ten.”
Kate looked intrigued. “Who is Ben?”
“He’s Mia’s next-door neighbor. About the same age, I’d guess. Very handsome.”
“Is he single?” Abby asked.
“I think he might be. I thought he could be a good candidate, if Mia was ready to start dating?”
Mia shook her head and automatically said, “I’m not ready.” She wondered if she ever would be. Dating just wasn’t something she thought about these days. It didn’t feel right, not when she still often felt so sad about Mark.
Lisa reached out and gave her hand a squeeze. “You’ll know when it’s the right time. And when you do, be sure to let us know so we can keep an eye out for you.”
Mia relaxed and smiled, grateful that Lisa understood and didn’t push. “Thank you. I’ll do that.”
“So, Kristen, what’s new with you?” Lisa asked.
“I have some news. I just heard back from Andrew at the gallery, and I have a show there in a few weeks, on the Friday night of Memorial Day weekend, and the paintings will stay up after that, until they sell.” Kristen was a local artist, and Mia had one of her paintings in her condo. It had quite a bit of damage, though, and Will was doubtful that it could be restored.
“Oh, that’s great, honey,” Lisa said. “I’ll make sure Rhett knows to keep that night free.”
“Izzy and I will make sure to come by, too,” Mia added.
“How’s Tyler doing?” Abby asked.
“He’s really good. He’s halfway through his newest book now, so it’s going much easier. He said he might even be done two weeks before his deadline, which would be a first.” Tyler was a famous mystery writer and he and Kristen lived next to each other, in matching cottages. Mia knew that Tyler had gone through a rough period after his mother died unexpectedly, and he had relapsed and started drinking again. He got the help he needed, though, and it seemed like he was back on the wagon and things were going really well with him and Kristen.
“Are you all going to Will’s cookout on Sunday?” Kate asked.
“I’ll be there,” Mia said.
“Tyler and I are planning to go.” Kristen took a sip of her coffee and reached for a bite of the muffin that was mostly untouched on her plate. Mia didn’t think she’d ever seen Kristen finish anything. There wasn’t a crumb left on Mia’s plate.
“Jeff and I are going to his mother’s for dinner, so we’ll miss it. It will be strange without Caroline there. I was so surprised to hear they broke up,” Abby said.
“I always thought he was too nice for her,” Kate said. “I’m not surprised that she moved off-island.”
Mia nodded. “I know what you mean. I liked Caroline, but I think Will would be better with someone a little more laid-back.”
Kate glanced at her sisters and smiled. “I couldn’t agree more. Do you know of anyone for him?”
Mia was surprised by the question. “No. They just broke up. I doubt he’s ready to start dating again.”
“You might be surprised. Guys often rebound faster, it seems,” Kate said.
“Jeff’s friend Michael broke up with his girlfriend of seven years and less than three months later, he was engaged to someone else,” Abby added.
Mia didn’t see that happening with Will, but she didn’t say anything. When they all finished eating and went their separate ways, Mia went upstairs. She was going to take Penny for a walk on the beach. She’d taken her out quickly to do her business before breakfast but didn’t have enough time earlier for her usual walk.
Penny was all excited when Mia returned to the room and said the magic words, “Want to go outside?” The little dog jumped around, wagging her tail and moving so much that Mia had to grab hold of her to get her leash on. Once they were ready, she pulled on a lightweight jacket and opened the door to head out. She’d just locked the door behind her when Ben came out of his room and stopped short when he saw her. He was wearing sweatpants and sneakers, and nodded at the leash.
“Are you two going out for a walk? I was just heading out for one, too. Mind if I join you?”
Mia was surprised that he’d want to, but nodded and said, “Of course. We were going to walk down the beach and back.”
“Perfect. Lead the way.”
Ben followed them down the stairs, and they all walked to the beach, which was just a few steps past the