Jane feigned irritation. “I kind ofhaveto live at Tides.” She smirked and turned to Claire in an attempt to cast the attention away from herself. “What about you? Rob is still renting, and your adorable cottage is perfect for two.”
It was Claire’s turn to blush. “We haven’t talked about that, but he does get along well with Urchin.” Urchin was Claire’s cat. She turned to Maxi. “How is James getting along with Picasso and Rembrandt?”
Maxi’s husband, James, had always resisted her attempts to adopt a pet, but a temporary separation had changed his outlook, and they’d ended up with two kittens.
Maxi laughed. “Believe it or not, he loves them. Remember how worried he used to be about getting pet hair on his suits?”
“Yeah, he was kind of prissy about it,” Claire said.
“When you’re the bank president, you have to make a good impression, I guess.” Jane sipped the rest of her mojito and signaled the waitress for another.
“He doesn’t seem to mind anymore. He just carries a lint brush everywhere now.”
Maxi was practically bursting with happiness. Things had been rocky between her and James for a while, but they’d worked it all out. In fact, all of them had happy relationships.
Except Andie.
Her thoughts turned briefly to Shane. The lunch had been good. It was almost as if no time had passed since they’d last been together, and for that hour Andie had forgotten all of her worries and guilt about how she’d broken things off. And there was still a spark there, at least for her.
Despite the decades that had gone by, Shane was still the good-hearted person she’d fallen for in high school. When he’d seen Emily so upset he’d even offered his services with a deferred payment without hesitating. But how could he possibly be interested in her after what she’d done to him? He was probably just trying to be nice.
“… those decorating ideas I suggested?” Maxi’s question pulled Andie out of her thoughts.
“Yes, the couch and drapes. I agree that would be perfect. I just need to pick one out. I’ve been so busy with the Thompson house that I hadn’t even thought about it.”
“Speaking of that,” Claire said. “Bring us up to speed so we can help you out.”
Andie told them about how they’d picked out items for the auction and how Damien had failed them on the inspection. She didn’t mention the foreclosure but simply said the family needed money sooner rather than later. She didn’t need to go into details. The other women had no problem reading between the lines.
“You’re going above and beyond to help her out.” Maxi eyed her over the salt-frosted cobalt rim of her margarita. “Maybe you should just make her your best offer for what she has and that’s the best you can do.”
Maxi had a point, but in Andie’s heart she couldn’t just abandon Emily. She wasn’t sure that Emily knew what to do next. The woman appeared to be very flustered. Andie had always been one to finish what she started, and she wasn’t going to change now. “I know it’s not really part of buying the antiques, but the woman needs help. Her mother and mine used to be good friends, and I guess I just feel like I should help her out.”
“That’s nice of you.” Jane looked at the others. “We understand how that is. So what do you think she should do next?”
Andie sighed. She’d been trying to come up with a good idea all day, and all she could think about was opening an inn. How else to keep the house and get immediate income? “I’m not sure. The house is loaded with generations of antiques, and I haven’t looked at all of them yet. But it takes a long time to find the right buyer for the good ones, and she doesn’t have time. The only thing that could save them maybe is some sort of loan? Can you get a loan for future sale of antiques?”
Maxi shook her head. “I doubt that. There’s no guarantee on what the antiques would bring at auction, and if I’ve learned anything from James, it’s that the bank usually wants guaranteed collateral for a loan.”
“He gave us a small loan for Tides without much collateral,” Jane pointed out.
“That was a business loan, that’s different. Plus, you had the inn as collateral.” Maxi swirled her glass and looked thoughtful. “You know, James did mention that he has some historical preservation loans available.”
“Really? What are those?” Andie picked up the menu. She hadn’t eaten since lunch, and her stomach was starting to make noises. Two drinks on an empty stomach wasn’t a good mix for her.
“Special loans to preserve homes with historical value. The Thompson house is definitely historical, so maybe Emily could get one of those.” Maxi picked up a menu too. “I’m starving. Do you guys want dinner?”
“Yes.”
“Me too.”
“Crab cakes look good.” Andie put the menu down. “I don’t know. How would Emily pay back the loan? She really doesn’t want to sell the house.”
“Does the loan have to be for a residence?” Jane asked. “What if she could get the loan and use part of it to pay the bills she owes and the other part to fix the place up and get it to generate some income?”
“You mean an inn like Tides?” Andie laughed. “Talk about creating your own competition.”
“Wait! Today your mother said that the Thompson place could be a museum.” Claire signaled the waitress.
