“Right over there in front of Andie.”
Convenient.
Shane wedged himself in between her and the plug. It was a little crowded and awkward. Jules made no move to situate her somewhere else, though.
They all watched as Shane took out a tester and pushed it into the plug. “Huh, seems fine.” He frowned down at the tester. “Maybe I should take the cover off and look at the wiring.”
“Would you like some coffee?” Mary asked.
“No, thanks. I’ll only be a sec.” His arm brushed Andie’s as he worked. “Sorry.”
“No problem.”
“I see you’re settling in nicely.” Shane nodded toward her shop. “The place looks great.”
“Thanks.” More witty conversation on her part.
“It’s good to see it spruced up.” Shane’s gaze held hers for a while before going back to the switch.
“I’ve been having fun with it.”
“Great. We should catch up sometime now that you’re staying in town,” Shane said without looking at her.
“Yeah, we should.”
Shane pulled the wires out of the plug and frowned. “There’s nothing wrong with this, Aunt Mary.”
“Really? It didn’t work earlier, right, Jules?”
“Yep, tried to use the blow-dryer and got nothing.”
Shane looked skeptical. “That’s odd. I’ll tighten these up, and hopefully that won’t happen again.”
As Shane went back to fixing the outlet, Andie saw Jules and Mary exchange a look. Had they set her and Shane up? Andie feared that they were in for a big disappointment. She doubted things with Shane would work out after all these years. Too much water under the bridge. Then again, one never knew until one tried.
\
As Shane left Curlz, he glanced back in the window at his aunt and shook his head. Aunt Mary’s little trick about the outlet was an obvious ploy to get him and Andie together. Mary had been hinting about that for weeks now, and he was sure there was nothing wrong with the outlet.
Shane didn’t really mind. He knew Mary was only looking out for his best interests, and Andie’s move to town had stirred up a lot of old feelings. Not all of them were unpleasant.
A lot had happened in the thirty years since they’d been a couple. Shane had completed a career in the navy, gotten married, and had two great kids who had grown up to be wonderful adults. And of course the highlight was his grandson, Caleb. Even though his marriage hadn’t lasted, he didn’t regret it because he wouldn’t have his kids or Caleb without it, though he could have done without the bitter divorce.
He resisted the urge to peek back into the salon at Andie as he got into his truck. Andie had looked good with her hair curled. He hadn’t spent much time with her since she’d come back to town other than a few quick conversations when he’d run into her while working at Tides. She still looked mostly the same, though. Her face had a bit of a harder edge and a few wrinkles, but Shane thought that added maturity. When he’d dared to look into her golden-hazel eyes, he’d seen that same depth of emotion and vulnerability that had always made his heart leap when they were younger.
It was encouraging that she’d been agreeable to catching up. Or had she just said that to be polite because he’d asked in front of the others?
He wondered if she was different now. Thirty years had come and gone, and that changed a person. Andie had once been the person he was closest to. The person he shared his hopes and dreams and fears with. Heknewher, and even though life shaped and molded a person, people didn’t change much at the core.
And because of that, he also knew if he wanted things to work out with Andie he had to go slowly because she could easily be scared off and bolt like she did back in high school. And if that happened again, he was afraid his fragile heart might not survive.
Chapter Five
Andie was starving by the time Maxi arrived through the main door of the antiques shop for supper.
“I brought lobster rolls and coleslaw.” Maxi held up a takeout bag in one hand and a large canvas duffle bag with a mesh front opening in the other. “And something else. Hope you don’t mind, but I had to take the kittens to the vet for a checkup and came over right after.”
Andie peered into the opening to see Rembrandt and Picasso, Maxi’s two kittens, blinking out at her with innocent blue-gray eyes. They were adorable with their fuzzy kitten fur, innocent expressions, and soft meows.
