is planning on tearing down the inn if he buys it.”
“He can’t do that.” Tally’s words were edged in anger and disbelief. “The inn is part of this island.”
“I know it is. But Russell doesn’t care about that. He wants to build some modern, gleaming, flashy resort.”
“Not sure Belle Island is the right location for something like that.” Julie shook her head.
“Well, we’re not selling if I have anything at all to say about it.” Susan set her mug down just a little too forcefully and splashed a bit of coffee on the table.
Julie jumped up and grabbed a towel. “Do you think he’ll take no for an answer now? And know you mean it?”
“I think he’s simply taking his time thinking up another way to make my life miserable.” Susan cleaned up the spilled coffee. “Adam says he’s sure Russell hasn’t given up.”
“So, you and Adam. Anything going on there?” Julie took the towel and hung it up by the sink.
“Well… maybe. I mean, I do like him.”
“You mor
e than like him. I can tell.” Tally shook her head. “There’s no denying it.”
“Well, he did kiss me.”
“Aha!” Julie sank onto her chair. “And was it a spectacular kiss?”
“It was… very nice.”
“That’s all?” Tally eyed her friend.
“Okay, okay, it was wonderful and I admit I’m a bit taken with the man. A lot taken. But he’s only here for a bit and there are other… complications. So I’m just taking it one day at a time.”
Tally didn’t miss the way her friend’s eyes lit up when she talked about Adam. She was almost positive that Susan was more than just taken with Adam. She was pretty sure Susan was falling in love, whether she realized it yet or not.
Chapter 21
The next morning, Susan felt like she was being torn in ten different directions. Three people called in sick. Julie’s delivery van had broken down, so she’d sent Jamie to get their baked goods for the day and help Julie with the rest of her deliveries. The coffee delivery was two days late, and they were down to just enough for breakfast. Maybe. Their coffee beans came from a small local company, but they’d been having supply issues, and as much as Susan hated it, she might have to change to a different company. In the meantime, she’d asked Jamie to pick up coffee, too.
She was supposed to meet with Adam later this morning, but she didn’t know how that was going to happen. Adam and Mary walked into the dining room as she was pouring coffee for some of her guests.
Adam’s face broke into a big smile when he saw her, a smile that made her heart beat faster and her pulse pound in her ears. She motioned for them to take a seat by the window. As soon as she could, she grabbed some menus and dropped them off at their table. “Sorry. We’re short staffed in the kitchen and in here. Things are a bit nuts right now.”
“I could help.” Mary looked up at Susan.
“Oh, I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“I don’t see why not. I’m perfectly able to deliver food, clear tables, refresh people’s coffee, or whatever you need me to do.”