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“Nonsense.” Maxi took Liz’s arm and led her toward the front door. “Let’s go see what we have to work with.”
Inside, the house was like a time capsule. Andie was surprised to recognize things that reminded her of her own childhood.
“We had this same clock at our house!” Andie pointed at the starburst clock hanging over the fireplace.
“We did too. And I think we had that same coffee table with the slats in it.” Maxi turned in a slow circle, taking it all in. “And the colors!”
“You like them?” Liz frowned as she looked at the avocado, gold, and green color scheme that permeated the house.
Maxi pursed her lips as she considered the question. “Well, it is very vintage.”
“It hasn’t changed much since I was little,” Liz said.
“Maybe that’s not very good for resale. Not everyone wants those colors. You should probably try to diffuse them with more neutral tones to appeal to a broader range of buyers.” Maxi fluffed an orange-and-yellow pillow that sat on the green couch. “But something that goes with the color of the furniture and accessories, since you don’t want to buy all new things. Maybe a light beige or gray?”
Liz looked skeptical. “I was actually going to have Goodwill come and take the furniture. Do you think I should leave it here?”
“Yes, of course! People need to be able to envision how they might live here.” Maxi walked over to the large brick fireplace in between the living room and kitchen. “But get rid of anything personal and all the knickknacks on the mantel and side tables.”
“I’ll look over them and let you know which ones can be tossed and which have value,” Andie volunteered.
Maxi picked up a picture of a smiling family and a dog that had been on the mantel. “I’m sure you’ll want to keep some things for sentimental reasons. Is this your family?”
Liz stood next to Maxi, a smile spreading on her face as she pointed out the people in the picture. “That’s Mom and Dad. My sister, Shelly, and brother, Peter. The goofy kid is me. And, of course, our family dog, Ranger.”
“Looks like you were happy. Are your brother and sister coming to help you sort through the house?”
Liz looked a little sad, and Andie wondered why. Were the siblings leaving all the work to Liz? Then again, Liz was retired. Maybe they had an agreement.
“I’m not sure. They’re very busy.” Liz glanced around the room. “And I guess none of us really care much about sentimental things. At least I thought I didn’t.”
Andie could see the conflict on Liz’s face and knew exactly how she felt. “You thought coming home would be depressing and stressful, but now that you’re looking around, you’re finding being home brings up comforting memories, too, aren’t you?”
Liz looked surprised. “How do you know?”
“Same thing happened to me.” Andie took a breath. She hadn’t talked much about this, but it seemed important for Liz to know that you really could come home again. “I left Lobster Bay right after high school and avoided coming back. Bad memories were tied up in this town.”
“I know what you mean. But somehow now the memories don’t seem so bad. I think I was making too much of them when I was younger, and that just festered over the years,” Liz said.
Andie nodded. “Same here. When my mother’s health started to decline, I had to come back to help with the Inn. Funny thing, though, at first I thought it would only be temporary. I dreaded coming back and facing all those memories. But it turned out that coming home brought up comforting memories instead, and I decided to stay.”
“You did? So you recently moved back here?” Liz asked.
“Yep.”
“And do you regret it?”
“Not one bit.” Andie glanced at Maxi. “The people here are great, and you can’t beat being near the beach.”
“You can say that again.” Liz gestured toward the hallway. “There are a lot of things in the bedrooms, and now I have no idea which ones are worth money. Maybe we could have some coffee and a muffin, and then you could take a look?”
“I’d love to.” Andie followed Liz to the kitchen. Liz seemed a little happier since their conversation. If Andie wasn’t mistaken, Liz was looking at her old childhood home with new eyes.
