The cashmere sweater vest!
James leapt up, grabbed the vest out of the drawer, then made a little nest on the floor for Picasso, who was starting with the heaving again. The cat eyed the vest, hobbled over to the middle, his stomach lurching, and then...
Gak!
Picasso’s mouth opened wide, and out came an impossibly large tube of compacted hair. A hairball?
It landed on the white trim of James’s sweater vest, staining it cat-food yellow.
Picasso shook his head then sat on his haunches and proceeded to groom himself. He’d apparently recovered from the ordeal quickly. James’s sweater, on the other hand, had not.
James got a paper towel and disposed of the disgusting hairball. When he came back, Picasso was fast asleep, curled up in the middle of the sweater-vest nest. James couldn't help but smile. The sweater might be ruined, but Picasso was okay.
Jane hung up and looked around the foyer at Tides. She’d done her good deed for the day in calling James. Cooper thought so, too, judging by the way he was looking up at her approvingly.
“Don’t worry, boy. They’ll find their way back to each other.”
Woof!
Jane took a deep breath and looked around the lobby. She needed to focus on getting this place in perfect order for the wedding. Her mother had always said that making a good first impression was important.
“Maybe I should put out some coffee and pastries for when people check in. Brenda will be happy to make something special, and I can hit up Claire for some treats from Sandcastles.”
Cooper trotted over to the narrow mahogany sideboard against the stairway wall. Jane had always loved that piece with its richly carved grapes and white marble top. “You’re right, that’s a perfect spot.”
She cleared her grandmother’s flow blue china plates, which stood in little easels, off the top of the sideboard and put them carefully in the glass-front china cabinet in the dining room. Cooper trotted around behind her, watching patiently, then followed her back out into the lobby.
“Now what? Flowers? Maybe if we place some of Nona’s vases around with flowers from the garden...” Jane went to the window beside the door and looked out at the garden. Andie had done an amazing job with it in the few weeks she’d been here, and it was thick with colorful flowers. The hummingbird feeders Andie had pulled out of storage sat filled with red liquid, and iridescent green birds zoomed around them.
Andie herself was at the arbor, probably trying to figure out how to get the pink roses the bride had requested. “Let’s go out and talk to Andie about the flower vases, and we can get an update on the arbor while we’re at it.”
Cooper didn’t have to be told twice about an opportunity to go outside. He was already at the door before Jane even finished the sentence.
Andie trimmed a few dead leaves from the rosebush at the base of the arbor and eyed the hanging baskets loaded with miniature roses. If she could place those in strategic spots then weave in some fresh-cut roses the day of the wedding, the arbor would look fantastic. She just needed someone to make some adjustments to the arbor so she could hang and weave.
Woof!
Cooper bounded over, and Andie knelt to pet him.
“Those are pretty.” Jane gestured to the hanging baskets. “I bet this will look great when you’re done.”
Andie stood. “Let’s hope. I need some adjustments to the arbor, though. Did you talk to anyone about doing that?”
“Sally is going to take care of that today,” Jane said.
“Oh great.” Hadn't Jane said that Shane was going to do that? Andie wasn’t exactly disappointed—Sally would do a good job—but she had to admit she was kind of hoping for Shane. Oh well, she had more important things to think about right now. “How are the centerpieces coming along?”
“Great! Maxi finished painting the candles for us and is bringing them over tomorrow morning. She’s focusing on finishing her painting for the gallery opening today.” Jane fingered a delicate petal of one of the roses that climbed up the arbor. “You are going to the opening, right?”
“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it.”
“You can come with Mike and me if you want.”
“Thanks, I’d like that.” It felt good to be included, and it was nice of Jane to think of her. “How are things going with Maxi and James?”
Jane sighed. “Not easy. He seems to be worried that Chandler has designs on Maxi.”
“Chandler? I doubt that. He usually goes for ditzy blondes.” Andie thought for a minute. “But he did seem really interested in Maxi. I figured it was just because of the sketch he saw, but maybe not? She is attractive. You don’t think she’s interested in him, do you?”
