Page 51 of Between the Lines

“That’s different,” Robbie said.

“How?” Maude asked.

“Because Ollie can afford to pay me now.”

Ollie laughed. “He’s right. And I wasn’t trying to steal him away. But some shelves might do the trick.” He glanced at Robbie. “And obviously, it would be a paying job. Not asking for a favor.”

Maude let it slide. Making a little money could only help Robbie achieve what he needed to for the arts and crafts fair.

“I’ll come by in the morning, if you want,” Robbie said.

“I get up pretty early,” Ollie countered.

“So do I,” Robbie said. “Name a time and I’ll be there. But I at least need to see the space to know what’s possible. No promises beyond that.”

Milo chose that moment to come over, place one of his paws squarely on Ollie’s knee, and fix him with a hopeful stare, tail wagging in slow, deliberate sweeps.

“No,” Ollie said automatically. “You already had dinner. And I’m not sure salami is the best thing for you anyway.”

Milo responded by lowering his head onto Ollie’s thigh with a dramatic sigh, as if resigned to a life of disappointment.

Robbie laughed. “That dog is all right.”

“He really is,” Maude said, reaching over to scratch behind Milo’s ears. “He knows exactly how to work a room. Don’t you, boy?”

Milo accepted the attention graciously, tail thumping harder against the floor.

Maude looked around the table. At her brother, the man she cared about, and the dog sprawled happily at their feet.

There were worse ways to spend an evening.

Chapter Twenty-One

Sunday mornings were Paige’s favorite kind of quiet.

The beach wasn’t busy yet, except for the few serious walkers who moved along the shoreline at an unhurried pace. There was a lone jogger, but from his youthful age, she could tell he wasn’t a Colony resident.

Further along, a man cast a fishing line from the surf. Brown pelicans skimmed low over the water like creatures from another time and place. Gulls danced out of the way as she strode forward.

With her sandals dangling from her hand, she walked closer to the water, letting the damp sand cool her feet. She breathed in deeply, the salt air calming her in a way nothing else quite did. She absolutely loved living here. Loved this life.

It was even better with the Queen Bees in it. She scanned the beach without meaning to, pleased to see no sign of Darcy or Gigi. Maybe they didn’t get up this early.

Their absence felt like a small mercy. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with them today. It would require pretend niceness, and she didn’t feel up to that.

Paige kept walking, letting her thoughts drift where they wanted. Graham. Randi. The coming week. Blaise’s call with the publisher. Cece’s podcast and health concerns. Essie’s issues with Sophie. Althea taking care of Lester. All of it lived somewhere in the back of her mind, but none of it pressed too hard just now.

She nodded in greeting to another woman passing by and felt a deep sense of peace. Whatever happened with Darcy and Gigi and this new club, it would be fine. Or she would make it that way.

She didn’t need any additional stress in her life. None of the Queen Bees did. They had enough already.

By the time she turned back toward home, the sun was higher and the quiet had started to vanish, replaced by the sunseekers setting up for the day. Someday soon, the Queen Bees needed to do a beach day.

They could set up their canopies and umbrellas, arrange their chairs, bring lunch, snacks, and drinks. They could talk or read or nap. It would just be wonderful to spend time together like that.

Paige stopped at the beach entrance, rinsed her feet at the outdoor tap, then slipped her sandals back on and headed up the path to her house. She was waylaid for nearly ten minutes by a very chatty Felicia Bronson, who wanted Paige to help out with some fundraising for a local children’s charity.

Paige agreed to look into it and get back to her, then finally headed toward her house again. She was nearly there when she saw the box.