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CHAPTEREIGHT
Jane felt lucky to have snagged an early dinner reservation at Oarweeds. The day still had some natural light by which to see the ocean from their patio table that overlooked the small cove.
She’d called ahead for an outdoor table so she could bring Cooper. He was now lying in between her and Mike, contentedly watching the people passing by as they walked along a popular path called the Marginal Way, which wound along the cliffs next to the ocean. There was a lot of foot traffic because it was the perfect early fall night for walking.
“I never get tired of dining outside.” Jane dipped a piece of bread into the puddle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar she’d poured onto her small appetizer plate.
“Me too. You can’t beat the view.” Mike gazed out at the ocean.
“You can say that again.” Jane let out a sigh of contentment. With Cooper and Mike at her side, the salty ocean air, sounds of the waves rushing over the rocky cove, and a lobster roll on the way, what could be better?
Mike turned to her and put his hand over hers. “I don’t want to be a pest, but have you made any headway getting someone to help you out at Tides? You know if you got more help at the inn, we could do this more often.”
Way to bring the mood down. Jane knew he meant well and wasn’t doing it in a nagging way. He only wanted what was best. Any girl should be flattered that Mike wanted to spend more time with her. When she looked across the table into his green eyes, she saw only concern for her.
Jane looked away, pretending to adjust the napkin in her lap.
“I’ve got some feelers out.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. She’d asked around at Sandcastles just that morning. But she had to admit she could do more.
“That’s my girl. I know it’s hard to trust it to someone else, but you and Andie deserve to have free time to do your own thing.”
“You’re right. I can get so caught up with what’s going on at the inn, and I really need to let go.”
The waitress came to their table, bearing Jane’s lobster roll in a grilled bun and Mike’s clam chowder and broiled scallops. The pair ate in companionable silence for the first few bites.
“How was your day?” Mike asked as he dropped a few more oyster crackers into his chowder.
“Pretty slow. We only have one guest, Liz Weston. She grew up here in town and is back clearing out her father’s house.”
“Did you grow up with her?” Mike was from Seattle, so he wouldn’t have known Liz, but he knew that Jane was familiar with practically every family in town.
“Not well, but her dad was at Tall Pines with Mom.” Jane picked a piece of lobster out of the roll with her fork. They always stuffed them so full of meat it was hard to get a bite without taking some out. “He seemed nice.”
“How is Addie? Did you visit her today?”
“She’s great. She was painting another one of her watercolors when I visited today. I can’t believe I resisted putting her in Tall Pines for so long. That place has been great for her.” It had been heartbreaking for Jane to put her mother in an assisted living place, but Jane couldn’t care for Addie herself. That decision turned out to be a blessing. Addie was getting much better care there, and Jane was free to run the family inn and live her life.
“Did you take Cooper?” Mike flipped Cooper an oyster cracker.
“Yes, everyone loves to see him so much.” Cooper was always welcome at Tall Pines and seemed to put everyone in a good mood.
“Next time, give me a shout, and if I don’t have any meetings, I’ll go with you. I love visiting Addie too.”
“She loves seeing you too.” Jane’s heart warmed. Mike was a nice guy—successful, handsome, and he loved her mother. What more could she ask for? He never asked for anything except to spend more time with her. She was crazy not to make searching for another person to help out at Tides her top priority.
But a part of her wondered if she was hesitating for a self-destructive reason. After her husband had died, she’d distanced herself from any romantic entanglements. Until Mike. But now she had to wonder if maybe she just wasn’t meant to be with anyone else.
They settled into small talk about things going on in the town, Mike’s job, and their various friends. Over the summer they’d settled into a comfortable routine of hanging around with her best friends and their significant others. She loved spending time with Maxi and James, Claire and Rob, and Andie and Shane.
Things were going very well for her. She made a mental note to step up her search for the perfect person for Tides, since she didn’t want to mess things up with Mike. And if her subconscious was trying to meddle, it would just have to butt out.
