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Piper must decide that she can’t do anything about my budding relationship, because she very deliberately avoids speaking about it and treats Sebastian with careful courtesy whenever they have to interact at the gallery. When he installs the sign above the entrance, an understated, simple black-and-white sign with the words “Art’s Cove” written on it in a clean sans-serif font on a white background, Piper nods once and tells him she’s satisfied. She walks back inside to supervise the installation of spotlights, and Sebastian meets my gaze from the top of the ladder where he’s perched. He winks, and I blush, no longer the cool and collected businesswoman I once was.
My nephews Alec and Nate settle into life in Heart’s Cove easily, and as the days pass, I see my sister start to hope again. The mantle of stress and darkness that had cloaked her when she first arrived starts to disappear, as if the gallery project is imbibing us both with fresh energy. When she sits me down one evening and tells me she’s found a job in Colorado, I know she’s nervous about moving her entire life somewhere new, but I hear the edge of excitement in her voice. That’s new.
“I’ll finish the gallery project, of course, but I said I could start at the end of September. I’ll probably leave right after the opening so I have time to move and get the boys settled in school. I’ll have to organize movers for the house in Clare, which I haven’t figured out yet, but this opportunity is too good to pass up.”
Wrapping my arms around my sister, I squeeze her tight. “Congratulations, Piper. And thank you for all your help with the gallery.”
She wipes her eyes and shakes her head. “Stop. Doing the gallery reminded me of everything I love about interior design. You gave me the courage to apply for this job.”
“So it’s an interior design job?”
A sharp nod. “Yep. Doing up a ski resort just outside Lovers’ Peak, Colorado. Some gazillionaire bought up the entire resort and wants to turn the town into a tourist destination. We’ll be building chalets, a boutique hotel, and designing the new lodge too. There’s talk of doing a tower of condos too, but that won’t be for a couple of years. The hiring manager warned me that the boss could be a hard ass, but he’s got other business interests and isn’t around all the time. Plus, after dealing with the nightmare of my divorce, I think I can handle a rich snob who thinks he can push me around.”
“Heck yes, you can. This is so exciting.” I smile. “I’m proud of you.”
“Here, let me show you pictures of the town.”
She taps on her phone and turns it to face me. I flick through photos. The town looksgorgeous. It’s nestled at the bottom of a craggy mountain that looks green and lush in the summer and impossibly white in the winter. Houses cling to the lower slopes of two mountains like they were scattered there with the falling snow.
“It looks like Whoville,” I say, tapping on a photo of amazing holiday lights shining in the snowy landscape.
Piper nods. “The ski resort was out of commission for a decade or so,” she says, “but it’s back in business now. They’re building three ski lifts, the first phase of new chalets, and the hotel next summer, so they’re expecting a lot more business in the years to come. I’ll be busy designing the interiors all winter until construction starts next spring, then working like crazy until the resort opens. They said I’d be on the lodge team since I have a lot of commercial design experience. It’s going to be intense, but I think I need to jump in the deep end.”
I give my sister a hug, and when I pull away, both our eyes are glazed with unshed tears.
“It’s a new beginning,” she says, and her eyes are full of light. Then my phone buzzes with a text message, and she scowls at Sebastian’s name on the screen. “Now I just need to make sure you’re not going to go and get your heart broken by that stupid man all over again.”
“Stop worrying about me,” I chide softly, even though I’m worried about the same thing. “I’m a grown woman.”
“You’re my big sister. You need someone to look out for you, for once.”
“Mommy?” Alec says from the bottom of the stairs. “Can you come tuck me into bed? I can’t sleep.”
Piper gives me a smile, squeezes my forearm, then goes to take care of her child. My sister doesn’t need to look after me; she’s got two little boys that rely on her already. She’s just too used to being the rock for the whole family.
I watch them disappear up the stairs and feel a strange sort of finality settle over me. This has been a summer of change for both of us—but it will end. Once the gallery is open, we’ll both be turning a new page.
My sister’s new chapter will be in a small mountain town in Colorado. Mine will be right here—possibly happy beside the first man I ever loved...or heartbroken because of him all over again.
I check my phone, read his text message, then sneak into my bedroom and give him a call.
“Hey, Sweet Peach,” he drawls in a deep, dark voice. “Are you alone?”
25
MIA
The hot towelsteams as I unroll it and wrap it around Hamish’s face. He closes his eyes and leans back in the chair, enjoying the bit of pampering I provide.
“I need to make an appointment next week for a haircut and another shave,” Hamish says, eyes still closed. “I want to look good for the gallery opening.”
“Of course,” I answer.
“Have you seen what Georgia’s done with the space?” Margaret asks. “I peeked through a gap in the window coverings on the way here, and it looks incredible.”
“She’s been working hard,” I answer, smiling. Georgia and I have developed a budding friendship over the summer. Most days, she brings me coffee and pastries after dropping off food for the contractors, and we spend a few minutes every day chatting. It’s been nice to have someone to talk to during the day. I’m starting to realize I’ve been lonely—really lonely.
“We’re all excited to see the first exhibit,” Margaret says with a nod. “Aren’t we, darling?”
