“Are there more?”
Maddy dug through the box. “Here’s another.” In this one she wore a blue two-piece with a boy-shorts bottom. Her long legs seemed to go on forever.
“Scandalous!” Nora said, laughing.
There were several other advertisements in the box. Maddy couldn’t wait to quiz her grandma about her modeling days.
***
Connor shrugged into a clean shirt, struggling to pull it down over his still-damp stomach. One of his dockhands had a sprained wrist, so he’d spent most of the day gassing up boats. He couldn’t show up at the restaurant smelling like gasoline.
He should put in a shower at the marina. He may as well live there at this point. He ran his fingers through his wet hair and decided to let it air dry. He grabbed his keys and wallet and left the house. When he was nearly back to his car, someone called out. He glanced up to see one of the granddaughters coming across the yard, flagging him down.
He met her at the edge of his property. She was the middle one, a real beauty with a friendly smile. Emma, he remembered.
“How are you doing, Emma?”
“Just fine. I’m sorry to bother you, but do you happen to know anything about appliances?”
“Sure, a little. What’s going on?”
“I was making lunch, and the stove stopped working, both the oven and the cooktop. The thing’s ancient; it’s probably just finally bit the dust, but...”
“I think I know what the problem is.”
He followed her to the house, making small talk along the way. She was pleasant and friendly, with a smile that reminded him of Louise’s. Her younger sister could take lessons.
Once inside the kitchen, he went straight to the wall outlet beside the stove and tried the can opener. As he suspected, it was dead.
“It’s just a tripped breaker,” he said. “This happens to your grandmother sometimes when she forgets and uses too many things at once. If you’re using the stove and the microwave, you can’t use anything else on this wall.”
“Oh, good to know. Do you know where the breaker box is?”
“It’s in the living room closet, but I’ll get it.”
As he entered the living room, the other two women were coming down the steps.
Maddy’s eyes tightened at the corners as they connected with his. “Hello.”
“Maddy. Nora.” He nodded, then focused on the older sister. “Emma stopped me on my way out. She tripped a breaker in the kitchen.”
He opened the closet and reached for the gray breaker box cover. It opened with a squawk. Locating the right switch, he flipped it, then closed the door again. “That should take care of it.”
He trailed behind the sisters, heading back to the kitchen where he checked the oven.
“It works!” Emma said with a joyful smile. “Thank you so much. I didn’t even think of checking the other outlets.”
“Well, the stove probably is on its last legs,” he said.
“Stay for lunch if you haven’t eaten yet,” Emma said. “It’s only soup and sandwiches, but there’s plenty to go around.”
His stomach gave a hard twist. He hadn’t eaten since the protein bar he’d downed on his way to the marina this morning.
“We insist,” Nora said. “It’s the least we can do. Right, Maddy?”
Maddy gave a strained smile. “Of course.” She went to the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher of tea.
He suddenly wanted to stay put, if only just to annoy her. The marina could do without him for another few minutes, and once supper hour rolled around he’d be too busy at the restaurant to eat.
