Page 27 of The Handy Men
"Dean does a fantastic job. It's not his fault we're on an island." She sat on the porch swing, wincing as the damp wood soaked through her robe. "And if there’s any damage, which I can't see at the moment, I have handymen on retainer who can fix it."
"I told you I didn't approve of those two."
"Don't believe everything you hear from Caillie, Mom. They're my friends. This inn wouldn't be as ready as it is without them." I’m already half in love with them. The truth was a bit of a shock, and she was glad the swing supported her weight. She was in love with two men and it was awesome. She grinned so hard, her face hurt.
"That better be all they are."
Paige's smile dropped as her jaw clenched, and she saw red. "What do you mean?” She didn't put it past her mother to have Caillie spying on her. Her mother would hate it that she was doing great without Fred. Well, maybe not hate it. But it would put a big crimp in her weekly lectures if Caillie actually told her that she was happy and successful.
"I mean, if you want to attract a respectable crowd, you have to be above reproach."
"I've done nothing wrong."
"Gossip will kill your business faster than bed bugs."
"I don't have any of those, either," she said, swinging violently. In her agitation, the water trapped above the chain splattered down on her head. It was cold and she hid a gasp. Lunging to her feet, she padded out to the garden, making sure there wasn't anything that would pierce her bare feet on the path.
“Those men are wild.”
Boy, were they. The grin slipped back on her face.
“They have a bad reputation.”
Shaking her head, Paige held in a sigh. "They’re the best contractors around. I can send you their references."
"Don't play dumb with me.'
"Then come out and say what you mean, because right now all you're being is vaguely insulting towards my friends and me."
"I remember how Hamlet Island used to be when you were a child. People want that innocent slice of life again, where they can have wholesome family fun."
"It's still like that. It's the island that time forgot. Some of the faces have changed, but everything else is pretty much as I remember it."
"And it should stay that way. Reconsider using those handymen. I realize it may be too late to take them off the job, now, with the opening so close. But going forward, you should hire locally. It will help strengthen relations with the townspeople."
"Jack and Dean are local."
"They don't live on the island."
Paige pulled a few weeds that were threatening her herbs. She was going to have to do something about the mint. It was taking over everything. But she was dabbling with the idea of making special soaps or lotions with it. Maybe she'd leave it for now. But she filed it away for later. Jack and Dean might have some suggestions on that. Paige was looking forward to sharing her business ideas with them. Unlike her parents, they were supportive and made her feel like a competent adult.
"They might as well be local," Paige said, rolling a mint leaf between her fingers to breathe in the fresh scent. It perked up her fuzzy brain. Coffee. She shouldn't be having this conversation with her mother without it. "They live in Port Hamilton on the mainland, which is a ten minute walk from the ferry, and they own a house here on Dune Street."
"Well, at least they aren't staying with you." Her mother sighed in relief.
Paige wandered back inside with the goal of brewing a fresh pot of coffee. "Again, that’s no one's business but mine."
"I beg to disagree. That inn is as much our business as it is yours."
"How do you figure?" Paige stopped dead in her tracks.
"Darling, we just want the best for you."
"I wonder about that sometimes," she said. "Like right now when you say things like that."
"We'll talk more about this next weekend. I don't want to get into it over the phone. But I want all the repairs done by the time we get there or there will be hell to pay. Your father is going to go over your budget with a fine-tooth comb, so be prepared to answer any questions."
Paige resisted the urge to grind her teeth. She'd have answers, all right, but she wasn't sure they'd like what she had to say.
