Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
Marion set her teacup on the overturned crate that was serving as a coffee table, and she picked up a windmill sugar cookie. Seated in the rattan chairs, she and Caitlin absently nibbled their snacks and sipped their drinks, but they were too mesmerized by the view to speak.
Yesterday, the wind-battered bay had pushed slushy waves onto shore; today, the receding tide was logjammed with irregular nuggets of ice.
“From up here, the water looks like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle,” Caitlin finally remarked. “Have you ever seen anything like this?”
“It happens every ten or twelve years—but never until late January or February.” Marion contentedly dabbed her lips with a napkin before commenting, “Sitting here, I can hardly believe how cold it is outside. That fireplace generates quite a bit of heat, doesn’t it?”
“Mm,” Caitlin murmured. “It keeps the room comfy-cozy, as my aunt Lydia used to say.”
Marion smiled. “She would’ve been absolutely thrilled with how the remodel turned out. You’ve done a beautiful job of fulfilling her dream.”
“Shane deserves the credit, not me,” said Caitlin. “But I’m glad you think she would’ve been thrilled with it. I do, too—except she always envisioned sitting in a big fat love seat up here, not in wicker chairs. And she wouldn’t have used a crate for a coffee table.”
“I can’t imagine how you’d maneuver a love seat up those narrow stairs, even if you had one,” Marion remarked, and took a sip of tea. “Remind me again, when will you be headed back to Santa Fe?”
“My flight leaves on December 21.”
“Will you be seeing Shane again before you go?”
“Noo…” Caitlin stretched out her arms, palms up. “There’s nothing left for him to do here. It’s perfect.”
“I wasn’t asking if he was coming back to work,” Marion said in a tone that implied it should’ve been obvious. “I meant are you going to see him socially before you leave?”
She’s shameless , thought Caitlin, inwardly groaning. “No, I don’t have any plans to see him again.”
“Why not? He isn’t working for you anymore, so it wouldn’t be, what was that word you used?” She answered her own question. “ Inappropriate. It wouldn’t be inappropriate for you to invite him to dinner. The two of you could eat up here, and watch the sun set…”
Caitlin couldn’t help herself; she burst out laughing at her neighbor’s blatant last-ditch attempt to set up her and Shane.
Marion seemed offended. “What’s so funny about that? I think dining in the loft is a wonderful idea. It’s what I’d do every night if I lived here.”
“You’re right, and as a matter of fact, I ate my supper up here last night,” Caitlin said, trying to wipe the smile off her face. “I was only laughing because I think it’s a little… amusing that you seemed to be determined to matchmake Shane and me, right up until the end.”
Marion clapped her hands to her cheeks in genuine embarrassment. “Have I been that obvious?”
Caitlin giggled. “Yes, but it’s okay, I don’t mind. I appreciate your good intentions, but I’m afraid it’s not going to work out the way you hoped it would. Shane and I have said our goodbyes.”
Marion’s face fell. “That’s too bad. He must be so disappointed… you’re the first woman he’s allowed me to try to set him up with in the two years I’ve known him.”
Caitlin nearly spat out her tea. “Shane knew you’ve been trying to get us together?”
“Yes, of course. I’d never try to set him up without his permission—he hates it when his cousin does that to him,” answered Marion, to Caitlin’s astonishment.
“When you mentioned you were single, I thought you’d make a terrific couple, but you resisted my suggestions about hanging out with him.
And he was too concerned about jeopardizing your professional relationship to outright ask you on a date, so I came up with a subtler plan. ”
“The Halloween party?” Caitlin asked, feeling both shocked and flattered that Shane allowed Marion to mastermind their night out.
“Yes. But I suppose it wasn’t that subtle after all, if you figured out it was a setup.
” She shook her head. “I just don’t understand where I went wrong.
Usually, I’m quite perceptive about who might make a good couple.
And you seemed to be hitting it off so well at Thanksgiving, but I guess my instincts aren’t as accurate as they used to be. ”
Her friend seemed so dejected that Caitlin confessed, “Your instincts were right on target, Marion. Shane and I did get along very well, and I think very highly of him. In fact, I like him more than any guy I’ve met in… well, in a long, long time.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I’m leaving Dune Island in a week,” said Caitlin, instead of telling Marion the real problem. “So it wouldn’t make any sense to become romantically involved with him.”
“The way I see it, since you like him more than any guy you’ve met in a long time, it doesn’t make any sense not to become romantically involved with him,” countered Marion.
“What about the fact that I live two thousand miles away?”
Marion waved her hand dismissively. “Distance makes the heart grow fonder.” She wheedled Caitlin, “He’s probably pining away for you right now. I’m sure he’d jump at the chance to see you again.”
“If that’s true, then why didn’t he mention he’d like to get together?” she argued.
“Because he isn’t sure you’d be interested,” suggested Marion.
She might be right about that. Caitlin recognized that despite her attraction to Shane, she’d been holding back, so it may have seemed she was sending mixed messages.
Ever since the other day when he’d said goodbye, she’d wondered if his awkward joke about embracing each other had been an attempt to clarify how she really felt about him, now that he wasn’t working for her.
“Why not at least invite him over for dinner before you leave?’ her neighbor prodded.
“I’ll think about it.” The idea of seeing Shane again was certainly appealing, but it also would postpone the inevitable. Having already said goodbye to him once, Caitlin wasn’t sure she was willing to face those sad, wistful feelings a second time. “But please don’t mention it to him.”
“I won’t say a word. I may not be subtle, but I know how to keep a secret.” She made a motion as if she were locking her lips closed.
“Oh, that reminds me,” exclaimed Caitlin.
“Even though the remodel’s completed, I still need to finalize a few details with the attorney before I can put the house on the market.
I’ll be working remotely from Santa Fe with a local real estate agent, but I haven’t chosen one yet.
Would you mind holding on to a housekey to give to them once everything’s official? ”
“I’d be glad to,” she agreed.
“There’s something else I almost forgot.” Caitlin leaned over and pulled a gift bag from where she’d stashed it beneath her chair and handed it to Marion.
“A present? Should I wait till Christmas to open it?”
“No, it’s not for Christmas. It’s a very small token of my appreciation for how helpful and kind you’ve been to me,” said Caitlin. “Please, open it.”
When Marion pulled out the delicate turquoise coffee mug, with sand-colored scallop shells and starfish embossed on it, she exclaimed, “It’s just like the one Lydia used to have! Look, it even says, ‘Seas the Day’ inside it on the bottom! Where did you find it?”
“When you told me my aunt’s nephews had given you her favorite mug but it broke, I searched online for a replacement,” said Caitlin. “It just arrived yesterday. I was going to serve you tea in it, but I wanted to be sure you liked it, first.”
“I love it! Receiving a mug like Lydia’s and eating windmill cookies is the perfect way to commemorate the completion of the remodel.” Marion sighed. “How your aunt would’ve loved to be sitting here with us now.”
“Yes, she would’ve,” said Caitlin, choking up a little. It was bittersweet to realize that even though she’d fulfilled her aunt’s dream, Lydia would never get to enjoy it. And soon, I won’t be able to enjoy it, either.
After they’d finished their tea and Marion went back home to Pepper, Caitlin called her niece and nephews to share a video of the inside of the remodeled windmill with them. She wasn’t entirely surprised that the boys liked the pre-renovated version better.
“It doesn’t look all dark like a fort anymore,” said Logan. “It’s kind of boring.”
“It is not . It’s beautiful,” argued Maya. “Auntie Caitlin, aren’t you going to put a bed in the loft?”
“No, it’s supposed to be a sitting room, which isn’t for sleeping in. It’s for… well, for sitting and admiring the ocean view while someone reads or knits or listens to music.”
“When I come to visit, can we bring sleeping bags up there and have a slumber party?”
Her question caught Caitlin completely off guard, but the little girl’s mother answered, “Honey, you know Auntie Caitlin isn’t staying on Dune Island. She told you she was fixing up the cottage and windmill so someone else would want to buy it.”
“But won’t I get to visit it first?” Her niece looked at the camera, her eyes filling. “Please, Auntie Caitlin? Just once?”
“If she gets to go, I want to go, too,” whined Archie.
Apparently, Logan had a change of mind about the “boring” windmill and he chimed in, “Yeah, we’ve never been to Massachusetts. We could visit you when we have Christmas break from school.”
“No, we can’t,” Suzanne said. Referring to her parents, she reminded him, “Grandma Joan and Grandpa Barney would be heartbroken if they had to spend Christmas all alone here while we were in Hope Haven.”
“They could come, too,” suggested Archie.
“Auntie Caitlin doesn’t have enough beds for everybody in that little cottage,” Suzanne pointed out.
“That’s okay. I’ll sleep with you and Daddy and we can bring extra sleeping bags for Grandma and Grandpa.”