Secrets Whispered from the Sea - Emma St. Clair Page 0,40

in my heart at the thought of taking Nana’s place in any way. It was an honor in so many ways that they’d asked me, especially given how poorly I’d played. But I wasn’t staying here. The plan was to go.

“I’m leaving soon though. You should probably find someone who’s here permanently. What about Ann?”

“You’re not going to stay?” Sylvia asked, blinking innocently at me, like she didn’t already know.

“That was never the plan,” I said.

“Plans change,” Vivi said.

“Don’t trouble yourself too much with the future, dear,” Lucy said. “Why don’t you just consider yourself a temp until you do leave.”

“I guess I can. At least as long as I’m here. But be looking for a permanent replacement.”

“Of course, dear,” Vivi said, tossing me a smile that made me think that she had no plans to do so.

“You still should have prepared me for how mean everyone is. I even got redhead jokes.”

They laughed long and hard, so long and hard that I was concerned that Sylvia might veer off the road. Finally, Vivi patted my knee, I guess forgiving me at least a little for breaking her winning streak.

“We didn’t tell you, dear,” she said, “because we knew you’d never come if we did.”

15

“I’m sorry I’m out of pocket for the next few days,” Emily said. There was a lot of background noise, and I wondered if she was on a jobsite now. I was still eager to actually see Emily lay tile or rip out sheetrock. I totally believed she could do it, even if she didn’t look the part. I had a feeling Emily could do anything, really. She had that fearless quality I admired. And lacked.

Of course, the one thing she hadn’t been able to do was get our plans approved.

“We had a few big jobs come up, and I knew we needed more time before going back to the Crud.”

“That’s fine,” I said. I was parked outside the coffee shop where I’d gone with Vivi. “Jackson is actually sending someone to meet with me to discuss it. I hope that’s okay.”

If I wasn’t wrong, Emily sounded a little hurt. “That’s fine. Jackson’s the boss. He’s been dealing with the Crud longer than I have. Anyway, gotta run!”

She hung up before I could apologize again or say anything else. I really hoped she wasn’t upset with me or that things didn’t get awkward. Emily was the closest thing I had to a friend here. I could see us getting together for dinner whenever I came back to Sandover to visit Camille and Sophie.

I climbed the steps to A Bitter Cup, which was elevated like most of the houses. The breeze and smell of the sea made the outside tables alluring, but by the time I’d finished the climb, my T-shirt was damp. Definitely an inside, iced coffee kind of day.

The shop was empty when I walked in, and I ordered an iced chai latte and a water. The barista, a beach blonde named Casey, looked close to my age or a little younger, reminding me that if I wanted to stay on Sandover, I might be looking at minimum wage jobs like this.

Ugh. Not going to happen.

The same painting that caught my attention before drew my eye, and I stood in front of it, staring, as I waited for my order. I couldn’t put my finger on why it seemed to speak to me.

Home, I realized. This painting captured Sandover in a way that gave me a sense of home.

“Gorgeous, isn’t it?” the barista said with a smile. “Here is your chai and an ice water.”

“I’ll take the painting too,” I said, slapping my card down on the counter.

Her eyes widened. “Really? That’s great. He’ll be so happy.”

“You know the painter?”

“He owns the shop.”

“Interesting.” An artist and businessman. I could appreciate the marriage of art and coffee.

Casey beamed and swiped my card. I didn’t look at the total, just signed the slip. It was only money, right? And art was an investment. People said that, anyway. I was investing.

I envisioned it hanging on the main wall in Nana’s living room. A wall that would be painted a cool gray rather than the current dingy cream, with a white sofa below and colorful accent pillow in the same brilliant hues of the painting. Except the painting wouldn’t ever hang on that wall. I would take it with me. It would hang on the boring beige walls of whatever apartment I rented in whatever city I ended up