“Conflicted,” he admitted. “A part of me is excited by the project, but another part doesn’t want to leave Sapphire Bay.”
Chloe looked into his eyes. “Oscar and I will miss you, but you have to do what’s right for you.”
He looked down at their linked hands. “I’ll miss you, too, but it wouldn’t be for forever. You’ve made choices about your career and where you’ll live. How did you decide?”
She sighed softly. “For me, it came down to where I felt I belonged. After everything with Paul, I needed to live in acommunity where people cared about each other. Sapphire Bay offered that. My career was important, but it wasn’t everything.”
Liam nodded. “I feel like I’ve been searching for a place to call home for a long time. Maybe I’ve found it here.”
“Maybe you have.” Chloe’s hand tightened around his. “If I was being selfish, I’d tell you not to take the job. But I want you to be happy. Life’s too short for regrets.”
Liam looked into her eyes. There were many things he could end up regretting if he took the job. And the most important one was leaving Chloe. “I have a few days to decide what I’m doing. In the meantime, tell me about the dress rehearsal for Oscar’s school production. Did it go without a hitch?”
Chloe’s serious expression was replaced with a smile.
He listened as she described the organized chaos that made the rehearsal last twice as long as anyone had thought, the costume mishaps, and the missing carolers.
As they talked about Oscar’s school, the Christmas events they were organizing, and what their families were doing for the holidays, Liam felt an overwhelming sense of peace. He enjoyed spending time with Chloe—he just wished it didn’t have to end.
After Liam left,Chloe couldn’t sleep. Instead of worrying about whether he’d accept the new job, or whether her ex-husband would come to Sapphire Bay, she returned to the living room and sat in her favorite chair. With a soft blanket draped over her legs and a cup of peppermint tea beside her, she turned to the next chapter of Liam’s book.
As she read his description of Eleanor Whittaker, the mysterious artist who’d vanished from Sapphire Bay in the 1920s, she forgot about everything else that was worryingher. Liam’s words brought Eleanor’s story to life—the vivid descriptions of her murals, the gossip surrounding her sudden disappearance, and the lingering impact she’d left on the town.
Chloe opened the folder Liam had given her and studied one of the photos he was using in his book. It showed a faded mural painted on the side of an old wooden building. It was a winter scene—a swirling blend of clear blues and crisp whites, with figures ice skating under a starlit sky. There was something hauntingly beautiful about it, something that stirred a memory deep within her.
She set the photograph aside and reached for another, this one of a mural inside a church. It showed three angels, their wings blending seamlessly into the clouds behind them. Tomorrow, she’d ask Liam where he saw the mural and if the church was open to the public. If it was as good as what she saw in the photo, she’d be thrilled.
Suddenly, she remembered something she’d seen when she was working with Pastor John. She’d volunteered at the old steamboat museum shortly after she’d moved to Sapphire Bay. While she was helping to organize one of the cluttered storage rooms, she’d come across a portfolio of sketches.
At the time, she’d been too overwhelmed with the move and settling into her new life to think too much about them. But now, recalling the style and the faint signature scrawled in the corner of each page, she realized they might have been Eleanor’s work.
Chloe’s heart quickened. If those sketches were Eleanor’s, they could provide valuable insight into the artist’s life and perhaps even clues about her disappearance.
Reaching for her phone, she hesitated for a moment before dialing Liam’s number. It was late, but she hoped he was still awake.
After a couple of rings, he answered the phone. “Hey, Chloe.”
“Hi, Liam. I hope it’s okay to call you.”
“It’s fine,” he told her. “I’m not back at The Welcome Center yet.”
That made her feel better. “That’s good. I’m reading the section on Eleanor Whittaker and I remembered something that might be important.” Excitement crept into her voice. “I think I might have found some of her sketches at the steamboat museum.”
“That’s incredible! Do you think they’re still there?”
“I don’t know, but we didn’t throw anything away. Pastor John wanted to create a catalog of what’s in the storage rooms. We’re using it to organize a holiday exhibit featuring forgotten treasures that people have left at the old steamboat museum. I was thinking... maybe we could explore the storage rooms together. If we find the sketches, we could include them in the exhibit and maybe add some of them to your book.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line before Liam spoke. “That’s a fantastic idea. If Pastor John’s okay with us looking around, I’m in.”
“Great!” she replied, her smile widening. “I’ll see if we can have a look inside the storage rooms this week. We might have to hunt through a lot of stuff, but I think it’ll be worth it. If Thursday evening suits Pastor John, is it okay with you?”
“Any night is fine,” Liam told her. “Just give me a day’s warning. I’ll ask Steve if he can look after Trixie.”
“Sounds great. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” After they hung up, Chloe leaned back in her chair. After the disappointment of Liam telling her he could be leaving, the thought of unraveling the mystery surrounding Eleanor’s life was exciting. And almost as good as seeing the priceless heirlooms she’d worked with at the Smithsonian.
CHAPTER 10
On Thursday evening,Chloe stood outside the old steamboat museum, her breath forming small clouds in the chilly air. Oscar was staying at her neighbor’s house while she hunted with Liam and Pastor John for the sketches Eleanor had drawn.
