by Kay Correll
“I didn’t present your idea. I presented Terrence’s. He had it to me yesterday afternoon, and we had time to tweak and fine-tune it. And since you couldn’t be here to give the pitch, I went with his idea.”
Terrence rarely came up with creative ideas, so she wasn’t surprised they didn’t get the account.
“Did you look at my idea?”
“Didn’t have to, I already had Terrence’s.” Diane’s words were dismissive.
“You know, Diane, I had a great idea for them. I did. But you were angry that I couldn’t get it sent until late last night, past the deadline you gave me. But my aunt will always come first.” Or she would from now on. No more putting off visits. “I think they would have gone for my idea. It was really good if I do say so myself, and I’m sorry you chose to pitch Terrence’s.”
“His was in by my deadline.”
“But the customer didn’t like it.”
Diane was silent for once.
“Diane, when Noah McNeil left the company all those years ago. Back when I got my first promotion. He gave you a note for me. You never gave it to me.”
“I—” Silence filled the air. “I didn’t want you to know I offered the job to him first. I figured he’d call you soon enough and you’d find out. But I wanted you to be excited about the promotion.”
Not a good enough excuse. Not at all. Suddenly she just didn’t care about Diane, Terrence, the Coastal account, or the agency.
“Diane, I’ll need to work remotely for a while longer. If you don’t want me to do that, I’ve accrued months of vacation. I can take that if you prefer. I’ll be back in the office as soon as I can. I need to get Aunt Lil settled back at home as soon as she’s ready. I’ll talk to you soon.” And Sara Wren who never rocked the boat, who never stood up for herself to Diane, hung up the phone.
She sank down on the chair, a bit shaky, but proud of herself. No client was worth not being there for Aunt Lil. She’d probably lost any chance at the promotion. Between missing the deadline and now standing up to Diane… there wasn’t any chance at all. Terrence would get the promotion.
She stood and paced the floor. Did she care that she’d lost her chance? Yes, she did. She still wanted that partner position. But not if it meant scurrying back to Boston and leaving Aunt Lil to fend for herself.
She set her coffee cup in the sink and grabbed her keys. She needed to run over to the mainland and check on Aunt Lil. Ashley had called this morning to say Aunt Lil was much better when she’d been in to check on her. But she wanted to see that for herself.
She grabbed her phone and put it on silent. No interruptions from Diane. Though Diane may never speak to her again. She half-expected to receive a termination letter in her email.
But none of that mattered right now. She just wanted time with Aunt Lil.
Sara found Robin and Charlotte at the yellow cottage that afternoon, sipping sweet tea on the porch.
“I’ll grab another glass.” Charlotte jumped up and retrieved another glass from the cottage.
Sara sank into one of the worn and oh-so-comfortable wooden chairs. The lack of sleep and the emotional stress was getting to her. She rolled her shoulders forward and backward.
“How’s Lil?” Robin asked.
“She’s much better today. She was sitting up in bed sipping some soup. Her cough is a little better. Her fever hasn’t come back.”
“That’s great news.” Charlotte sat in the chair beside her. “Lil’s tough. She’ll be fine soon. Just you see.”
“I hope so. I hate seeing her looking so… weak.”
“Even at her worst, Lil is not weak. Toughest person I know.” Robin turned and looked at her. “But you, my friend, you look terrible.”
“Gee, thanks.” She took a sip of the icy liquid. “Oh, this is good.”
“Char made it. Who knew she had hidden talents of sweet tea making?”
“Maybe she can teach me. Maybe I can become a professional tea maker because it looks like I might have lost my job.”
Charlotte set down her glass, leaned over, and took her hand. “Oh, no. What happened?”
“I came home from the hospital last night and turned in the pitch for Coastal Furniture. But it was late. Diane wanted it by five and it was like two a.m. when I sent it. Though Diane gets up about four or five every morning, so I figured she’d still have time to read it.”
“Did she like it?” Robin cocked her head.
“I have no clue if she even read it. She went with Terrence’s idea. He’s this guy who works at the agency. Not too creative but he’s always working some angle. Anyway, they didn’t get the client. She’s furious.”
“I’m sorry.” Charlotte’s eyes filled with sympathy.
“I was late. Now I’m fairly certain I’m out of the running for partner. And I might have given a piece of my mind to Diane, told her I was either taking vacation or working remotely until I got Aunt Lil settled back at The Nest.” She grinned. “Then, I might have just hung up my phone instead of letting her yell at me.”
“Good for you.” Robin raised her drink and the three of them clinked glasses. “Always knew you had it in you.”
Chapter 20
Noah called Robin to see how Aunt Lil and Sara were doing and found out that Sara was back at the inn.
He should go over and check on her. It was the neighborly, nice thing to do, right? Friends check in on friends when they’re going through a rough time. That’s all this was.
“Come on, Coop. Wanna go for a walk?”
The Aussie stood, stretched, and sauntered over to the door with an are-you-coming look.
“Hey, it was my idea.” He crossed to the door, and they walked out. The sun was low in the sky and the promised storm clouds gathered in the distance. He debated changing his mind and driving over, but Cooper could use the walk. Well, so could he. He’d done nothing but sit at his desk all day doing paperwork and making phone calls.
He headed down the sidewalk toward the inn. They walked around to the back and he spied Sara sitting on the deck, staring out at the sea, lost in thought. He almost turned around to leave her with her thoughts, but Cooper went bounding up the steps.
She broke into a grin and threw her arms around Coop’s neck. “Hey, there, buddy.”
Noah climbed the stairs and Sara turned to him and gave him one of her smiles. The smiles that did something to him. Made his heart pound and his pulse race. Made him feel special.
Made him…
…want to kiss her.
“Well, this is just what I needed.” She petted Cooper.
“To be mauled by my dog?” He grinned at her.
“I’m becoming quite fond of your dog.”
That was a step in the right direction… He caught himself just short of asking ‘what about me?’
“I could pop inside and grab us a couple of beers.” She started to stand.
“I’ll get them.” He headed inside, found two bottles of beer in the fridge, twisted their caps off, and headed back outside. He sat in the chair beside her and handed her a bottle.
She clinked hers against his, then took a sip. “Ah, that’s good.”
He took a swig of his and settled back in his chair. “You looked lost in thought when we got here.”
“I was thinking about Lil. How she took me in when I was so young. She knew nothing about raising a kid, but she gave up everything for me.” Sara looked at him. “Just like you did with Zoe.”
“I didn’t really have any choice.” He shrugged.
“Aunt Lil probably felt the same way. There was no one else. But she never complained.” She sighed. “I hope she gets better soon.”
“She will.”
Sara turned to look out at the sea again. “Looks like we’re going to get that storm they’ve predicted all day.” A streak of lightning flashed behind the clouds in the distance.
“Looks like it.”
“Aunt Lil and I used to sit out here and watch the storms roll in
. Listen for the rumble of thunder. Count the seconds between the flashes of lightning and the clap of thunder. We’d stay out here until the last possible moment, then rush inside at the first splattering of rain.” She let out a long breath. “I have such great childhood memories, and Aunt Lil made sure that I did. You’d think a girl who lost her parents would say she had a terrible childhood. But I didn’t. I mean, I missed my parents. Missed them a lot. But Aunt Lil made me feel safe. Loved. Protected. Anyway, I was very lucky to have her.”
He watched her face, mesmerized. The sweep of her eyelashes. The hint of a smile tugging at her lips. The wisps of hair tossing around on the breeze.
Unaware he was staring at her, she started counting under her breath with the next flash of lightning.
“Six.” She grinned. “Pretty close.”
Cooper got up and walked over to the railing, peering out through the posts.
She set her hand on the armrest and he reached over and covered her hand. They sat and watched the flashes of lightning light up the sky.
Before long, large drops of rain started to splatter around them. Cooper turned and looked at them as if they were crazy.
Sara jumped up. “Come on, we better get inside.” The rain slashed down on them.
“Cooper, come.” The dog raced past him and squeezed in the doorway with Sara. Noah was right on their heels.
Sara walked into the kitchen area, acutely aware of Noah’s presence. She swallowed. “Um, would you like another beer? It appears we left our last ones out in the storm.”
He nodded.
She walked over to the fridge and tugged it open. The cool air rushed over her dampened skin. Goosebumps crept across her arms and legs. She grabbed two beers and set them on the counter, looking for the bottle opener. She was horrible at twisting off the caps with her hands.
“I’ve got it.” Noah reached out for the bottles and twisted off one cap, then the other. He handed one to her and their fingers brushed. She took a quick sip of the beer, then licked her lips.
Noah was making her so nervous, which was silly. He was an old friend. Nothing more.
Cooper stood between them and looked from one of them to the other. With a brief wave of his tail, he trotted over and settled down in front of the sliding door, resting his head on his paws, and staring outside at the storm.
She turned away from Noah and headed for the couch. He followed, sat down next to her, and stretched out his long legs. She leaned against the back of the couch and Noah draped an arm casually around her shoulder. It took all her willpower to not just scoot over and cuddle against him like she had so many times all those years ago.
Noah was staring out the window, lost in thought, a slight frown on his face.
“What are you thinking about?”
He turned to her and gave her a brief smile. “Zoe. She was so afraid of storms when she was little. She’d cover her ears when it thundered. She finally outgrew her fear. Or at least I think she did. Or she hid it from me as she got older.” He frowned again. “As she got older, she started taking care of me. Learned to cook and made most of our dinners. She’s always worrying about me now.”
“She cares about you.”
He shrugged. “But she shouldn’t worry about me.”
“We always worry about the people we care about.”
He looked directly at her. “Yes, you’re right. We do.”
But somehow she got the feeling he wasn’t talking about Zoe. He pulled her closer to his side and she leaned against him.
So familiar.
So strange.
He ran his hand slowly up and down her arm. Contentment swept through her as they sat and watched the storm in silence. She relaxed, safely protected in Noah’s arms.
Noah looked down at Sara, sleeping peacefully in his arms. He wasn’t sure when she’d fallen asleep exactly, but somewhere between talking and watching the storm, she’d drifted off.
He brushed a lock of hair away from her face and she murmured in her sleep. He should probably go…
But still, he sat there and held her, enjoying feeling her beside him. It was probably a crazy thing to start dating Sara. He lived here… or possibly near Orlando if he did find a new job and move. She lived in Boston. Or would after Lil got back to the inn and got settled again.
She shifted closer to him in her sleep.
He could sit like this all night.
And, yet, he couldn’t. With a long sigh, he slowly loosened his hold on her and she slipped down on the couch, with her head on the pillow he placed for her. He lifted the quilt off the back of the couch and draped it over her. Sleep was what she needed.
He nodded to Cooper who stood, stretched, and trotted over to him. They went into the kitchen and he found a piece of paper.
* * *
You fell asleep and I let myself out. Hope you got a good night’s sleep. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Thanks for the beer and the…
* * *
What did he want to say? Obviously she’d know she fell asleep. He crumbled the note and started again.
* * *
Had a good time tonight. I let myself out. Talk to you in the morning.
Noah
* * *
There was so much more he’d like to say to her, but he didn’t. And even if he did want to say more to her, it would be in person, not in a note. Or a phone message. He’d never make that mistake again.
He and Cooper slipped out the door. A light misty rain was falling, but he didn’t really mind. “Come on, Coop. Let’s go home.” They headed down the sidewalk and he couldn’t help whistling a tune under his breath.
Chapter 21
Sara awoke on the couch with the sun streaming in the window. She looked around, confused for a moment. The last thing she remembered was talking with Noah. She must have fallen asleep. She sat up, stretched, and moved her neck from side to side to work out the crick from sleeping on the couch.
Craving coffee, she stood and went to the kitchen. She found the note from Noah and smiled at his familiar handwriting. How many times had they sat at a table scribbling notes about some client’s project? She set the note on the counter, smoothing it carefully.
She made the coffee and went to shower while it brewed. Soon she was back and pouring her treasured cup of the velvety liquid. Yes, she needed her morning coffee.
She took the cup and walked barefoot out on the deck. Fluffy clouds dotted the sky, and there were no signs of last night’s storm except for a few palm fronds that had dropped to the ground in the winds.
She walked down the worn wooden stairs and crossed the beach, standing at the edge of the water. The waves rolled in with a constant rhythm that soothed her soul. How could she have stayed away so long? She’d almost forgotten how restoring the water could be.
A group of pelicans flew by above her. She lifted her face to the warmth of the sun.
Her phone rang, and she slipped it from her pocket, unlocking it with a quick slide of her thumb. “Hello?”
“Sara, it’s Ashley.”
“Is Aunt Lil okay?”
“Better than okay. She is chomping at the bit to come home. She’s a tough one. I told her two more days. But I wanted to give you a heads-up so you can get things ready.”
“That’s great news.”
“She’ll need to only walk for brief periods of time at first, and she’ll need to use a walker for a while.”
“I bet she’s thrilled with that.”
“I told her she’ll have to be patient with the healing. I don’t want her to do stairs. Is that going to be a problem?”
Sara frowned. “No, I’ll figure something out.” Aunt Lil could use the ramp that the inn had on one entrance, but then it would be a long walk to The Nest.
“Okay, good. So I’ll set her release up for Saturday morning.”
“Perfect. Tell Aunt Lil I’ll be in to see her later today.”
“I will.”
Sara slipped her phone back into
her pocket, took her last sip of coffee, and headed back to The Nest. Lots to do to get things ready, but she was happy her aunt was coming home.
After she finished getting ready, she went off in search of Jay. She found him in the kitchen, chatting with Robin while he cooked. “Hey, guys.”
Robin turned around. “Sara, hi. Wow, you look better this morning. Must have gotten a good night’s sleep.”
“I’m not sure if I should take that as a compliment.” She grinned at Robin. “But I did sleep well. And guess what? Aunt Lil’s coming home Saturday.”
“That’s great news.” Jay grabbed a tray of cinnamon rolls from the oven. “Want one?” He motioned to the rolls with his spatula.
“You bet.” Sara grabbed a plate. “Robin?”
“Yep, me, too.”
Sara grabbed a second plate and Jay slipped cinnamon rolls onto each one. She lounged against the counter while she waited for the roll to cool a bit.
The kitchen door swung open and Noah poked his head in. “Thought I might find you here when you weren’t at The Nest.”
A wide smile spread across her face. Robin caught it and looked at her pointedly. She shrugged at Robin.
“Come in. Jay’s feeding us cinnamon rolls.”
“Count me in.” He looked at Jay. “Nice shirt.”
Jay glanced down at his shirt. I like coffee, my dog… and maybe two people. “Yep, and I’m afraid it’s true.”
“I was just telling Robin and Jay that Aunt Lil is coming home Saturday.”
“I bet she’s more than ready.”
“Anyway, Ashley said no stairs for Aunt Lil. And limited walking.”
Jay frowned. “We have the ramp on that one entrance but—”
