Mia wasn’t there.
* * *
Mia drove up the island and around the headland, taking her time to soak up the peace and quiet. She was surprised to realize how much she had begun to enjoy being away from the bustle of Seattle. Her life over the last ten years had been one long hectic rush from the minute she opened her eyes until she closed them late at night.
The first days on the island she’d wanted to turn around and head back home, take whatever punishment the board thought to give her or beg her way out of it. But now she was beginning to see the logic in her uncle’s method. When she finally went back to work after her enforced break, she’d be fresh and brimming with new ideas. At least she hoped she would. So far, all she could think of was decorating other people’s spaces. And she was enjoying it so much more than she thought she would.
It was hard to miss that her happiness was partly due to being with Matt. He was everything and more that she could ask for in a friend. But the timing was off. She wasn’t ready to commit the way she knew he would want her to. He was a homebody, not a frantic business person with a will to dominate the market the way she was. The kiss had been fantastic, amazing. But it’d also been the thing that made her stop and think. She couldn’t string him along when she had nothing to offer, even though it would hurt to say goodbye.
Oh, she’d given it lots of thought. She’d even tossed around the idea of revisiting those shops she’d found and had made a mental spreadsheet of what she’d have to do to start over, as she lay in bed that night. What if she made more of those antique-looking frames? She could upcycle anything given a chance and she had a warehouse full of old pieces she’d been dying to work with. She just never had the time.
She could add some of the items she sourced for her shops, as well as offer a design service. Mia tried to think of a way to have it all, but so far she was coming up empty. It was all too much or too hard. She couldn’t run the business in Seattle as well as have a business here. Mia wanted to stamp her foot in frustration. It wasn’t fair. She wanted more than she had before and here it was, being offered to her, and she couldn’t take it.
She came to the entrance of the fish farm and drove in, taking her time to savor the way the light filtered between the old forest trees that led down to the house by the water. Maybe she could incorporate those vibes into Arlo and Hilary’s house with variations of shade and light.
Hilary was outside sitting with their big dog, Bear, and stood up as Mia pulled in. Bear ran to her car and barked excitedly. When she got out, Hilary was there holding the dog’s collar. “So glad you made it. I was scared you’d change your mind.” She touched Bear on the nose to get his attention. “Stay down, boy. Good dog.”
Mia climbed out and was pulled into a friendly one-armed hug. “Why would I do that?”
Hilary rolled her eyes. “Because the famous Mia Morgan might wake up and wonder why on earth she’d let herself get talked into designing the inside of a rustic home for someone she barely knows.”
Hilary was the friendliest, easiest person to get on with she’d met. Why would she think Mia would back out of her promise? “You’re too funny. I’m really looking forward to it.”
“Really?” Hilary let go of Bear’s collar, and he sniffed around Mia’s feet before wandering over to a bush and cocked his leg. Hilary clapped her hands and squealed with glee. “Great. Let’s go.”
“Let me get my bits and pieces. I went through some of the family boxes and pulled some things I thought you might like. None of it’s stuff you have to keep. Merely my suggestions. Don’t want you to feel you have to go along with everything I say, okay?”
Hilary helped her by grabbing a box from the trunk. “Are you kidding? After what you did with April’s nursery, how could you think I wouldn’t like it? Geesh, why do you think I asked for help? I love your style.”
Once in the house, Mia stood and took stock. “Tell me what you want. Things you want to keep and point out what you don’t mind losing.”
Hilary stood beside her. “I like casual and comfortable. Not into fussy or frilly stuff, but that’s what I told you the other day so I don’t imagine for a minute that you’ve got that in mind. Just wow me with your amazing style.”
Mia laughed. “No pressure.”
For the next couple of hours, they moved, discarded, added and shaped the downstairs room. By the time Arlo came in for morning coffee, Mia was almost satisfied with what they’d achieved.
“Wow. You ladies have been busy. Looks awesome.” He stood at the door with a seriously big grin on his face.
Hilary skipped over to him and threw her arms around his neck. “Do you like it? Really like it?”
Mia stood waiting to hear what he had to say. Not that she thought he’d be too harsh after what they’d said on the weekend.
“Babe, I love it. So clean and simple.”
Hilary squealed and hugged him. “Thank you for letting us go wild in here.”
Arlo grinned. “It was never going to turn out terrible, was it? Dad would hardly invest in a company that didn’t
