She got up from the table, and he resisted the urge to take her hand. Slow and steady wins the race, he reminded himself. And he was determined to win—this time.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The next day, Andie arrived at the Thompson house to find Emily on the porch with a laptop open and pieces of paper spread out all over the table in front of her. She had a pencil in her hand, and her hair was sticking out of a messy bun. Shane’s truck was already there, and she could hear power tools going in the house. She resisted the urge to look for him, amused that she even had that urge and also a little worried. What if Shane only wanted to be friends? Would she be disappointed?
“I’ve been working on an ad, and I think I’ve got a good one.” Emily handed her a piece of blue-lined paper with neat writing.
“I used the ads in the online magazine as a template.” Emily turned the laptop to face Andie and pointed to a half-page ad that was up on the screen.
Andie didn’t know much about ads. The content was similar, describing the historical significance of the house, a bit of history about the Underground Railroad, and the key points of the ocean setting. But it seemed like something was lacking. She didn’t want to tell Emily that, though. The woman had worked hard. “This is great. I’ll take it to Jane. She has more experience with this sort of thing than I do.”
Emily wasn’t upset. She looked more relieved than anything. “That would be great. I’m also working on choosing towels and bedding. I was thinking an antique quilt look for the comforter and just good-quality plain white towels like they have in a hotel.”
“That sounds great. You could use the linen service we use at Tides for sheets and towels. I can get you the number.”
“Perfect.”
Sally came around the corner and headed straight for them, all business as usual. “I’m glad you’re here. Gotta get going if you want this done quickly. The room is coming along, but we’re going to need cabinets, countertops, and fixtures in a couple of days.”
“Oh dear!” Emily gave Andie a panicked look.
“Don’t worry, I have a plan for that.” In truth, Andie had sort of ignored the fact that she would have to act this fast. She could still pull it off, though. She sent off a text to Maxi for an emergency meeting on picking out the cabinets, countertops, and fixtures. She looked up at Sally. “Appliances?”
“Ayuh, I suppose you would need those. That’s not really part of my job though.”
She was right, but they did need them, so Andie made a note to look over the selections at the home improvement store. Maybe she would happen across a good sale. That, combined with the coupons she and Maxi had used, should save Emily a lot of money.
“I guess I better get going.” She held up the ad that Emily had written. “Mind if I take this to Tides to show my sister?”
“Go for it.”
“Okay, I’ll check back later.”
As Andie turned to leave, she couldn’t help but glance into the house to see if she could catch a glimpse of Shane.
Tantalizing breakfast smells wafted out of the open kitchen window. Andie had noted the appetizing aromas the minute she’d stepped out of her car after arriving at Tides.
Her stomach rumbled low as she made her way up the walk, but she ignored it for the moment, searching the occupied tables on the back porch for Jane instead. Some of the guests lingered there with their breakfasts, but her sister wasn’t to be found.
After a few polite greetings of “good morning,” Andie headed into the inn and went straight through to the kitchen, thinking Jane might be there. She found Brenda instead, cleaning up after breakfast.
Greeting Brenda with a hug, Andie asked, “Do you know where Jane is?”
She leaned against the counter and reached over to snag a piece of bacon.
“I think she took Cooper for a walk.” Brenda gestured toward the back door then shoved some eggs onto the plate she’d just finished drying, added the last few pieces of leftover bacon, and handed it to Andie. “Finish these for me.”
Without question, Andie dug in. Glancing out the back door, she could see down the beach. Jane, Cooper, and Mike were walking along. Jane and Mike were holding hands and laughing. Every once in a while Cooper would return with a stick in his mouth, and one of them would toss it for him to retrieve again.
A wave of wistful longing hit her. For just a moment, Andie tried to picture herself holding hands with someone special, like Mike was to Jane. An image of Shane rushed to the fore, filling her mind, and she pushed it away. But it came back as if she’d subconsciously willed it.
Probably because of the many times she and Shane had walked the beach hand in hand, just as Mike and Jane were now doing, Andie decided. But she’d had her chance thirty years ago, right?
So many years had passed. So many things had changed—she’d changed. Yes, she’d had her chance with Shane, and then she’d gone away. But now she was back and… had she completely blown it?
Before her brain could remind her once more that it washerdecision to up and leave town—and Shane—all those years ago, Jane, Mike, and Cooper came barreling in the back door.
Cooper barked and rushed to Andie, his tail wagging in happy excitement, and her heart swelled as she bent to pet the dog.
