“Not at all. A woman knows when a guy is flirting. But you shouldn’t let that impact any of your decisions with the art gallery, or your career. Just send Chandler the signal you aren’t interested. I’m sure he wouldn’t take away any opportunities because of that.” Andie hoped he wouldn’t. She’d known Chandler a long time and had never heard of him being a jerk in that way.
“I’m not even sure I know how to send those signals. I guess I’ll be asking for a lot of advice at coffee this morning.” Maxi’s gaze drifted to the keys Andie was jangling in her hand. “Are you heading out somewhere?”
“Yeah. I have a meeting.” Andie didn’t want to tell anyone about the antique store yet. She hadn’t even mentioned it to Jane, and she wasn’t one hundred percent sure she would rent it. No sense in talking about it until she’d made the final decision, and when she did, Jane should be the first to know. “I do have to run. We’ll catch up later? And good luck tonight if I don’t see you before the opening. Break a leg!”
Andie rushed out to her rental. That was another thing. If she decided to stay, she’d have to buy a car. She didn’t have one in New York. Better to make the decision sooner—the rental cost a lot. She was glad Maxi was going to work things out with James and glad Jane, Maxi, and Claire had one another to bounce things off of. She didn’t want to horn in on their coffee hour, but it would be nice to be invited ... if only just once.
Chapter Nineteen
The antique store was crammed full. Depression glass, mahogany furniture, oriental rugs. Andie ran her finger along a half inch of dust that had accumulated on an oak roll-top desk that looked to be from the late 1800s.
“So, as you see, it’s fully stocked already!” the perky realtor, Autumn Blaisedale, said in a chipper voice that grated on Andie. She hadn’t had much choice in who she chose as an agent, though. There were only a few realtors in Lobster Bay, and Andie had made sure not to use the infamous husband-stealing Sandee Harris. Even if the woman hadn’t been cheating with James, shehadcheated with Claire’s husband. “This inventory must be worth tens of thousands.”
Irritating voice or not, she had a point. Though Andie wasn’t scrutinizing every item, her experienced eye did pick out a few very nice pieces. Most were fairly common, but that sort of thing appealed to many shoppers. Not everyone was in the market for a rare Ming dynasty vase. As she looked at the items, her pulse quickened. Excitement rippled through her as she pictured herself sorting through the inventory, handling the items, going on house calls in some of the old houses in Lobster Bay, and attending antique auctions.
But she didn’t want to get too excited, lest the chirpy realtor smell an opportunity to jack up the selling price and thus her commission. “It seems adequate.”
Chirpy’s smile dimmed a few watts. “Would you like to see the apartment?”
Andie followed her upstairs. She’d expected a space that was old-fashioned with braided rugs and hand-crocheted doilies, but the upstairs area was a pleasant surprise. It had high ceilings, exposed brick walls, and tall windows that let in tons of natural light. The living area was open to the kitchen and boasted black granite counters with gray cabinets. The original wide pine floors were in good condition. Rita had good taste.
The place boasted two bedrooms, the one in the back with a distant view of the ocean over the rooftops of the smaller buildings behind it. The bathrooms could have used a bit of an upgrade but were serviceable.
Andie could see herself living there. It already felt like home.
“And the hair salon next door is very convenient. They give the best pedicures and amazing cuts.” Chirpy fluffed her short bob. “Such a cute family business, three generations.”
Andie looked out the window to see a woman with long curly gray hair sweeping up in front of the shop. It did look appealing with its gigantic scissors sign and large plants in front. She pulled her own long ponytail over her shoulder, wondering if it might be time for a shorter cut. Jane’s hair looked so cute in its short pixie style, but Andie had had long hair her whole life. She wouldn’t feel like herself if she cut it. The gray hairs coming in, on the other hand, might need a touch-up.
“So what do you think?” Autumn pulled some papers out of her leather briefcase. “Rita is anxious to sell and gave me the financials for the shop. It’s been out of business for five years now, but the numbers should still be fairly relevant.”
Andie would do her due diligence on the shop later to make sure it was in the black. She didn’t need to make a ton of money and still wanted to help Jane at Tides part-time.
“Thanks.” Andie took the papers and did a slow turn around the room. “So, what do you think Rita’s best price is?”
Maxi sat at one of the outdoor café tables at Sandcastles with a blueberry muffin so fresh the steam came out of it when she cut it open. Next to the muffin was a dark roast coffee, but the best part was that she was with her two best friends, Claire and Jane.
Could life get any better? Only if she sold a painting at the gallery opening.
“I’m so excited for the gallery opening tonight!” Claire slathered butter on her muffin, and it immediately started to melt.
“Me, too,” Maxi said. “Okay, mostly I’m nervous.”
“You’ll be fine,” Jane assured. “And the candles came out perfect.”
“The table-scape looked amazing, and Claire’s cake is perfect. I’m sure your bride is going to love it,” Maxi said. Not everything was about her. Jane had something important going on in her life too. Also, when Maxi had dropped off the candlesticks earlier that morning, she’d seen a sample of Claire’s frosted sandcastle cake. The color had almost been an exact match.
Claire let out a breath. “I hope so. I tried to match the frosting color as much as I could.”
“It’s almost identical,” Maxi said. “I’m pretty good with color.”
“Andie said so too.” Jane reached for the other half of her muffin.
“So what’s going on with Andie? She’s been around for a while now. Is she staying in town?” Maxi had been about to ask her to join them for coffee when she’d bumped into her in the lobby at Tides but then Andie rushed off.
Jane shrugged. “She hasn’t said. But it’s been really nice having her. I feel like we’ve reconnected.”
“I was thinking it might be nice to ask her to join our morning coffee meetings,” Maxi said. “I was going to ask this morning, but she was rushing off somewhere. Do you guys mind?”
