Inside, it looked like nothing had been done in decades. The kitchen had plain wooden cabinets painted white with plenty of dirt marks near the knobs. A little bit of elbow grease would fix that. What elbow grease wouldn’t fix were the broken drawer and the holes in the worn linoleum that looked like it had been there since 1940.
One of the walls was down to the studs. The bathroom was functional but rusty, and the bedroom at least had a fresh coat of cheery yellow paint. The old-fashioned brass bed was charming. A few throw rugs, a comforter, and some pillows would spruce that up.
The living room boasted a brick fireplace and shiplap walls. It was serviceable despite the water stains on the ceiling that indicated a leaking roof.
But the view! Maxi could forgive all the problems inside for the unobstructed view of the cobalt-blue ocean and the stretch of white-sugar sand leading to it. And when you opened the sliding glass door, you could hear the waves. It was everything she’d dreamed of.
“I’ll take it.” She turned to Hailey’s grandfather, Henry, a thin man with a halo of white hair and lively green eyes. He stood stooped over, most likely from years of hard work, but his handshake was firm and his voice strong.
Henry glanced around. “You sure? I can’t do any fixing up. Don’t got the money.”
“I’ll do some, if you don’t mind. Some minor repairs with my own money.” Even though she wasn’t moving in, fixing some of the things would help with her creativity. She needed her area to look nice, or it would zap her creative juices.
“With your own money?” Henry looked suspicious.
Maxi laughed. “I know it sounds crazy, but this is exactly the retreat I’m looking for. I’m an artist, and the patio outside would be perfect for setting up my easel. I don’t mind fixing a few things if you rent it to me long-term. I’d like to bring in some of my own furniture and accessories, too, if you don’t mind.”
“Iwouldlike a long-term rental, and since you’re a friend of Hailey’s, I guess I can trust you.” Henry looked out the door to the sea, his eyes clouding with memories. “You know this place has been in my family for a hundred years. It started off as a fishing shack for my grandpa.”
“Hailey mentioned that. I bet you had some great times here.”
“Ayuh. Used to collect shells right out there when I was a kid.” He turned and pointed at the craggy rocks that stuck up out of the sand at low tide. “And there I’d search for starfish and crabs.”
“Those sound like great memories.”
“I want Jennifer to have those memories too. That’s why I won’t sell.” Henry stroked his chin. “Place down the beach sold for over a million. ’Course I can’t get that. This place needs work. But I just can’t bring myself to let it go.”
“Of course not. Hailey and Jennifer are welcome to come here anytime while I’m renting.”
Henry brightened. “Really? Hailey mentioned you’ve been really good to Jen. I guess that settles it, then.” He took a key out of his pocket and handed it to Maxi. “The place is yours for the summer, even longer if you want it.”
Maxi took the key and wrote him a check.
Maxi couldn’t believe she’d just rented a cottage on the beach. What would James say? Maybe she wouldn’t tell him. After all, he had his secrets. Now she would have hers.
But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that wasn’t the right move. She didn’t have an income of her own, but James had part of his check deposited in an account with only her name. James had insisted when Maxi gave up working to raise the kids that she have her own money to do with as she pleased. James at least had been generous with that. She’d paid Henry with a check from her account. James would never know she’d rented the cottage.
But if she didn’t tell him, she was no better than he was. And, after all, she wasn’t one hundred percent sure that he was cheating. And hehadencouraged her to work more on her art. Maybe he’d be optimistic about this move.
She opened the sliders and stood out on the little patio, breathing the sea air, listening to the waves, envisioning herself out there painting. A sense of freedom came over her. A sense that now, finally, she could have everything she wanted. Her thoughts turned to the two kittens she’d seen at the animal rescue. James didn’t want pets in the house, but here...
She dialed Henry’s number again.
“Ayuh?”
“Henry, it’s Maxi Stevens.”
“Changed your mind so soon?”
Maxi laughed. “No, it’s just that... Well, I was wondering if I could have pets here in the cottage. Just two kittens.”To start.
“Pets, eh?” Henry chuckled. “Well, why not? Place can’t really get much worse. Have as many as you want.”
“Great. Thanks. I’ll fix any damage, of course.”
Maxi hung up and raced to her car. While she’d been talking to Henry, she’d gotten a text from Jane asking if she’d help Andie with the centerpieces for the wedding. She was looking forward to that, as she’d connected a bit with Andie when they worked on the bathroom project at Tides and liked working with her. She had about an hour to kill before meeting Andie. Just enough time to visit the Lobster Bay Animal Rescue downtown and adopt the kittens.
The Lobster Bay Animal Rescue had the unfortunate location of being right next to the realty office that Sandee worked at.That’s okay, Maxi thought. She could ignore the realty office altogether. She parked in the town lot and walked down. A familiar car caught her eye.
