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The next several minutes were spent regaling Miles with the blow-by-blow on the secret compartment dress and rat, and the lake of slimy wallpaper water. By the time Ariel was done describing everything, Miles was openly belly laughing over the line. “Oh, Ari, that sounds awful. And I only added to your stress. Can I do something to help relieve itbesidescoming out there to help you renovate?”
Ariel took a deep breath before answering Miles’s question. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to see him just yet, especially with his Emily still lurking around the B and B. Lurking andgardening.It really was the strangest thing.
But then again, Ariel couldn’t let her personal life interfere with her business, and she had to admit, she missed him.
“Sure, that sounds great,” Ariel replied casually. She tried her best to keep her voice light and cheerful, not wanting to let on about the stress she was feeling with Emily’s constant presence. “What did you have in mind?”
“I was thinking of taking you out to lunch tomorrow,” Miles said. “Maybe that new Italian place in town?”
“Sounds perfect,” Ariel replied, feeling a flutter of excitement in her stomach. “New? Am I not the only new place in town?”
“Not the only, but the best,” he reassured. “Can you meet me there? I’ll make reservations for noon.” Ariel felt a pang of disappointment. She had been hoping for some alone time with Miles before their date, the drive to town being a good chance to catch up, but she knew she couldn’t let Emily’s presence ruin everything.
“Sounds awesome,” she said, trying to sound upbeat. “I’ll meet you there.”
“Great,” Miles said, sounding relieved. “And I’m sorry, again, Ari. I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
“Me, either.”
When they hung up, Ariel let out a sigh. She couldn’t wait to see him again tomorrow, even if it meant sneaking off somewhere that Emily wasn’t.
Ariel looked over at the new bucket of supplies she had bought, sponges and scrapers and a new can of industrial wallpaper remover that Charlie had so nicely dropped off, courtesy of Kurt. She could do this. She could tackle this wallpaper if it killed her.
Finally, after a couple hours of scraping and scrubbing, the bathroom was ready for a fresh coat of paint. Ariel stood back, admiring her handiwork, when her phone beeped. It was a text from Miles.
“Can’t wait to see you tomorrow,” it read.
Ariel grinned, feeling a surge of happiness. She couldn’t wait to see him either. She quickly texted back, “Me too. See you at noon.”
Text messages were definitely working at Leeside once more—Miles sent back a kiss emoji. As Ariel put her tools back in the bucket and headed downstairs to start her checklist for dinner, she couldn’t help but wonder what the night would bring. Emily had promised to be there, and Connor wouldn’t, meaning Katie would be working dinner service without him. Ariel had a feeling it was going to be a memorable one, for better or for worse.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
When Ariel arrived back downstairs, she was taken aback to see Darcy alone at the front of the house. It was an hour past the time she had asked Katie to come down from her cheer-up TV binge, and usually, that would mean that Katie’s bright and friendly face would be there to greet Ariel.
Maybe Katie is off trying to get in some beach time before dinner service starts. She must still be really bummed.
And here he was—Darcy—bustling around making sure everything ran according to plan.
“Still have to portion the frisée, chop walnuts, and start warming the fish stock,” Darcy said to Ariel as he turned from handing a guest an extra set of towels.
Ariel decided that maybe she should lend him a hand with meal prep for tonight’s dinner reservations. The Seaside Café would likely be full since it was peak summer season now. But as Ariel glanced around the living room, she saw other things that needed attending to—a few scattered drinking glasses left by guests, the magazines on the coffee table in disarray, a trail of beach sand that went from the front door into the living room, ending in a small pile of the stuff by one of the wingback chairs.
“Darcy, I’ll go find Katie and have her help with a few little housekeeping touches. I’ll meet you in the kitchen in five. Don’t worry about this stuff. I’ll see to it.”
Darcy nodded and headed off.
“Oh! Darcy?”
He popped back into the living room doorway. “Yes?”
“Any idea where she went?” Ariel asked, smiling apologetically.
Darcy smiled back, his own full of sympathy. “I think she’s down at the beach. She seemed really distraught. I figured she needed some time.”
Ariel nodded and went out the front door, circling the front yard and heading to the walking trail that meandered down to Leeside’s private beach. Ariel made her way down the winding path toward the cove. The path was lined with lush greenery, and the sound of birds singing in the trees filled the air. She could feel the warmth of the sun on her skin as she approached the beach, and she hoped that what she would find would make that warm feeling a joyous one to savor, and not a contrast to whatever cold heartache she might find her poor daughter now dealing with.
As she reached the edge of the small bluffs that were the last barrier to touching sand, Ariel caught her first glimpse of the secluded beach. The water was a dazzling blue, and the sand was a soft, creamy white. The beach was surrounded by towering bluffs of a much larger size, ones that provided a sense of seclusion and privacy.
