Which he ignored.
Luckily there was a breeze coming in from the gulf. That would surely help…
They settled onto a wooden loveseat and he draped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him.
She leaned her head on his shoulder.“I’mright where I want to be.”
And with her words, his heart beat stronger. He was right where he wanted to be, too. Who knew his decision to vacation on Moonbeam Bay and visit his old friend Jesse Brown would make such a difference in his life? Best decision he’d ever made.
Chapter 3
Heather waited patiently at Brewster’s the next morning for Livy to join her. She had Livy’s steaming cup of coffee waiting. They’d both been so busy that they hadn’t met for coffee in weeks, and she missed their morning get-togethers.
She took a sip of her coffee and looked out across Moonbeam Bay. A large sailboat was under motor, headed out to the gulf for a day of sailing. A few fishing boats cruised past on their way to their favorite fishing spots. She took her iPad out of her purse and switched on the sketching program and quickly sketched her surroundings. A couple sitting at a nearby table, holding hands while they sipped their coffee, an old golden retriever with a gray face settled by their feet. A lone man typing away on his laptop, ignoring the wonderful view beside him.
As usual, she got lost in her sketch and the world she was creating.
Livy slid into the seat across from her and broke the spell.
“Morning.”She turned off her tablet and slid it back into her purse.
“Whatcha working on?”Livy asked.
“Oh, just sketching the people.”
“So do you like working digitally on that iPad or the old-fashioned way on paper?”
“I don’t know. Both, I guess.”It had taken her a while to convert to doing some of her art digitally, but she enjoyed it now. She just considered it a different medium. Like watercolor, or colored pencils, or simple pencil sketching. Always something a bit different.
“So I talked to Mom about adding the seasonal room to Parker’s.”
Heather raised an eyebrow.“And how did that go? Aunt Donna isn’t big on change.”
Livy laughed.“She’s not. But she was surprisingly positive about this suggestion. I’m going to head up to the storage room today and see how much work it will be to clear out some of the stuff. There’s a back room we could still use for storage, but the front room has those big windows overlooking Magnolia Avenue. All that nice light coming in? I think it will be perfect and airy.”
“I can help you set up the displays,”Heather offered.
Livy smiled.“I was hoping you’d offer. You’ve got such a great eye for that. I thought we’d have a Christmas area, then whatever season is coming up, we’ll have displays for that.”
“My hat’s off to you, Livy. You’ve done such a great job expanding Parker’s. And the cafe is a roaring success. I’m proud of you, cuz.”
“I’m kind of proud of me, too. I never thought Mom would let me do so much with Parker’s. And the cafe turning a profit so quickly? I’m thrilled. I’ve hired extra help now that it appears we’re going to stay busy. At least I hope we do.”
“I wish I could convince Mom to take more time off. I think she’s worried about finances though. I told her I could help her out, but she insists she wants to do this all on her own.”
“To be honest, I’m thinking of making her part owner of the cafe. She can have a slice of the profits along with her salary. I mean, she’s the reason it’s so successful. Her cooking. Her recipes. It just seems like part of the profits should be hers. Besides, Parker’s really is a family business, and if she wants to work at it, she deserves part of the profits.”
Heather looked at her cousin in surprise.“Really? She’ll be thrilled. I know she has thrown her whole heart into the cafe. She loves working there.”
“I’m going to talk to Mom about it today. I’m sure she’ll be fine with it. I mean, Parker’s is a family business. And you invested in the cafe, too. I’ve already made up a payment schedule to pay you back.”
“There’s no rush on that.”
“But I want to. I’m grateful you had enough faith in me to invest in the cafe and help me get it started.”
“I wanted to.”Heather grinned.“But I have to admit, I’m kind of glad you’ve hired more help. I wasn’t cut out to be a waitress for long.”
Livy’s laugh rang out.“No, you weren’t. But we sure appreciated all the help you gave us.”
