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And Sara had no idea what to do with herself. She wasn’t used to having nothing to do. Usually when she wasn’t working at the inn, she was reading out on her deck. But she couldn’t sit still long enough to read. Her mind wouldn’t settle. It kept going over her last conversation with Kent.
He’d been angry with her for letting his job search slip to his parents, but by the time he departed, it felt as though he wasn’t so angry with her any longer. At least that was what she hoped.
She headed for the beach. She normally found the sound of the sea and the call of the birds relaxing. She loved to feel the sand between her toes and then the rush of the surf over them.
She tried to come up with something to do on this unexpected free day. And then it came to her. She could work on cleaning her sister’s apartment and getting it ready for Cari’s arrival.
Just as quickly, she recalled that her sister hadn’t emailed the signed agreement. What was up with that?
Sara reached for her phone and hit redial. She knew her sister was busy with the big move, but she had to stop long enough to do the paperwork. Sara worried that Kent wouldn’t hang onto the apartment much longer. And with a housing shortage on the island, the place would go in a heartbeat.
The phone rang once and then twice with no answer. She wasn’t going to hang up until it went to voicemail. And so it continued to ring.
“Hello.” The female voice sounded distant like she was talking down a long tunnel.
“Cari?” Sara wanted to make sure it was actually her sister because the connection wasn’t so good.
“Of course. You’re the one who called me. Remember?”
That was definitely her sister. Sara smiled. “Sorry. This isn’t a good connection. I just called to see if you’d returned the lease for the apartment yet.”
There was a long pause. She started to wonder if they’d lost their connection. It wouldn’t be the first time for their calls to be disconnected.
“Cari, are you still there?”
“Yes. I’ve been meaning to call you. I have some news.”
News? What sort of news? She couldn’t make out her sister’s voice well enough to figure out if it was good news or bad news. Her chest tightened.Please don’t let it be bad news.
“What sort of news?” The breath caught in her lungs.
“I’ve met someone.”
That didn’t sound like bad news. “I’m happy for you. Can’t wait to meet him.”
“About that…um, I’m not moving back to the island.”
The unexpected words hit Sara like an emotional sucker punch. It knocked the air from her lungs as her stomach gave a nauseous lurch. This couldn’t be right. Her sister wouldn’t let her down.
Another long silence ensued as Sara replayed her sister’s words. This time the silence was strained as a million thoughts raced through Sara’s mind. This wasn’t possible. This was her sister’s bad attempt at some sort of joke.
“Of course you’re coming home. We haven’t seen each other in a few years, and the apartment is available.”
“Sara, I’m not coming. Things with Adam are serious.”
“Serious?” Her voice rose. People on the beach glanced in her direction. She forced her voice to a lower volume. “How long have you known…” She struggled to remember the guy’s name.
“Adam,” Cari supplied. “We met a few weeks ago.”
A few weeks?Sara’s mind raced. “So, you knew him when you asked me to get you the apartment?”
“Yes. But it’s not like you think. He had a girlfriend at the time. And I had no reason to think anything would happen between us.”
“Cari, how could you do this to me?” Tears of anger and frustration stung the back of her eyes. “You have no idea what I did to get you that apartment.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know this was going to happen.”
There had to be a way to salvage this. “Bring him home with you.”
