“They’ve got enough happening in their lives.”
David’s fingers tightened on hers. “If you won’t talk to them, stay with me at The Lakeside Inn. I’m using the large suite on the top floor. We can easily fit another three beds in there.”
“Katie and Peter’s family are arriving for the wedding. It would be too much.”
“Katie won’t mind.”
“But I do. Weddings are special. The last thing they need is more people in the inn.”
“If you really don’t want to go there, I could sleep here until we sort something out. The sofa in the living room would make a perfect bed.”
Andrea took a deep breath. When she’d first read the letter from Scotty, she’d felt small and insignificant. Now, she was ready to fight.
With her head held high, she turned to David. “You were right when you said I’m not the same person I used to be. If Scotty wants to see the boys, he’ll have to get through me first. Thank you for offering to stay here, but we’ll be all right on our own.”
David frowned. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more certain of anything.”
“At least promise me you’ll think about telling Pastor John and Ethan about the letter.”
Andrea nodded. “I’ll think about it.” Managing her own life was important to her. If anything happened, she had plenty of people she could call. Including David.
As long as Scotty wasn’t already here, they’d be okay.
Chapter 14
The next afternoon, David walked into The Starlight Café. Rosalie was behind the front counter and Vanessa was serving some customers.
Andrea must be in the kitchen.
Unlike last weekend, the café was a calm oasis. With classical music playing in the background, and the low hum of murmured voices, it was the perfect place to enjoy a relaxed lunch.
He moved out of the doorway and said hello to Gordon Jessop, the head gardener at The Welcome Center.
Rosalie looked up from the front counter and smiled. “Hi, David. It’s good to see you survived working here.”
“It was more enjoyable than I thought it would be.”
“Does that mean we can call you when we get busy?”
“You could try but, after this week, I’ll be spending most of my time in Manhattan.”
Vanessa walked across to them and gave Rosalie a coffee order. “Two cappuccinos for table four, please. Hi, David. If you’re talking about going home, I have it on great authority that you’ll be back more than you think you will.”
He frowned. “Have you been speaking to Andrea?”
Vanessa shook her head. “Mabel Terry thinks we’ve made too good an impression. She said you’ll be working full time from Sapphire Bay before Christmas.”
Andrea walked out of the kitchen holding two toasted paninis. “Oh, David. Hi.” She handed Vanessa the plates. “Table three. Sam ordered the chicken and camembert panini.”
He studied the dark circles under Andrea’s eyes. He didn’t blame her for not getting much sleep last night. “How is everything going?”
“The cafés great. We’ve had a steady stream of customers today and lots of positive feedback from the weekend. I’m still working through what happened last night.”
All he wanted to do was give her another hug, but he was worried she’d burst into tears. “Can I talk to you for a few minutes?”
Instead of replying, she simply nodded. “I just need to give one of my customers a message.”
