“Yeah, I guess,” the boy mumbled, avoiding her glance.
“Well, thanks for pitching in. I’m sure Daniel appreciated the extra help.”
“Yeah, well at least somebody did.” Will gave his father a dark look, then turned toward his room.
Will’s door closed, and Liza looked over at her brother. “Did you and Will have another fight today?”
Peter shrugged. “Oh, he’s just in a snit. That work was dangerous. I didn’t want him getting hurt. Was that so wrong? I didn’t feel like carrying his fingers in a plastic bag of ice to some emergency room and-”
“I get your point,” Liza quickly cut in.
Poor Daniel. Had he played referee all day between them?
Peter shook his head. “Let’s go up and look at the roof. I’ll try to make it up to Will tomorrow,” he added in a tired tone.
Moments later they were standing in the attic. The branch had disappeared, and the jagged hole had been cleaned up. Fresh beams of wood crossed over the hole, which was covered on the outside tonight by a sheet of canvas.
“Not bad,” Liza said. “It’s coming along quickly.”
“I thought so. But Daniel thinks it needs at least two more days. At this rate, it will be Labor Day before we sell this place.”
“I’ve been thinking, Peter, maybe this delay isn’t such a bad thing?” He turned and looked at her, but she rushed on before he could interrupt. “Right before the storm, when I ran off on the bike, you know where I ended up? At the cemetery. I went to look for Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Clive’s headstone.”
“I guess I should visit, too, before I go,” Peter said. “Maybe I’ll take Will.”
“Maybe you should. I was so upset about Jeff and about my job, about a lot of things. I just sat there for a long time, thinking. I got this feeling that if Aunt Elizabeth were here, she wouldn’t like the way we’re handling things-rushing to sell this place to the first person who has a pulse and enough credit to get a mortgage.”
Peter laughed, a sharp, surprised sound. “What other credentials should we be looking for, do you think?”
“You know what I mean.” Liza walked over to a pile of her aunt’s canvases that were stacked against the wall. One had fallen, and she bent to pick it up. Some of these should be framed, she thought. They would look great in the bedrooms and hallways.
She dusted her hands off and looked at her brother. “I know the roof repair is an annoyance and a speed bump. But it’s also an opportunity. Maybe we should just slow down and consider our options.”
Peter laughed. “Oh, no. Don’t tell me. You think that lightning bolt was ‘a sign’ or something now, too?”
Liza wasn’t entirely sure what she thought about the lightning bolt. Maybe it was a sign of some kind. Who could say either way? She wasn’t willing to go down that road with him right now. It was beside the point anyway.
“Let’s just say we’ve been forced to stop and take stock. We have no choice. So why not look at all the possibilities?”
“What possibilities?” Peter folded his arms across his chest, his expression not quite angry but tense. Still, she had to persist, get this out in the open while she had a chance.
“There are choices we’ve never discussed,” Liza said carefully. “Like holding on to the place as an investment. Once the island gets more active, the property is bound to increase in value. Maybe we could find someone to run the inn, and we could be absentee owners.”
“Liza, please. Don’t do this to me. Not now.” Peter shook his head. “I don’t want to be an absentee owner of a run-down money pit. And how would we find anyone to manage this place for us? Anyone we could trust? And what about the cost of renovating? Aunt Elizabeth had her regular customers who didn’t expect much, but you’re talking about a wave of tourists with far different expectations… And why am I even getting into this discussion in the first place? Honestly, Liza. This is the last thing I expected. I’m really not in the mood to argue with you tonight.”
“I’m only pointing out some possibilities,” Liza said quietly.
Then she stopped talking. She didn’t want to argue either, and she didn’t have answers to his questions. But now that Peter had mentioned it, Liza did think Claire North would be the perfect person to run the inn. She was definitely someone they could trust.
“You know I need my share of the money,” her brother continued. “I thought this was all settled between us. Why are you back-tracking?”
Liza sighed. “It’s hard to explain. It’s just that my feelings have changed since I’ve gotten here. I’ve started to feel differently, and I can see some interesting alternatives to selling. Can’t you?”
“To be perfectly honest, I’ve felt relieved knowing I won’t be stuck with this place. It’s practically falling down. Or haven’t you noticed?”
Liza didn’t think the condition of the building was quite that bad. Though the repairs needed were definitely daunting.
Peter’s expression remained tight and grim. She could see that she wasn’t making any headway.
“If it’s a matter of money, I have some savings I can loan you, Peter. I’d be happy to help you. Honestly.”
Peter stared at her, then let out a long frustrated sigh. “It’s not just the money, Liza. It’s the whole idea of it. I own half of this property,” he reminded her. “It’s not just about your feelings, which seem to change day to day.”
“I can’t help it. I’ve had a change of heart.”
“You’ve had a lot going on in your life, too. Everything at your office and your divorce. Jeff surprising you here-”
“What are you trying to say?” she asked warily.
“Only that you’re going through a lot of change and loss, a lot of emotional upheaval. Maybe changing your mind about selling the inn is some sort of reaction to all that. That’s all I mean.”
What he meant was that she was upset and confused right now and that she shouldn’t trust her own feelings or impulses.
“I don’t think that’s it,” she said finally. “But I’ll think about it. If you’ll think about what I said.”
“All right. Fair enough. I’ll try.”
“Let’s just get the roof fixed and get our bearings,” Liza said. “We have to delay showing the place that long anyway.”
“Fran Tulley certainly thinks so,” Peter grumbled. He stood up and stretched, then rubbed his lower back. “I’m turning in. See you tomorrow.”
“Good night, Peter.”
She knew that she ought to go downstairs, too, but somehow she didn’t feel like leaving the attic space so quickly. She wandered around, peering into boxes to check for water damage.
She came to the boxes of Christmas decorations and thought about the kiss she had shared with Daniel in the shadows at that very spot. The episode seemed like a dream. Like some wild fantasy. How seriously should she take it? Another question to add to her growing list.
Most likely it was just a fluke, not the start of anything real, she told herself. She would be foolish to let things go any further if she wasn’t going to stay here.
It was funny how all the pressing questions seemed tangled together now, one sticky thread twisted with another.
Clearing out this old house had become a process of clearing out the cobwebs in her own life, Liza realized. Cobwebs she hadn’t even known were there.
Chapter Twelve
DANIEL started working on the roof very early the next morning. Liza heard heavy footsteps pass her bedroom door, then tramp up the next flight toward the attic. Hammering soon followed, making it impossible to get back to sleep. With a sigh, she got out of bed and quickly dressed.
Down in the kitchen, Peter and Will had already eaten breakfast and looked ready to start their workday.
“Daniel wants us to help his man with the exterior house painting today,” Peter said. “He’s concerned about falling behind schedule.”