Chapter Thirteen
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The first thing Riley noticed when she stepped into Amy’s house was the quiet. Her sister lived in a classic Cape Cod–style home, with gray weathered shingles and white shutters and flower boxes by the windows. It was a modest-sized house with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. The girls shared a bedroom now but Amy had said in another year or two they might consider moving to a slightly larger house so each girl could have their own bedroom and they’d have a guest room, too.
Riley followed Amy into the kitchen, which was immaculate. Amy’s house was always spotless and Riley didn’t know how she managed it with two small children. She didn’t have any help either. Unlike Riley, who tended toward clutter and put off cleaning as long as she could, Amy found it relaxing and claimed that she actually enjoyed it.
“Is this when you do most of your housework—when the girls are in pre-K?” Riley asked as she settled onto one of the chairs surrounding the kitchen’s center island. She’d always admired the island—it was topped with a sleek quartz that looked just like marble, but didn’t stain the way marble did. Amy slid a mug of hot coffee her way, fresh from the Keurig machine. She made herself one as Riley took her first sip, then joined her.
“I get everything done now in the mornings after I drop the girls off. Any shopping I need to do. That was always a challenge. Other than grocery shopping, I did most of it online. It’s not easy bundling up two toddlers and navigating a store with them.” Amy laughed. “I don’t miss that at all.”
“Do you think you’ll go back to work once the girls are in school full-time?” Riley asked. She knew the kids kept her sister busy, but Riley couldn’t imagine not working at all.
“Maybe. I’m not sure. If I did, I’d still need daycare for after school. At least until they’re old enough to be here by themselves and I’m not sure how I feel about that. They’ll have after-school activities they will need rides to and I like being here for them when they get home.”
Riley nodded. “You don’t miss it, though? Being in an office and having a career?”
“Not as much as I thought I would. I’m lucky that we’re in a position where we can afford to have me home. And when we did the math, with the cost of daycare for two kids, well, there wasn’t much left over after that. It made more sense for us for me to be here.”
“You enjoy it, too,” Riley said. Her sister seemed happy and content.
“I really do. But I know it’s not for everyone. My friend Jamie doesn’t understand it at all. She couldn’t wait for her maternity leave to be over so she could get back into her office. She loves her work and being around adults. But she has a great arrangement, an in-home daycare right up the road from where she lives.”
“And it’s probably better for her kids than if she were to stay home and be miserable,” Riley said.
“Exactly. I have thought that maybe at some point I might find something part-time, mother’s hours or maybe even something I could do from home.” She smiled. “I have no idea what that could be, but something could turn up.”
“Speaking of jobs. I’ve been sending out tons of resumes, and I have a phone interview lined up for Friday. If it goes well, they said the next step is a video interview and then a final in-person,” Riley said.
“Oh, that’s great news! I wasn’t sure if you’d even get any interviews this time of year.”
“I wasn’t either. Although I did land my last job in December, so I knew it was possible.”
“Maybe it’s actually a good time to look. I bet most people assume nothing happens and put their searches on hold. What kind of company is this one for?”
“It’s a tech company—an Internet of Things software company. I need to research it more tonight to get a better understanding of what they do. But it has to do with artificial intelligence and devices talking to each other.”
“You mean like our thermostat that we can change from an app on our phone?” Amy asked.
Riley nodded. “Yes, something like that.”
“That’s a little ironic—you lost your job because of AI and now you’re interviewing with a company that has an AI product.”
Riley laughed. “I know. It’s just a first interview though, so it will be good practice for me, even if it goes nowhere.”
“Well, good luck. That would be a nice Christmas gift if you lock up a new job before the New Year.”
“It would be. I have enough in savings to carry me through the winter if need be, but I’d rather get back to work and get settled somewhere sooner rather than later.”
The conversation shifted to Jack’s visit that weekend.
“I’m so glad we’ll finally get to meet him. I was starting to wonder if maybe things weren’t that serious between you. You haven’t mentioned him much since you’ve been back,” Amy said.
“I’ve just been busy helping Mom.” Riley knew it was true, though. She hadn’t talked about Jack much other than to let them know he’d agreed to visit, finally. “Things are fine with me and Jack. I don’t get to see him as much as I’d like. His schedule is intense. Lots of late nights and sometimes weekends, too.”
Amy made a face. “That sounds awful. For both of you. I don’t think I’d like that—dating someone who is so unavailable.”
“It’s not so bad, really.” Riley had grown so used to it that she hadn’t given it much thought. “I’m usually exhausted at the end of the day and Lily is easy company,” she said.
Amy looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “You’re thirty, not fifty.”
Riley laughed. “It will be nice to have him here this weekend. It’s a great time to show him Chatham and have him meet everyone.”
“He’ll think you grew up in a Hallmark Christmas movie when you show him Main Street,” Amy said.
“It is so pretty here this time of year,” Riley agreed. “I’m glad he’ll be here in time for the tree lighting. You guys should come by the inn at five for our new wine and cheese happy hour. Friday is the first day for it. We can walk over to the tree lighting after. And I’ll make sure to have hot chocolate for the girls while we have our wine. We have another child there, too. Aidan’s boy, Luke.”
Amy looked intrigued at the mention of Aidan. “I almost forgot that he was staying at the inn through the holidays. How is he? Have you had a chance to chat with him at all?”
“A little bit. It’s a hard time of year for both of them. His wife has only been gone for a few years. Three, I think. He seems a little down, to be honest, but he tries to hide it, for Luke’s sake. I guess she died a few weeks before Christmas.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize that. I remember how hard it was for Mom when her divorce was finalized right before Christmas. It took her a long time to get over that. I think the holidays still make her a little sad, though she tries not to show it, too.”
Riley nodded. “I know. I used to hear it in her voice when we’d chat on the phone. She seems happier this year, though. Especially now that those two rooms are repaired and rented for the weekend.”
“Oh, that’s great news! I think she likes having you around, too. You’re good company for her, especially at this time of year,” Amy added.
“It’s good for me, too. Otherwise, I’d be alone and depressed in my apartment all day. Keeping busy and being around Mom and everyone at the inn has been fun. And seeing you and the kids, too, of course.” Riley was close to her sister and they talked often on the phone, but it was so much nicer to visit in person.
“What else do you have planned today?” Riley asked.
Amy glanced at the clock. “I have just about enough time to run to the post office and do some grocery shopping before it’s time to pick up the girls. What about you?”
“I thought I might head over to the coffee shop and jump online for a while before I have to head back to the inn. Mom is there, waiting for Sean to finish up. We’ll probably grab lunch at home after that.”
They chatted a few minutes longer, then Riley stood to leave and Amy walked her to the door. “We’ll plan to meet you at the inn. Wine and cheese sounds great to me,” Amy said.
Beth was sitting in the dining room, sipping a cup of cinnamon tea and engrossed in the latest Lisa Jewell novel, when she heard the now-familiar footsteps approach. It was a few minutes past noon when Sean walked into the room and announced that the project was done.
“It’s all set, if you want to come and take a look?”
Beth grabbed her crutches and pulled herself up. She followed him to the two rooms where Sean pointed out the repairs he’d made. He showed her the flashing outside and in the rooms everything looked brand-new, as if nothing had been touched. The walls were painted with two fresh coats of white.
“Those will dry today and by tomorrow you’ll be good to go,” he assured her.
“Thank you so much. Both rooms are rented as of Friday so that’s just perfect.” Beth was impressed and grateful that he’d gotten the work done so quickly.
“I’ll write you out a check,” she said as they walked back to the dining room. She fished the inn’s checkbook out of her purse and wrote Sean a check, confirming that the amount he’d quoted earlier was the right amount. It didn’t seem like enough to her.
“That’s it. I’m heading off to another job this afternoon. So this worked out great for me, too.”
Beth handed him the check. She held his gaze for a moment and was so tempted to invite him to join them on Friday for wine and cheese, but she chickened out. She also didn’t want the questions it would surely invite from the girls as to why he was there. But she felt so drawn to him. She still didn’t even know if he was available or even remotely interested in her.
“Are you going to the tree lighting on Friday?” she asked casually.
He nodded. “I might check it out. Depends on what time this job finishes up on Friday. Though I think I should be done by then.”
Beth smiled nervously, feeling suddenly flustered and not quite herself. “Great. Maybe we’ll see you there, then.”
He grinned, and the laugh lines danced across his face. She tried not to stare but it was hard to look away. She knew he had to go, though. She stood to walk him out. “Thanks again, for fitting us in so quickly.”
“It was good timing,” he said. “I’ll see you later.”
Beth watched as Sean walked out the door and smiled to herself as she texted Riley to let her know she was ready for a ride home. She hadn’t been so flustered by a man in forever. She’d actually wondered if she was even capable of feeling that way again. It was good to know that she was. Even if it never went anywhere with Sean, it was still a good sign to her that she was ready to think about dating again.