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Alice exchanged a glance with Robin. “But I saw you at The Glass Dolphin in August.”
“I put her off,” Clara said. “I was getting companies to donate to the inn, and I was busy, and I didn’t meet with her until August. She told me I couldn’t tell anyone.” Clara drew in a breath. “I told Scott, though, and Tessa, so they came to the meeting with me.”
“She offered you money.” Robin didn’t phrase it as a question.
Clara nodded. “A lot of money.”
The answer only seemed to add gasoline to Robin’s already burning fire.
“She said she’d be a silent investor. She’d own forty percent of the inn, and once it started turning a profit, that forty percent of it would go to her.” Clara’s throat hurt, because she hadn’t revealed this many personal things in a long time, at least not in such a short time. She spoke to guests all morning, but this was ten times worse.
“I needed the money, but giving her that much of the profit would’ve left very little for me and Scott. We were still going to do it…” She let the words hang there.
“Until you decided to give up,” AJ said.
Clara nodded, not sure why she couldn’t say out loud that she’d “quit” the inn. Or that she’d given up. Because of her father, those things were shameful. They’d been slammed into her over and over and over.
We never, ever, ever give up.That one, her mom had once displayed on a wood block in the kitchen.
I’m not going down without a fight.Clara couldn’t even tell how many times her dad had said that. At least five hundred. Probably more.
He did fight too. All the time. He actually thrived on arguing, and Clara had played into his hand far too many times. She’d quit when she’d left the cove and refused to return. She hated the feeling of quitting something.
“Until the inn,” she said out loud.
“I don’t believe in continuing to do something that makes us unhappy and unfulfilled,” Mom said. “Simply to say we didn’t give up. Sometimes what weneedto do is quit.”
“Everyone,” Eloise said. “Quitting can be refreshing.”
“It can be necessary,” Alice said. “Like when I quit lying to myself and finally left Frank.”
Clara’s eyes filled with tears. “I quit the inn. I told Jennifer no. Scott and I walked away, and we’ve been really struggling for the past several months, but we’ve come together a lot this summer.” She swiped at her eyes, frustrated with herself for getting emotional—another thing that she believed showed weakness—and for telling these women about her private life with Scott. She never did that.
Clara took a breath, trying to find reason in her frenzied, emotional mind. She felt no remorse for quitting, and she told herself she didn’t need to be embarrassed in front of these women.
Eloise came toward her and hugged her. “You’re doing amazing,” she said. “On all levels.” Alice joined her, and then Jean. AJ and Kelli and Mom came over from the waiting area.
“Robin,” Alice said, and the other woman sighed.
“Fine,” Robin said. “I can see this isn’t Clara’s fault.”
“Not even close,” Kelli said.
Robin joined the group hug, and only then did Clara close her eyes and sink into the hug.
“Who wants to go back?” Paul asked, effectively breaking up the group. He held his son in his arms, and the infant looked minuscule next to his father’s chest and biceps.
“Ooh, he brought the baby out,” Eloise cooed, and she danced over to Paul.
“Tell us what the doctor said.” Alice also approached Paul and Jamison, and he passed the infant to Eloise.
“Mom.”
Clara turned toward Lena and quickly wiped her eyes. “Yes, dear?”
“Why are you sad?”
“I’m not, honey.” She hugged her daughter and added, “Let’s take James his new elephant, okay?”
