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“Wow!” He hadn’t anticipated her response. “That’s wonderful. When?”
“Right now. I packed up my things and sold the house to a friend.”
He swallowed hard. His aunt certainly didn’t waste any time when she made up her mind to do something. It made him wonder why he was still waffling about taking the job on the mainland. His thoughts drifted to Sara. And then he pushed his troubles to the back of his mind.
He glanced at his mother, who was peeling a cooked potato to toss into a bowl for her famous potato salad. “Did you know about this?”
His mother shook her head. “It’s all a surprise to me. I tried to call you this morning but your phone keeps going to voicemail.”
“Really?” He pulled his phone from his pocket. When he tapped the screen, nothing happened. His finger pressed on a button on the side of the phone with no success. His phone was dead. “I must have forgotten to charge it last night.”
His mother nodded in understanding. “I’ve been trying to figure out a place for your aunt to live. The vacant apartment above the store is spoken for, right?”
She meant the apartment Cari Chen was supposed to rent. “Actually, it just became available again.”
Both of their faces lit up. It was strange how things worked out sometimes. He was happy for his aunt. He knew his mother had wanted this to happen since Aunt Carol’s husband passed away a few years ago.
“So what brings you by?” his mother asked. “I thought you’d be off getting more people to sign up for your refresh service.”
“His what?” Aunt Carol sat down at the kitchen island.
“It’s what he calls his new decorating service,” his mother said to his aunt before sending him an expectant look.
He swallowed hard and then uttered, “I’ve received a job offer in Connecticut.”
Aunt Carol gaped while the potato slipped from his mother’s hand. She lunged for it and caught it before it slid off the counter. She turned to him with a frown on her face. “Are congratulations in order?”
This was it. This was the moment he had to make a decision. “Yes.”
It felt good to stop waffling back and forth between staying and going. But the decision didn’t fill him with the happiness that he’d anticipated when he’d set off on this job search.
“Congratulations.” Aunt Carol rushed over and gave him another quick hug. “This is wonderful. You’ll have to tell me all about it.”
“I will but I can’t stay.” His gaze returned to his mother, who was busy chopping the potato. His mother needed time to absorb the news, and then he’d talk to both of his parents at once. “I just wanted you to know.”
His mother paused. Her hands rested on the edge of the mixing bowl with a paring knife in one hand and a chunk of potato in the other. “We’re having a backyard picnic this evening. We invited some friends. You should bring Sara.”
It didn’t surprise him to hear that his mother was throwing an impromptu party. His mother was always looking for a reason to get people together. And normally he’d be down for it, especially with Aunt Carol on the island, but there would be questions—lots of questions—and he was running short on answers.
He cleared his throat. “I don’t know. Sara might already have plans. I should be going.”
“Kent,” his mother called out. “Don’t make any final decisions about the job. Your father and I would like a chance to speak to you about it.”
“I think we said everything we had to say.”
“No, we didn’t. Just give us a chance. In the meantime, why don’t you take your aunt to see the work you did at the inn?”
“If now isn’t a good time,” his aunt said, “I totally understand. But I can’t wait to see what you did with the lobby.” She clasped her hands together as she smiled at him. “Your mother has been talking about it since I got here.”
The last thing he wanted to do was to run into Sara. As he saw the excitement written all over his aunt’s face, he felt his resolve diminishing. After all, Bluestar was a small island, so he had to get used to running into Sara—even after he moved to Connecticut, he’d still come home to visit. It might be awkward at first, but he hoped with time they could move past it. He knew they’d never be close again, but he hoped there wouldn’t be any animosity.
He looked at his aunt. “Okay. Let’s go.”
Aunt Carol told his mother she wouldn’t be gone long and she’d help with the preparations for the picnic when she got back. And they set off. Aunt Carol told him about her decision to move to the island and how she lucked out in knowing someone who knew someone who was looking for a house.
When they reached the inn, he kept glancing around, expecting to see Sara. Each time he was disappointed. As he held the door to the lobby for his aunt, he spotted someone inside with a short dark bob just like Sara’s hair. His heart beat faster. He wasn’t sure what to say to her. As he followed his aunt inside, his mouth grew dry and his palms became damp. He rubbed his hands on his shorts.
The woman turned around. It wasn’t Sara. Disappointment slammed into him. He tried to tell himself it was for the best. After all, what was left to say? Come Monday morning, he’d be calling the company in Hartford and letting them know he was accepting the position.
