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There was a map of the island. It was divided into four sections. It was hard to believe that originally only four families lived on this island. There were coins from the 1800s and stamps. There were a lot ofoohsandahhs. Josie couldn’t wait to get a better look at everything. They intended to put everything in glass cases in the foyer for the duration of the bicentennial, and then the museum officials would take custody of the items for safe keeping.
“Isn’t this exciting?” Josie asked Lane.
He nodded.
There was a U.S. flag with only forty-five stars.Wow!There were newspapers from Boston. And tintype photos that were actually in pretty good shape. She couldn’t help but wonder if some of these were Lane’s family.
But when she turned to say something to him, she noticed he’d disappeared. She lifted up on her tiptoes to see if he was somewhere in the crowd, perhaps making his way toward the stage, but she didn’t spot him anywhere. He’d most likely gone back to the bungalow. It was a shame. She’d hoped he would have enjoyed the event.
There were some nibbles of interest.
The next day, Lane was surprised with how quickly people had responded to the online listing for the inn. He was only interested in serious buyers. He didn’t have time to entertain the lookie-loos.
Time was of the essence. The sooner he got off this island, the better. He wasn’t going to stay here and share more about his past. It wasn’t happening.
And that was why he’d work late into the night packing his aunt’s stuff. He’d sorted things into donations and trash. There was a lot more to give away than he’d anticipated. And he didn’t know what to do with house furnishings and decorations. It wasn’t like he could call up and have a truck haul the large things away since vehicles were restricted on the island.
He didn’t want to go to Jo for help after what happened yesterday. He’d leave the boxes stacked up near the door and worry about them later. So far he’d only fully cleared out his aunt’s bedroom. He didn’t realize a person could own that much stuff.
Knock-knock.
He inwardly groaned. When was Jo going to give up and leave him alone?
Knock-knock.
It appeared she wasn’t going to give up until he blatantly told her to go away. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he couldn’t take a chance of a repeat of yesterday. It had been a mistake. A big mistake. That was how it had been most of his life. Sure he’d dated but he never let anyone get close to him. As soon as things got the least bit serious, he cut and walked. He didn’t do backward glances.
He steeled himself to have a quick and frank discussion with her. He moved to the door and swung it open. Immediately, the words died in his throat.
There stood an older woman with short white hair and a friendly smile. By her side was a little dog with orangish-brown fur. “Hello. We missed each other yesterday at the time capsule ceremony. I’d like to introduce myself.”
“You’re Birdie Neill.”
Her smile broadened. “You were paying attention.”
“I was.” When he wasn’t thinking about that almost-kiss with Jo.
“This is my dog, Peaches. And you’re Lane Johnson, part owner of the inn. Now that we have the introductions out of the way, how about you escort me to the inn for today’s big announcement. I have to tell you that it was quite a stroll over here. The path through that patch of weeds was filled with roots. I almost fell a couple of times.”
There was no way he could refuse her request and risk her getting hurt. He had a feeling she knew that before she made her way to the bungalow.
He didn’t know this Birdie person well, but what he knew of her, he liked. She had a sense of humor and spunk. Something told him if he were to stay on the island, they could become friends.
“Let me turn off some things.” He moved to the couch, where he’d been working on his laptop. He closed it, and then he turned off the lights. He grabbed his phone from the coffee table and returned to the door where Birdie was fussing over her dog. “All ready to go.”
“You know I really appreciate this.” She smiled up at him as she slipped her hand in the crook of his arm. “I can’t believe we haven’t met until now. You remind me a lot of your grandfather.”
Her words caught him off-guard. Aside from his mother, he’d never known anyone who knew his extended family. “You knew him?”
“Oh, yes. I knew your grandparents very well. Will and Ginny played gin with me and my husband.” She sighed and was quiet for a moment as though her mind had drifted back in time. “They were great people. I’m sorry you never got to meet them.”
“Me too.” The utterance was automatic.
And he was floored that he felt that way. He’d never allowed himself to dwell on his extended family. If they couldn’t be bothered to help his mother and him, he couldn’t be bothered to care about them.
However, there was a part of him that wanted Birdie to say more about his grandparents, but she didn’t. He didn’t even know when they’d passed. He wondered if they’d ever known about him.
And yet he couldn’t bring himself to ask those questions. It was best to leave things as they were now. Nothing Birdie told him would change his past. Curiosity continued to nag at him, but he refused to give into it.
