“And Rembrandt too!” Claire picked up the kitten and held him up to her face, smiling and cooing at him. Rembrandt purred and acted adorable as usual.
“It’s small, but so far I’m enjoying it here.” She really was. Okay, she missed James a little, but every time her thoughts turned to him, she shoved them away. The sooner she stopped thinking about him, the better.
“I think it’s perfect, and the scenery can’t be beat.” Claire nodded to the ocean view outside the sliding-glass door.
“It needs work, but since it’s not mine, I’m not putting a lot of money in. I don’t mind fixing a few things, though, because it belongs to Hailey’s grandpa.” Maxi herded them toward the small bedroom, showing them the tiny bathroom along the way. “Of course, I decorated with my own comforter, throw rugs, and some things on the wall.”
“It’s very cottage chic,” Jane said.
“Thanks.” Maxi pulled a bottle of wine out of the fridge and grabbed three glasses. “Let’s go out on the patio.”
Claire put Rembrandt down and picked up the plate she’d brought, which was loaded with bite-sized pieces of cake. She held the door open for Maxi and Jane, blocking Rembrandt’s exit with her foot.
The patio was Maxi’s favorite part of the cottage. It was made of concrete pavers and sat level with the beach. That meant the sand often encroached on the edges, but Maxi had swept it away before the girls arrived.
Claire and Jane gasped at the painting on the easel. Maxi had to admit that she’d outdone herself. The colors were vibrant, and she’d captured the light perfectly. It was still wet—acrylic paintings took a while to dry—but that wasn’t why she’d left it outside. She’d wanted her friends to see it in the natural light.
Claire turned from the painting. “It’s gorgeous!”
“Stunning.” Jane tilted her head as she inspected it.
“Thanks. It’s easier than I thought getting back into the swing of painting. This is the first one for the gallery show. I hope the other two come as easy.”
They settled into the white wooden beach chairs that were arranged in a semicircle and filled their glasses. Maxi loaded a cracker with lobster dip. Jane took a piece of cake.
Maxi washed down the cracker with a sip of wine then gave her friends a pointed look. “Okay, out with it. I know you two have something on your minds.”
Claire and Jane exchanged a glance, and Maxi’s stomach tightened. Hopefully they weren’t going to try to talk her out of living here in the cottage. She was too emotionally invested in her new life now. But they wouldn’t want her to go back to a cheater. Maybe they’d found out that James was even worse than she’d thought. That he’d been cheating for years with several people. Maxi’s cheeks burned with embarrassment, and she braced herself for the worst.
“James didn’t cheat on you,” Claire blurted out.
“Huh?” Maxi stared, stunned. That was the last thing she'd expected to hear.
“We talked to him, and he explained about the card,” Jane said.
“Sure, I just bet he did. Don’t tell me you guys fell for some lame lie?”
Jane leaned forward and slathered dip on a cracker. “Of course not. We were skeptical at first too. But, Maxi, if you had seen him...”
“Yeah. He’s a mess,” Claire said.
Maxi wasn’t buying it. “What about the card I found in his pocket?”
Jane glanced at Claire, who nodded, then said, “That wasn’t a phone number. It was the price.”
“The price of what?”
“A cottage.”
Aha! That proved he was lying. “We weren’t buying a cottage.”
“Not that you knew about. James was trying to surprise you.” Claire leaned forward and touched Maxi’s arm, her eyes brimming with sincerity. “James had noticed that you were unhappy, and he was trying to do things to make you happier. That’s why he suggested you take up art again.”
“And why he was working so much. He was trying to get a project done quickly so he could take you on a trip,” Jane said.
Maxi’s gaze flicked from Jane to Claire and back again. They wouldn’t make light of James cheating, and for them to come here on his behalf... well, they must believe him.
“Seriously? I feel like a jerk now. At least I didn’t accuse him of it to his face or spread it around town.” Maxi drank down the rest of her wine then refilled her glass.
