Shane chuckled. “No speech necessary. It was my pleasure.”
She knew he’d have to hurry to pick up Joyce, so she said, “Well, at least let me fold the tarps while you’re gathering your tools.”
So Shane went outside to load his truck, and a few minutes later, she brought him the tarps, which he stacked on the passenger seat. Then he shut the door and gazed back toward the cottage.
“Is something on your mind?” she asked, noticing the expression on his face. She hoped he’d say he’d enjoyed getting to know her, or that he was going to miss having her on the island, or something else that acknowledged the connection they’d shared.
To her disappointment, he answered, “I was just thinking about a riddle.” He paused and cleared his throat. “What has four arms but never embraces?”
“That’s easy. A windmill.”
“Good guess, but not the answer I had in mind.”
Playing along, she said, “Okay, I give up. What has four arms and never embraces?”
“You and I.”
Caitlin giggled at Shane’s cheesy, winsome way of asking for a hug.Thatiswhat he’s suggesting, isn’t it?She couldn’t be sure.
“So, um, do you think we should change that by embracing now?”
“Seems like an appropriate way for two friends to say goodbye, doesn’t it?” He spread his arms and when she stepped closer, he drew her to his chest.
I don’t want to just be friends and I don’t want to say goodbye, either, she admitted to herself. But then Shane released her and a moment later, he was gone.
FIFTEEN
Marion set her teacup on the overturned crate that was serving as a coffee table, and she picked up a windmill sugar cookie. Seated in the rattan chairs, she and Caitlin absently nibbled their snacks and sipped their drinks, but they were too mesmerized by the view to speak.
Yesterday, the wind-battered bay had pushed slushy waves onto shore; today, the receding tide was logjammed with irregular nuggets of ice.
“From up here, the water looks like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle,” Caitlin finally remarked. “Have you ever seen anything like this?”
“It happens every ten or twelve years—but never until late January or February.” Marion contentedly dabbed her lips with a napkin before commenting, “Sitting here, I can hardly believe how cold it is outside. That fireplace generates quite a bit of heat, doesn’t it?”
“Mm,” Caitlin murmured. “It keeps the room comfy-cozy, as my aunt Lydia used to say.”
Marion smiled. “She would’ve been absolutely thrilled with how the remodel turned out. You’ve done a beautiful job of fulfilling her dream.”
“Shane deserves the credit, not me,” said Caitlin. “But I’m glad you think she would’ve been thrilled with it. I do, too—except she always envisioned sitting in a big fat love seat up here, not in wicker chairs. And she wouldn’t have used a crate for a coffee table.”
“I can’t imagine how you’d maneuver a love seat up those narrow stairs, even if you had one,” Marion remarked, and took a sip of tea. “Remind me again, when will you be headed back to Santa Fe?”
“My flight leaves on December 21.”
“Will you be seeing Shane again before you go?”
“Noo…” Caitlin stretched out her arms, palms up. “There’s nothing left for him to do here. It’s perfect.”
“I wasn’t asking if he was coming back to work,” Marion said in a tone that implied it should’ve been obvious. “I meant are you going to seehim socially before you leave?”
She’s shameless, thought Caitlin, inwardly groaning. “No, I don’t have any plans to see him again.”
“Why not? He isn’t working for you anymore, so it wouldn’t be, what was that word you used?” She answered her own question. “Inappropriate.It wouldn’t beinappropriatefor you to invite him to dinner. The two of you could eat up here, and watch the sun set…”
Caitlin couldn’t help herself; she burst out laughing at her neighbor’s blatant last-ditch attempt to set up her and Shane.
Marion seemed offended. “What’s so funny about that? I think dining in the loft is a wonderful idea. It’s what I’d do every night if I lived here.”
