Silver Linings

  “Then it was probably the same for James, don’t you think?”

  Katie disagreed with a shake of her head. “I don’t think so. From his body language—not to mention his actual words—he made it obvious all he wanted was to stay clear of me.”

  Hoping to steer Katie’s thoughts away from James, Coco brought up an entirely different subject. “It was interesting what Jo Marie told us about her friend, wasn’t it?”

  “Weird that he’d pack up and leave.” Katie, too, seemed relieved to talk about something else.

  “Really weird,” Coco agreed. “She’s having a hard time of it, it’s easy to see.” Generally, Katie was more astute when it came to discerning others’ behaviors, but Jo Marie’s feelings for Mark were right there on the surface: visible. The innkeeper might not have admitted how she felt about the handyman, but it was apparent to Coco that the other woman had fallen in love with her friend. Coco hoped that whatever had driven him away would be quickly resolved.

  Katie yawned and Coco realized she was tired, too. It felt as if a whole lifetime had been jammed into a few hours. She’d confronted Ryan only to be stunned by his plea for forgiveness. And then she’d run into Hudson.

  While she might not have been as brutal to Hudson as Ryan had been to her, Coco needed to make her own amends. When she did see him next she wanted to tell him that she remembered him and was so sorry about how she’d behaved.

  After saying goodnight to Coco, Katie returned to her own room.

  Turning off the lamp on the bedside table, Coco nestled down in the sheets, pulled the covers over her shoulders, and closed her eyes.

  It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that she dreamed about Hudson and it was a warm, wonderful dream that left her smiling in its afterglow.

  Even though I was so tired, I had trouble sleeping. I heard Coco and Katie return to the inn around one in the morning, and it was well past that time before I was able to fall asleep. Then to my dismay I woke again long before the alarm went off. My eyes stung from lack of sleep and my heart felt heavy. It didn’t take much to understand what the problem was.

  Mark.

  I was determined to put him out of my mind, but instead he dominated nearly every thought. On a positive note, his leaving and the chat with my mother had shaken me enough to be a wake-up call. It was time to reach out, stretch, grow, make new friends. Date.

  Date?

  Then I remembered that I actually had a date this very evening. A sense of panic nearly swallowed me whole. I’d enjoyed my brief conversation with Rich Marlow, and after checking out his photo on Facebook I saw that he was reasonably good-looking. Thankfully, it was a double date, so I wouldn’t be alone with Rich, and getting to know him would be a bit more natural and casual.

  I brewed coffee and set the table for breakfast. Rover wasn’t eager to leave his bed and lingered there until he heard me fill his food dish. I knew my guests had arrived back at the inn late. And it didn’t seem likely the Daltons would be getting out of bed anytime soon. So I didn’t start cooking breakfast until I heard movement upstairs.

  Coco was the first one to show up. She bounced down the stairs with a bright smile, obviously a natural morning person if ever there was one. She was like a ray of sunshine to my cloudy mood.

  “Morning, Jo Marie.”

  “Morning.” I poured her coffee and orange juice, and set them in front of her at the table.

  Katie joined her momentarily. Right away she reached for the coffee. She didn’t look like she’d slept well, which made two of us.

  “I hope you both were comfortable.”

  “I slept like a fairy princess,” Coco answered.

  “Not me,” Katie confessed on the tail end of a yawn. She covered her mouth and yawned a second time. “I slept more like a troll under a bridge.”

  “You’d better catch a power nap, then,” Coco advised, “because this is bound to be a long day, especially with the dinner tonight.”

  “I’m thinking I’ll skip—”

  “Don’t go there, sister,” Coco said, wagging her index finger at Katie. “I won’t even let you consider missing the dinner and dance tonight. I know you’re discouraged about James, but trust me, everything is going to work out the way it is meant to be.”

  I could see that Coco’s words did little to encourage Katie. Frankly, I could understand all too well Katie’s reluctance to face the day. I had my own doubts to contend with.

  I finished cooking the eggs and carried the platter out to the table along with bacon and sausages and fresh blueberry muffins. These muffins were Mark’s favorites and…no!

  I absolutely refused to let Mark invade my thoughts. It was done, finished, over with, and so be it.

  “We’re meeting up with Steph this morning,” Coco said, as she reached for a muffin. She glanced at her watch. “We have forty minutes.”

  “We are? That soon?” Katie’s words were dipped in reluctance.

  “Yes. Steph wants us to stop by her house. Then the three of us will have lunch before we head over to the school to decorate the gym for tonight.”

  “Oh yes, I forgot about decorating the gym.” Katie didn’t bother to hide her lack of enthusiasm.

  “I heard Mercedes is having a sale, too,” Coco said, and waved a half-slice of toast at her friend. “We should go. Who knows, I might find something irresistible for tonight.”

  “You want to shop?” Katie asked, as if the mere suggestion appalled her. “I thought you had your outfit already picked out.”

  “I do, but who in their right mind can resist a sale? Steph said all accessories are fifty percent off, plus some dress styles.”

  For the first time that morning, Katie smiled. “Resist a sale? Not you.”

  They ate their breakfast and then returned to their rooms to get ready to go out. By ten-thirty they were out the door. I didn’t expect to see them again until late afternoon.

  I’d picked up on the sale at Mercedes’s. I hadn’t bought anything new in a good long while—most days I wore jeans—and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d showed my legs. As an innkeeper, I was always running around, and skirts and dresses just didn’t lend themselves to my days. Maybe I should check out Mercedes’s sale myself. A new outfit would help get me in the right mood for my dinner date that evening.

  My honeymooners had yet to make an appearance and I figured they probably weren’t coming down for breakfast. I changed into my gardening clothes, planning to tackle a large package of tulip bulbs I’d ordered by mail from the Skagit Valley north of Seattle. I wanted to get those planted before we were hit by the October rains.

  Rover followed me outside to the shed where I kept the shovel and other gardening equipment. The shed Mark had built for me. Just thinking about him irritated me so much that I was tempted to slam the door. It certainly didn’t help that reminders of him were everywhere I turned.

  I read the back of the package of bulbs. I’d heard years earlier that there were more tulips growing in the Skagit Valley than in all of Holland, though I don’t know if that’s true.

  I’d ordered red tulips and wanted to plant them in the front of the yard around the sign that read THE INN AT ROSE HARBOR.

  The very sign Mark had built and set into place.

  I carried my equipment to the sign and slammed my shovel into the dirt, having a difficult time holding on to my irritation once again. It was a good thing Mark wasn’t around, because the way I felt just then I’d probably punch him in the gut.

  Rover’s howl caught me up short. At times I swear that dog can read my mind.

  “It’s okay,” I said, doing my best to calm him and swallow my pent-up frustration. All at once the urge to weep nearly overwhelmed me. I had one foot on the shovel and the other planted firmly on the ground as I stood, doing my best to suppress the tears. My precarious stance felt much like my life. Up and down, one minute feeling rooted and the next unpredictable.

  “I’m better off without him,” I told Ro
ver, who’d positioned himself on the wet grass near the sign. He rested his chin on his paws and kept a close eye on me.

  At my comment, Rover raised his head and twisted it to one side.

  “I mean it,” I said, as I continued to dig around the sign, creating a larger border where I intended to plant the bulbs. Mark had set the sign in concrete so there was no chance my digging would cause it to lean or topple. One thing I could say about Mark, when he took on a project he was determined to do a good job. I swore an atom bomb could go off and that sign would remain upright.

  Once I had created the edging around the sign, I got down on my knees with the hand trowel and dug smaller holes for the bulbs. Rover ambled to my side and leaned his small body close to mine, offering me comfort.

  “It’s okay,” I whispered. “I’ll be fine. We both will.” As soon as I spoke I needed to sniffle. Tears were a weakness that aggravated me more than just about anything, and here I was blubbering away.

  Sitting back on my haunches, I removed my garden gloves and reached inside my jacket pocket for a tissue in order to blow my nose.

  “God save me from irrational men,” I told Rover. “Good riddance, right?”

  Rover did that head thing again.

  “I mean it,” I told him, a bit more forcefully than I intended.

  I had about half of the bulbs planted when I heard the door to the inn open. Finn Dalton appeared with two overnight bags and walked toward the parking area.

  My honeymooners were up and about. I stood and brushed the dirt from my knees and started toward the house.

  “I’ve got coffee, juice, and muffins out,” I told Finn.

  “Yes, thanks, we’ve already helped ourselves.”

  He held the door open for me and I followed him inside.

  Carrie stood at the end of the staircase and had her purse strap over her shoulder. “We slept later than either of us intended. I hate to rush off, but we need to hurry in order to catch our flight.”

  “No problem,” I assured her. “It was a delight to have you.”

  “We’ll be back,” Carrie promised. “We had a wonderful time in Cedar Cove. Just wonderful.”

  Her gaze connected with that of her husband and I witnessed the strong flow of love between them. Seeing it produced an ache within me and I had to look down before I embarrassed myself by letting my emotions get away from me.

  Just before Paul headed toward Joint Base Lewis/McCord for his deployment, my husband and I had shared that same look, that same connection. Twenty-four hours later he was on a transit to Afghanistan and I never saw him again.

  After I finished planting the tulips, I took Rover on our daily walk. By sheer determination I didn’t take our usual route past Mark’s house. I needed to remind myself that he wasn’t there and he wouldn’t be ever again.

  Once home, I tidied up the kitchen and cleaned the Daltons’ room, hauling the sheets to the washer and making up the bed. When I finished I showered and dressed and drove over to Mercedes’s Boutique.

  Sure enough a large SALE sign was slanted across the big display window. I’d heard about the shop any number of times since moving to Cedar Cove. However, I had yet to have an opportunity to buy anything new.

  I recognized Mercedes from the Chamber meetings, and when she saw me she broke into a huge grin.

  “Jo Marie,” she called out, greeting me, “how nice to see you.”

  “I’ve got a blind date tonight,” I blurted out. What is wrong with me? I was fully incapable of making small talk or carrying on a conversation these days. I really did need to get back out into the world.

  Mercedes’s smile widened. “Ah, so you’re looking for something new to wear?”

  “I’m looking for a whole lot more, but let’s start with the outfit.”

  “Dinner date?”

  I nodded. “I checked him out on Facebook and he looks decent enough.”

  “Casual?”

  Again I answered with a nod.

  “Something just came in and I think you would look stunning in it.”

  She led me away from the sale rack, which at this point looked like it’d been pretty much picked over, to an area toward the front of the store.

  Mercedes pulled a white tank top and a maxi-skirt with a gray-and-navy-blue geometric design off the rack. “Don’t you love these colors together?” she asked.

  The price tag dangled from the waistband, and when I saw it my eyes bulged.

  “I’d pair it with this white top and Caribbean-blue sweater, and I have the perfect necklace to complement the outfit.”

  I took the complete set into the dressing room, and once I tried it all together I had to admit Mercedes had a good eye. For a long time I remained inside the cubicle, studying my reflection. I looked good and my TOMS wedges would be a great addition. Admittedly, I could use a haircut and my brows needed some attention, too, but all in all I was satisfied. The outfit was casual enough for a walk along the waterfront but dressy enough for dinner at a nice restaurant.

  “What do you think?” Mercedes asked, when I came out of the dressing room.

  “I’ll take it, plus the necklace.”

  “Excellent. You really do look lovely, Jo Marie.”

  “Thank you.”

  On my way back to the inn, I stopped at a local hair salon that welcomed walk-ins and had my hair trimmed and my eyebrows shaped. I was about as ready for this date as I was going to be.

  It was well into the afternoon by the time I got home. It’d been so long since I’d gone shopping for myself that I felt renewed. The thought of meeting Rich and actually going out on a date had started to feel fun rather than daunting. This was progress. However, if I needed a new outfit to get me in the mood every time I met someone new, I’d soon be penniless.

  Rover wanted out soon after I arrived back at the inn, so I stood on the porch and waited until he finished. I couldn’t help but wonder what my intuitive pet would think of Rich Marlow. His reaction to this other man would say a great deal. If Rover took an instant shine to Rich, that would tell me everything I needed to know about Rhyder’s brother.

  I heard the approach of a vehicle coming down the driveway and right away recognized Bob Beldon’s car. He’d been with Mark the day before, helping Mark clear out his garage.

  Bob parked in the slot vacated by Carrie and Finn Dalton.

  “Hi, Bob,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. As far as I could remember Bob had never made a trip to the inn without Peggy. I couldn’t imagine the reason for this unexpected visit.

  “Jo Marie.” He removed his Seahawks cap and slapped it across his knee.

  I wasn’t sure what that was supposed to mean, so I waited for him to explain. He stood on the sidewalk and braced his foot against the bottom step.

  “What can I do for you?” I asked, when he wasn’t immediately forthcoming.

  “Mark asked me to stop by.”

  “Mark?” I repeated, my voice strange to my own ears. I strived to look calm and collected and knew I’d failed.

  “He wanted me to tell you why he left.”

  Right away the anger was back. What respect I had for Mark evaporated. “Mark couldn’t tell me himself?” I demanded, not bothering to disguise my exasperation. “He asked you to do his talking for him?”

  Bob slapped his cap against his knee a second time. “I wasn’t keen on this myself, until he explained.”

  “What possible excuse did he have?” My voice vibrated with anger.

  Bob’s look held mine. “He loves you.”

  So he said. “He has a peculiar way of showing his feelings.” If this was the way Mark chose to prove his love, then I was better off without him. I’d said it before and I’d say it again. God save me from irrational, unreasonable men!

  Bob discounted my outburst with a hard shake of his head. “Mark knew if he explained what he was about to do, you’d attempt to talk him out of it, and because he loves you, he feared you’d convince him to stay. He said
he couldn’t take that chance.”

  “What?”

  “Perhaps we should go inside and talk, Jo Marie. I think you’re going to need to sit down for this.”

  The morning had flown by, and Coco couldn’t believe it when she looked at her watch and discovered it was time to head to the school to decorate for the evening’s events. At Stef’s house she reconnected with several of her classmates she hadn’t talked to in years. It was a kick to catch up with those she hadn’t seen since graduation. And, naturally, there was the gossip. Apparently, Tom Peters had arrived driving a Porsche that was said to cost six figures, and then one of the guys discovered it was a rental. Hailey Gentry was going through a divorce and this was her second marriage. There’d been lots to learn and lots to share, too.

  Katie was quiet most of the time they were at lunch. Coco knew Katie was brooding over James. Her expectations for this first encounter had been far too high.

  Katie had always been overly sensitive. That wasn’t necessarily bad, it was the reason her friend was an excellent social worker. From the moment they’d first connected, Coco knew Katie had a big, generous heart. She championed the underdog and did her best to right the wrongs of others. She cared, and that was what made her so endearing as a friend.

  Coco sincerely hoped that after sleeping on it, James could accept that Katie would never intentionally hurt anyone, least of all someone she loved, without good reason. Perhaps tonight Katie would find him more receptive.

  Once at the gym, Coco made her way to Angie Palmer. She’d hoped to talk to her at lunch, but Angie had been seated three chairs down and a discreet conversation would have been impossible.

  “Hey, Angie, do you have a minute?” Coco asked, once the reunion organizer had parceled out tasks for everyone to prepare for that evening’s dinner.

  “Sure thing. What do you need? And by the way, thank you.”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “For helping with the decorating.”

  “No problem,” said Coco.

  “I wanted to ask you about Hudson Hamilton.”

  Angie frowned. “Who?”