“Which job did she get?” Maybe it was a job that would conflict with a bigger job they intended to give to Andie?
Susie shrugged. “Vanderburgh in Palm Springs. It looks like a good one. I’m sure she’ll be calling you any minute now for advice.”
Andie pressed her lips together. Itwasa good one. Was that why Doug had ignored her texts? Andie was busy with this job, but they could have handed the grunt work off to Elise with Susie to assist and flown Andie to Palm Springs. Why would they let Elise go on her own? The last few jobs, she’d had to call Andie for advice on almost every item.
Andie sat back at her desk and glanced at her phone. Still no texts. Maybe a visit to Lobster Bay wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Shewasworried about her mother. She hadn’t seen her in almost a year. They’d talked on the phone, but sometimes her mother had been confused. And there was nothing like seeing someone face-to-face.
Maybe if Doug saw that she wasn’t sitting around here waiting for him to call, he might realize what he was missing. Then again, a little voice inside her cautioned that maybe she didn’t want him to realize that. Not for personal reasons, but she still wanted to be his choice for the good jobs. If she left, would Elise replace her as the new favorite?
That was ridiculous. A respectable auction house like Christie’s wouldn’t replace an experienced veteran like Andie with a newcomer like Elise. She checked the schedule of upcoming appraisals on her computer.
There was a big estate that was expected to go on the market soon. Robert Richhaven had a collection that antiques collectors would weep over. No one had seen it in recent years, given his failing health and his propensity to return to his reclusive ways at the slightest provocation. However, with no children and distant relatives more interested in selling the estate fast, this could be Andie’s find of a lifetime. More than anything, she was determined to be sent to the Richhaven Estate when it went up for auction. But that wouldn’t happen for a few weeks.
She had time to go back home and let Doug see just how important she was for this operation. Without her here, Elise would have to sink or swim on her own. Andie didn’t want her to sink. She didn’t wish her, or Christie’s, any harm, but if the higher-ups thought she was ready to go out on jobs on her own, then she guessed it was only fair that they saw how she could handle things without Andie helping in the background. Besides, Andie had a lot of vacation time accrued and had to use it by the end of the year.
She picked up her phone and started shopping for a plane ticket to Maine.
Chapter 3
By the time Jane drove up the pebbled drive in front of Tides,she’d come to terms with the fact that paying for Addie’s care might not be as easy as she’d hoped.
The silence of the inn was another reminder that moving her mother to Tall Pines was the right thing to do. Bookings had been down drastically this year, and Jane had been too busy trying to make sure her mother didn’t wander off or leave the stove burner on to even think about how to rectify that. Now she didn’t have much of a choice, not if she was going to keep her promise to her mother. She was going to have to figure out a way to bring in more business.
Jane was good at finances, though. She could juggle bills in her sleep. She could find a way to make this work.
Her footsteps echoed on the smooth, worn floors of the old Victorian house. Although the house was in working order, it had retained its rustic air as well as a constant list of minor repairs that needed to be handled. Jane liked its charm. In a way, she was glad that in appearance the inn hadn’t changed much since she’d been a child. There was a nostalgia that hung from the eaves and gables, a cozy feeling of safety. If running the inn didn’t go hand in hand with interacting with so many strangers, Jane might enjoy it a lot more. Of course, lately there hadn’t even been that many strangers—just old Mrs. Weatherlee, who had been here for two weeks. She was quiet and mostly kept to herself, so at least Jane didn’t have to pretend to be an extrovert around her.
Jane proceeded to the kitchen, where Brenda was washing out a thick yellowware mixing bowl.
Brenda was a cheerful woman with a round face and a bright smile. She liked to hum while she cleaned the kitchen, but she was always off tune. Jane cleared her throat to announce her arrival.
Brenda straightened with a jump. “Jane! You’re back.” She recovered from her shock quickly, still holding the dripping bowl. “How did the meeting at Tall Pines go?”
“Not as expected,” Jane admitted with a grimace. “I’m just about to head into town to meet with Claire and Maxi, but I wanted to check in and make sure you didn’t need anything.”
Brenda’s face creased with concern. The sixty-five-year-old woman was more like family than hired help. She’d been a close sidekick for Addie after Jane’s father had died and had taken care of her as her dementia progressed over the past several years. Brenda was as concerned about Addie getting good care as Jane was.
“Don’t worry,” Jane assured her. “Medicaid won’t pay for Mom, but everything will be okay.”
“How can I help?” Brenda asked.
Jane sighed, running her finger along the well-worn surface of the rectangular pine kitchen table. The table had been there since before Jane had been born. Maybe even since before her mother had been born. She remembered many family meals at this table. She couldn’t let that all slip away now. “I guess just keep cooking your awesome breakfasts. I’m going to have to figure out how to get more guests to the inn, and your food is the key.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Brenda waved off the compliment, but Jane could see that she was pleased.
Jane kissed her cheek. “Speaking of that, I guess I better play innkeeper and go make sure Mrs. Weatherlee is enjoying her breakfast.”
“Stop and have some yourself,” Brenda encouraged her. She turned her back to continue loading the dishwasher. “There’s plenty there, and it will only go to waste if somebody doesn’t eat it.”
“Claire always keeps a muffin ready for me when we meet in the mornings.”
Brendatsked. “You need to eat more than a muffin. It’s no wonder you’re so skinny.”
Some people would say those words with praise. With Brenda, who wore the evidence of her good cooking with a comfort that Jane could never emulate, it was a chastisement.
“If there’s still some left over, I’ll eat it for lunch or supper.”
That was a common theme in Jane’s life. The inn served one full breakfast, and Brenda usually went all-in with her meals. Even though they only had one guest, Jane wouldn’t be surprised to see piles of eggs, bacon, and toast laid out neatly along with the basket of muffins she made sure to keep stocked in from Claire’s bakery and the fresh-baked bread from Bradford Breads. It wasn’t unusual for Jane to have breakfast food for supper, just so it wouldn’t go to waste. Brenda had pared the volume of her cooking down considerably, but she hadn’t gotten the hang of cooking for the smaller amount of guests yet.
