“I’d like to see the table-scape, if I may.” Marilyn looked at Jane as if she were an indentured servant.
“We have an example out on the back porch.” Jane led the way.
“The back porch? I thought there was a tent.” Marilyn ran her finger along the surface of a sideboard then inspected it for dust. Jane half expected her to whip out a white glove.
“There will be, but it’s being set up tomorrow morning.”
Marilyn frowned. “So I can’t see the actual setup right now.”
“The rental company said that setting it up the morning of the event would be best so that everything is crisp and fresh for the wedding itself. Since it’s in the evening, I think that makes sense, don’t you?”
“I suppose.” Marilyn looked around the room as Jane held the French doors to the back porch open, hoping to distract her with the gorgeous ocean view.
“Luckily it’s outside and not in here. So many knickknacks. They collect dust, you know. I hate dust. I like things spic-and-span clean. I don’t allow clutter.” Marilyn waved toward a sideboard that held Grandma Miller’s collection of flow blue plates. “Or pets. Dust and dander are so dirty.”
As she swept out onto the back deck, Jane saw Andie disappearing with Cooper on the other side of the inn just in the nick of time.
Thankfully, Marilyn approved of the table setting, albeit a bit grudgingly. They proceeded to walk across the garden to the bathroom. Jane stopped at the arbor.
“Here’s the arbor where the bride and groom will say their vows facing the ocean, and the tent will be directly behind it,” Jane said.
Marilyn looked around. “I suppose it’s pretty. Those roses are a bit unusual.”
“Yes, we worked on the arbor specifically to your daughter’s instructions.”
“Well, we’ll see how she likes it. Now the bathrooms?” Marilyn raised her brows at Jane. “I hope those will be clean and uncluttered, unlike the main house.”
Uncluttered? Darn! Jane pictured the starfish and shells she’d placed on the vanities as she led Marilyn toward the building.
Maxi puttered around the cottage, basking in happy memories from the art gallery opening the previous night. Too bad those memories were mixed with worry about James.
She’d been happy with the way her paintings had come out and thrilled at the compliments she’d received, and when she’d seen James, she felt like things were okay between them and all the tension from their misunderstanding had melted away. Then why did he leave?
Rembrandt skittered down the hall, batting a plastic bottle top in front of him. She knelt and scooped the cat up and held him in her arms like a baby as she talked to him.
“Did I miss the signs with James? I thought he wanted to reconcile, but was he really there to tell me things were over?”
Rembrandt wriggled, and she put him down. He trotted to his food dish.
“And what about that day at the Purple Blueberry?” She got cat food out of the fridge and spooned some into the dish.
James had been seeking her out, she knew. And he’d reached out to Jane and Claire to help him. He’d had a wardrobe makeover, for crying out loud!
No. She was sure he wasn’t breaking things off. Something must have made him leave though... Crap! It was because of Chandler, of course. Chandler had dragged her off, and James must have gotten jealous.
She hoped he hadn’t gotten the wrong impression, though she was sure that Chandler had been flirty. He’d almost seemed possessive when he’d carted her away.
She’d tried to give off the vibe that she wasn’t interested, as Andie had suggested, but her vibe-giving skills were rusty. Though something must have worked, because at the end of the night, he’d been so busy talking to some blonde that he’d hardly even acknowledged Maxi to say good night.
Maxi took out her paints and a fresh canvas. Painting always helped her think, and she needed to figure out the best way to reconcile with James in a way that would solidify their relationship and not leave a lot of unanswered questions.
“I suppose the building is cute in a commonplace sort of way.” Marilyn eyed the bathhouse with a scowl on her face.
Jane bit her lip to remain quiet. Andie and Maxi had put a lot of time into the design, and Jane thought the sailboat shutters and window boxes were quaint. But if Marilyn didn’t approve of the outside, she surely wouldn’t like the way Jane had set decorative shells and starfish around the inside.
Jane pushed the door open, gesturing for Marilyn to go inside, and closed her eyes, waiting for her words of disapproval.
“Huh, it’s very clean. Sparse. I’m surprised, considering how cluttered the house was.” Marilyn’s praise held a grudging tone.
