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“What’s so funny?”
“You set me up on a date with Lauren Donalan? Are you on drugs?” He pulled out his pen light and did a quick inspection of her pupils. Huh. Both were equal and reactive to light. He placed his palm against her forehead. Her skin felt warm and dry. “Okay, so most likely, no to the drugs.”
Lanie frowned. “What’s wrong with her? Does she have an extra leg or something?”
“Did she actually say she’d go out with me?”
“Well…her mother set it up through Paula Zimmerman. Paula did a big fundraiser for the shelter last month and she’s friends with the mom, Maureen Handy. She’s kind of a blast from the past, old school-debutante and all that, but she’s a nice lady. And I don’t mind telling you that Maureen is loaded and made a very substantial contribution to the shelter, so yeah, can you please come through for me on this?”
Nate knew there was no way Lauren Donalan would ever agree to this date. And as for Lanie’s little fairytale that Lauren hadn’t gone out since her divorce, well, Nate could tell her a few things about that. He wondered what his sister would say if he told her that poor traumatized Lauren had been at The Harbor House the night he’d proposed to Jessica.
“I’ll tell you what. If Lauren Donalan agrees to the date, then I’ll show up. How about that?”
“Perfect! Now, when should I bring Hector by your house?”
“When pigs fly.”
Friday afternoons were Lauren’s favorite. Not for the usual TGIF kind of reasons, but because the shop al
ways seemed to garner some action. A stroll along the shore and a cup of coffee or a pastry at The Bistro by the Beach seemed like an idyllic way to begin the weekend. So did a little window shopping at Can Buy Me Love. At least a dozen customers had come by in the last hour. She’d only sold one item—a nineteen-sixties era dress that Lauren had found at a garage sale last year. The dress had been torn on one side, but Lauren had used her sewing skills to fix it so that it was impossible to see the tear. The dress had been cleaned and pressed to Jackie Kennedy precision and the new owner was thrilled.
It was a balmy sixty-four degrees outside and Diana Ross and the Supremes were telling anyone within hearing distance to stop in the name of love. Dhara was assisting a teenage customer and her mother. The girl was doing a history project on the sixties and looking for “inspiration.” Lauren was happy to help, but it would be nice if that inspiration came in the way of buying something, as well.
It was after five. Tom usually picked up Henry at school¸ then they’d go hang out for a while until Lauren closed the shop. She was almost positive that Henry had soccer practice this evening. Thank God Tom helped keep track of all that. She couldn’t remember if she defrosted anything for tonight’s dinner, which usually meant that she hadn’t. Maybe Henry could be talked into going by Tiny’s Pizza tonight. Although, Lauren wouldn’t have to talk very much. Like most eleven year-old boys, Henry loved pizza. Especially Tiny’s.
She left the shop in Dhara’s capable hands and went back to her office to make a call. She’d tried to contact the leasing office at Waterbury Real Estate a couple of times this past week but she hadn’t been able to connect with a live person, and they hadn’t returned her message. Although Frida had told her it was probably just a routine inspection, she still wanted to make sure everything was all right. She dialed the number on the letter and waited.
A pleasant sounding male voice answered. “Waterbury Real Estate. May I help you?”
Yes! Finally, a real person.
“This is Lauren Donalan. I rent the property on Beach Street, right next to The Bistro? I received a letter this week stating someone would be out to inspect the property. Can you give me some information on that?”
“Please hold.”
After a couple of minutes, a woman came on the line. “Ms. Donalan? This is Orla Butterfield. How are you today?”
Orla Butterfield was the agent in charge of the lease. After a few more pleasantries and making nice, the woman finally told Lauren what she needed to know. “From time to time we like to get an inspection to assess the property’s value. The owner isn’t looking to sell at the moment, but it’s always smart to know how much your property is worth.”
Lauren knew good and well who owned the property. Like most of the beach front land in Whispering Bay, it belonged to her Great-Uncle Earl, although, now that Earl was no longer capable of handling his business matters, it was his daughter Nora and her husband Vince who were in charge. She supposed she could go to them directly and ask about their intentions regarding the lease, but they weren’t close. And it was most likely just as Orla said about the whole thing being a routine assessment.
“Good to hear. I really love the place and the location is fabulous. I’d hate to have to find someplace else when my lease expires.” She paused. “As a matter of fact, I was wondering if maybe I could go ahead and extend the lease?”
“According to my computer your lease doesn’t expire for another nine months.”
“Yes, I know, but I’m talking about after that? I thought maybe, if I signed on for extra, maybe I could qualify for a price break?” It seemed unlikely, but it never hurt to ask. Rent was her largest overhead. If she could reduce that, then maybe, somehow, she could manage to squeak by and stay in business.
“I’m afraid that’s simply too far out to talk about right now. Perhaps we can renegotiate something this summer?”
“Um, yes, of course.”
“Wonderful. The inspector will be out next Tuesday at one p.m. Will that be acceptable?” And then before Lauren could say anything, the woman said, “Have a good weekend, and please don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions!” She hung up, leaving Lauren staring at her phone. That seemed…awful brisk. But like Frida said, it was probably nothing. Therefore, she wasn’t going to make it into something it wasn’t.
She walked back out onto the floor room. Dhara was still assisting the girl and her mother, but there was a new customer in the shop. A tall, slender young woman wearing jeans and a button down shirt with the words Whispering Bay Animal Shelter embroidered on the front pocket was looking at a nineteen-fifties era wedding dress. The dress was a tea-length chiffon number, complete with petticoat.
Tom and Henry were in the shop, too. Seeing them side by side it was unbelievable how much alike they looked. Lauren ruffled the top of Henry’s head, but she had to reach up to do it. In a couple of years she’d probably have to be on tiptoe. “Hey, babe, how was school?”
“Good,” he said in that way boys do when they didn’t want to give out too much information. Cameron, Mimi’s son and Henry’s best friend, was wearing cologne to school, which Mimi said freaked her out a little. It would only be a matter of time before Henry discovered girls, too. If they hadn’t discovered him first, which they probably already had. “Coach canceled practice tonight. Can we get pizza for dinner?” he asked.
