Chapter 1
Spring was Lisa Hodges’ favorite season on Nantucket. It was warm enough to take long walks on the beach, and to smell the salty air and to pick some gorgeous tulips. She put them in a pretty vase when she went into her kitchen and set them in the dining room so her guests would be able to enjoy them.
It was Saturday morning and as usual, Lisa was up early. She’d already baked a ham and asparagus quiche and walked along the beach for about a half hour, while the quiche was in the oven. Only half of the rooms were rented as it was still early in the season. When the quiche was ready, she brought it into the dining room and set it on a heated plate. Cut fruit, bagels and cream cheese followed.
The girls, her twin thirty-something daughters, Kristen and Kate, arrived a few minutes apart, as Lisa was bringing a hot thermos of coffee and a basket of creamers into the dining room. Her youngest, Abby, was the last to arrive, with Lisa’s granddaughter, Natalie, in a stroller. Every Saturday, whenever possible, the girls came for breakfast with Lisa.
Lisa’s live-in fiancé, Rhett, joined them as well, but as usual, he just had coffee to start, while everyone else loaded their plates with quiche and a bit of everything else.
As they ate, talk turned to local gossip, as it always did.
“How is your friend, Mia, doing?” Lisa asked Kate. She’d read about the condo fire at the pier. It was a blessing that Mia had been out of town, and that no one was hurt.
“She’s hanging in there. This past year has been rough, and now the fire. I don’t think she’s loving living with her sister, though. She said she’s been looking around to find a short-term rental for a month or two.”
Lisa thought about that for a minute. She liked Mia. She was quiet and hard-working. And she was doing a wonderful job planning Kate’s upcoming wedding.
“Have her give me a call. I should be able to give her a room if she’s interested.”
Kate looked surprised and pleased. “Really? That would be great.” She hesitated a moment before adding, “she has a dog, though. Penny is a Pomeranian. She’s adorable and tiny, but I’m not sure what your thoughts are on that?”
Lisa considered it, then smiled. “I think that would be okay. As long as she behaves herself. Those are usually good dogs.”
* * *
Mia Maxwell had lost count of how many people had assured her that the first year was the hardest. And that it would get easier after that.
She knew they meant well. But she was still waiting. They were right that the first year was hard, but she’d sort of expected the fog to lift on the one-year mark. Instead, her feelings were still murky, cloudy, foggy as ever.
The vacation was supposed to help. And it did, briefly. She went to Charleston, one of her favorite places in the world, to visit one of her favorite people, her college roommate, Alicia. The weather was wonderful, the food amazing—she ate shrimp and grits everywhere.
And she had felt well-rested as she glanced out the airport window waiting to board the small Cape Air plane—the nine-seater that shuttled passengers from Boston to Nantucket. Spring in Nantucket was always a season of hope—tulips and daffodils blooming, pink blossoms on cherry trees and retail shops opening for the summer season.
She’d been looking forward to relaxing in her condo—her oasis of calm. The two-bedroom townhouse on the pier was an easy walk everywhere downtown. She’d redecorated over the past year, as a way to focus on something other than the premature death of Mark Anderson, her fiancé. Her sister, Izzy, was the creative one in the family and helped her choose the colors. They went with soft creams, and misty sea tones of pale green and blue.
Shortly before she boarded the flight, Izzy had called, hysterical, to tell her about the fire. They still weren’t sure how it had started. Electrical was the best guess, but Mia’s end unit and the one next to it suffered the most damage. So, instead of hunkering down at home, on her soft ivory-colored sofa, under a cuddly fleece throw, she and her beloved dog, Penny, moved into Izzy’s guest bedroom.
And that wasn’t working out so well. Mia was grateful that Izzy had insisted she stay with her and her boyfriend of almost a year, Rick Savage. But after three days, Mia knew for the sake of her sanity and her relationship with her sister that she had to find her own place. The renovation could last several months, and her insurance would cover alternate housing. Izzy’s place was just too small. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. If it was just Izzy, it would have been fine. Mia just couldn’t handle Rick, and the way he treated Izzy. It was eye-opening and disturbing. She’d seen a side of him that he’d kept hidden. And Mia didn’t want to be around it.
So, she started looking for another option and wasn’t having any luck until her friend Kate called. She’d mentioned to Kate that she was looking for something and was surprised when Kate called to suggest her mother’s inn. Lisa Hodges had converted her waterfront home into an inn, since she no longer needed five extra bedrooms and she did need a source of income. Mia tried not to get too excited, as she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to afford a room there.
But when Mia called, the rate that Lisa quoted was reasonable and she explained that for monthly rentals she was able to go a little below the market rate. It fit into what Mia’s insurance would cover, and she assured Lisa that her dog would behave. Penny was almost nine years old, and she was a good girl. Mia took a drive by Lisa’s house and knew that Penny would love walking on that beach. And Mia knew the walking would do her good, too.
Now, she just had to figure out the best way to explain to her sister why she didn’t want to stay there any longer and why she thought her sister should leave, too. But she knew that part of the conversation was for another day.
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