“Like you wouldn’t want to be locked in here alone after dark,” Linc said, and she laughed.
“Exactly like that.” She walked through the comments she’d made earlier to Liddy, Linc occasionally nodding but not saying much beyond a few yeahs and okays. When they got to the wall where she’d suggested Liddy consider a coffee bar, he pulled a retractable tape measure from his back pocket and began to measure out the space.
“You’re thinking maybe a counter here and a place behind it for one person—no matter what we do, you’ll never have room for more than one person there—a sink, a coffee maker, supplies, a couple of shelves. Anything else?” he looked up and asked after he’d walked the space, measuring here and there.
“You’ll have to ask Liddy. It’s her shop.”
“She seemed to be handing the renovation off to you.” He grinned, and the pirate image flashed back into Grace’s head. “Which is probably the best thing she could do. I’ve done some remodeling for Mrs. Bryant before, and left to her own devices, she’ll change her mind sixty times. She’s had me working on plans for that old carriage house of hers for the past four months. We’re on our third set of blueprints.”
“And now we’re putting that project on hold,” Liddy called. “Just about everything I have went into buying this place, so the carriage house will have to wait. But I like the idea of income property, so I will ask you to take a look upstairs and see what we could do to make apartments on the second and third floors. Got time to take a look?”
“I don’t right now, but I can stop back later in the week.”
“Just let me know when.” Liddy leaned on the counter. “Think you can come up with some plans for this place?” She waved her hand around the shop.
“It won’t take much. Your decorator here has some good ideas. Easy to implement, not much in materials. You’re going to end up paying mostly for my time and some paint,” he told her as he walked to the front of the shop.
“And whatever you’ll need to make the coffee bar,” Grace reminded him as she followed along.
He rubbed his chin. “I think I might have something back home we can use for that. I’ll work up a plan and drop it off.”
“Don’t take too long,” Liddy told him. “I want to get this place done by July Fourth.”
Linc shook his head. “Not gonna happen. I’m booked solid for the next month. If you need it done sooner, you need to call in someone else.”
Liddy looked annoyed but shook her head. “I’ll wait.”
“It’s up to you,” he said.
“Shelby and Son’s been doing for me for most of my life. I said I’d wait.”
“Just want to make sure you understand you have options.” He took a step toward the door.
“So you’re a contractor, then.” He had an easy way about him that Grace was drawn to. He was also easy on the eyes. Very easy, pirate or no.
“Most of the time.”
She had to ask, “What do you do the rest of the time?”
“Fish.” He smiled again. “Sometimes I sell to a couple of the restaurants in town. Depends on what’s running and whether or not they’re biting.”
The front door opened, and a woman in her midforties entered. Grace recognized her as one of the shop’s sales staff, Evelyn Marshall.
“Morning, Liddy. Carl told me to expect you to be here. He told me about your arrangement. I’m thrilled. This place desperately needs new blood.” The woman smiled at Grace to acknowledge her, then said to Linc, “We had some of that cod you dropped off the other day. It was delicious. Thank you. My husband really enjoyed it.”
“Good. Tell him I’ll be going out again sometime next week, and I’ll stop by to see how he’s doing.”
“Fishing was always Matt’s thing. Since his accident, he hasn’t been able to take the boat out.” The sadness reached Evelyn’s eyes. “Damned drunk driver.”
“You tell him I’ll be happy to take him out with me as soon as he’s up to it.” Linc patted her on the arm. To Liddy, he said, “I’ll get back to you soon.”
“Thanks, Linc. And thanks for getting that back door open.”
“Sure.” He smiled at Grace. “See you, Grace.”
The three women watched him leave, then Liddy sighed. “If only I were twenty years younger.”
“Twenty?” Grace smirked.
“Okay, twenty-five to thirty.” Liddy nodded.
“Linc got that back door open?” Evelyn asked. “That thing’s been stuck for as long as I’ve been working here. I’m going to take a look.”
“Help yourself.” Liddy moved the stack of papers she’d been working on earlier. “Now that Evelyn’s here, I think I’ll take these back into the office. Gracie, want to join me?”
“Thanks, but I need to get over to the general store. I told Mom I’d pick up a few things for her.”
“How’s that going? With your mother.”
Grace shrugged. “It’s okay, I guess. I love my mom, but honestly, this thing with Joe. She told you she met him for lunch last week, right?”
“Right.”
“Well, she’s talked to him on the phone several times since then.” Grace paused and looked out the window. “Did she tell you she wants to invite him and his kids for the Fourth of July? For the parade and the picnic and everything else?”
“She mentioned it. I take it you’re not happy about including him?”
“I hate that I’m always the family bitch. Natalie’s thrilled. Even Daisy is excited to meet cousins, though she has no idea what that means. Honestly, I don’t know if I can handle it.” She picked up a book that was left on the counter and leafed through it absently.
“What is it exactly that you can’t handle, Grace?”
“The whole thing. I hate we never knew about him until now. That she kept this deep dark secret all these years. And I hate that Dad never knew.”
“Grace, I love you, sweetie, but that’s between
