Chapter 18
CHAPTER 18
E vie spent the next couple of days working on packing up the cottage, not allowing herself any breaks, trying to keep busy. Because if she kept very, very busy, maybe she could forget these were her last days here at Nana’s cottage.
She paused when she heard a knock at the door. With a catch in her breath, she hurried to answer, hoping it was Randy.
She opened the door to find not Randy but a woman standing there, a tentative expression on her face. The woman asked, “Is Genevieve available?”
Her heart sank. Not again. Now what? She took a deep breath and explained, “No, I’m sorry. Genevieve was my grandmother. She passed away recently.”
The woman’s eyes widened, and she placed a hand over her heart. “Oh, I’m so sorry for your loss. My condolences.”
Her sympathy seemed genuine, and she felt a slight sense of relief. But she hoped this wasn’t another person demanding payment for a long-forgotten debt.
“I’m Susan Green,” the woman introduced herself. “My mother, Linda Green, was friends with Genevieve for many years.”
She’d never heard Nana mention a Linda Green. “Really? I don’t recall Nana mentioning your grandmother.”
Susan smiled. “It’s been a long time since they saw each other, but my mother always spoke fondly of Genevieve. They grew up together near Plymouth.”
She hesitated for a moment, then stepped aside. “Please, come in.” Please don ’ t tell me Nana has an outstanding loan too.
“Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, tea?” she offered, leading Susan to the couch.
“Tea would be lovely, thank you,” Susan replied, settling onto the couch. Her gaze swept around the cottage, but not like Mr. Barlowe’s, evaluating everything. Susan’s gaze was more approving and appreciative.
She busied herself in the kitchen, preparing two cups of tea. Her mind raced with questions about Susan’s grandmother and her connection to Nana. When she returned to the living room, she handed Susan a cup and sat down beside her.
“So, tell me about your mother and Nana’s friendship,” she prompted, eager to learn more.
Susan cradled the warm mug in her hands. “Well, from what my mother told me, she and Genevieve grew up together. Best friends. I guess they were inseparable until Genevieve moved away to Belle Island and got married.”
“Did they see each other after that?”
“They must have…” Susan put her cup down on the coffee table. “Because Genevieve helped my mother out when she needed it most.”
“What do you mean?”
“My father was—let’s say a mean man—and my mother had a rough go of it. My father finally left us, which was probably for the best. But he left my mother with nothing. No money, no home, and a young child to take care of—me.”
“That’s terrible.”
Susan nodded. “Genevieve found out and traveled back home to see my mother. And…” Susan’s voice cracked. “And she did the kindest thing. She had inherited a house that had been in her family for generations. She gave the house to my mother. Deeded it to her. Said she had no desire to ever leave Belle Island, so she didn’t need a house in Plymouth to keep up with. And gave my mother money to help start up a business.”
“Nana did that? She never told me.”
“I don’t know if you’ve heard of Genny Cosmetics.”
“Of course I have.” It was a multi-million-, maybe multi-billion-dollar company that made skincare and makeup products.
“Well, that’s my mother’s company. Well, mine now.” The woman smiled slightly. “My mother passed away recently.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you. And… don’t you see? The company was named after Genevieve.”
“Oh, I didn’t even put two and two together.”
“Genevieve said the house was a gift. That she wasn’t ever going to move back and she’d rather my mother have it than let it sit and fall into rubble since she was the last heir in her family. But as my mother was dying, she made me promise that the house would be sold and the proceeds go back to Genevieve. It was sold for quite a large sum. It was a beautiful lot, right on the coast. So, I guess that money is yours now.”
She sat back, stunned.
“There’s a bit of a tie-up with my mother’s estate, but my lawyer says the funds will come through any day now.”
Could it really happen? Could she have the money to pay off Mr. Barlowe and save Nana’s cottage? Her heart did a double beat with hope.
“I—I don’t know what to say.”
Susan grinned. “Say that you’ll put the money to good use.”
“Oh, I will. You see, my grandfather took out a loan and they are demanding repayment now, and I was going to lose this cottage. It was breaking my heart. But now… now I have hope that I can save it if the funds come through in time.”
“It looks like Genevieve’s kindness is coming back to help you then, doesn’t it?” Susan’s eyes lit up with pleasure.
“It does.”
“Well, I should go. I just wanted to come in person to meet Genevieve and thank her for her kindness. But I’ll convey my gratitude to you instead. Your grandmother was a special person.” Susan stood.
“She was.” She started to walk Susan to the door. “Oh, wait right there for a moment.”
She hurried away and returned with the framed ornament she’d unwrapped from the Christmas box. She held it out to Susan. “Any chance that this is your mom with Nana?”
Susan took the ornament and a gentle smile spread across her face. “It is. Look at them. They were so young.” Tears shimmered in the corner of her eyes.
“Take it,” she insisted. “Keep it as a memory of the friendship they shared and how an act of kindness can help in unexpected ways.”
“Thank you. I’ll treasure it.” Susan walked out the door and turned back. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I know something. Really, it should be any day.”
Evie couldn’t wait to tell Tally the good news. She still had a little over a week left to repay the loan. Surely the funds would come through by then and Nana’s kindness would save the cottage.
She burst into Magic Cafe, her heart racing with excitement. She spotted Tally over by the coffee counter and rushed over, barely able to contain her smile. “Tally, you won’t believe what just happened!”
Tally looked up from the coffee machine, her eyebrows raised in surprise. “What’s going on? You look like you just won the lottery.”
She leaned against the counter, taking a deep breath before launching into her story. “Better than the lottery. Remember how I told you about Mr. Barlowe claiming that my grandfather owed him money and that I had to pay back the loan or lose the cottage?”
Tally nodded, her expression turning serious. “Of course, I remember.”
“Well, something incredible just happened. A woman—Susan Green—came to see me. Her mother, Linda, was a close friend of Nana’s years ago. Apparently, Nana deeded Linda a house when her husband left her alone with no money and a small child. She even gave Linda some funds to start her own business.”
Tally’s eyes widened in surprise. “Genevieve was always so generous. She had a heart of gold.”
“And guess what? Genny Cosmetics—you’ve heard of them?”
Tally nodded.
“The company is named after Nana. Her friend, Linda, founded the company.”
“Wow, that’s quite a story.”
“And that’s how it comes back to me and Nana’s cottage. Susan told me that Linda recently passed away, and on her deathbed, she told Susan about Nana’s kindness and asked Susan to repay that debt by giving me the proceeds from the sale of the house Nana deeded to her mother.”
Tally gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “That’s wonderful! How much are we talking about?”
She grinned, barely able to contain her excitement. “Enough to save the cottage, Tally. It’s more than enough to pay off the loan and keep Nana’s home in the family.” She twirled around in happiness. “Don’t you see? This means I can stay.”
Tally wrapped her in a tight hug. “Oh, I’m so happy for you! Didn’t I tell you that Belle Island had a way of making things work out?”
Evie hugged her back. “There’s just one small catch,” she said as they pulled apart. “The funds are tied up in some estate mess right now because of some issue with the trust Linda set up. But Susan assured me it should be resolved any day.”
Tally squeezed her hands. “The important thing is that you have hope now. I’m certain the cottage will be saved, and it’s all thanks to your grandmother’s kindness coming back to you.”
She nodded as a sense of peace settled over her. “You’re right. Nana always believed in the power of kindness and generosity. Even though she’s gone, her love is still protecting me and the cottage.”
Tally smiled, her eyes misty with emotion. “Your grandmother’s legacy lives on. And now, you get to continue that legacy by keeping her cottage and her memory alive.”
“I’m so happy. I can’t believe it.”
Tally’s eyes twinkled with excitement. “You know who else would be thrilled to hear this news? Randy. You should go tell him right away.”
Her heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t spoken to him since their argument, and the thought of facing him now made her nervous. “I don’t know, Tally. We didn’t exactly part on the best terms. And… there’s still the chance the funds won’t come through in time.”
“They will.” Tally nodded emphatically.
“Okay, maybe I will talk to him.”
But as she walked back to the cottage, her courage faded. She’d wait to talk to him until after she was sure she was getting the funds. Because if it all fell through, she couldn’t bear to crush him again.
Evie took a long walk that evening, trying to settle her nerves. So much had happened in the last few weeks, the last few days. Now the very real possibility that she could stay here on the island was just within her grasp.
She finally turned around and headed back to the cottage as the sky was just beginning to put on a showy sunset. As she looked down the beach, she saw a lone person walking toward her.
She sucked in a deep breath. No, that couldn’t be Randy, could it? But as they neared each other, she saw that it was.
It wasn’t like she could avoid him standing out here in the open on the beach. She knew the minute he realized it was her, because he stopped in his tracks, looked back behind him, and then just stood there.
She took another deep breath, then closed the distance between them. “Hey,” she said, not really knowing what else to say.
“Hi.” He looked at her quickly, then trained his gaze on the waves.
Maybe this was a sign she should tell him her news. The news Tally had encouraged her to tell him.
Her heart raced as she stood before Randy. The crash of waves echoed in her ears, almost drowning out the sound of her own rapid breathing. She searched his face for any sign of softening, but his expression remained impassive, and he kept his arms crossed tightly over his chest.
“Randy, I…” she began, her voice wavering. “I need to tell you something important.”
He gave a slight nod, his gaze fixed somewhere over her shoulder.
She gathered her courage. “A woman named Susan came to see me yesterday. She’s the daughter of someone my grandmother helped years ago.”
His eyebrows lifted slightly, but he remained silent.
“It turns out,” she continued, her words tumbling out faster now, “that my grandmother deeded a house to Susan’s mother, Linda. They’ve just sold it, and Susan says it was her mother’s wish to give me the proceeds to repay Nana for her kindness.”
She paused, watching Randy’s face for any reaction. His jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
“The thing is,” she pressed on, “there’s some legal issue with the trust Linda set up. The money’s tied up in court right now. But Susan said any day the funds will come through.”
Still no reaction.
“I might be able to stay after all. To keep the cottage. There’s a really good chance.”
Randy’s stoic expression faltered for a moment, a flicker of something—hope? doubt?—passing across his features.
She stepped closer. “I know you were hurt when I said I was leaving. I was so overwhelmed by the thought of losing the cottage and someone else living in it. And then that job came up. I didn’t mean to hurt you. But now, don’t you see? There’s a really good chance I can stay.”
He stood there staring at her, but said nothing.
“I—I just wanted you to know.”
She waited, the silence stretching between them punctuated only by the rhythmic crash of waves on the shore.
He finally spoke. “That’s great about the cottage, really it is. Miss G would be pleased.”
She held her breath, waiting for him to continue.
“But it really doesn’t change the fact that your first instinct was to run away. You chose to leave. You didn’t choose… me.”
His words stung, cutting deep into her heart. She’d been so focused on the practical aspects of staying—keeping the cottage and finding a way to make it work financially—that she hadn’t fully considered the emotional impact her initial decision to leave had on him.
“Randy, I…” The words caught in her throat. What could she say? He was right. Of course he was upset. His wife had left him, then she’d chosen to leave. It didn’t matter that she thought she had to leave. It still hurt him.
She looked out at the waves, trying to gather her thoughts. The sun was sinking lower on the horizon, painting the sky in brilliant hues of orange and pink with just a splattering of purple.
It was the kind of dazzling sunset a person wanted to share with someone.
Turning back to Randy, she saw the hurt in his eyes, the rigid set of his jaw. She realized that her decision to leave hadn’t just been about the cottage or the job. It had been about him too, about the connection they’d made and the potential for something more.
“You’re right,” she admitted softly. “I didn’t choose you. I was scared and overwhelmed. I took… the easy way out. I’m sorry. But Randy, that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you.”
She took a step closer to him, her heart pounding. “Can’t you forgive me?”
His face softened only slightly. “I forgive you. I know you did what you thought you had to do. But… it still doesn’t change things between us. I can’t…” He shook his head. “I just can’t.”
And with that, he turned around and walked away with the sunset flaunting its presence behind her, mocking her standing alone on the beach.