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April had been hoping that Georgia wouldn’t know how much the town doubted her ability to fix the house up. Her daughter looked at her with a mix of confusion and fear in her eyes. “You know this guy?” she asked her.
“We met the first day I arrived. Barry and Chuck thought it was hilarious that I was trying to live at the house.”
It felt like not a single person was there for April. She had to do this all by herself and prove to them that this house could be beautiful; her vision was going to make it something special. “And now I’m apologizing,” Barry said, though it didn’t sound very sincere. “Because I know we probably almost scared you away. That wasn’t what we wanted. It was just funny because-”
“Because why?” Georgia said, standing in front of her mother. “Because the house is in bad shape?”
Barry nodded. “Kinda. I mean, we all had that running joke about the ghosts taking over or the fact that it was abandoned and no one would ever come for it again. We were making up all sorts of folklore about that place.”
Georgia crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Well, we’re back now. So you don’t have to worry about any of those silly stories. The house is going to be back in shape soon. We’ll let you know when it’s ready.”
April peeked out from behind her daughter, smiling at Barry as he walked off, ashamed of his actions. There was something about teenage strength, the sass and sheer confidence working for good, that took a hold of Georgia that day. April was impressed by it. “Thank you,” she said to her as they continued to gather their favorite candles. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know. But he seemed like he needed a talking to.”
April laughed. Since when did her daughter talk like that? “Chuck was the bad one. At least Barry knows they shouldn’t be laughing like that.”
Georgia put a candle up to April’s face. It smelled like wild flowers and lavender. “This is my favorite,” she said with a smile before dropping it into the cart.
***
Giant’s was even less packed during the lunch hour on Georgia’s first day in town. The ladies were starving after such a day of touring and shopping. Two tables of single people reading the newspaper while eating their small meals sat on the opposite side of the restaurant.
“Back so soon?” A familiar voice cooed from the kitchen. “I’ll be right out.”
April nodded out of habit, forgetting that he couldn’t see her from back there. “What do you think about this place? I think I’ll probably become a regular here.”
“Already? How many times have you eaten here?”
A flash of heat had risen on her cheeks. “Uh, just once. But it was so good. Their burgers are delicious.”
Nigel ran his hands down his apron as he pushed himself out the kitchen door. Hank was nowhere to be seen, surely because there weren’t many people drinking at two in the afternoon. “Alrighty then, what can I... I see you have company today!”
“Nigel, this is my daughter, Georgia.”
With a smile, Georgia held out her hand to him, which he gladly took and shook delicately. “Nice to meet you, Nigel. I hear my mother is going to become a regular here.”
April bit the inside of her lip to keep from glaring at her daughter. Of course it wasn’t a secret, but it was strange to announce that after only coming once. Or maybe she was just overthinking it all. None of it mattered anyway. She was here to get away and work on the house, not pretend like she was ready to be interested in strangers.
“Is that so?” Nigel said, raising his brows at April. “We’d be happy to have you as a regular. Of course that means that you’d have to come here for like almost every meal and I’m afraid you’ll get sick of me by then.”
“Oh, please. I might get sick of you, but never the food,” April replied with a smirk. As soon as she caught how flirty her words might have come across, she cleared her throat. “So, um… We’ll take two lemonades and club specials, please.”
Nigel nodded, then bowed low like an old English gentleman. “My pleasure. That will be right out.”
He left with a warm smile and started on their food in the kitchen. “Is he usually the cook?”
“He’s the chef, the waiter, and the owner.”
“Oh, really? He seems nice. Handsome, too,” Georgia said with a smirk, watching her mother’s every move. April knew this trick. She was just trying to get something out of her, hoping she would react.
She shrugged. “I guess so.”
Georgia rolled her eyes, bothered by the lack of reaction. “Tell me more about your plans for the house. I knew it was going to be hard work, but that guy in the general store sounded like he knew it’s going to be more than just some elbow grease. Why do they all think it’s impossible?”
Because it nearly was. The house wasn’t a simple flip project that could be tidied and retiled into a stunning beach property. It needed a lot of care and planning. “They’re surprised that someone’s come back to fix it up. And they think it’s too far gone. For a second I thought they were right. It’s not just cleaning out some cabinets and redoing the floors. It’s basically redoing the entire house.”
“And you’re up for all of that? What does Dad think about it?”
