A noise drew her attention toward the cottage. Rembrandt sat on the back of the couch, looking out the window. He raised his paw and tapped on the glass, his adorable big eyes looking right at her. Her heart swelled. Adopting the cat definitely had been the right thing to do. He was good company, and she barely even missed James. Of course, that could be because James hadn’t been home much for the past few months anyway, so there wasn’t much to miss.
She took her paints and dirty brushes and turpentine inside. Time for a break. As soon as she got in, Rembrandt scampered over to her. She picked him up and cuddled him under her chin, looking back out at the beach.
Over by the shoreline, a golden dog ran past. Cooper? Must have been because Jane and Mike followed, holding hands and laughing. Maxi was happy that Jane had finally found someone. She could have gone out to say hi, but they looked so involved in each other that she didn’t want to interrupt them.
Maxi cherished her good friends, but now that her life was changing, maybe it was time to make some different friends. She put Rembrandt on the chair and picked up the local paper. Hadn’t she seen a list of events in the paper? She flipped through, finding the small section listing the events. The Purple Blueberry was having a wine tasting tomorrow afternoon. That might be fun to go to. Did she dare?
She grabbed the charcoal pencil from the coffee table and circled the ad then folded the paper and put it on the table so she could find it later. She'd better get busy. She had to clean the place up and had a few pieces of artwork to hang and some throw rugs to put down. She wanted the place to look as good as it could for Jane and Claire tonight.
Mike wouldn’t have thought it possible, but his grandfather had improved since he’d been at Tall Pines. At first he’d been afraid that taking Gramps out of the home he’d known for forty years would make him deteriorate even faster, but it hadn’t. Instead he’d thrived with the care and people to socialize with.
The frequent visits from Cooper and Mike seemed to perk him up even more. Another reason for Mike to give up his apartment in Seattle and stay in Lobster Bay.
“Now you be a good boy.” Gramps smiled down at Cooper. The dog was still damp from his romp on the beach, but that didn’t stop Gramps from petting the dog’s fur. If dogs could smile, Cooper would have been smiling right back at the old man. Gramps looked up at Mike. “Looks like you’re taking him for lots of walks on the beach. He loves that.”
“He’s getting good care,” Mike said. Even though Cooper was now living with Jane because Mike couldn’t have him at the cottage he was renting, he still spent a lot of time with the dog, which had the happy consequence that he also spent a lot of time with Jane.
“Jane sure has been spoiling him. Looks like maybe she’s been taking good care of you too.” Gramps sat back in his chair, sparkling blue eyes assessing Mike and making him a little uncomfortable.
“She’s a good friend.”
Gramps laughed. “Come on now, I think there’s more than that.”
Mike smiled. “Maybe. There’s no reason to rush things.”
Gramps eyed him. “Sure, just don’t let her get away.”
“Don’t worry, I don’t plan to.” Which was really his main reason to stay in Lobster Bay. Mike had never met anyone like Jane. She was sweet and pretty and mature. And even though their relationship was still new, he knew in his gut that she was the one. But Jane seemed a little more cautious, and Mike was taking things slow. Couldn’t blame her—she’d been widowed and hadn’t dated in decades. She was easing into the relationship, and Mike didn’t want to rush and scare her off.
“Speaking of which, she’s probably ready to leave.” Mike patted his leg, and Cooper nudged Gramps’s hand for one last pet then trotted to his side. “See you tomorrow.”
Out in the hall, Mike’s phone rang. It was Tim, his buddy from Seattle. He paused in front of the door to the memory care wing, where Jane was visiting her mother.
“Hey, Tim, how’s it going?”
“Great. How about you? Beach life must suit you, since you haven’t come back yet.”
Mike laughed. “I guess it does.”
“And your grandfather?”
“He’s doing really good.”
“Great! Hey, I found someone who wants to sublet your apartment, so if you’re really serious about staying out there, maybe you can switch over the lease.”
Initially Mike had come to Lobster Bay just to get his grandfather settled. He’d intended to return to Seattle and had been paying a lot of money to keep his apartment there. But that was before he met Jane. “I am serious about staying.”
“Okay. I’ll send you the contact info. Gonna miss you back here. And I’m not the only one.” Tim’s pause made Mike feel uneasy. “There’s some other news too.”
“Oh?” Mike looked down at Cooper, who was looking up at him, his brow slightly wrinkled as if he sensed Mike’s concern.
“Tiffany is apparently taking a trip to Lobster Bay.”
“What? Aww, come on! Does she still think we are getting back together?” He could not have been clearer to her that their relationship was over. Should he have been more forceful? Maybe he should have yelled instead of calmly discussing it with her. The girl did seem to thrive on drama.
“She said she’s going there for some art gallery opening, but of course she was asking if you were still out there.”
Darn! The last thing Mike wanted was Tiffany hanging around trying to get back together. But there really was a new art gallery opening up—Maxi was showing some paintings at the opening. Was it possible that Tiffany really was coming out for that and not to get back together? She hadn’t messaged him since a few weeks ago when he’d had to make it brutally clear. It was possible she was asking if he was still there so she couldavoidhim. Wishful thinking, perhaps?
