“How about a boyfriend?”
“I don’t have one of those, either. Not right now, anyway.” Then, Caitlin surprised herself by telling the older woman about what had happened with Jonathan and Melanie.
“Shame on them both!” Marion exclaimed. “You must have been devastated.”
“I was very angry and hurt initially, but I wouldn’t say I was devastated,” Caitlin assured her. “To be honest, I’m kind of over it already.”
“You’re a lot more gracious than most people would be if someone betrayed them like that.”
“I doubt that graciousness has much to do with it,” Caitlin said with a chuckle, recalling what she’d done to Jonathan’s phone. “I think it’s easy to put it behind me because I hadn’t been seeing Jonathan for very long, and Melanie and I weren’t that close, either. So, it’s not as if my soulmate ran off with my best friend or anything.”
“But they still should have treated you better, especially Jonathan,” Marion remarked. “I’d think the men in Santa Fe would be pounding down the doors to go out with such a lovely woman as yourself.”
“Thank you for saying that, but even if they pounded down my door, I probably wouldn’t be home,” said Caitlin. “I travel a lot locally for work. It keeps me very busy.”
“Don’t tell me what it is you do, let me try to guess,” Marion suggested, tapping her chin. “Let’s see, Lydia always used to say how well you did in school and how fascinated you were with nature. So I imagine you work in the natural science field, or maybe in medicine?”
Her comments made Caitlin shrink inside. It had been so long since she’d put away her aspiration of becoming a health care professional that she’d almost forgotten all about it. “No,” she answered. “I’m a capital campaign manager. I coach nonprofits on how to conduct their annual appeals and secure funding over an extended period of time.”
Marion’s surprise was apparent in her expression, but her response was a diplomatic, “That sounds very interesting.”
“It is,” Caitlin blandly agreed.Or at least it used to be, when I first started twelve years ago.Lately, she’d been itching for a change. A challenge.
“Helping nonprofit organizations must be rewarding,” prompted Marion. “Is that why you chose that field?”
“Yes,” said Caitlin, even though she hadn’t exactlychosenher career; it was more like she’d stumbled into it. Teaching other people how to ask for money was an unlikely employment position for someone who preferred to be as self-sufficient as Caitlin was. So at first, she’d struggled to develop the skills required to succeed in the role. Now, however, she had the opposite problem, in that she felt like she could conduct the campaigns blindfolded. But because she was motivated by such a strong commitment—or was it an obligation?—to “make a positive difference” in the local communities, she remained in the position.
She quickly changed the subject, telling Marion about volunteering at her local food bank. She also mentioned she liked to hike, and she described how different the Santa Fe terrain was from the mountains in New Hampshire or the coast in Massachusetts.
“It sounds beautiful,” said Marion. “Hopefully the warm weather will hold for a while, and you’ll be able to enjoy some nice walks here, too. How long did you say you were staying?”
“I’ll be here for several weeks.” Since Caitlin needed to ask Marion for a recommendation for a carpenter anyway, she figured it was time to tell her about the windmill remodel. “I mentioned that I’d come to Dune Island to check up on the cottage, but I’m also here to oversee a project that my aunt wanted me to complete.”
When Caitlin was done explaining about Lydia’s requirement that she convert the windmill loft into a living area, Marion exclaimed, “Oh, that sounds just like Lydia! She worked so hard all summer that our visits were usually quite brief. We’d barely sit down for a cool drink and she’d jump up and say, ‘I’m sorry, I’ve got to run. But one day when I’m retired, I’m going to install a big picture window in the windmill loft, and I’ll have Albert haul a love seat and a few comfy chairs and ottomans up thereso I can put my feet up and watch the tide roll in and out all day if I want.’ She said I was welcome to join her any time.” Marion quickly clarified, “Don’t worry, I’m not hinting for an invitation.”
Caitlin hadn’t realized that Lydia told Marion her dream to one day convert the loft, and after hearing her aunt’s friend reminisce about their conversations, she felt even guiltier confessing that she intended to sell the house.
“You’re very welcome to visit me at the cottage any time, and I’ll be glad to show you the windmill loft after it’s been converted to a living space,” she said. “But I, um, I should let you know that I intend to sell the house once the remodel is complete.”
Marion’s eyes widened with surprise, but her only comment was, “I see.”
“I know it probably seems really greedy of me, but I’ve had some financial challenges lately and?—”
“No need to explain,” Marion interrupted, holding up her hand. “Lydia left the house to you, so your reasons for selling it are your business, not mine—or anyone else’s.”
Caitlin nodded and relaxed her shoulders. “I admit, I do feel kind of protective about my privacy and my plans for the house. You’re the only person on Dune Island I’ve told.”
“I won’t say a word to anyone.”
“Thank you.” Caitlin smiled. “Although there is at least one other person I need to tell—I need to find a carpenter to take on the project. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to get anyone to return my calls.”
“Ah, that’s because most of them have joined the crew for the resort that’s being constructed about a mile south of the harbor in Benjamin’s Manor. Hard to believe that such a quaint little town is going to be home to a monstrosity like that. But at least it’s providing job opportunities for the islanders.” Marion shook her head in dismay. “Anyway, I’d highly recommend the carpenter who worked on my deck last spring. He refuses tobe involved with the construction of the resort on principle—he prefers to remain completely independent. He’s an all-around great guy and he does excellent work, but he’s only lived on the island a couple of years, so he hasn’t built up a big client base yet.”
I like the sound of that.Even if she was being overly sensitive, Caitlin preferred to hire someone who wasn’t a die-hard Dune Islander. Or at least, someone who hadn’t lived on the island when she used to visit. Someone who didn’t know her or what had happened, and wouldn’t want to discuss it. “Terrific. If you tell me his name, I’ll look him up.”
“It’s Shane Adams and I’ll give you his number, too.” Marion enthused, “Trust me, you’re going to love him.”
It took Caitlin until almost 5:00 to work up the courage to call Shane. Although she’d grown comfortable enough to confide in Marion about the project, she still felt hesitant about sharing her plans with anyone else, even a carpenter.
