Andie had just enough time to go to the art gallery before she was due at Tides to tend to the late-morning guests who were scheduled to check in. The new Lobster Bay Art Gallery sat just outside Perkins Cove, an idyllic cove filled with colorful lobster boats and dotted with fisherman’s shacks turned into restaurants and shops.
Andie had known the owner of the gallery, Chandler Vanbeck, for years and trusted his opinion on the painting. Out front, Chandler had installed a modernistic bronze sculpture and some lush plants. She held the painting carefully as she opened the plate glass door.
The gallery was awash in sunlight from the wall of windows that made up the front of the gallery. It wasn’t a huge space, but the twenty-foot ceilings made it appear spacious. Inside, potted plants softened the effect of the stark white walls that served as a background for the various paintings. Sculptures atop four-foot-high marble pedestals placed strategically around the room added interest.
Chandler’s office was in the back, but she paused for a moment to admire one of Maxi’s paintings. This one captured a lighthouse in a storm with violent waves swirling up over the foundation. Her heart soared for her friend. Maxi had set aside her artistic ambitions to raise a family, and now at the age of fifty was finally getting back to what she’d always wanted to do—paint.
As she made her way to the back, a woman with long blond hair backed out of Chandler’s office. “See you tonight, Boopsie.”
Boopsie? The woman turned and then stopped, her face turning bright red as she saw Andie. Andie recognized her. She’d actually introduced the woman, Tiffany, to Chandler at the art gallery opening several weeks ago. Apparently they’d hit it off, if the nickname of “Boopsie” was any indication.
“Hi there,” Andie said.
“Oh, hi. Sorry, I didn’t realize anyone was here.” Tiffany grimaced and then slipped past Andie.
Andie continued to Chandler’s office. “Knock, knock.”
“Andie! Come on in.” Chandler sat at a modern-style plexiglass desk. His gray suit perfectly fitted his trim body. His salt-and-pepper hair was impeccably groomed. He had a splash of color in his cheeks, probably from his visit with Tiffany. He seemed genuinely pleased to see Andie.
“Looks like things worked out with Tiffany.” Andie nodded toward the front door, which was just closing behind the blonde.
Chandler’s smile deepened. “Yes, and thank you for introducing us.” He narrowed his gaze on the painting. “What do you have there?”
Andie placed it in his hands. “I was evaluating the Thompson estate and found this. It seems like it could be an important piece.”
“The Thompson estate? That big house on the cliff?”
Andie nodded. “Been in the same family for generations.”
Chandler’s brows rose. “Could be an important find in there.” He laid the painting on a table, pulled a loupe out of his pocket, and started to inspect it.
Funny thing, Andie had been so concerned about Emily getting the money she needed that she’d momentarily forgotten about her quest for that big, important discovery of a lifetime. But she had plenty of time for that. There were rooms of antiques to go through, and if the Thompson house was like any of the dozens of old family homes she’d been in, the oldest stuff was in the attic. That was where she’d make her big discovery if there was even one to be made.
“This is in fairly good shape. A little cracking of the paint.” Chandler pointed out an area where the paint had crackled. “But the signature is genuine. It’s a Statler.”
“Is it worth a lot?”
“He’s not one of the most prominent, but… let me see.” Chandler went to his computer and checked a few websites. “One sold recently for ten thousand.”
Ten thousand was good, but Emily wouldn’t get all of that. There were fees associated with auctions, and this painting wasn’t perfect. Emily would be lucky to get the fee for one month at Tall Pines.
“Do you plan to consign it?” Chandler asked.
“I don’t know. I’ll ask my client. I think that’s her best bet to get the most money.”
“I agree. Let me know if she says yes, and I can contact Arpello’s. They usually get the best prices for this sort of painting.” Chandler came from around the desk, handed the painting back to Andie, then escorted her out of the office.
“The place looks great.” Andie gestured toward the gallery, and Chandler beamed with pride.
The door opened, and Andie frowned when she saw that it was Damien Carruthers. He stopped when he spotted Andie, his beady eyes turning cold. “Oh, hello.”
Damien had taken a dislike to Andie ever since he’d discovered that she’d been paying top dollar to the senior citizens who wanted to sell their antiques. Her fair prices had ruined the little scam he had had going to pay them a pittance. Well, too bad. Andie wasn’t about to let people get ripped off, even if it meant that she would make less.
“Damien! Welcome!” Chandler apparently didn’t know of Damien’s unscrupulous practices.
Damien smiled at Chandler, then his eyes drifted to the painting in Andie’s hands. “What a lovely folk art painting. Is it an important artist?”
“It’s a fine Statler from the Thompson estate.” Chandler rushed on before Andie could stop him. She didn’t really want Damien to know anything about her business.
Damien scowled. “Thompson? You mean the old Thompson estate on the cliff?”
“Yes.” Chandler’s hesitant tone and confused look indicated that he was starting to realize that something more was going on.
Damien turned to Andie. “You’re handling that estate?”
Andie smiled smugly. “Yes. My mother and Sadie Thompson are old friends.”
“I was supposed to get that.” He sounded like a spoiled school boy. Andie expected him to stamp his feet and throw a tantrum. But she couldn’t help but feel smug. That’s what he got for ripping people off.
Chandler cleared his throat uncomfortably.
Andie clutched the painting to her chest. “Sorry, I guess the Thompsons decided to go with me instead. Now if you will excuse me, I must get to Tides.”
Andie rushed out, feeling the weight of Damien’s stare on her back as she hurried past the bronze sculpture to her car.
Andie could feel the weight of Damien’s stare as she drove away. The encounter hadn’t been totally unpleasant, and she’d felt a satisfaction at his surprise that the Thompsons had secured her services and not his. But it worried her too. Something in his dark, beady eyes promised he might take revenge.
She called Emily, who was surprised and pleased at the value of the painting. She mentioned her worry about the dilapidated steps on the porch of the house. It was a liability for the auction. When Andie pointed out that she could have Sally Littlefield, the town handy-woman, who had done a lot of work at Tides, fix them and bill her for after she had the auction money, Emily agreed.
Next, Andie called Frank, her auctioneer friend. Luckily Frank had a cancellation for the coming weekend, so Andie secured the date then stopped by the town offices. She had a lot of experience with the permitting department when they’d had to do some renovations to Tides in order to hold weddings, so it was an easy task to get the permit for the auction. All that remained was for someone to come out and inspect the area. She hoped Sally would be able to fit the porch repair in between now and then.
The sight of the family inn nestled on the beach soothed her. The house had been in her family for four generations, and her great-grandparents had started Tides as the first inn in Lobster Bay.
The foyer was clean and smelled of lemon Pledge mixed with sugar and chocolate. Either Jane or their part-time cook, Brenda, had made a batch of oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, and they were still warm on the sideboard. The aroma added to the experience of the new guests.
“I’m here!” she yelled out, putting her purse under the tall podium desk they used to check people in.
“Woof!”
Cooper came trotting out to greet her, and Andie crouched down to pet him. “Are you the only one here?”
“I’m cleaning the parlor! Come out on the porch after!” Jane yelled, proving she’d do just about anything to avoid dealing with the guests.
A car pulled up, and Andie spent the next forty minutes checking in the guests, who all came one after the other. The close check-in times were on purpose. They tried to arrange guests into a small check-in window whenever possible so Andie could be there to get them settled. She was much better with people than Jane.
Cooper stuck with her, wagging his tail and tilting his head endearingly as the guests gushed over him. They’d been afraid a resident dog would put guests off, but the opposite had happened. People were calling and asking if this was the inn with the “nice golden retriever” now.
Once the guests were settled in their rooms, Andie snagged a cookie for herself and headed to the back porch, where Jane was seated at one of the tables they’d set up for outdoor dining. Her turquoise half-moon glasses had slid far down her nose as she studied some of the new promotional material for the inn.
“Which do you like better, this view of the living room that shows the ocean through the windows or the one that shows the fireplace?” Jane slid two glossy photos over to Andie.
“Ocean, definitely.” Andie plopped into a chair and took a bite of cookie. The back porch wrapped around one side of the house, and the steps led right to the beach. Andie could practically feel the sand between her toes. Maybe she’d go for a walk at the water’s edge after. The beach was wide here and the ocean a hundred feet away at low tide, but she could still smell the sea air and hear the waves. Cooper must have been able to too. He sat on the top of the stairs looking out, ears cocked toward the ocean, nose sniffing.
“Yeah, I agree.” Jane took her glasses off and folded them over the paper. “Is that the last cookie?”
“Yeah. Sorry. Want half?”
Jane pressed her lips together then shook her head. “Better not. I ate three while I was making them.”
“They’re delicious.” Sally Littlefield peered around the corner of the porch. She’d been working on painting the window trim and looked like she’d gotten most of the gray paint on her overalls. Today, her long silver braid was coiled around the top of her head. Sally had to be near seventy, but that didn’t stop her from performing painting and maintenance for most of Lobster Bay. Recently she’d teamed up with Shane Flannery, who’d just retired from the navy. Shane did the more demanding tasks.
Thoughts of Shane had Andie glancing at her phone. She’d been half expecting him to call since he’d mentioned getting together. She was sure Mary would gladly give him her number. But maybe his invitation had just been something he’d said to be polite. Why did that thought make her feel disappointed?
“Thanks,” Jane said. “Brenda was busy making some concoction for tomorrow’s breakfast, so I made them.”
“Heard you were out at the Thompson house this morning,” Sally said to Andie. Sally knew everything that happened in Lobster Bay and usually had something to say about it.
“They have a lot of antiques,” Andie said. “I actually wanted to talk to you about that. Sadie’s daughter, Emily, wants to have an auction there, but we need some minor repairs to the porch steps. Could you do that on short notice?”
Sally tilted her head, squinted her eyes, and looked up at the porch ceiling. “I suppose I could fit you in. Thursday okay?”
“Yeah. And you bill end of month, right?”
Sally nodded. “Ayuh.”
Sally disappeared back around the corner.
“How was it at the Thompsons’? Did Emily thaw out?” Jane asked.
Andie sighed. “I think she did thaw a little. I guess I can’t blame her for being cautious. I feel bad for her too. She’s faced with losing the house that has been in her family for generations, just like we were, and that is a scary feeling.”
They both looked back at the house.
“So, will you be able to help her? Tall Pines is expensive.”
“I hope so. There is a lot of stuff crammed into that house. That’s why I suggested the auction. She’ll be able to sell off a bunch of things and get some money quickly.”
“That sounds like a good idea.” Jane looked thoughtful. “But how do you get paid if she has an auction?”
Andie hadn’t thought about that. She’d been too focused on the actual antiques and worried about Emily losing her home. Who knew she was so selfless? Or maybe she was just a bad business person.
“Well, that’s a good question.” Andie laughed. “I hope to pick out some key items to sell in the shop which will turn a tidy profit. And maybe they have something of historical importance there too. I did find a cool folk art painting that’s worth a couple thousand.”
“You did? Will she sell it?”
“Yep. I brought it to Chandler, and he’s going to put it in an auction. I saw Tiffany there. Looks like those two are getting along good.” Andie glanced at her sister to see her reaction.
“That’s great. So she’s staying in town?”
Tiffany was Jane’s boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend. If Jane had been worried about her staying in town, she didn’t show it. Mike seemed to be the one who was most worried about his ex showing up. He adored Jane and was afraid Tiffany would mess things up between them because she had seemed to want to reconcile with him at first. Apparently it had been a good move to introduce Tiffany to Chandler, and now it looked like things had worked out for everyone.
“Seems that way.” Andie frowned. “I also ran into Damien Carruthers while I was there. He was not happy that I was handling the Thompson estate.”
Jane made a face. “He’s a jerk.”
“He’s kind of creepy too. The whole time I was talking to him, I felt as if he was calculating a way to get back at me for offering people fair prices for their antiques.”
“No doubt. You cost him some money. He had a good thing going swindling little old ladies. But I wouldn’t worry too much about him. What could he possibly do to get back at you, anyway?”