Driftwood Bay (Hope Harbor #5) - Irene Hannon Page 0,52
likes you too. I’m the one she’s having an issue warming up to.”
“You took the place of her Nana. That’s a challenging role to fill.” Jeannette folded her napkin into a precise square, giving the task more attention than it deserved. “I got the impression it was just the two of them after her father died.”
“It was.”
She didn’t ask any more questions—but they hung in the air nonetheless.
Logan brushed off his hands and filled his lungs with the tangy air. Why not tell Jeannette the whole story? Maybe if he shared some of his family history with her, she’d reciprocate down the road. It wasn’t as if Molly’s background was a state secret, after all.
He stretched out his legs and leaned back on his palms. “If you have a few minutes, I could tell you why there haven’t been many people in Molly’s life.”
“I have to admit I’ve been curious about that.”
“You’re not alone. The local newspaper editor almost sweet-talked me into divulging details I’d decided weren’t for general consumption.”
Jeannette’s lips flexed. “Marci is very likeable—and she manages to wheedle an incredible amount of information out of people . . . as I learned from experience.”
“She did a story on you?”
“A small one, not long after I arrived.”
He’d have to dig through some back issues of the Herald and see what he could discover about the reticent woman who’d shared dinner with him on the beach.
“I think she missed her calling. She’d have been an ace investigative reporter.”
“I won’t argue with that—but she loves what’s she doing . . . and that’s what counts.”
“Agreed. And you do too. Have you always been in the hospitality or restaurant business?”
“No.” She folded her legs and picked up a broken sand dollar from the beach beside her. Fingered the jagged, battered edge.
Two seagulls swooped low overhead, but she was oblivious to them.
Logan waited a few more seconds in case she decided to offer more.
She didn’t.
And she might bolt if he pushed.
Better move on, much as he’d like to delve deeper into what made his companion tick.
“So in terms of—”
“In my previous—”
As their words overlapped, he closed his mouth.
“Sorry.” She glanced over at him.
“No. Go ahead.”
“I was going to say that in my previous life, I was an elementary school teacher.”
Aha.
That would explain her comfort level around Molly and her adept handling of the milk carton.
But it didn’t explain the reason behind her dramatic career shift.
“An unusual background for a lavender farm and tearoom business.” He kept his manner conversational. “What prompted the switch?”
She scanned the horizon, where a distant boat was silhouetted against the evening sky. “I needed a change of scene. Since I was relocating, I also decided to rethink my career. My mom and I had always talked about opening a tearoom, and years ago we visited a lavender farm together. I thought it would be fun to combine the two. Bayview Lavender Farm was the result.”
“Where was home before you came here?”
“Cincinnati.”
That was a dramatic change of scene.
“How did you end up in Hope Harbor?”
She shrugged. “After I decided to move, I did some traveling on the West Coast and stumbled onto this town. I stopped for tacos at Charley’s, immediately felt at home, discovered there were microclimates here perfect for growing lavender—and the rest is history. So how did you find Hope Harbor? There wasn’t much detail about that in Marci’s article.”
She was done sharing.
And that was okay—for now. She’d told him far more than he’d expected.
Yet questions remained.
Like . . . why had she needed a change of scene?
Who had she left behind?
Why did she keep to herself?
He wasn’t going to get those answers today, however. Best to follow her lead and switch gears.
“After I became Molly’s guardian, it didn’t take me long to realize my lifestyle wasn’t conducive to raising a family. I had a studio apartment, I worked long—and odd—hours, and after living in a small town in Missouri, Molly was bewildered and intimidated by the big city. The longer she was in San Francisco, the quieter she got.”
“It’s not unusual for children to withdraw if their world is disrupted. Either that, or they act out.”
“So I discovered after doing tons of research. I thought a smaller town, a house with a yard, and a job with more regular hours would be better for her.”
“Not to mention a dog.”
He grimaced. “A last-minute addition, the merits of which I’m still debating.”
Jeannette turned her attention to Molly and Toby. “They seem to have bonded.”