Normally, Rob grimaced at that answer. Pity was one thing he didn’t need or want. But a shadow in her eyes made him wonder if she was echoing a sentiment she’d been trying to teach herself.
“I have,” he answered. His gaze drifted, this time to Adelaide. “But so have you. I didn’t put my wife in an assisted living facility.”
Jane nodded briskly. “So, I’m doing the right thing in keeping her here.”
“Not necessarily.”
Was it a trick of the light, or did something like hope flit through her expression that time? She was tired. She wanted some relief. He knew exactly how that felt.
He told her, “Ishouldhave put Caroline in an assisted living or memory care facility. She asked for it, but I—I was selfish. I wanted to hold onto her for as long as possible.” His left thumb travelled to meet his ring finger, where he no longer had his wedding ring. Sometimes, it surprised him to find it in the box in his nightstand instead of on his finger. Most days, he’d stopped thinking about it at all. “I was in a different position than you. I can work from home and only need to connect with my store managers in person once a week at most. And I had the money to hire a nurse to come in twice a day to care for her and sit with her while I did office work from home. I wasn’t trying to run an inn. My managers are self-sufficient.”
Jane hugged herself again, but she seemed to consider his words at the very least.
He added, “Ultimately, I kept her at home until the end. But I did extensive research into memory care facilities nearby. I’m happy to help you if you need it. I’ve been exactly in your shoes, and I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing to put your mother somewhere safe where she’ll be lovingly cared for all the time.”
Jane let out a gusty sigh, blowing the strands of hair falling into her face. “Maybe. I know she doesn’t want it, but maybe it would be better to put her in a place where she’d have proper care. It… she scared me today. And I can’t run the inn and be with her twenty-four hours a day.”
“It looks like she scared a lot of people.” He gave Jane’s arm one last squeeze. “Let me sort out where I put all those pamphlets and emails, and I’ll bring the information later this week.”
Her smile only halfway reached her eyes, but the weight of the afternoon seemed to have lifted. “Thank you. I really don’t know what I would have done without you today.”
“Me and Claire,” he reminded her. “We’d make a better team than she thinks.”
Jane rolled her eyes. “So it seems, but it’s going to take a bit of work to convince Claire of that.”
Chapter Sixteen
The next morning, Claire was buzzing around the bakery, trying to get ahead of the regular chores so she could get in some extra cupcake baking. After the search for Addie, she’d returned to Sandcastles and, with the help of Sarah and Aston, had baked well into the night. Now she was standing in front of the fridge, taking an inventory of the cupcakes and trying to block out all distractions as she counted.
“I think it would do you some good.”
Sally’s voice buzzed distantly behind Claire. She shut the fridge door and wiped her tired eyes. The handywoman stood, leaning against the counter, chewing on a corn muffin slathered in butter, and dripping crumbs onto the top of her overalls.
“What are you talking about?”
The old woman swallowed then gestured through the air between them with half of the muffin left. “You and Bradford. It would do you good to work together, like he wants.”
“Who told you he wanted that?”
“He did.”
“He did? When did you talk to him?” Sally knew Rob Bradford? That was news to Claire. And why was he telling everyone that he wanted to work with her? It was odd that he was being so obvious and insistent about it. Clearly he was up to something.
“He’s hiring local folks to fix some odds and ends in the store before the grand opening, so naturally he called me.”
Claire glanced toward the front of the store, over the heads of the seated customers, and out the window to Bradford Breads. So, he’d hired her handywoman, eh? Probably thought he could get insider information. “What did you tell him about Sandcastles?”
Sally’s face scrunched. “Tell him? What are you talking about? I fixed some trim that had come loose on the doorframe over there.”
“Did he ask you questions about Sandcastles?”
“Yeah, he asked if I thought you’d be willing to work with him. Didn’t I just say that?”
Claire sighed. “I mean specifics. Like maybe what our busiest day is or what pastry we sell the most of.”
Sally took her time chewing the bite of muffin. “Nope. Why would he want to know any of that?”
Good question. What would he gain from getting insider information on Sandcastles? Claire wasn’t sure. But then again, she wasn’t exactly up on the various goals and objectives of corporate espionage. Rob Bradford probably was, though. People didn’t get bakery chains by being naive about business.
