Andie and her boyfriend, Shane, had arrived a little late. They’d decided to eat around four in the afternoon to take advantage of the afternoon warmth and be finished by the time it got darker and cooler. Shane had had to rush from his renovation job. He’d apologized for not changing first, but with his tall, muscular body and close-cropped salt-and-pepper hair, he could easily pull off a flannel shirt and jeans with a bit of sawdust still clinging to them and look like he’d dressed that way on purpose.
Everyone had assured him there was no need to apologize as they sat back with their drinks and plastic cups that had colorful stirrers in the shapes of crabs, starfish, and mermaids sticking out of them.
“It’s getting chilly. I suppose this will be our last dinner out here until next summer.” Rob’s voice held a tinge of regret.
“Maybe after this, we can move the dinners inside to Tides for the winter. There’s plenty of room for all eight of us in the dining room,” Jane said.
“Will you still be living at Tides then?” Claire wiggled her eyebrows and glanced from Mike to Jane.
She should talk—she’d been dating Rob much longer, and the two of them still had separate places. But her reaction made Jane wonder if there really was something going on behind her back. First Mike and Andie seeming to be in the same places and not telling her, and now this little comment.
She glanced at Mike, but he didn’t seem at all concerned and was happily taking a swig of beer.
“I think I will still be living there. But it doesn’t really matter. We can still use Tides. I don’t have to be living in the inn for us to use the dining room. In fact, now that we have Liz to help out, I’m not needed there as much. And no one actually needs to stay overnight. All the guests have keys to the front door.” Come to think of it, it wouldn’t be so bad if Jane did get another place. The owner’s suite in Tides was kind of small and consisted of just a bedroom and sitting area. Then again, it was nice to be on location in case something happened and she was needed.
“Jane and I are going away to Bar Harbor overnight,” Andie chimed in.
“You are?” Maxi looked excited. “I went up there to get some inspiration for a painting a couple of weeks ago. It’s beautiful there.”
Andie nodded. “There’s an antique hotels conference there, and Jane and I are going to catch the conference and then spend some sister time.”
Andie leaned over and put an arm around Jane’s shoulder. It warmed Jane’s heart, but had Andie’s gaze flicked to Mike for a split second? Mike didn’t seem to acknowledge anything, though. Maybe it was Jane’s imagination.
“You’re leaving the inn all alone with the mysterious Mr. Smith?” Rob asked as he passed around the basket of bread the waitress had left on the table.
“Have you been talking to Bunny?” Jane laughed.
“She was in Sandcastles this morning,talking about evidence.” Claire slid the butter over to James, Maxi’s husband.
James frowned. “What kind of evidence?”
“She wouldn’t say. If you ask me, that woman has too much time on her hands,” Claire said.
“And reads too many mysteries,” Andie added.
“But you have to admit, Mr. Smith is a little mysterious.” Jane picked out a roll. It was still warm, and steam wafted out when she pulled it open.
“What does he do? Do you even know why he’s in town?” Maxi asked.
Jane shrugged. “No idea. But people have lots of reasons for coming to town, and we try not to pry.”
“That’s smart,” Claire said.
“Anyway, what’s going on at the bakery? How are your dog biscuits doing?” Jane automatically reached down to pet Cooper, who was sitting beside her on the patio. His tail wagged excitedly as soon as she mentioned dog biscuits.
Instead of looking excited, Claire’s brow creased into a frown. “Well, people seem to like them, but I think there might be someone else using the same name. I’ve had Tammi research it, and she says nothing is trademarked or anything, so I guess I can use it…”
“You sound uncertain about that.” James, Maxi’s husband, was a banker and knew a bit about legal things. “If no one else has trademarked it, you have every right.”
“I know. But it feels a little strange. I wish I knew who was using it or even if someone really is. Some of my customers seem a little uncertain about the exact name.” Claire shrugged and took a sip of her drink. “But I really like the name, and if someone is copyingme, then I’m certainly not going to be the one to stop using it.”
“Yeah, don’t let someone else make you change your plan,” Andie said.
“I won’t. What about you? Any great finds at the antique store?” Claire asked.
Andie had once worked for Christie’s auction house in New York City, dealing with high-end antiques and hoping to make an important antique discovery. But when their mom had gotten sick, Andie had come back to help out. And Jane was grateful that she’d fallen back in love with their small town and realized she could have a fulfilling career right here in Lobster Bay.
She hadn’t made any big discoveries, but she’d helped the people, and that was more important. Of course, reuniting with her high school boyfriend, Shane, might have had something to do with her decision to stay, but Jane liked to think that being close to family was the main reason.
