“I know, right?” Emily’s eyes twinkled. “There might be something here. I mean, you saw the attic. My relatives never threw anything out.”
“You can say that again.”
Emily leaned back in the rocker and looked up at the ceiling, as if digging back into her memory. “We should go back to that old section of the attic. You know, the place where you found those old quilts you took pictures of. That’s where the oldest things are. Maybe we’ll find something in there.”
The quilts!
Andie checked her email. The reply from Susan Walker left her stunned and elated. She turned to Emily.
“I think I have it. I heard back from my quilt expert. It turns out the quilts might be connected to the Underground Railroad.”
“What? Really?”
“Susan says that they used quilts as a signaling mechanism. They would hang a certain type of quilt on the line to let slaves on the run know that it was safe to stop there.” Andie tilted her phone toward Emily so she could see the email. “Nothing was documented specifically about the quilts, but Susan says from what she has found in her research, the patterns of these quilts and the age could mean they were used as signals.”
Emily looked excited but cautious. “Do you think that would be enough for the bank?”
Andie grabbed the application and pen. “I’m not sure, but I think we should find out.”
Chapter Twenty
Andie dropped the application off with Maxi at her cottage. She hadn’t been there in a while and was happy to see all of the charming touches Maxi had added, as well as the kittens. The black-and-white balls of fur had seemed to grow even since she’d seen them a few days ago and were more like gangly teenagers full of energy and enthusiasm.
Maxi had been painting out on her patio on the beach, and Andie hadn’t wanted to interrupt her for very long. Just long enough to drop off the application, which Maxi said she would give to James that night. James was waiting for it and would look it over. If it passed his approval, he’d make it official in the morning. Maxi promised to stop by Andie’s place with the verdict.
Maxi had pointed out a few of her finished pieces that she thought might look good in Andie’s apartment. Andie didn’t want to take her work for free, but she knew Maxi wouldn’t accept any money. Luckily Andie noticed that the corner near the slider was in need of a little table, and she had the perfect piece at her shop. A vintage round table with a turned pedestal and chipped paint. It wasn’t worth as much as one of Maxi’s paintings, but she could work on finding something else later.
Andie was too excited to sit in her shop or apartment. She wished she had someone to share things with. She tried Jane, got no answer, and then remembered she was out at the Ogunquit Playhouse with Mike on a date night.
She briefly thought about calling Shane, but they weren’t really that close… yet. Pulling up in front of her place, she saw activity in the hair salon. Mary and Jules were becoming like family. Who better to share good news with?
“Did you decide to get those red highlights?” Jules teased.
Andie laughed. “Hardly.”
“You look chipper. What’s going on? Hot date?” Mary asked hopefully.
Andie’s eyes narrowed. Was Mary trying another fix-up? Surprisingly she didn’t think that was a bad thing, especially if it involved Shane.
“No. Things are going really good at the Thompson estate, and I’m excited about it.” Andie told them about the quilts that could tie the house to the Underground Railroad and their plan to do a boutique Airbnb based on that theme.
“A boutique Airbnb?” Jules sounded interested as she mulled the idea over.
“I got the idea from you. Do you think it would work for an Airbnb? I don’t think Emily wants to get into running an inn or hotel,” Andie said.
“It could work. You’ll need the appropriate items to decorate with. Should be no problem for an antiques dealer, though I’m not exactly sure if things that old are readily available.” Jules gave Andie a questioning look.
“I might be able to get a few things and then just decorate it in an antique style,” Andie said. “What did your grandmother do with her motels?”
“She used to scour yard sales and flea markets for things to decorate with. If she ever needed specific things to round them out, she usually just bought replicas.”
“That’s a good idea. I’m leery of putting anything truly valuable in the rooms, but I want the guests to feel like they’ve stepped back in time but with modern amenities.”
“The location of the house right on the cliff overlooking the ocean won’t hurt either,” Mary said.
Andie noticed Mary looked a little pained, her face pinched. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, of course. Just a little indigestion.” Mary waved it off, but Andie noticed a look of concern cross Jules’s face.
