and brightly colored wildflowers took over the hillsides climbing down to the sea.
“So, Jake tells me he’s going to a church youth group meeting tonight with Caitlin. Did you know about that?”
“She told me they were going this morning. It’s a little out of the blue, don’t you think?”
Henry shrugged. “Doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve always encouraged Jake to explore different beliefs and philosophies.”
He was an excellent father, though she knew from bitter experience how difficult it could be to raise a teenager as a single parent.
“He’s a good boy, your Jake.”
Henry smiled across the length of the cab. “No arguments here.”
“A lot of kids might have become bitter and angry, losing a parent at that age.”
That was what had happened to Natalie, anyway. In her grief and sorrow over Steve’s death, she seemed to have gone wild, drinking and using drugs, staying out all night. Juliet had been lost in her own grief and struggling to keep the business afloat and had been completely powerless to control her at all.
“I think losing his mom has made Jake more compassionate and understanding,” Henry said.
“Agreed. He’s been a wonderful friend to Caitlin.”
Henry appeared lost in thought and Juliet looked out the window as the road took them in view of the ocean far below, where the morning sun gleamed on the water.
“Have you noticed anything odd about the way they’ve been acting? Jake and Caitlin?” he asked.
She frowned. “Odd?”
“Not odd, I guess, as much as...secretive. Like they might be cooking something up between them?”
She frowned again, reviewing her interactions with her granddaughter over the past few weeks. She had said much the same thing to Olivia the other day. Caitlin seemed to be waiting for something, but Juliet had no idea what that might be.
Now she remembered that for some weeks and even months before her accident, Caitlin had been asking strange questions about her mother. Did her behavior have anything to do with that?
“They’re both good kids. I guess we have to hang on to that. I can’t see anything wrong with them going to a church youth group, but if you notice anything else unusual or different in their behavior, I know you’ll keep me posted.”
“This parenting thing is not for the faint of heart,” Henry said with another smile.
Juliet told herself it was only the over-the-counter pain medicine that made her insides feel so fluttery and weak.
“How’s everything with Olivia?” he asked. “Is she settling in okay?”
“It’s fine. She runs in and out, trying to juggle everything. I worry she’s working too hard. Plus, she seems really jumpy these days. I’m not sure what that’s about.”
“Maybe you need to stop worrying about everyone else and focus on yourself and your own healing right now.”
Juliet made a face. “That, my friend, is easier said than done. I can’t help worrying about my girls.”
They drove in a comfortable silence for several minutes. Juliet could feel herself relax, lulled by the rhythm of the vehicle, the dogs sleeping in the back seat, the sense of security she always felt in his presence.
She could feel her eyes drift shut a few times and did her best to jerk them open again. Henry, glancing over, smiled softly. “Feel free to sleep, if you want.”
She didn’t want to sleep. She wanted to enjoy every moment of this magical escape.
“Tell me more about this job site before we get there. I looked over the plans you sent me and think I have a pretty good idea of the geography. What do you feel is your biggest challenge?”
“Right now, it’s the owner. I think we’re close to a plan he agrees on. Most of the work is done—it’s one section we seem to be struggling with.”
For the rest of the drive, they talked about landscape and his master plan for the other areas of the property. She was so engrossed in the conversation, she hardly noticed when he began to slow and finally pulled over.
“Here we are,” Henry said.
Juliet rolled her window down, completely entranced. Even studying photographs and drone footage and plat maps had not prepared her for the stunning beauty of the place.
“Oh,” she whispered, completely speechless.
“Right? It takes my breath away every time I come here.”
The area was lush and green here, with thick forests that rose up the mountainside on one side of the road and groomed gardens that sloped down to the sea on the other. The inn itself was almost concealed by trees, an architectural masterpiece of glass and