Thoughts of Shane had Andie glancing at her phone. She’d been half expecting him to call since he’d mentioned getting together. She was sure Mary would gladly give him her number. But maybe his invitation had just been something he’d said to be polite. Why did that thought make her feel disappointed?
“Thanks,” Jane said. “Brenda was busy making some concoction for tomorrow’s breakfast, so I made them.”
“Heard you were out at the Thompson house this morning,” Sally said to Andie. Sally knew everything that happened in Lobster Bay and usually had something to say about it.
“They have a lot of antiques,” Andie said. “I actually wanted to talk to you about that. Sadie’s daughter, Emily, wants to have an auction there, but we need some minor repairs to the porch steps. Could you do that on short notice?”
Sally tilted her head, squinted her eyes, and looked up at the porch ceiling. “I suppose I could fit you in. Thursday okay?”
“Yeah. And you bill end of month, right?”
Sally nodded. “Ayuh.”
Sally disappeared back around the corner.
“How was it at the Thompsons’? Did Emily thaw out?” Jane asked.
Andie sighed. “I think she did thaw a little. I guess I can’t blame her for being cautious. I feel bad for her too. She’s faced with losing the house that has been in her family for generations, just like we were, and that is a scary feeling.”
They both looked back at the house.
“So, will you be able to help her? Tall Pines is expensive.”
“I hope so. There is a lot of stuff crammed into that house. That’s why I suggested the auction. She’ll be able to sell off a bunch of things and get some money quickly.”
“That sounds like a good idea.” Jane looked thoughtful. “But how do you get paid if she has an auction?”
Andie hadn’t thought about that. She’d been too focused on the actual antiques and worried about Emily losing her home. Who knew she was so selfless? Or maybe she was just a bad business person.
“Well, that’s a good question.” Andie laughed. “I hope to pick out some key items to sell in the shop which will turn a tidy profit. And maybe they have something of historical importance there too. I did find a cool folk art painting that’s worth a couple thousand.”
“You did? Will she sell it?”
“Yep. I brought it to Chandler, and he’s going to put it in an auction. I saw Tiffany there. Looks like those two are getting along good.” Andie glanced at her sister to see her reaction.
“That’s great. So she’s staying in town?”
Tiffany was Jane’s boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend. If Jane had been worried about her staying in town, she didn’t show it. Mike seemed to be the one who was most worried about his ex showing up. He adored Jane and was afraid Tiffany would mess things up between them because she had seemed to want to reconcile with him at first. Apparently it had been a good move to introduce Tiffany to Chandler, and now it looked like things had worked out for everyone.
“Seems that way.” Andie frowned. “I also ran into Damien Carruthers while I was there. He was not happy that I was handling the Thompson estate.”
Jane made a face. “He’s a jerk.”
“He’s kind of creepy too. The whole time I was talking to him, I felt as if he was calculating a way to get back at me for offering people fair prices for their antiques.”
“No doubt. You cost him some money. He had a good thing going swindling little old ladies. But I wouldn’t worry too much about him. What could he possibly do to get back at you, anyway?”
Chapter Eight
Andie picked up a roast beef sub and went back to the antiques shop. She didn’t have any appointments, so she flipped the sign to Open in order to pick up some foot traffic. She was crouched down rummaging through the contents of an old oak display case when the bell over the door chimed.
She popped up to see Jules standing at one of the curio cabinets.
“Hi, Jules. I was just gathering the Frozen Charlottes for you.”
Jules turned, and Andie was struck by how pretty the girl was. She was medium height and not too thin, but not fat either. She still had the flawless skin of someone under forty. Long chocolate ringlets of hair fell below her shoulders. Her eyes, the same color as her hair, were bright. But even with all that, there was an air of sadness about her.
“Check these out.” Andie reached under the counter she used as a checkout desk and grabbed the little dolls she’d collected to show Jules. She unrolled a piece of dark-purple velvet fabric and laid the dolls carefully on top of it. They ranged in size from one to four inches and were made from old china bisque. Their golden painted hair, sky-blue eyes, and rosy cheeks were still vibrant despite being over a hundred and fifty years old. Andie had inspected each one thoroughly to insure there were no chips or cracks that would decrease their value.
