With a twinkle in her eyes, Mrs. Green said, “You’re being stubborn. If you called me Esme, you might be surprised by how much it suits me, too.”
Jackie sighed. “Okay, Esme. You win. Are you ready to try Andrea’s yummy breakfast menu?”
“More than ready,” Esme replied. After scanning the menu, she quickly chose scrambled eggs on homemade sourdough toast and a slice of bacon.
“I’ll have the ham and cheese omelet, and two coffees.” Jackie said to Andrea.
Andrea took the menus. “All perfect options. I’ll be back soon.”
Esme smiled as Andrea made her way toward the kitchen. “You’re lucky to have such wonderful friends. Andrea and her husband were very sweet to let me have dinner with everyone. It reminded me of the Sunday lunches we used to have before the boys left home.”
Jackie knew Mrs. Green missed her boys and their families. “Have you ever thought of moving closer to them?”
Esme waved away the suggestion. “If they stayed in one place, I might consider it. But they move so often I’d get dizzy.”
“Well, I’m glad you came to Sapphire Bay. You were wonderful yesterday. Everyone appreciated your help with the knitting questions.”
Esme beamed with pleasure. “I was happy to be there. I couldn’t believe it when Aidan knocked on my door and asked if I wanted to come to Sapphire Bay.”
Andrea arrived with two steaming mugs of coffee. “Here you go. Your breakfasts won’t be long.”
Esme smiled. “Thank you.” After Andrea left, she took a sip of coffee and sighed. “That tastes lovely. Aidan seemed quite protective of you yesterday. If you didn’t already know it, I think he’s very much in love with you.”
Jackie blushed, playing with her cutlery to avoid Esme’s probing gaze. “He’s... a good person,” she admitted, her voice faltering. “But he could be moving to Florida.”
“It sounds like he has a big decision to make. How do you feel about him?”
Jackie hesitated before answering. “I think I’m falling in love with him.”
Esme patted Jackie’s hand. “It’s okay to be happy about it.”
“I’m not sure I can. He wants us to keep seeing each other, but I don’t think it’ll work.”
“You won’t know until you try.” Esme studied Jackie’s face. “What happened to the little girl who never took no for an answer?”
Jackie sighed. “She grew up and realized she can’t have everything she wants.”
Esme’s eyes widened. “I think you’re more tired than you think. Put the same fighting spirit that got you through your childhood into action now. If you love Aidan, he’s worth fighting for. Tell him how you feel and be ready to compromise.”
“Compromise?” Jackie asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.
Esme leaned in closer. “The trouble with your childhood was that you never had to find a middle ground. Your mom was never there to disagree with you. And when she was, she gave in so she wasn’t the bad guy in your relationship. Life’s too short to regret not following your heart.”
Jackie added some sugar to her coffee. “My heart gets me into trouble.”
“Do you regret anything you’ve done because you listened to your heart and not your head?”
Jackie thought about moving to Montana, learning how to be a florist, working alongside Paris, and opening her store. None of those things were logical—she’d made spontaneous decisions that had changed her life forever.
“You’re right,” she told Esme. “I haven’t regretted any of those decisions.”
“Life is all about taking chances,” Esme said softly. “I followed my heart with my husband, and we had a wonderful marriage.”
“Did you ever consider remarrying after your husband passed away?”
Esme sighed, her eyes misting over. “I never met another man who made me feel as special as Joey did. But if I had, I would’ve held onto him and never let go.”
Jackie reached across the table, squeezing Esme’s hand in gratitude for her honesty and friendship. As they shared stories and laughter over breakfast, Jackie knew that no matter what happened between her and Aidan, she would be incredibly grateful to him for bringing Esme to Sapphire Bay.
