Chapter 8 #2
Piper unfastened her seat belt and got out of the car, heading up the porch steps.
At the top, she turned and waved. Sullivan waved back.
She unlocked the door to the Bay Breeze and entered, feeling better about how things stood between them.
Then she retrieved her laptop, checking to see if any new reservations had come in.
Two had, and she marked them on the calendar and sent confirmation emails to both guests.
One party had included in their note that they were longtime visitors to Driftwood Bay and were excited about the inn’s makeover.
She made a note to herself regarding that, wanting to acknowledge them for their return business when they checked in.
She couldn’t help herself after that and googled Sullivan.
Several articles came up about his association with Wagner Enterprises, and she was also able to see a few of the other Wagner properties he had designed.
She dived deeper, finding a handful of pictures of him during his college days at Yale.
He looked like the typical Greek she remembered from her own days in college.
Something told her that he was much nicer than most frat boys, however.
The last picture she found of him was when she googled his name along with Baker’s Cove, Maine.
It was one of him with his paternal grandfather in the local newspaper.
Sullivan looked to be no more than eleven or twelve in the picture, but she could definitely see signs of the man he had become in this boy.
He stood almost as tall as his grandfather, and they were showing off a bookcase the two had crafted together.
Her heart stirred, feeling sympathy for the boy who had adored his grandparents and how that relationship had been stolen from him.
Piper couldn’t imagine her own mom keeping her away from her paternal grandparents.
She hoped she would never meet Mr. or Mrs. Shepherd because if she did, she would give them a piece of her mind about how they had hurt their young son.
Though Sullivan displayed a confident manner to the world, she knew he had a sensitive side to him and that he’d been greatly affected by being cut off from the grandparents he loved, especially for such a ridiculous reason.
She decided to call Joey Jordan and dialed his number. He answered on the second ring, and Piper introduced herself.
“I’m going to be managing the Bay Breeze for Layne, but I know little things crop up which need repair. Layne’s told me how you worked on restoring the B&B. She didn’t know if you had someone on your construction crew that I might be able to call upon as a handyman.”
“We don’t really offer that service, but Layne and Keaton were so good to my crew and me.
We’d be happy to be on-call for you, Piper.
If anything comes up, just text me. Either I’ll stop buy or send one of my guys to handle it for you.
Hopefully, nothing will go wrong for a while.
The Bay Breeze is in tip-top shape right now. ”
“I agree, but I just wanted to line up someone in advance since I’m not handy with tools.”
Changing the direction of the conversation, she said, “I see where you and your wife are going to be our guests in a couple of weekends.”
“Yes, ma’am. We’re really looking forward to it. Layne insisted we take a free weekend on her for all the work we put in.”
“If there’s anything I can do in advance to make your stay more pleasant, just let me know. Right now, I have you down for the Lilac Room.”
“That’s right. I choose it because my wife’s favorite color is any shade of purple. Looking forward to meeting you, Piper,” Joey said.
“Same. See you soon.”
After their conversation, Piper puttered with small tasks until it was time to get ready for her date with Sullivan.
She took a quick shower and then dressed in jeans and a blouse.
Since they would be eating at a restaurant near the water, she decided to leave her boots behind and went with tennis shoes.
She had a feeling he might want to walk along the water’s edge, and boots weren’t conducive for a walk on the sand.
Her phone buzzed, and she saw it was Kylie responding to the earlier text.
Sunday is great. Just tell me what time to be at Layne’s and what to bring.
Excited that she would be getting together with her friends, as well as Kylie, she placed them all on a group text and sent a message saying everyone could do Sunday.
Layne immediately replied, telling everyone to come at five for a glass of wine and that they’d eat at six.
She’d provide everything. Kylie chimed in, saying she would bring cupcakes from Seaside Sweets for dessert. Everyone hearted that message.
Piper still wanted to ask Mila why Kylie was back in the Bay.
Her friend would have a better idea since she’d lived here a few years now.
Piper had always thought Kylie Mayfield was destined for a bigger life than one lived in their small hometown.
Then again, look how she and her besties had returned to the Bay, along with Ty.
Ten minutes before he was supposed to arrive, Sullivan texted that he was on his way. She locked up the inn and went to wait for him on the porch, leaving on a few lights for her return. When she saw his car approaching, she moved down the steps and climbed into his vehicle.