Gently, she told Maxi, “Thinking about myself for a change has been what has gotten me to this point in my life. Look what I have now! I have something of my own, something I’ve always wanted to do. I’m living my dream life.” Claire was proud of the way her life had turned out. Proud of the way she had picked up the pieces after her divorce and been selfish, for once in her life.
She honestly thought that it was high time for Maxi to be a little selfish too.
Maxi nodded. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. But James is loosening up, and things take time. I’m working on him about a pet.”
“Speaking of pets,” Jane said. “I ran into this adorable golden retriever while I was at Tall Pines earlier. His name is Cooper, and he plowed me right over! I fell into a bush.” She laughed, the color rising in her cheeks the only indication that she was a little self-conscious in the retelling.
“He sounds charming,” Claire said, recognizing the twinkle in Jane’s eye, even though it had been a while since she’d seen it. When she spoke of the dog, she all but glowed. And why shouldn’t she? Dogs were in a perpetually good mood. Dogs followed their owners as though they were starved for attention, and they gave as much affection in return. Perhaps Maxi wasn’t the only one of them who needed a pet. Jane had been a widow for a long time, and now that she didn’t have her mother at home, a dog might be a great way to fill that hole.
Claire exchanged a glance with Maxi, who seemed to be thinking the same thing. It had been so long since Jane had allowed herself to care for someone else. From the time her son had died a decade ago, she’d been reluctant to let anyone new into her life in more than a superficial way. And now that her husband was gone, it must be lonely.
Rather than broach the subject just yet, Maxi asked, “Have you heard from Andrea?”
Jane’s expression turned dark, but she shrugged as if she didn’t care. “I’ve tried calling her to talk, but she hasn’t called me back. We’ve exchanged a few texts, but I think the situation is too involved to get into with text messages. Either she’ll call me to talk about it or she won’t hear the details.”
“Oh. Well, I hope she calls,” Claire said.
Jane nodded. “Either way, I’m not sure she’ll be much help. Speaking of which…” Jane picked her bag up from beside her chair and pushed up from the table. “I’d better get going. Lots to do.”
Claire stood too. “Wait. I packaged up a chocolate chip muffin for Addie. I know you, and you’ll be checking on her every night until you know she’s settled in.”
“Thanks, Claire. You’re a good friend. I really appreciate it.”
Claire hugged her tight, letting her know without words how much she was there to support Jane whenever she needed it. She ran in the cafe and grabbed the white bag with the Sandcastles logo. “Here. And give her my best when you see her.”
“I will.”
Still pinned in the chair beneath the stray cat, Maxi suggested, “Why don’t we meet up for drinks later this evening at Splash? Tammi will have texted back by then, don’t you think?”
Claire nodded. “I’m sure she’ll have something for me to send along by then. What do you say, Jane?”
“That sounds really nice, actually.”
“Then it’s settled,” Claire said with satisfaction. She hugged her friend one last time and whispered, “See you later.”
Maxi reluctantly put the tabby down. The cat was well groomed. Its fur was sleek and soft, and it appeared to be well fed. She—or he—probably belonged to somebody, and it wasn’t like Maxi could take it home anyway.
She helped Claire clean up the table and carried half the plates and cups back inside the bakery. She was happy that Claire had reopened, and not only because their weekly breakfasts together could now resume. The last month had been especially tough on Maxi for no good reason. After all, she wasn’t dealing with the stress of redoing the pipes in her business or of balancing a business she barely knew with caring for an ailing mother like her two friends were. No, Maxi had the freedom to do whatever she wanted.
Well,almostwhatever she wanted. Her mind turned to the hoard of sketchbooks she kept in the bench at the end of her bed. She hadn’t mentioned to James that she’d kept those after giving up on sketching shortly after she’d had their first child. She sensed he didn’t approve of her taking up the hobby again, as if painting and sketching didn’t befit a bank president’s wife. Maxi loved James with all her heart, but sometimes she didn’t love the way he’d changed with all the responsibility of his position at the bank.
“Hey, Maxi, I’ll take those.” Hailey Robinson reached for the plates with a smile. Maxi had taken a liking to the young mother and she, Jane, and Claire thought of themselves as pseudo-grandmothers for Hailey’s twelve-year-old daughter, Jennifer.
“How’s Jennifer? Enjoying the summer, I hope.” Maxi handed the plates off.
“She’s great. She loved that kite you gave her. Uses it all the time. Why don’t you come down to the beach sometime and help her fly it?”
“I might just do that,” Maxi said. At least it would give her something to do, and James might even approve. Hailey disappeared into the kitchen, and Maxi turned to Claire. “Can I have an almond scone to go?”
“Still hungry?” Claire eyed her as she opened the pastry case. “You ate two muffins.”
Maxi laughed. “It’s for later. I was thinking about taking a sketchbook up to the Marginal Way and doing a pencil sketch of the ocean.”
“Really? That’s great! You haven’t done that since we were kids. I’m glad you’re progressing from napkin sketches,” Claire joked as she plucked a bakery tissue out of a box and reached into the case.
“Well, it’s just a way to pass the time. I found an old sketchbook and figured I’d fill out the pages. Just for fun.”
“You are a talented artist. You could make something out of it if you wanted. When we were kids, you always said you wanted to be an artist when you grew up.”
