Chapter 1
ONE
Caitlin Hines set her suitcase down on the tiled foyer floor and pulled the door shut behind her.
“Hello?” Melanie called, a note of alarm in her voice before she poked her head into the living room. “Caitlin! What are you doing back from the east coast already?”
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” She shrugged off her jacket. The autumn weather was much warmer here in Santa Fe than it had been in the mountains of New Hampshire. “I decided to catch a flight today instead of waiting till tomorrow morning.”
“You should’ve let me know you changed your plans,” Melanie scolded. “I would’ve picked you up.”
Caitlin, who prided herself on being self-reliant, replied, “Thanks, but I’d never expect you to drive to the airport during rush hour. You’re already doing me a big enough favor by letting me stay here.”
Three weeks ago, a malfunctioning dishwasher in the apartment above Caitlin’s had flooded her apartment and rendered it unlivable.
Technically, Caitlin’s landlord was responsible for providing alternative living arrangements.
But since her landlord happened to be a friend of a friend, she didn’t feel comfortable pushing the issue legally.
The “alternative living arrangement” he suggested was that Caitlin stay with a family member until mid or late December, which was how long he estimated it would be before he could afford to hire a contractor to make repairs.
The landlord didn’t know that moving in with her family wasn’t practical.
Her mom had died when Caitlin was six, and her father and stepmother lived in Florida, so Caitlin’s stepbrother, Charlie, was the only family member living locally.
She couldn’t imagine staying with him, his wife, their three young children, two large dogs, and an untold number of bunny rabbits overnight, much less for two or three months.
And as a nonprofit fundraising consultant, Caitlin didn’t have any wiggle room in her budget to pay for temporary housing.
So, when Melanie, whom Caitlin had once mentored at work, offered to let her stay in her two-bedroom apartment for a nominal fee, she’d gratefully but hesitantly accepted.
She appreciated Melanie’s hospitality, but Caitlin hadn’t lived with a roommate since college, and she considered herself to be a very private, independent person.
Melanie, on the other hand, was an over-sharer.
Which really wouldn’t have bothered Caitlin that much, if only Melanie hadn’t expected Caitlin to disclose almost every detail of her private life, too.
Caitlin tried to strike a healthy balance between maintaining her own personal boundaries and not offending her host by cutting their conversations short, but it wasn’t always easy.
Especially because she truly felt for Melanie, sensing that her constant chatter and nosy questions were actually the result of loneliness; her boyfriend had recently broken up with her, and Caitlin sometimes heard her sobbing in her bedroom after midnight.
Although Caitlin had gone through her own share of breakups over the years, she’d never been even a fraction as despondent as Melanie seemed to be.
Maybe that was because Caitlin tried never to let down her guard.
Or because she was usually the one who did the breaking up, instead of the guy ending it with her.
It also might have been that her romantic relationships typically hadn’t run long or deep enough to fragment her heart when they ended.
But most likely, Caitlin had never been devastated by a breakup because she didn’t really expect to find true love in the first place, so she wasn’t crushed when it didn’t happen.
Yet regardless of her personal experience, Caitlin still felt sorry for Melanie, and did her best to lend her a sympathetic ear.
She also tried to provide a distraction by cooking with her after work or hanging out and watching movies, figuring that the food bank where she usually volunteered would manage for a few weeks, and that she could always catch up later on her pleasure reading.
On the weekends, she even invited Melanie to join her and her boyfriend, Jonathan, when they went hiking, to art galleries, or out for dinner.
But after her long, three-stop cross-country flight, Caitlin was drained, and she hoped to take a shower and unwind alone in her room for the evening without engaging in a long conversation first.
“So, tell me all about it. How was your aunt’s funeral?” Melanie’s voice was unusually loud and animated, and when Caitlin turned from hanging her jacket in the closet, she noticed Melanie’s cheeks were flushed. “I mean, I’m sure it was sad and everything, but was there a good turnout?”
A good turnout? It almost sounded as if she was asking about one of the fundraising presentations they helped their clients host, but Caitlin recognized the question was well-intentioned.
“Yes, it was sad, but Aunt Lydia had strong faith that she was going to a far better place, and I think she was ready, so the service was also very beautiful and hopeful. My aunt was almost eighty, and most of her friends and family members her age have already passed on, or they aren’t in good health and couldn’t attend, so it was a small group of us.
But one of her nursing assistants came and she shared a few anecdotes about her, which was very touching.
Her two nephews from her side of the family were there, too. ”
Caitlin thanked Melanie for asking about the funeral and then changed the subject. “There was so much turbulence on the way back that the flight attendants only came around with the beverage cart once. I’m dying for a glass of water.”
She started toward the kitchen, but Melanie stepped in front of her. “I’ll bring you one.”
“That’s okay, I can get it—you don’t have to treat me like I’m a guest,” Caitlin said with a chuckle.
Glancing anxiously over her shoulder toward the kitchen, Melanie insisted, “Trust me, you don’t want to go in there. I’ve been cooking. It’s a disaster zone.” She practically pushed Caitlin to the sofa. “Have a seat.”
I’ve been sitting all the way across the country , thought Caitlin, settling onto a cushion as Melanie disappeared into the kitchen. But I suppose I can spend a few minutes catching up with her before I crash for the night.
She pulled her phone from her purse and glanced at the time: 7:26.
I wonder why Jonathan hasn’t checked in with me yet?
Usually, he called her at 6:00, during his evening commute, to chat or to invite her to dinner.
At first, this habit had felt stifling to Caitlin, who’d thought he was coming on too strong for someone she’d only been casually dating, but lately, his persistence and reliability had begun to grow on her.
He really is a sweetheart , she reflected fondly.
Most men wouldn’t want a chatterbox like Melanie tagging along on their dates and monopolizing the conversation or interrogating him about his life, but he’s been so kind and patient.
I should give him a call and let him know I came back early.
Maybe I’ll invite him out for dinner tomorrow night, just the two of us…
Melanie bustled into the room again, handed Caitlin a glass of water, and plonked herself down on the sofa. “I’m dying to know what you found out at the meeting with the estate attorney.” She bluntly asked, “Did you and your aunt’s nephews inherit a fortune?”
Taken aback, Caitlin replied, “I-I don’t feel comfortable disclosing the specifics of her Trust. But yes, her nephews received a nice sum of money.
” The two young men on Lydia’s side of the family had been designated as the beneficiaries of her retirement accounts, and they’d also been awarded what was left of the proceeds from the sale of the home she’d owned before moving into an assisted living facility.
Melanie furrowed her brows. “What about you? Didn’t she leave you any money?”
“Not exactly… but she did bequeath me her summer place in Hope Haven.”
“ The Hope Haven? On Dune Island, in Massachusetts? The place where presidents go on vacation?” Melanie slapped her thighs. “Who-hoo, lucky you!”
“Lucky” wasn’t the word Caitlin would’ve used to describe how she felt when she’d learned she’d inherited Lydia’s summer cottage.
How she felt was utterly overwhelmed. Burdened.
Maybe even a little resentful—which in turn, made her feel very ungrateful.
But instead of confiding these emotions to Melanie, she agreed, “Yes, it’s a very generous gift. ”
“It’s huge . You never told me she had a summer place in Hope Haven,” Melanie chided, as if Caitlin had neglected an obligation to disclose this information sooner. “I thought your aunt and uncle were schoolteachers. How did they ever afford to buy a vacation home on Dune Island?”
Refraining from rolling her eyes at Melanie’s personal question about Lydia’s finances, Caitlin figured it wouldn’t hurt to share more about her aunt’s home.
“The property was an investment, and they didn’t exactly vacation there—they worked.
Their place was the main house in a little colony of six cottages, which they also owned.
They lived in New Hampshire, but they spent summers on the island, leasing out the cottages to guests.
They planned to move there year-round after they retired.
But then…” Caitlin paused as memories of one of the most difficult periods in her family’s life came rolling back.
“But then… what ?” questioned Melanie.