The next day, Andie arrived at the Thompson house to find Emily on the porch with a laptop open and pieces of paper spread out all over the table in front of her. She had a pencil in her hand, and her hair was sticking out of a messy bun. Shane’s truck was already there, and she could hear power tools going in the house. She resisted the urge to look for him, amused that she even had that urge and also a little worried. What if Shane only wanted to be friends? Would she be disappointed?
“I’ve been working on an ad, and I think I’ve got a good one.” Emily handed her a piece of blue-lined paper with neat writing.
“I used the ads in the online magazine as a template.” Emily turned the laptop to face Andie and pointed to a half-page ad that was up on the screen.
Andie didn’t know much about ads. The content was similar, describing the historical significance of the house, a bit of history about the Underground Railroad, and the key points of the ocean setting. But it seemed like something was lacking. She didn’t want to tell Emily that, though. The woman had worked hard. “This is great. I’ll take it to Jane. She has more experience with this sort of thing than I do.”
Emily wasn’t upset. She looked more relieved than anything. “That would be great. I’m also working on choosing towels and bedding. I was thinking an antique quilt look for the comforter and just good-quality plain white towels like they have in a hotel.”
“That sounds great. You could use the linen service we use at Tides for sheets and towels. I can get you the number.”
“Perfect.”
Sally came around the corner and headed straight for them, all business as usual. “I’m glad you’re here. Gotta get going if you want this done quickly. The room is coming along, but we’re going to need cabinets, countertops, and fixtures in a couple of days.”
“Oh dear!” Emily gave Andie a panicked look.
“Don’t worry, I have a plan for that.” In truth, Andie had sort of ignored the fact that she would have to act this fast. She could still pull it off, though. She sent off a text to Maxi for an emergency meeting on picking out the cabinets, countertops, and fixtures. She looked up at Sally. “Appliances?”
“Ayuh, I suppose you would need those. That’s not really part of my job though.”
She was right, but they did need them, so Andie made a note to look over the selections at the home improvement store. Maybe she would happen across a good sale. That, combined with the coupons she and Maxi had used, should save Emily a lot of money.
“I guess I better get going.” She held up the ad that Emily had written. “Mind if I take this to Tides to show my sister?”
“Go for it.”
“Okay, I’ll check back later.”
As Andie turned to leave, she couldn’t help but glance into the house to see if she could catch a glimpse of Shane.
Tantalizing breakfast smells wafted out of the open kitchen window. Andie had noted the appetizing aromas the minute she’d stepped out of her car after arriving at Tides.
Her stomach rumbled low as she made her way up the walk, but she ignored it for the moment, searching the occupied tables on the back porch for Jane instead. Some of the guests lingered there with their breakfasts, but her sister wasn’t to be found.
After a few polite greetings of “good morning,” Andie headed into the inn and went straight through to the kitchen, thinking Jane might be there. She found Brenda instead, cleaning up after breakfast.
Greeting Brenda with a hug, Andie asked, “Do you know where Jane is?”
She leaned against the counter and reached over to snag a piece of bacon.
“I think she took Cooper for a walk.” Brenda gestured toward the back door then shoved some eggs onto the plate she’d just finished drying, added the last few pieces of leftover bacon, and handed it to Andie. “Finish these for me.”
Without question, Andie dug in. Glancing out the back door, she could see down the beach. Jane, Cooper, and Mike were walking along. Jane and Mike were holding hands and laughing. Every once in a while Cooper would return with a stick in his mouth, and one of them would toss it for him to retrieve again.
A wave of wistful longing hit her. For just a moment, Andie tried to picture herself holding hands with someone special, like Mike was to Jane. An image of Shane rushed to the fore, filling her mind, and she pushed it away. But it came back as if she’d subconsciously willed it.
Probably because of the many times she and Shane had walked the beach hand in hand, just as Mike and Jane were now doing, Andie decided. But she’d had her chance thirty years ago, right?
So many years had passed. So many things had changed—she’d changed. Yes, she’d had her chance with Shane, and then she’d gone away. But now she was back and… had she completely blown it?
Before her brain could remind her once more that it was her decision to up and leave town—and Shane—all those years ago, Jane, Mike, and Cooper came barreling in the back door.
Cooper barked and rushed to Andie, his tail wagging in happy excitement, and her heart swelled as she bent to pet the dog.
Jane and Mike laughed. When Andie straightened, she noticed they were still holding hands. They were still smiling, too, and they both seemed just as happy as Cooper to see her.
“Hey, Andie! How’s it going?” Mike’s green eyes were genuinely welcoming. She truly liked Mike. He was good for Jane, and Andie was glad her sister had found someone as nice as him.
“Great so far,” she answered. “How about you?”
“Pretty good.” He glanced at the clock then at Jane. “I better get going, I have to finish a website for a client this morning.”
Mike kissed Jane goodbye, albeit a little self-consciously. His cheekbones colored a bit, and Andie grinned, noting a similar rush of high color on her sister’s face as well. She thought it was cute that they both blushed.
“So what brings you here?” Jane asked once Mike was gone. She grabbed a coffee mug and held it up to ask if Andie wanted coffee. She nodded, and Jane filled two mugs then joined her at the long pine table.
Andie had already put the ad on the table. She slid it to her sister. “I was hoping you could take a look at the ad Emily wrote for the Thompson house vacation rentals.”
Jane took the paper and looked it over carefully, her forehead creasing into a little frown. “Hmm. It’s good, but… I think maybe it needs a little pizzazz. You know, play up the historical angle a bit?”
Jane got up to get her laptop from the sideboard. “When I was researching for Tides, I looked at all the boutique hotel ads I could find. What I noticed was that each one usually had something uniquely appealing.”
Andie sighed. “I thought the ad lacked something but couldn’t put my finger on what. I guess unique appeal could be it.”
Jane nodded as she typed. “Yes. See here?”
She turned the laptop so they could both see the screen. “Look at this ad. ‘Have wine on the widow’s walk where Henry Perkins’s widow stood every night as she watched for his ship to return from sea.’”
Tilting her head to the side in consideration of the words, she said, “Henry Perkins’s widow. The walk she, personally, stood on while waiting for him. It’s very specific.”
Reading through the ad along with Jane as she pointed out details, Andie said, “Yeah, I guess.”
Jane typed some more. “And this one. ‘Sleep in the room that was a favorite of President Theodore Roosevelt.’”
Andie caught the words “president” and “Theodore Roosevelt” and gnawed her bottom lip. Jane had a point. “Looks like they have a particular experience tied to each of their hotels. The guests can correlate their own stay to a specific, unique moment from history.”
Jane looked up at her. “Exactly! Something that is utterly unique to that particular hotel. That’s what Emily needs. A unique hook. I think an unproven theory that the house was part of the Underground Railroad might not be specific enough.”
Andie agreed, but what in the world were they going to use for a hook?
Andie rushed over to Maxi’s cottage directly from Tides. She wanted to get the products for Emily ordered right away. Sally wouldn’t be happy if they didn’t come in when she wanted them, and she wanted Emily to be able to start renting as soon as possible.
She knocked on the door of the quaint little seaside cottage. When no one answered, Andie went around to the back and drew up just in time to see Maxi and James racing up from the edge of the water, laughing together.
A breeze blew in off the water, ruffling Andie’s hair until it almost blocked her view, but not enough to make her miss the spark of joy in Maxi’s eyes. Or how relaxed and content James looked at her side.
Andie felt the sharp stab of… something. Not quite jealousy and not quite regret. She was thrilled for her sister and Mike. She couldn’t be happier for Maxi and James. Just like Jane and Mike, Maxi and James were completely happy, and Andie wouldn’t want anything different for either of them. But she couldn’t help but feel a bit melancholy for herself.
“Andie!” Maxi rushed toward her, the brim of her floppy hat held tight with one hand while she waved with the other.
“Hi!” Andie called back. “Did you get my text?”
“Yeah, sorry, I wasn’t here. James decided a breath of fresh air and sunshine after breakfast would be nice. We just ran out for a quick walk before you came.”
James let go of Maxi’s hand and greeted Andie.
“Thanks so much for helping out with the loan for Emily Thompson,” Andie said. “You’ve given her a chance to keep her family home.”
“No problem. You know I love to see the older houses restored.” James glanced sideways at Maxi and then winked at Andie. “Besides, I’m eternally grateful for your part in bringing Maxi and me back together. I would help you anytime.”
“It was my pleasure.” Andie smiled at the happy couple for a few seconds then looked pointedly at Maxi. “Well, should we get started? I want to make sure we get everything ordered in time. You know how Sally can be if things don’t go to schedule.”
Maxi laughed. Looping her arm through Andie’s, she walked with her into the cottage, leaving James to trail in behind them. “Don’t I ever! She fixed the leak in the living room and nearly had a cow when I didn’t have matching paint right away.”
Andie looked up at the ceiling. There had been a leak in the corner, but there was no sign of it now. “You paid her to do that? But you don’t even own the place!”
Maxi shrugged. “I know, I know. But Hailey’s grandfather doesn’t have a lot of money, and it seriously needed fixing. No big deal.”
“You, on the other hand…” Maxi glanced at Andie out of the corner of her eye. “When Sally was here, she mentioned something about you and Shane going to the beach together.”
Andie blushed, then shrugged off Maxi’s insinuation that something was happening between her and Shane. “We did go for a walk, but it was nothing, really. We had hot dogs.”
“Uh-huh,” Maxi said, but she sounded doubtful.
“Seriously,” Andie insisted then sighed. “Okay, maybe there was a little spark, but that might just have been on my end.”
And that was exactly what Andie was afraid of... being so interested in spending time with Shane again herself that she was reading more into things when they were together than he actually meant. She shrugged. “I don’t know if he really wants to get involved.”
“You can’t always tell though.” Maxi glanced outside to make sure James, who had gone right back out after following the two of them inside, wasn’t listening. Nodding in his direction, she told Andie, “Guys get scared, too, and you shouldn’t let a misunderstanding stop you from getting what you want.”
James looked toward the bungalow and waved. Maxi waved back at him and smiled. “I didn’t, and now look how happy I am.”
Andie had to agree that Maxi had a point, but… “I’m not sure it’s just a misunderstanding, Maxi. I think maybe Shane is just not that interested.”
Not anymore, Andie thought, swallowing back yet another wistful sigh.
“Really?” Maxi asked, doubt clear in her eyes. Andie thought she saw something else, too, but she would never accuse Maxi of feeling pity for her.
“Well, that’s not what it looks like to me,” Maxi insisted. “Have you ever considered that he might be wary because of how you broke things off before?”
As if she could feel just how uncertain and confused Andie was suddenly feeling, Maxi reached over and patted her consolingly on the arm. “Maybe you’ve just been thinking too much about how you feel and not enough about how Shane feels.”
Without giving Andie a chance to get lost in the are you sures and the whys, Maxi grabbed her big striped tote bag from the chair. “Now let’s get going. I’ve already done some research, and I want to show you all the options I think will look best in those units.”