“Regrout or replace tile in powder room off foyer. Do something about water stain on dining room ceiling. Repair or replace brick patio; brick is uneven. Add trim colors to shed to match main building. Repair or replace bricks in walkway to garden . . . ” Daniel glanced up at her, tilting his head back. “This is . . . substantial,” he said. “What happens if all of this isn’t done in time?”
Liza shrugged and sat down at the table again. “I’m not sure. Sylvia Bennet said she wants the list included in the final contract. Not a good sign, right?”
“I don’t know much about the wedding business, but I’d have to agree with that feeling.” He thought a moment. “Don’t worry, Liza. I’ll just hire a few of my regular guys. If we could put the roof back on your house in a week, I’m sure we can take care of most of the things on this list.”
Liza would never forget the night that a tree right next to the inn was struck by lightning and a huge branch crashed through the roof. The inn was up for sale at the time, and the necessary repairs held up everything. At the time, it seemed like a disaster to Liza and her brother, who were both hoping for a quick sale. But Liza soon came to see the bolt from the blue as a blessing in disguise. It had slowed down the situation long enough for her to decide that she really wanted to stay on the island and take over the inn. Daniel’s help fixing it—and his help and encouragement when she was trying to make that decision—had been another blessing.
Liza sat back and glanced at him. “I’m sure you can handle it, too. But you’re always running to my rescue, Daniel. I’m starting to feel like a damsel in distress.”
He leaned over and took her hand. “Maybe I just like helping you. And you’re anything but a damsel in distress. You are the most un-damsel sort of woman I’ve ever met.”
“And you’re the most dependable, helpful knight in a white pickup truck I ever met,” she said lightly. “But I sometimes wonder whom you call when you need help. Everybody needs a hand from time to time.”
“Oh, don’t worry about me. I’m fine.” He smiled as he spoke but sat back and withdrew his hand. “Why don’t we clear this stuff away and get on to that dessert you brought?”
“Sure. I’m definitely done. It was delicious. Every bite.”
Liza rose to help clear the dishes. She wondered if she had gone too far again. Well, she could only edit herself and her feelings so much, she reflected.
They quickly cleared away the remains of dinner, and Daniel brought out coffee and the berry crumble and whipped cream.
He took a taste, his face lighting up instantly. “Wow, this is good.” He pointed down at the dish with his fork, clearly impressed. “You made this?”
“Yes, I did,” she answered with a laugh. “I know you suspect that Claire had a hand in it, but she was off for the weekend. I did use one of her recipes, though.”
“And did an excellent job with it,” he said, taking another bite. “Her Banana Crunch Muffins are my favorite,” he added.
Liza made a mental note of his preference. “Whatever the cooking equivalent of a green thumb is, Claire’s got it. Everything she makes is completely delicious.”
“No argument there. Claire could write a great cookbook.”
“Yes, she could,” Liza agreed, finally tasting the crumble herself. It
was
delicious. The fresh berries were both tart and sweet, and the crumbs were a buttery, cinnamon and sugar perfection.
“But please don’t tell Claire that,” she added after another bite. “Not until she decides to retire.”
“I don’t see that happening very soon . . . if ever.”
“I hope not. I’m not sure I could survive without her,” Liza admitted.
“You say that now, but sooner or later, you’ll realize that she’s pushed you out of the nest and you’re flying solo.”
“Yes, I guess so.” Liza knew that was true. In just a few short months, she’d learned so much from Claire about running the inn. “Claire’s a quiet kind of teacher,” Liza said. “You never feel as if she’s bossing you around or pushing her opinion. All the time that she helps keep things rolling along, you hardly even notice her there at all.”
Daniel grinned. “She’s like an invisible safety net.”
“That’s one way of describing her, a safety net I really need right now,” Liza agreed. “But you may be right. Sooner or later, Claire just might push me out of the nest.”
“Well, we all have to make our own way, sooner or later.”
He sounded thoughtful and even a little sad. Liza looked across the table at him. The sun had set in a blaze of rose and violet clouds, disappearing under the sea. The table was lit by a small white lantern. A candle glowed within.
She wondered what he was thinking about. His own family? A past romantic relationship? She wished she could ask but was afraid to ruin the comfortable mood between them.
“It’s a beautiful night,” she said, turning her head to look at the night sky. “I feel like we’re sitting up in the stars on this cliff.”
“I don’t know about you. But I am.” He pushed her hair off her cheek with his hand, then leaned closer and kissed her.
Liza kissed him back, tasting traces of blueberries on his lips, savoring the moment. He pulled back slowly and stared into her eyes.
“Want to take a walk on the beach? The moon is out.”
The moon was out, almost full, too, a silver orb shining over the blue-black water.
“That would be great. I think my shawl is out here somewhere.” Liza stood up and looked around. It had grown much cooler since the sun went down and she needed the wrap, whether they went onto the beach or not.
Daniel found it for her on one of the extra chairs. He opened it and wrapped it around her shoulders with care, hugging her close for a second. Then he stepped back and took her hand.
Liza peered over the edge again. “Is there an elevator or something? It’s a long way down to the beach from here.”
“Haven’t gotten to that improvement yet, sorry. There’s a flight of stairs that I keep in good repair. And a flashlight.” He led her across the lawn to the top of a railed staircase. It was partly concealed by the brush at the cliff’s edge, and she hadn’t noticed it before.
Daniel walked down first, holding out the light, and Liza followed. She was wary on the first few steps, then realized that the stairs really were very solid and descended in stages against the side of the cliff.
They were soon down on the beach. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore filled the night. The dark sky above seemed endless, a black, diamond-studded canopy arcing above them. The ribbon of beach stretched out in the distance, marked by only a few twinkling yellow lights of houses.
“We ought to leave our shoes here,” Daniel said. “No one will touch them.”
“I believe you. They could probably stay here untouched for years,” she joked. The spot seemed that desolate.
“People do come here in the summer. But the access ways are private. This beach is one of the hidden treasures of the island.”
A treasure—yes, that was a good way to describe this wild, beautiful spot. “The whole island is a bit of treasure, don’t you think?” she asked.
“Absolutely. I know it should be shared, but I worry about it being ruined by these so-called improvements. The new beach and recreation center. The ferry service. There will be a lot more traffic coming over the land bridge, too,” Daniel remarked. “I hate to think of how all these improvements are going to affect the wildlife.”
Liza agreed with him, but she also knew that the ferry service and new beach would be a great boon to the inn. It was one of the reasons she was able to convince her brother that they should keep the inn and she should try to run it.
Daniel took her hand and they started to walk, soon reaching the damp, smooth shoreline where the waves were washing in.
“I know what you mean. I’m not against all the changes. But I’d hate to see the island change too much. Right now, it’s pretty much the same as it was when I was a kid visiting my aunt and uncle.”
“Yes, it is,” he agreed.
Liza thought about his reply. “Did you come here, too, when you were younger? You never told me that.”
He glanced at her. “I didn’t? I must have mentioned it. Probably when we first met.”
“Maybe,” she conceded, though she was pretty sure he hadn’t. “Did you come here with your family?”
He nodded. “My parents and my older sister, Rebecca.”
“So where did you stay?”
“We used to come for a few weeks each summer and rent a cottage in this area. My folks liked it. It seems a little quiet, but there were always kids to play with and things to do. We’d be on the beach all day.”
“That’s what I remember, too. Though Peter and I had the inn. There were always interesting people coming and going. And Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Clive were always enlisting us as helpers.”
“Child labor?” Daniel joked.
“Exactly, but Elizabeth and Clive had a way of making all their projects seem like fun. Did you grow up near here?” she asked, still curious about him.
“No, I grew up in Northampton,” he said, naming a large town in western Massachusetts, near the village of Amherst. “Coming to the beach was a long trip, the thing we looked forward to all winter and spring. Maybe that’s what made me love the ocean so much. It was such a treat. I was landlocked the rest of the year.”
“Is the cottage where you stayed still here?”
“Sure is. You just had dinner there.”
“I should have guessed,” she said with a laugh.
“My parents liked it so much, when the place came up for sale they bought it.”
“Do they ever come back?”
“Only once a year, if that. My mother passed away a few years ago. Breast cancer. My father is retired. He lives in North Carolina, near my sister and her family. I don’t know how we all fit, but we manage.”
“You can send a few of them down to me next time. I’ll give your relatives a good discount.” Of course, they both knew she would put them up for free.
“You’re on. My sister has three wildcat boys. They wreck the place when they stay over.”
Liza laughed. “As long you do the repairs when they leave, the offer still holds.”
“Okay, that’s a deal.”
“So, let me just think about this a minute. We must have been on the island at the same time,” she said, knowing Daniel was just a few years older. She stopped in her tracks and turned to him, her voice becoming more excited. “All those summers . . . we must have seen each other at some point—maybe lined up for ice cream at the General Store? Or went swimming at the same beach? Or walking down Main Street in Cape Light?”
The realization gave her a strange feeling, as if she and Daniel were meant to meet all along, that their paths had been invisibly intertwined, and it had been just a matter of time—the right time—when they would finally come together here, on Angel Island.
Daniel turned to face her. It was hard to read his expression in the shadowy light. He didn’t say a word but she thought he might be smiling.
“It’s definitely possible. But I would have remembered you, Liza. Even if we’d never exchanged a word.”
Liza stared up at him. She felt the same. She would have remembered Daniel if their gazes had met for only one moment. She felt his strong grip on her shoulders as he drew her closer. As he bent to kiss her Liza twined her arms around his waist, caressing his strong back. The steady ocean surf roared in her head, and Liza knew she could easily drown in his embrace. This was what she had always longed for—this closeness, this physical, emotional, and even spiritual connection.
She had never felt like this with Jeff, her former husband. She had never felt like this with anyone. Even if she still had questions about Daniel, they had come a long way and she was content. More than content, she was floating among the stars that drifted overhead.
Finally, they walked back along the beach toward the wooden staircase. Daniel’s arm was tight around her shoulders and Liza’s arm wrapped around his waist. When they parted to slip on their shoes and start the climb, she felt the sudden absence of his warmth. The breeze off the water was strong and cool now, and Liza hugged her shawl close as she made the long climb back up the cliff.
It was late and her long, eventful day suddenly caught up with her. When they reached the top of the stairs, she smothered a yawn with her hand. “I’m sorry . . . it’s been quite a day. And I did all that gardening.”
“I understand. That roofing work is catching up with me right about now, too. I don’t think either of us needed all those stairs tonight.”
“Maybe not,” she agreed with a laugh, “but the walk on the beach was certainly worth it. Thanks for making me dinner. It was delicious . . . and I loved seeing your house,” she confessed.
He didn’t say anything at first, and it was hard for her to read his expression.
“I’m glad you came, too. Very glad.” He tilted his head to one side, appraising her. “Are you too tired to drive? I can take you back to the inn, and you can pick up your car tomorrow.”
“I’m all right. It’s not a very long drive.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, still not convinced. “If you don’t want to leave the car, I can follow you in the truck. I don’t mind.”
“I’ll be okay. But thank you.” She picked up her purse and fastened the strap on her shoulder. Then Daniel led her around the side of the cottage to her car. He opened the driver’s side door for her and she slipped inside.
“Call me when you get in, okay?”
“I will,” she promised, touched by his concern.
She smiled at him briefly as she backed out of the drive. He looked so handsome standing there—his dark hair mussed from the breeze, his white shirt clinging to his tall, lean body. His eyes were shining as he smiled and waved good-bye.
Liza felt her heartbeat quicken and the breath catch in her throat. It suddenly seemed amazing to her that this man had come into her life in such an accidental way and now seemed to care for her almost as much as she cared for him.