Changing Tides

by Meredith Summers

  Chapter 15

  Jane was just finishing up with the accounting when Mike appeared at the kitchen door. Much to her delight, Cooper was at his side.

  “Thanks for coming.” Jane bent down to pet the dog. “Brenda made a breakfast plate for you. Why don’t you get settled at the table, and I’ll heat it up.”

  Mike took his laptop out of the bag and sat at the table while Jane heated up the plate of eggs, sausage, and pancakes that Brenda had set aside.

  “So, what exactly do you want in a website?” Mike asked as he shoveled in the breakfast. “This is delicious, by the way.”

  “Darn tootin’. Brenda makes the best breakfast,” Sally piped in without even taking her eyes off her current job of fixing the hinges on one of the corner cabinets.

  “Can’t argue with that.” Jane slid her laptop around so Mike could see the screen. “I surfed around the internet and found some examples of what I would like our website to look like. Of course, I’ll need a form that people can fill out with information on weddings. And also, it needs to be hooked up to some sort of a reservation system—even if it just sent me an email—as long as the people can fill the form out online.”

  Mike studied the example sites she had on her screen. “Looks simple enough. Should be easy.” He shoved his plate aside and started typing notes on his own laptop. “I should have a mock-up ready for you tomorrow. Is that okay?”

  “So soon? That would be great. You don’t need to rush on my account, though.”

  “I’m not rushing. I’ll put together some examples. Then we can go through it, and you can tell me what needs to be changed.”

  “I really appreciate this,” Jane said as Mike started packing up his laptop. “Are you sure you don’t want payment? I know website designers cost a lot.”

  Mike smiled and shook his head. “No. Seriously, the breakfast is enough.”

  “We’ll be sure to have a good one ready for you when you come tomorrow.” Jane knelt down in front of Cooper, running her fingers through his thick fur. “And I guess I’ll see you tomorrow too.”

  “Actually, you might not.” Mike’s voice sounded grim. Jane glanced up at him, and his expression indicated that something was wrong.

  “What do you mean?” Jane asked.

  Mike sighed. “The landlady that I’m renting the cottage from said I can’t have pets. Even though on the Airbnb listing, it did say pets were allowed, now she’s saying that was a mistake, and I can’t keep Cooper there. No place else is available in town, so I’m going to have to put him in the kennel until I figure out something permanent.”

  “A kennel?” Jane’s heart pinched at the trusting look in Cooper’s whiskey-brown eyes. He seemed so happy, wagging his tail, eagerly awaiting another walk on the beach. Images of the dog sad and depressed and crammed into a dirty kennel with no beach to run on came to mind. “Surely there’s got to be something else you can do?”

  “I wish there was. I’m not putting him up for adoption or anything yet, but I’ll have to keep him somewhere and come and take him out to visit Gramps.”

  “But he’ll be in a small kennel all day. That won’t do. What if he stayed here instead?” Jane had blurted the proposition out before she knew it was coming, but now that it was out, she didn’t regret it. Having Cooper at Tides felt right.

  Mike’s eyes widened. “Oh, I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

  “Of course you can. You can consider it partial payment for the website. You’d have to pay a lot to have Cooper stay in a kennel, right?”

  Mike’s gaze flicked from Jane to Cooper. “I don’t know. It seems like an imposition.”

  Jane stepped over to Cooper and patted his head. “No imposition at all. In fact, it will be a joy to have him here.”

  Mike still looked uncertain, but Jane could see that he liked the idea of having Cooper at Tides a lot more than putting him in a kennel. Who wouldn’t?

  “Okay. Well, if you put it that way, I guess I can’t refuse.”

  “It’s a deal, then.” Jane stuck out her hand, and they shook. Letting the handshake linger a little bit longer than necessary, she looked up. Their eyes met.

  “Ahem!”

  Jane dropped Mike’s hand and looked over to see Andie standing in the doorway.

  “Oh, Andie. This is Mike Henderson. He’s making the website for Tides. Mike, my sister, Andie.”

  The two of them shook hands, and Jane thought she saw an amused smirk on her sister’s face. Why would her sister be amused at Mike making a website?

  Jane gestured toward the dog. “And this is Cooper. He’s going to be staying here.”

  Andie’s brows shot up. “Oh? That’s great. I love dogs.”

  Andie held up an old glass hummingbird feeder. “I was just coming to make some nectar for the hummingbird feeder. I thought I might spruce up the gardens.”

  “That’s a great idea. They could use it.” Apparently, Andie wasn’t rushing back to New York. Sprucing up the gardens would take a few days at least. Jane felt cautiously encouraged about her sister’s involvement in Tides.

  “Okay. Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow morning, then. I’ll show you the website example and collect Cooper to go visit Gramps.” Mike nodded at both the girls and left through the back door.

  Andie tried to keep the smirk off her face as she watched Mike leave. She and Jane hadn’t been that close in recent years, but she was pretty sure her sister hadn’t even thought about dating since Brad died. But the attraction between Jane and Mike was obvious. At least it was to Andie. Jane, on the other hand, seemed oblivious. Mike, not so much. Well, good for them. Just because Andie wasn’t doing well in the relationship department didn’t mean she wasn’t happy for others who were. Besides, Mike seemed nice, and he was kind of cute.

  She pulled the jar of sugar out of the cabinet and started measuring for the nectar. “So, you’re revamping the website?”

  “Bringing it up to more modern times,” Jane said. “The old website is so outdated. People want to be able to book rooms online these days. Plus, if we have weddings, we need information about them on the site and a form for people to fill out online.”

  Andie squatted down so her eyes were at counter level, making sure she’d put the right amount of sugar in the measuring cup. “That sounds like a smart idea.”

  Woof!

  Cooper was standing at the door, staring down the beach after Mike. He wagged his tail, looking from Jane to the door.

  “Sorry, buddy, you’re going to be staying here. You’ll see Mike later.” Jane patted her leg, and the dog cast one last look out the door then sat beside her, staring up at Jane adoringly.

  “I think he’s getting attached to you.” Andie thought Jane might be getting attached too.

  “He’s a good boy.” Jane massaged his neck. “Oh darn. We’re going to need dog food and bowls and supplies.”

  “I think I saw some bowls when I was looking for the bird feeder in storage,” Andie said. “I can grab those and pick up some other supplies on the way home from visiting Mom at Tall Pines.” Andie leaned against the counter and looked at her sister slyly. “Unless you want an excuse to call Mike.”

  Jane looked genuinely confused. “Of course I don’t want an excuse to call him. Why would I?”

  Andie gave her a look, and Jane blushed.

  “That’s silly. He’s just making my website, and besides, he’s too young for me.” Jane glanced out the door, where they could still see Mike walking down the beach.

  “He’s not that young. I know his family,” Sally piped in from where she was still working on the hinge. “Aren’t you about forty-eight?”

  “Yes,” Jane said.

  Sally looked up at the ceiling as she did mental calculations. “Let’s see now. Mike was born the year that Jesse had Brady, so that makes him… yep, he’s forty-one. That’s only seven years.”

  “That seems like a big difference to me,” Jane said.

  “Not really. Mom was
ten years older than Dad,” Andie said.

  Jane scoffed. “I’m not in the market for a boyfriend.”

  Jane sounded like she was protesting a little bit too much, but Andie decided to let it go. She glanced over at Sally. Judging by the look on Sally’s face, she agreed.

  Sally shoved her screwdriver into one of the slots in her toolset and then bent to pet Cooper. “I think Cooper will be a good addition here. Are you ready to discuss some of the ongoing work? Shane is going to be here in a few minutes.”

  The mention of Shane’s name jolted Andie into action. She did not want to be here when Shane arrived. She felt guilty for the way she’d treated him and didn’t know what to say to him. Should she apologize? Or had so much time gone by that it was no longer an issue? Better to not run into him at all.

  “Gotta run! I’m going to go visit Mom at Tall Pines.” She quickly poured the nectar in the feeder and headed to the garden.

  Out in the lobby, a man was standing at the check-in desk. She hesitated. Should she check him in? She didn’t know the first thing about the process, but it seemed rude to just walk past him.

  “Andie?” The man turned, and she recognized him as Chandler Vanbeck.

  “Chandler? What are you doing here?”

  “I’m thinking of opening an art gallery in town. I’ve never stayed at this inn before, but the location is great, so I figured I’d try it.” He looked up at the ceiling, the wallpaper, and the broken spindles on the stairs. “It’s quaint. Are you staying here too?”

  “I suppose you could say that. This is my family’s inn. But I am just visiting on vacation.” Andie glanced out nervously at the driveway. Shane would be here any minute. She didn’t want to be hanging out in the lobby like a sitting duck when he arrived.

  “Oh, that’s great. Nice place. I didn’t realize you were from back East.”

  Jane, Sally, and Cooper came out into the lobby. Chandler’s eyes lit up when he saw the dog. “You have a resident dog? Delightful. Now I know I made the right decision.”

  Andie took the opportunity to make her exit. “I guess I’ll let you get checked in. I’ll see you later.” She hurried outside, the nectar sloshing around in the feeder and spilling out some of the holes, but she didn’t care. She was in a hurry to get it set up in the garden and get the heck out of there.

  Chapter 16

  Shane Flannery arrived exactly when he was supposed to. Jane had heard stories about contractors habitually being late, so this set things off on the right foot. Hopefully Shane would continue to be prompt. Sally introduced them, and Shane shook her hand.

  “Jane. How are you? It’s been a while.” He had an easy, friendly way about him, and Jane liked him immediately.

  The gangly teenager who had dated Andie had grown into an attractive man. Years in the navy had broadened his shoulders. He stood straight, with cropped dark hair graying at the temples and kind gray eyes with crinkles at the edges. Jane wondered what Andie would think when she saw how he’d turned out.

  Shane didn’t ask about Andie, but his eyes kept drifting over Jane’s shoulder, as if he were looking for someone. Maybe he was just scoping the place out to see what he was getting himself into.

  “We have a lot of projects going on here,” Sally said. “As you can see, there’s a lot of cosmetic repairs, but we have some other things going on too. Let’s walk through, and I’ll go over everything with you.”

  Jane let Sally take over. She knew more of the specifics of the work that needed to be done, and she and Shane spoke the same language. Shane offered some good suggestions on some of the projects, and Jane could tell that he and Sally would work well together. He knew his stuff too. Before they were even halfway through the tour, Jane had already decided that she wanted to hire him.

  Cooper stuck by her side the whole time they were walking through the house. It felt good to have him there. And every time she looked down, he would glance up with that adoring look in his eye.

  She was taking a risk. Having a dog at the inn might turn off some potential guests, but if Chandler Vanbeck’s reaction was any indication, it might also attract others. And besides, there was no way she was going to let Cooper go to the kennel now.

  Sally ended the tour outside in the spot where they’d decided to put the temporary dance floor should someone book a wedding.

  “You think we can build something that will withstand a lot of dancing and still be able to be taken apart and stored away in the outbuildings?” Sally asked Shane.

  Shane dug the toe of his boot into the sand. “It’s pretty soft, but I’ve built something similar. We may need to tamp down the area, but it shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Good, because I think having weddings is going to be a really good business venture for Tides.” Sally glanced over at Jane. “Shane’s divorced, you know.”

  Shane laughed at Sally’s blunt words. “Well, that was a long time ago. I don’t think working on additions for weddings is going to bother me.”

  “He’s got a cute grandson now, though,” Sally added.

  Shane beamed.

  Sally looked at Shane and cocked her head to the side. “Say, didn’t you used to date Jane’s sister, Andie?”

  Shane shifted on his feet, looking embarrassed to be put on the spot. “A little bit. That was a long time ago.”

  “She’s still single,” Sally blurted out.

  Jane and Shane both looked at Sally, and she put her hand over her mouth.

  “Was that inappropriate? Sorry, I’ll mind my own business from now on.”

  Shane simply shook his head and laughed. “Now come on, Sally, you know minding your own business is impossible for you.”

  Sally did not look the least bit contrite. She often meddled, but she had good intentions.

  “Andie’s actually in town now. She’s visiting our mom at Tall Pines, but I suppose it won’t be long until the two of you run into each other here at Tides,” Jane said.

  “Oh, good.” Shane’s tone was flat.

  Jane couldn’t tell if Shane looked hopeful or terrified, but either way it would prove to make things interesting in the days to come.

  Andie returned from Tall Pines with bags of supplies for Cooper. Jane made tea, and they settled on the soft, comfortable couches in the living room. This room had tall windows that overlooked the ocean, and it was Jane’s favorite. Cooper flopped down on the floor in-between them. None of the guests were around, so they had the room to themselves.

  “I wasn’t sure what kind of food Cooper ate, so I got a few different brands.” Andie pulled several bags of dog food out of the shopping bag.

  “Brenda was worried he might be hungry. She made him boiled chicken and rice, so he probably won’t even eat commercial dog food anymore,” Jane joked, looking down at Cooper, who thumped his tail on the floor.

  Andie bent down and addressed the dog while running her hand along his back. “Well, I guess we don’t have to worry about you going hungry.”

  “How was Mom?” Jane looked into one of the bags. It held a variety of dog toys. Plush animals, rubber toys, a rope.

  “She was fine, but I had a little scare when I got there. She wasn’t in her room,” Andie said.

  Jane looked up from inspecting the bag, worry blooming in her chest. Had Addie started wandering away from her room? “She wasn’t?”

  “No. She was in the craft room working on a puzzle. One of the nurses said it was a good sign that she wasn’t just sitting in her room alone. She’s getting involved in doing things. She seemed really happy,” Andie said.

  Jane supposed that was a good sign. She had expected it to take longer for her mother to acclimate to her new environment, but this was better. She was glad her mom was settling in and happy, but it made the responsibility of having to make Tides a success weigh on her even more heavily.

  “I noticed the hummingbirds have come to the feeder you put in the garden. Do you have plans for sprucing it up?” Jane asked. Seeing the jewel-ton
ed birds buzz around the feeder had brought back memories of when they were kids. Jane felt bad that she hadn’t been able to keep up with it, but she’d been so busy this last year with running the inn and taking care of their mother that there had been no time. Gardens took a fair bit of time to maintain, which made Jane wonder what Andie was planning. If she was going to rush back to New York City, she didn’t want her digging up the garden and making a mess that she couldn’t finish.

  “Remember how Mom used to plant those white-and-pink striped impatiens all along the border and then have those hostas in the middle?” Andie’s face lit up as she talked about the garden. She always had been more interested in gardening than Jane. “I checked at the gardening store, and those plants aren’t that expensive. I think I’d like to put those in just like Mom did. And, of course, I’ll weed and get some new mulch. You have a lot of repairs here at Tides, and I know there might not be anything in the budget for all that, so I’ll just pay for it myself.”

  “You don’t have to do that. Just give me the receipt. It’s a tax write-off.” Jane paused then glanced over at her sister. “So, you’re staying a while, then?”

  Andie sat back in the chair and sighed. “Maybe.” She looked down at her feet. “Work isn’t going that great.”

  Jane felt a pang of sympathy. “I’m sorry to hear that. There’s plenty for you to do here, so if you need to take a break from your job, I can keep you busy.”

  Footsteps in the hallway interrupted their conversation.

  Chandler Vanbeck appeared in the doorway. He looked at them uncertainly. “Am I interrupting?”

  “’Course not, come in,” Jane said. The living room and common areas were always open for guests. Her great-grandparents had wanted the inn to be like a home away from home and provide a comfortable family setting, and Jane intended to continue that.

  Chandler came into the room, and Cooper immediately walked over to greet him with a friendly sniff. Chandler smiled and petted the dog. “This place is lovely. I was out on the beach earlier, and it’s an amazing spot. Andie, you never mentioned your family had such a great property.”