Chapter 22
twenty-two
O n Monday morning, Savannah’s brother, Will, brought a small crew of workers to assess the restoration project. One of those workers was Matt.
A construction worker? Shelby thought, dumbfounded. Unfortunately, she didn’t get a chance to speak with him before the meeting started.
As they toured the house, Will told Pritchard, “You’re fortunate. Most of the damage appears to be superficial. It’ll only take RestoreEase a couple of days to clean. If we start Wednesday morning, we’ll be done by midweek next week.”
Shelby’s heart sank. “So that means we’ll have to cancel all reservations for this weekend.”
Will gave her a grim nod. “I’m afraid so. At least in the main building.”
Shelby’s mind raced. “We could keep the reservations for the pool and garden houses, but we would need somewhere to serve them breakfast. The kitchen is in working order. Could you prioritize the dining room so we could have possession of it by Friday?”
Pritchard beamed at her. “Good thinking, Shelby.”
Will consulted his legal pad. “That shouldn’t be a problem. The painters can start in the dining room first, and I’ll schedule the electrician to rehang the chandelier.”
Shelby pulled Matt aside after the meeting. “Are you the project manager or something?”
“Nope. I hope to be a project manager one day. Right now, I’m a lowly construction worker. Your disapproval is written all over your face.”
She brought her hand to her cheek. “I don’t disapprove, Matt. I’m just . . . I don’t know what I think.”
“I know exactly what you think. You hate the idea of being with a blue-collar worker. I was wrong about you, Shelby. It turns out you are a spoiled rich girl after all,” he said, turning his back on her and rejoining his crew.
Is what he said about her true? So what if she couldn’t see herself with a blue-collar worker? What was wrong with wanting to be with a man who could care for her in the manner she was accustomed to?
* * *
Shelby spent Monday afternoon by the pool, working on her tan while canceling and confirming reservations for the upcoming weekend. The guests booked for the pool and garden houses seemed unfazed when she alerted them to the construction that would be taking place in the main house. The reservations she canceled were rebooked for a different weekend later in the summer.
Hearing the sound of a car engine, Shelby looked up from her computer to see Harper parking her 4Runner in the courtyard. She put on her cover-up and flip-flops and hurried over to greet her cousin. “Hey there! What’re you doing here?”
Harper removed her tote bag from the back seat. “Pritchard officially hired my firm to handle the restoration.”
Shelby’s face lit up. "Cool! Welcome aboard!”
Harper checked her watch. “I’m meeting a man about cleaning the downstairs rugs in thirty minutes.”
"RestoreEase doesn’t do that?” Shelby asked.
“I’m sure they do, but I don’t trust them with Izzy’s Oriental rug. In the meantime, I need to take measurements and make lists.”
Shelby relished the idea of spending more time with her cousin. Do you want some help?”
“Sure! That would be great.” Harper retrieved a tape measure and legal pad from her tote. Hanging the pad to Shelby, she said, “We’ll start in Edward’s study.”
Shelby followed Harper inside and jotted down the measurements as Harper called them out to her. “So, Pritchard is seriously considering turning this room into a cocktail lounge?”
“Yes! He asked me to create a drawing for Will to use for the estimate.”
Following Harper’s instructions, Shelby took one end of the tape measure and walked it to the French doors. “I hope he’s planning to hire someone to manage it.”
“I’m sure he will. Unless Savannah manages it.” Harper retracted the metal tape measure and called out the measurement for Shelby to note on her pad. “I have a hunch Savannah and Pritchard are up to something.”
Shelby frowned. “What makes you say that?”
“I can’t put my finger on it. They’ve been secretive lately.” Harper shrugged. “I guess they’ll tell us when they’re ready.”
Shelby wondered if Pritchard was considering selling the property. After last weekend, she wouldn’t blame him. What would that mean for her future?
After finishing with the measurements, Harper and Shelby went upstairs to the second floor. They moved from room to room, making a list of accessories that needed replacing—lamps, decorative pillows, and knickknacks. Completing their task, they returned to the courtyard to wait for the rug cleaner.
Shelby leaned against the porch railing, crossing her ankles. “Cody seems like a nice guy. How long did you date before you got engaged?”
A dreamy expression overcame Harper’s face. “Almost a year.”
Shelby tried not to show her surprise. She and Luke had dated for over ten years, but they were young, in high school and college. If she met someone now, would she marry them after only knowing them for such a short time? “Aren’t you worried about his career?”
Harper’s smile faded. “Of course. I worry about his safety every day. Fortunately, Water’s Edge has very little crime.”
Shelby furrowed her brow. “I’m talking about his salary, not his safety. He can’t be making much money.”
Harper chuckled. “Money isn’t everything, Shelby. Cody loves being a police officer. He takes great pride in protecting this community. That’s more important to him than money. I’ve dated plenty of wealthy guys. Most were shallow and pretentious. But Cody has heart.”
Shelby mulled over the expression has heart. That phrase seemed spot-on in describing Matt.
She felt Harper’s eyes on her. “What’s going on, Shelby? Is there anything you want to talk about?”
“I was sort of dating this guy, Matt Hitchcock. Do you know him?”
“Of course. Everyone knows Matt. He’s a great guy. What happened?”
“It’s complicated. Remember I told you about Luke?”
“Sure. He’s your old boyfriend,” Harper said, leaning against the railing beside her.
“Luke is brilliant and ambitious, determined to make his first million by the time he turns thirty. He promised me the lifestyle I’ve always wanted, to be a stay-at-home mom and raise a house full of children.” Shelby picked at a loose thread on her cover-up. “I majored in hospitality with a concentration in event management. I figured a party planning degree would serve me well as being the wife of a successful businessman. But the guy is now engaged to someone else, and I’m stuck with a hospitality degree.”
Harper shoulder-bumped Shelby. “It sounds to me like you’re having a career crisis, not a man crisis.”
Shelby’s throat thickened. “I’m having a life crisis. Nothing is turning out the way I hoped.”
“Let’s sit down.” Harper lowered herself to the top step, pulling Shelby down beside her. “I majored in English, thinking I would follow in my adoptive mother’s footsteps and become a lawyer. I worked as a paralegal, but I could never bring myself to apply to law school. When I moved to Water’s Edge and met Cody, he encouraged me to reconnect with my creative side. And now I own a design firm.” She shifted to face Shelby. “Your hospitality degree makes you an excellent fit for your job here. Do you like working at the B&B?”
Shelby pondered the question before answering, “That’s hard to say, considering our rocky start.”
“True. But don’t rush to judgment. Wait and see what Pritchard has up his sleeve. The property has serious potential. With the right person in charge, it could become a luxury hot spot. You’re a St. Clair, Shelby. You’re more than an employee. You’re a principal. You could have a solid future here.”
“That’s true. I haven’t thought of it like that.”
“But only if working here makes you happy, Shelby. Being in charge of your own destiny and earning your own money is both rewarding and liberating. As for the man, sort yourself out first. The rest will fall into place.”
A white van appeared in the driveway. “There’s your rug cleaner,” Shelby said, getting to her feet and pulling Harper in for a hug. “Thanks for the pep talk.”
“Any time.” She pushed Shelby away. “Thank you for helping me. What are you doing on Wednesday morning? Do you want to come with me to my storage unit? We can pick out accessories together and then have lunch afterward.”
“That sounds great. See you tomorrow,” Shelby said, waving as she headed back to the pool.
She reapplied sunscreen and settled back into her lounge chair. No sooner had she started a new chapter in her romance novel than she received a text from Emily.
It’s working! Luke’s heart is growing fonder in your absence.
Shelby’s heart raced as she called Emily. “What makes you think that?” she blurted when her best friend answered on the first ring.
“I saw him at Caitlyn Morrison’s wedding on Saturday night. He was asking about you. He wanted to know where you’d been.”
Shelby’s spirits deflated. “He was probably just drunk.”
“Maybe. But I saw him again yesterday at the golf shop. We were both finishing up a round of eighteen with our dads. Luke pulled me aside, and he had definitely not been drinking. He seemed so sincere, so genuinely concerned about you. I couldn’t lie to him, Shelby. I told him about your grandmother’s bed and breakfast. He asked how long you would be in South Carolina, and I told him I didn’t know. Maybe permanently. You should’ve seen his face. He was wrecked.”
Hope blossomed inside of Shelby. “Really?”
“Cross my heart. I wouldn’t be surprised if he shows up on your doorstep. He’s familiar with your grandmother’s place. He’s been there with you plenty of times.”
“Him coming here is a stretch, Emily. What about Alexis? Have you seen her?”
“She wasn’t with him at the wedding. Maybe she’s out of town.”
“Probably. I assume they’re still together. You would’ve heard if they’d broken up.”
They talked for a few more minutes before ending the call. Shelby rested her head against the back of the chair and closed her eyes. She considered the possibility that Luke and Alexis had broken up. Despite what Harper had said about being in charge of her own destiny and earning her own money, Shelby would much rather have the life Luke promised her than a career in hotel management.