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 withthisbill.
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 bittoodisinterested, 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. Alotof 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.
