“Huh, Pat Jamison... Looks like he has quite a few books.” Sam clicked on one of the links, and a listing of books and a better picture of the author came up. Sam squinted at the picture.
“Well, I’ll be...” He reached for his phone then realized he’d left it in the kitchen while rearranging the den. “I need to message Bunny right away!”
But when he picked up his phone, he saw Bunny had messaged him. His heart dropped.
Meet me at Tides right away. The dogcatcher might be ready to make a move!
The text had been sent thirty minutes ago. Sam grabbed his keys and rushed to the garage. “Hold down the fort, Dooley. I have to stop Bunny from doing something drastic!”
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
“This lobster bisque is amazing.” Andie gestured toward the bowl of creamy pink soup in front of her. “Want to try some?”
They were seated at a window table at an upscale waterfront restaurant. The view of the harbor at night was mesmerizing, from the boats swaying on the water to the lights of the buildings behind them to the reflection of the moon.
The table was covered in a crisp white tablecloth, and the wineglasses sparkled with reflections from the electric candles on the table.
“Thanks.” Jane dipped her spoon in and tasted it—rich and creamy, just like it looked. “Delish.”
Andie sighed and took a sip of her wine. “This is a great restaurant. I’m glad we got to spend the weekend together. I thought the conference was really good. Did you?”
“I did. I’m glad we came.” The Antique Inns Conference had been a lot more informative than Jane had anticipated. She’d connected with several antique inn owners from various parts of New England and gotten some ideas for promotions they could do to attract more visitors.
“Me too.” Andie dug into her lobster casserole.
Jane studied her sister. Was it her imagination, or had Andie been evasive when she mentioned Mike earlier that day? If Jane wanted to dig into what was really going on, this would be the perfect time, especially if Andie had another glass of wine.
“So, I was wondering, have you noticed that Mike is acting a little strange?”
Andie looked up sharply. “Strange? No. What do you mean?”
Jane shrugged. “I don’t know. He just seems a little off lately.”
Andie frowned and took another sip of wine. “You think so? I hadn’t noticed.”
“Really?” Jane set down her spoon. “I thought maybe you had. I saw you talking to him the other morning at Tides.”
“I talk to him a lot, but I didn’t notice anything. He still seems just as smitten with you as ever.” Andie shrugged and took another bite of her casserole.
Jane watched her sister for a moment longer then picked up her fork and picked some stuffing out of her baked stuffed shrimp. Maybe she was just being paranoid. “It’s not that I think he’s losing interest in me. Quite the opposite, actually.”
“The opposite? What do you think is going on with him?” Andie asked casually. Almosttoocasually.
Jane paused with her fork halfway to her mouth. “Well, I know it might be presumptuous, but I was visiting Mom the other day, and she said Mike had been there asking about dimensions, but I think she really meant size.” Jane pointed to her ring finger.
Andie’s eyes widened. “You mean you think he might be looking for a ring for you?”
“Maybe. I don’t know.” Jane was starting to regret bringing this up, especially since Andie had a funny smirk on her face. She’d figured that maybe Mike had asked for Andie’s advice, but now she wasn’t so sure.
“Well, I wouldn’t put much weight on what Mom says. She does have dementia.” Andie sipped more wine, sat back in her seat, and studied Jane. “But if he was looking for a ring, would you be happy or disappointed?”
Jane wasn’t sure which she would be. “Nervous.”
Now Andie was looking at her with a knowing expression that spoke volumes. Mikewasshopping for a ring. Jane could tell just from the look on Andie’s face. She really didn’t know how she felt. On the one hand, she didn’t want to lose him, but on the other, she just wasn’t ready.
A sense of doom came over her as she wondered when Mike was going to spring this on her, and when he did... what was she going to say?
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
