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“There’s so much to do,” I said, making no move to get out of the truck. “I think Loretta said something about planning the funeral on the phone yesterday. I haven’t even had a chance to think about it…”
“You’ve traveled across the country on top of hearing tragic news. Of course you haven’t thought about a funeral. I’m sure Moses over at the funeral home will meet with you whenever you’re ready.”
My aunt and I had arranged my mother’s funeral together when she’d died seventeen years ago, but I barely remembered any of it. Now I had to get through the process alone.
I glanced at the side mirror, where I could see the inn reflected.
“The inn looks…sad,” I said, noticing the exterior paint on this end was peeling and the stonework was noticeably dirty. “Was Aunt Phyl happy?” Again, my throat thickened with sorrow as I voiced the question that had been dogging me since the taxi had dropped me off.
A thoughtful sigh sounded from Rosy as she leaned back against the seat. “I think she absolutely was. She loved this place with all her heart. In a lot of ways, shewasthis place, and when she passed, it’s like the inn lost a little bit of its soul.”
I wasn’t sure about any of that, but it made me feel marginally better that Aunt Phyl had derived happiness from this place. “It needs a lot of work before I can find someone to run it.”
“You’re going to turn it over then. We wondered.”
“I’m not going to sell it.” My gut hardened into a knot. “But my life is in LA. My career. Aunt Phyl understood that—” My voice broke. Damn, it was exhausting to fight off these nonstop emotions. “I’m this close to getting the job of my dreams,” I said, my voice lower, thicker. “My agent is on the verge of selling my screenplay to Stream, and there’s a chance they’re going to hire me as the head writer.”
“Stars above, Ava. That’s remarkable!”
I blew out a breath, worried I would jinx it if I told too many people. “It’s a long shot. They don’t usually hire a newbie, but the company’s young and my agent has pull with one of their executives and they apparently love my idea.”
“Sounds like a good agent to have. Phyllie didn’t tell us any of this!”
“It’s new. I just told her Friday night…”
I’d just FaceTimed with her three days ago without knowing it was the last time, our final goodbye. It was impossible to wrap my head around it. It made my chest literally hurt.
Rosy let out a pained sigh. “She had to be so pleased for you. She just never had the chance to tell us.”
Because less than twenty-four hours later, she’d had a heart attack. The only solace in anything was that the medical people said she’d gone instantly, with no suffering.
“This could be the break I’ve been hoping for since my first year of screenwriting school,” I explained. “Some people work for forty years and don’t get an opportunity like this—”
“You deserve it, Ava.”
Her words stopped me, because I’d been expecting her to try to persuade me to stay in Dragonfly Lake. “I don’t know ifdeserveplays into it, but if I don’t pursue this, I might never get another chance. It might sound selfish, but I finally have the opportunity to focus on whatIwant—”
“Ava.” She squeezed my hand again. “You don’t have to defend your decisions to me. Stars above, you spent years caring for your mother, and from what I gather, you sacrificed a lot for that ex-husband of yours as well. I’d say it’s past time for you to tend to your dreams and goals.”
My affection and appreciation for this woman grew tenfold. “Thank you. I’m sure most people won’t see it that way. They’ll say it’s a travesty for me to put someone else in charge of my aunt’s legacy.”
“Anyone who says that doesn’t know you and doesn’t have a clue what you’ve been through.”
“Nobody here ever really knew me,” I said matter-of-factly. I suspected this town might judge me and judge me hard. I was still working on not caring. “But I know Aunt Phyl would understand. She’d never want me to feel forced to stay here because of her inn. She’d want someone to take it over because it was their heart’s desire.”
“You’re absolutely right. She loved you so much and would want you first and foremost to be happy.”
“Writing makes me happy,” I said, nodding, fighting down another surge of feelings that talking about my aunt in the past tense brought on. “Anyway, if you know of anyone who might be interested in managing the inn full-time, have them contact me. I don’t suppose you or the other Diamonds would be?”
“Most of us have our own businesses to run. I’ve all but handed off everything to do with the marina to my boys. Loretta has the yarn shop, Dotty the Lily Pad. Darlene’ll never leave the Country Market—I just thank God she wasn’t working when Phyllie…”
I gasped and was also glad my aunt’s good friend wasn’t on the scene when she’d collapsed.
“Nancy likes her solitude and Kona has her husband and dogs to keep her busy.”
Nodding, I said, “It was worth a try. Speaking of busy, I need to get this stuff to Halstead.” I went for the door handle but paused when she spoke again.
“One more thing, Ava. What happened back there? With Cash?”
