“Sorry, they’re gone. Check Nate’s place down-island in a couple of weeks.”
“Thanks. I’ll do that. It’s too bad you’re leaving, though.” She looked out the windows across the back wall and saw what appeared to be a deck between the shop and a walkway that edged the water in the harbor. Several more coolers cluttered the space out there, but a cheerful paint job and a few café tables could create a nice area for summer customers to sip Grandma’s teas and snack on treats.
The man frowned. “I’m eighty-three. It’s time to retire.”
“My goodness. You don’t look eighty-three.” That, too, was a lie, as his face had more lines than a 1960s Rand McNally road map. Perhaps he’d spent too many years in sunshine winking off sea water.
Arnie laughed as if he knew she was being kind.
“Are you moving off-island?” she asked. “Somewhere south?”
“Like Florida? Could you picture a guy like me living there?”
“Well. It’s warmer than here.” Of course, she knew that Florida was nowhere near New Hampshire, where Arnie’s nephew supposedly lived.
He shook his head. “Nope. But I am moving off. Going to my nephew’s in New Hampshire.” Again, the “ah” sound of Boston rolled off the last syllable of Hampshire. “My lease isn’t up ’til the end of the year,” he continued, “but I want to be outta here by Halloween. Seems appropriate, seeing as how change can be scary.” He snorted at his joke.
Maddie nodded. “Well, good luck to you then.”
“And good luck finding a tackle box.”
With what she hoped would be seen as a pleasant wave, she let herself out of the bait shop and walked down Basin Road toward the driveway that led up to Grandma’s cottage. If she was going to be serious about this, she’d need to gather as much information as possible. Rex’s brother-in-law, Kevin, had been a building contractor in Boston before relocating to the Vineyard; he should know what it would take for the transformation. Once he was done with the restoration and renovations to Grandma’s cottage.
Chapter 6
As Maddie hiked up the hill to the top of the driveway, she bypassed Lisa’s place and took the narrow dirt path up to the cottage. Because it was a weekday, she was happy to hear the sounds of hammering, buzzsawing, and voices coming from within.
“Kevin?” she called out as she carefully stepped into the living room and spotted him in the kitchen, hammering.
The hammering stopped, but the buzzsawing that seemed to be coming from one of the bedrooms continued.
Rex’s brother-in-law looked up from his work.
“Hey, Maddie. How’s it going?” He set down the hammer and walked over to her.
For an instant she wondered if Rex had told him about her, about them. She had no idea if mature adult males ever outgrew that teenage stage. Then she reminded herself she was paying Kevin’s invoices, so chances were, if he knew, he would not bring it up.
“Things are good,” she said, looking around. Two walls of Sheetrock now were in place. “How’s it going here?”
“Great. You want a tour?”
Since the work had begun, Maddie had only stopped by a few times; she didn’t want Kevin and his crew to think shewas planning to hover, watching their every move, or worse, that she’d pressure them into rushing. “No need for a tour, thanks. I brought my son over on Sunday. He’s impressed. So am I.”
Kevin pushed a handful of light brown hair off his forehead and nodded.
“I want to ask you about something else,” she said.
He glanced down the hall where the saws were buzzing. “Let’s go outside where we can hear.”
Once they were in the front yard, she gave him the rundown on what little she knew about the bait shop. “If it works out that I can get it, a good revamp will be important. Of course, I’d prefer to have you and your crew do the work if you’re not too busy.”
He smiled. “First of all, I’ll be glad to help however I can. We’re on schedule to finish here with your grandmother’s Christmas deadline, and I’d love to have a winter job lined up. Would that work for you?”
“Honestly, all I know is that Arnie is closing later this month. As for the rest, I have no idea where to start. But you’re in construction, so I thought you might be able to steer me in the right direction.”
He held up a finger. “Hold on a second.” He pulled his phone from his pocket, turned his back to Maddie, and moved several steps away. So she looked back at the cottage and waited.
The difference that the new front windows made was astonishing. When the work was done, the house would be pleasantly welcoming, the way a Vineyard cottage should be. It would be perfect for her grandmother and her. And for Rafe, if he wanted to be with them. And if Maddie had a bookshop right down the hill …Wow, she thought, turning again, facing the harbor,I really will have a whole new life. It was surprising … and exhilarating.
