Outside, the moonlight danced along the waves, and the surf crashed on the beach. She’d already set her easel up out on the patio. Tomorrow she’d start painting as soon as the sun came up.
She uncorked a bottle of wine and poured a glass. Then, picking Rembrandt up in one hand and the wine glass in the other, she stepped out onto the patio, where the ocean breeze and sound of the surf were amplified.
Two chairs were placed at the edge of the patio, and she sat in one. Rembrandt curled up in her lap.
She held the wine glass up and looked down at the cat, who was looking up with trusting eyes. “Here’s to a new start for both of us.”
Chapter Four
Andie woke up to a ray of sunlight across her eyes. It took her a moment to remember where she was, since the sun was never so bright in New York City. She wasn’t in New York, though. She was in Lobster Bay. She was home.
She rolled over to look out at the ocean. A hint of ocean breeze snuck in from the cracked window. She kept the window open a little at the bottom and the shade up just for that reason.
A feeling of contentment washed over her as she kicked off the crisp sheets, sat up, and stretched. Nothing like waking up to an ocean sunrise. Except the sun had risen a few hours ago, and she’d better get a move on if she wanted to catch her mother at Tall Pines before she took her after-breakfast nap.
Her phone rang with the old-fashioned telephone sound she preferred. It was Susie from work.
“Hey, Susie. How are things going?”
“Eh, okay. We got a few estates in, but Elise seems to be getting all the good projects.”
Of course she was. Elise was the new appraiser who apparently had replaced Andie both in status at Christies and also in Doug’s personal life. Surprisingly, this last part didn’t bother Andie in the least. She was over him.
“You must be learning a lot. I hope it’s not too much of a workload.” Andie had been training Susie before she left for Lobster Bay on a temporary leave to help get her mother settled at Tall Pines. The younger woman had been coming along, a bit slow but steady. She did feel a little guilty about being absent for so long. It meant the others had to put in more hours.
“I am actually. You’d be proud of me. But I was wondering... when are you coming back?” Susie’s voice had taken on a pleading tone. “Elise isn’t as nice as you when I have a question.”
More guilt as Andie thought about the answer. Prior trips to Lobster Bay had been short, as she’d always wanted to get right back to work. But something had changed. Maybe it was being over fifty now, or maybe it was the peaceful setting, but Andie’s interest in going back to Christies was waning with each passing day.
“I’m not exactly sure about that.”
“Oh, well, I hope you’re having a good time. Things here are a little weird. I’m mostly on my own, since Elise spends most of her time with Doug.”
“She does? Huh, well, look on the bright side. You don’t have her nagging at you all day.” Elise could act a bit superior, and she was bossy.
Susie laughed. “I know, right? Hey, did you know that Chandler Vanbeck is opening an art gallery in Lobster Bay? I ran into him the other day, and he mentioned it.”
“He is? Actually, he was staying here at my family inn last week, and he said he was scouting locations. Guess he must have found one.” Andie made a mental note to tell Maxi.
When Chandler had been at the inn, he’d seen one of Maxi’s sketches and expressed an interest. He’d even given Andie a card to pass on to Maxi. If he was opening an art gallery here in town, he’d need local artists. This could be just the thing Maxi needed to make a positive change. And after what Maxi had told her yesterday, it sounded to Andie like she was going to need something hopeful to focus on.
“Yeah, he’s opening pretty soon too,” Susie said. “Well, I guess I’ll talk to you later. I just wanted to catch up and see if you had a return date yet.”
“Nothing yet, sorry.”
“Then I suppose I’ll carry on on my own.”
Andie hung up and quickly got dressed. The smell of bacon had started to creep into the room, and she wanted to get some while it was still hot and crisp.
Andie detoured through the dining room on her way to the kitchen. They’d had to repair some of the original crown molding, and she wanted to see how the work was coming along. Sally was standing on a ladder, fitting one of the pieces in. She turned as Andie poked her head in.
“Are you looking for Shane?” Sally snorted then turned back to her work. “He’s on another job.”
“No! I wasn’t looking for him.” She really wasn’t. Why would she? “I wanted to see how the crown molding came out. Looks great.”
Andie hurried on to the kitchen.
“Breakfast smells amazing!” She snatched a piece of bacon from the plate Brenda, the cook, was piling slices onto. She broke a small piece off and tossed it to Cooper, who was sitting by the back door, before taking her own bite. It was delicious, crispy and salty.
