Chapter Twenty-Six
“Hey, Tug! We’re here.” The kids raced past Amanda straight to the deck to see The Wife.
“Doesn’t look like he’s here.” Amanda turned to Paul. “That’s weird.”
“He texted me he and Rosemary were going for a walk on the beach. They’ll probably be back shortly. Man, it smells great in here.”
“It does. But hey, this little walk with Rosemary. Think there’s some spark there?”
Paul shrugged. “Never know.”
“That would be so great. I love her. And Tug needs someone right now.”
“He’s got us. Don’t go playing matchmaker.”
“I’m not. I’m just a little hopeful. It wouldn’t break my heart for Rosemary to stick around.”
“Well, the only one I’m worried about sticking around is you.” He took both of her hands in his and kissed the tip of her nose. “I love you, Amanda. You mean the world to me.”
“I love you too.” The kids were singing on the balcony, no doubt trying to get The Wife to join in. “And Hailey and Jesse do too. I’m so thankful you are in our lives.”
“Me too.”
“They are so wound up tonight. What is wrong with them?” She headed to the back door. “What is going on out here?”
They burst into a fit of giggles. “We’re trying to teach The Wife a song.”
Hailey was out of breath from laughing. “She loves our singing. She won’t sing with us, but she’s dancing. Watch!” They started singing again, and sure enough, The Wife swung her head from side to side and stretched out her wings.
“Oh my goodness.” Amanda looked at Paul with a grimace. “Tug is going to kill them.”
“Naw, he’ll think it’s funny too. That bird has a mind of her own.”
“True.”
“Hey!” Rosemary was waving from the beach.
“Looks promising,” Amanda whispered to Paul. Tug and Rosemary weren’t holding hands, but they were both smiling and windblown. She waved. “I hope you’re hungry, because it smells great in here.”
They climbed the beach stairs to the deck. Tug threw his arms wide. “Hey, you two!” The kids ran into his arms.
Amanda loved the feeling of family they had with him. If only her parents were as warm and welcoming.
Jesse broke away from Tug and ran to Rosemary and hugged her, then stepped back and did a proper bow. “Madam. It is lovely to see you again.” He must have been practicing his British accent with Hailey, because it was pretty convincing.
“Indeed,” Rosemary said with a wink.
“Did y’all have a nice walk?” Amanda couldn’t help feeling excited about these two spending time together, but Paul nudged her, clearly warning against pushing.
“It was so nice. This beach is like heaven. I feel like the old me again with sand beneath my feet. I guess you can take the girl out of Hawaii, but she needs sand under her feet!”
“Probably. I can’t imagine not living at the beach now, and we’ve only been here a couple of years.”
“Come on, folks. We set the table before we went for our walk. All I have to do is get the garlic bread broiled, and we’re ready to eat.”
“What are we having?” Jesse asked.
“Lasagna,” Rosemary said. “And I helped make it.”
“Good.” He rubbed his stomach. “All of this space is ready to be filled up.”
“He’s so cute,” Rosemary said as they walked inside. “I’m going to help Tug. What do y’all want to drink?”
“Water for my crew,” Amanda said.
“I’m going to pour myself a glass of sweet tea,” Paul said.
Hailey walked into the kitchen with her nose in the air. “I love garlic.”
“My kind of gal,” Rosemary said. “It’s almost ready.” She carried the lasagna to the table and started serving up healthy pieces of the meaty dish.
Tug came in with a long wooden bread bowl filled with the hot, buttery bread. “Who’s ready to eat?”
“Me!” Jesse shot his hand in the air. “Mmm.”
Tug flipped a piece onto his plate before setting the bowl on the table.
Hailey and Jesse sang the blessing, and everyone dug in. The conversation was easy and upbeat. Amanda was so glad to see Tug not looking worried for at least a moment.
“So, I’ve been thinking, Amanda,” Tug said. “I’d like to make you a really sweet deal on the diner property to replace your shop.”
“I don’t need that kind of location for my little herbal salt business. Even if Salt of the Earth grew by leaps and bounds, I see it as more of an online business than a storefront. As long as the kids are in school, I wouldn’t want to be tied to store hours.”
“I’d rather it be a warehouse for you and the kids’ future than end up a parking lot or something.”
“Is that a possibility?”
He put his elbows on the table and sighed. “Well, I don’t know. I was going through my mail and there was a letter. It was rather vague in content, but someone is interested in making an offer on my property.”
“That’s horrible. Vultures. The town doesn’t even have all the power back on from the storm, and they are already circling, looking for easy pickings?” Amanda couldn’t believe it.
“Well, don’t be surprised if one comes to you as well,” Tug said. “It was probably a mass mailing.”
“Was it a decent offer?” Paul asked.
“It was more of an inquiry. I haven’t called.”
“Will you?” Paul asked.
“I don’t know. Still thinking things through,” Tug answered, but he was looking at Rosemary.
“Couldn’t hurt to hear the offer,” Paul said. “That property is probably worth more than you could spend in a lifetime.” He glanced at Amanda, then focused on Tug. “I don’t know if you aware that Amanda and I are moving and expanding her business into Paws. We’ve been talking about the possibility of you and Amanda partnering. She needs the help. You have the experience. Then you can sell your land and sit on a big pile of money for retirement. Roll in it if you want.”
“Rolling in money.” Jesse smacked his forehead. “I want to throw it in the air!”
“I guess that’s something to think about,” Tug said. “It would mean I wouldn’t even have to clean up. They’d take it as is. Don’t take this personal, Amanda. It’s not that I don’t want to partner with you. I’ll be there to help you no matter how you decide to expand, but I just don’t know that I’d want to be anything more than a silent partner.”
“What will you do?” Amanda couldn’t picture him sitting on the deck watching waves all day.
“I honestly have no idea at this point, but I have a new friend here who thinks she can help me figure it out.” He grinned at Rosemary.
Amanda reached for Rosemary’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “You know we’re not going to want you to leave. You fit right in.”
“I love it here, but Kathleen will be back soon, and as much fun as it was to reconnect with her, I don’t want to take advantage of her. It’s time for me to go.”
“Well, you know I have two spare bedrooms,” Amanda said. “Like I said before, you are welcome to come stay with us.”
“Oh my gosh, it would be so fun to have you stay!” Hailey slid into the conversation. “Please?”
“That is a generous offer, but I’m sure the last thing you need is an old lady under your roof.”
“Actually, it’s exactly what we need,” Hailey said. “You remind us of all the fun times with Maeve. We miss her, but with you around, it’s better.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Amanda looked into her sweet daughter’s eyes. “Well, the offer stands. You could stay for a weekend, a week, or a month.”
“If you’re good with plants, you can help us replant Mom’s herbs for the salts,” Hailey added. “They are very important to her business.”
“I happen to be amazing with plants. I lived on a farm in Hawaii. I mean, macadamia tree farming isn’t quite herbs, but I think I could manage.”
Hailey clasped her hands under her chin. “Please come stay with us for a little while.”
Tug tilted his head, looking as if he sort of liked the idea.
Rosemary got up to get something from the kitchen, and Amanda excused herself and followed her.
“I hope we didn’t make you feel awkward, but we’d really enjoy having you stay with us for a while. You’re like part of the family.”
Rosemary blinked back the threat of a tear. “I really feel like family here. I’d love to come stay but not for too long.”
“There’s no such thing as too long for us. Now for you, my kids may have you running off in the middle of the night to get some peace!”
“I don’t think so.”
“We need you, and so does Tug. I’m so relieved Tug is talking to you about all of this. I’ve been so worried about him.”
“He’s a good man,” Rosemary whispered, glancing toward the other room.
“He is, and it’s been a hard year for all of us since Maeve passed, especially for him.”
“He told me about that. He’s really struggling with what to do about the diner. It’s hard as we get older to keep up the pace. It’s different when it’s the familiar routine, but starting over? I get it. I understand his reservations.”
“Well, thank you for caring enough to try to help him.”
“Honestly, Amanda, I’m getting as much out of it as I’m giving. I’ve been having some reality checks too. It’s been a real blessing for me ending up here.”
“For us too.” Amanda squeezed her hand.