“Good. I’d better keep working. I’ll see you at six o’clock.”
“Bye.” Gabe left his phone on the counter and opened his laptop. Any discussion with Natalie about her paintings wouldn’t end well. If she’d come here to keep a low profile, it might have just backfired. Especially if someone connected her to Sapphire Bay.
* * *
Natalie tooka plate of cookies out of her truck. She’d called Brooke before she left the cottage. The cookies were her way of saying thank you for offering her a bed when she’d first arrived.
She checked the address on the piece of paper she was holding and smiled. Brooke’s house was adorable. With deep blue wooden siding, white trim, and a red door, it was warm and welcoming.
Brooke had told her to follow the driveway around the back of the house and knock on the garage door. As soon as Natalie’s hand left the door, it opened.
“You made it.”
The sweet smell of chocolate made Natalie’s tummy rumble. “Your directions were easy to follow. These cinnamon cookies are for you. Thank you for offering to help me when I arrived in Sapphire Bay.”
Brooke took the plate and smiled. “You didn’t need to bake me cookies, but thank you anyway. I was about to stop for a drink. Do you want to join me?”
“That would be great. I’ve been sorting through my art supplies all morning.” Natalie looked over Brooke’s shoulder. “Wow. This isn’t what I expected to see.”
The garage had been converted into a commercial kitchen. Stainless steel counters ran across one wall and down the center of the room. Three large mixing bowls sat beside refrigerators that were as tall as Natalie, and pots and pans in all shapes and sizes filled a wall of metal shelves.
“What are you doing in here?”
“This is where I create my confectionery. For the last couple of hours I’ve been wrapping chocolate fudge for the craft fair.”
“It smells wonderful.” On the center island, bags of fudge were neatly stacked in boxes.
Brooke grinned. “It’s my granddad’s secret recipe.”
“This looks like it’s more than a hobby.”
“One day I want to open my own confectionery store but, for now, I work from home and send orders to stores around Montana.” Brooke took a container off one of the shelves. “Try some.”
Natalie bit into the fudge and sighed. It wasn’t the super smooth type she usually ate. This fudge had a dense, textured chewiness that melted in her mouth. “It’s delicious.”
“Making bulk quantities of the recipe is different from making smaller amounts, but I’m pleased with how it turned out. Come and have a hot drink.”
Natalie followed Brooke out of the garage. “How long have you been living in Sapphire Bay?”
“About eighteen months. I was a nurse in Arizona before I moved here.”
“That’s a big change.”
Brooke stepped inside her kitchen. “I was only supposed to stay for two weeks, but I loved it so much that I decided to move here. Would you like coffee, hot chocolate, or cold apple cider?”
“Apple cider would be great.”
“What brings you to Sapphire Bay?” Brooke asked.
“I need to paint two canvases for an exhibition that’s only a few months away.”
“That’s why you were checking your art supplies. What do you paint?”
“Landscapes. I like the way I can use oil paints to add texture and life to a scene.”
“Did you bring any finished paintings with you?”
“There are a few of my older canvases at my grandparents’ cottage. Most of my work is sold as soon as it’s displayed in exhibitions or galleries.”
