AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTERTEN
After Liz left, Jane cleaned up the table and went to the kitchen. She fed Cooper, popped a bagel into the toaster, and sat at the old pine table that had been the setting for many family dinners for generations.
Jane felt bad for Liz, and her offer to stay at Tides was genuine. The inn was usually nearly empty in the late fall and winter. She’d have several empty rooms. It was still a mystery, though, why Liz wouldn’t stay in her family home. Her childhood couldn’t have beenthatbad. Maybe Liz just needed to see things from a different perspective.
Just like Jane was now seeing things from a different perspective, thanks to her conversation with Liz. Had she been subconsciously procrastinating about hiring someone because she was afraid that spending more time with Mike would lead to something more permanent and she didn’t want to lose another person she’d let get so close? Logically she knew that was silly, and knowing that gave her a new focus.
“Time to get out of my comfort zone, Coop.” Jane flipped open the paper to the classifieds. Cooper, who was lying by the back door, swished his tail back and forth as if agreeing.
Jane studied the ads to inspire some ad copy ideas that suited her needs, then she called Debbie at the local paper and told her what she wanted.
“Do you want to have them contact you by phone or email?” Debbie asked. “I suggest email. Otherwise, you might have a lot of weirdos calling.”
“Weirdos? Does that happen often?” Jane didn’t want to have to weed through a bunch of undesirable applicants.
“Sometimes. You know how people are.”
“Right. Email it is, then. You wouldn’t happen to know anyone who might be interested, do you?” It never hurt to ask around.
“No but I’ll keep my eyes peeled and my ears open.”
Debbie told her the price for the ad, and Jane gave her the business credit card number and hung up.
Judging by the way Cooper’s gaze flicked from Jane to the screen door, he wanted to go for a walk on the beach.
“Okay, buddy. I think I can sneak out for a short walk.”
On the beach, Jane took her shoes off and let her feet sink into the soft sand. It was still too early for the sun to have heated it, so the sand was cool, but the rough texture still felt good. Cooper rushed off and returned with a stick. Jane threw it.
Cooper raced to get it. He returned dutifully and dropped it at her feet, looking up at her with a goofy smile on his furry face.
She threw it again, and Cooper raced off again.
They repeated the process as Jane angled down to the water’s edge. She couldn’t resist dipping a toe in. She jerked her foot back. The water was cold enough to take her breath away. No surprise there. The Maine ocean was ice cold in August, and now, at the end of summer, it was even chillier.
She walked on the hard wet sand at the water’s edge, throwing the stick and watching the sandpipers race along the foamy surf. They never seemed to think the water was too cold.
After twenty minutes, she came to the portion of the beach that was dotted with small cottages. She glanced over at the one that Maxi rented as an art studio. Maybe she’d be out on her patio with a coffee, and Jane would drop in for a visit.
Maxi wasn’t sipping coffee on the patio, though. Jane saw through the picture window that her friend was in the living room, standing at her easel. As Jane watched, Maxi raced to the couch and picked up Rembrandt. The black cat did not look pleased as Maxi arranged him on the couch then ran back to the easel.
Maxi appeared to be busy, so Jane proceeded down the beach, enjoying the sunshine and cool ocean breeze, satisfied that she’d taken a solid step toward hiring someone to take some of the workload off her shoulders at Tides.
