The Bluebird Bet Page 20

  But neither was there. Just “I hope you’re doing well.”

  She thought about throwing the phone. But she had an audience.

  “That sure is a lovely color, Dr. Watson.” Mr. King slid the paint can across the counter.

  “Thanks, Mr. King,” she answered as she gripped the handle. She was hoping the light gray paint would make her new room seem bigger and still give the space a personal touch. She’d lived in her apartment for years without picking up a paintbrush. She wasn’t going to make the same mistake in her new home.

  “Nick mentioned you’d put the marina on hold until next year.” King hummed as he counted her change. “Probably smart, but I sure was looking forward to a marina close to home. I hate heading to Lawrence every time I take the boat out.”

  Elaine fiddled with the paint can. “Well, it’s only a delay, not a cancellation. I want to do it right. The Bluebird and the Collinses deserve that, you know?”

  When she’d looked at the cost of doing the renovations and building the marina the way she wanted, the only smart thing to do was get the inn open first, start making some money and then expand.

  But she hated the delay. Some of Dean’s excitement had rubbed off on her.

  And Nick had been disappointed. Besides that, running a bed-and-breakfast, even with her mother’s help, was going to take some adjustment.

  “Yeah, Dean said the same thing when he was in here this morning.” King nodded. “It’s just solid business, I guess.”

  She wanted to leap across the counter and ask all the questions that had been building up inside her during the past week. How was Dean? Did he seem tired? Was he sleeping? Where was he staying? Apparently somewhere in Tall Pines. The relief that swept over her made it easier to smile and wave before she stepped out onto the sidewalk.

  Where she nearly walked right into Edna.

  “Slow down there, young lady,” Edna snapped. “Running out of patients so you’re making your own?” She tugged the edge of her jacket, and Elaine was speechless.

  Edna was wearing a lovely black suit. Right there in the middle of Tall Pines, Edna was dressed like a high-society dame out for an evening of charity fund-raising and theater. Even her hair was different, a beautiful soft gray that made her look rich instead of eccentric.

  “Well, are you going to apologize?” Edna’s concerned frown reminded Elaine that she’d been gaping for entirely too long.

  “Sorry.” Elaine cleared her throat. “I apologize, Edna. I didn’t see you there.”

  “Obviously. You were moving at full steam. Emergency somewhere?”

  Elaine shifted the paint can. “Uh, no, just deep in thought.”

  Edna sniffed. “Oh, really. Wouldn’t be about a certain photographer I know, would it?”

  Feeling the pinch of the paint can handle, Elaine switched hands and tried to figure out how to answer that. “Well, maybe I was thinking about why I hadn’t heard anything from him.” All week long. Until today. And how disappointing that was.

  “I guess he missed your call?” Edna tilted her head to the side.

  Elaine fought the urge to squirm. “Well, no, but I’ve been busy.” And mad. A little hurt. And jumping at the sound of every truck coming down the road. Each one belonged to one of Nick’s crews. After deciding to postpone the marina, they’d finalized all the plans for the inn itself, and when she and Robert finished the closing, the Bluebird was going to become one solid construction area.

  “Right, busier than finding a new place to live and figuring out what to do with the rest of your life, I guess.” Edna shrugged. “And getting ready for an art show. He really has been slacking lately. You are coming tonight, aren’t you?”

  “I guess my invitation was lost in the mail,” Elaine said with a frown. Had it been? Was he that...mad about losing? Surely not.

  “There was no invitation,” Edna muttered. “Mark put it in the paper. Tonight. Seven. Featuring stories from photojournalist Dean Collins and light hors d’oeuvres. Don’t you read?”

  This was the week of Mark’s feature on the bet and the judges’ decision. All she’d done was stare at the picture of them on the front page and fold it back up.

  Edna rolled her eyes. “Good grief. Of course you missed it. Of course he didn’t call you to make a point of inviting you. Because you both want to be miserable as long as possible and ‘plan your future.’” The air quotes made Elaine snap to attention. “I swear you young people need to realize the future is happening right now, and you’re missing the best part.” Edna caught her wrist. “Never mind. Come with me.”

  “In these?” Elaine motioned at her wrinkled scrubs. “No way.”

  “That’s a disappointment. To me and to Dean, I’d imagine. There are some shots on display that you need to see.” Edna smiled and a shiver rolled over Elaine. When Edna knew something she didn’t, Elaine had good cause to be concerned.

  “Maybe if I hurry...” Elaine took a step back. Edna squeezed her hand once but let her go. Since almost everything she owned was still in her apartment, it would be a quick trip to change out of the scrubs.

  If she wanted to go.

  Edna made shooing motions. “Don’t stand there. Hurry.”

  Before Elaine seized her chance to slide into her car, Edna said, “Elaine, you did an amazing job with your plans. Don’t be stupid now.”

  Elaine froze. “What do you mean?”

  “We’ve known each other a long time. I’ve been expecting you to move out of that tiny apartment for years. It’s barely fit for a college kid, much less the town’s beloved doctor.” Edna wagged her finger. “Decide what you want and go after it. Don’t waste any more days waiting for things to be what you want. Make them what you want. Just like you did with the Bluebird.”

  Elaine blinked, not sure she was awake. This had to be a dream, didn’t it?

  “Edna, why have you been so kind to me for so long? You rented that apartment to me at a steal, even for Tall Pines. You and I both know you could have evicted me and raised the rent several times.” She’d often wondered how long Edna’s charity would last, but she’d been afraid to ask the question until now.

  “I don’t change for change’s sake, Dr. Watson, but I have to tell you I don’t miss any opportunity, either. If the right renter had come along, you’d have been packed and on your way. That’s smart business. So is offering a home to a young doctor who can make a difference in your community. My sister, over at Shady Pines, she needed a talented doctor who would consider new Alzheimer’s treatments. You did that. I have a niece who’s practically eleven months pregnant. That’s the first in a long line, I hope. This town needs skilled doctors. I could see it when you came to town. There’s something about you that convinces a person you can be trusted. I wanted the best for Tall Pines. I could sacrifice a little money to make that happen.”

  Elaine blinked, overcome with emotion, something that had never happened in a conversation with Edna and probably never would again.

  “Don’t disappoint me now, Elaine. Be as smart now as I knew you were then.” Edna pointed at her and then marched down the sidewalk. “If you chicken out, like I can see perking there in your brain, I’ll see you at Purl’s in the morning. I’ll be disappointed, but we can still knit together.” Elaine watched her walk away until she realized she was baking in the sun and getting later every second.

  On her way through town, she tried to picture the clothes hanging in her closet. “What do you wear to an art show in Tall Pines?” Elaine waved at Hailey and her mother as they crossed the street in front of the ice cream parlor. “Since it’s the first one, maybe the dress code’s kind of loose.”

  After she parked, she hurried inside to her closet. “Okay, so this black dress...” She swiped a few more hangers. “Or that black dress.” Both had been worn to her mother’s engagemen
t parties. Both seemed to go along with Edna’s night-at-the-theater duds. She yanked the second dress out and muttered a curse as she looked at the clock. There was no time to attempt eye liner, a feat that took her twice as long as other women, or to smooth the end-of-day mess from her hair. “Let Edna win best dressed. Just don’t miss what’s important.”

  Maybe by the time she made it to the gallery, she’d figure out what to say.

  * * *

  DEAN STARED INTO the bubbles of his ginger ale and wished for a nice dark corner to disappear into.

  No such luck.

  Tall Pines’s new gallery was one wide-open cube with a wall of windows and enough people inside to eliminate all hope of escape. Plus, Edna was stuck to his side, a persistent, slightly annoying shadow. He couldn’t quite get over the transformation from tracksuit to evening wear. She obviously felt the same.

  “You look like a very, very expensive and yet sad accountant.” Edna shoved a plate of cheese and crackers in his hand. “Eat something. That will help.”

  “You don’t like my suit?” Dean popped a cheese cube into his mouth and chewed while he considered her description. He’d bought a new suit for the occasion and gotten his hair cut. Maybe he’d gone too far. “You wanted me to show up looking like Indiana Jones, didn’t you?”

  “Would have given the whole evening more wow factor. Guess your stories will have to bring the wow,” Edna grumbled.

  He nodded while he scanned the mingling crowd. The turnout was impressive. He hadn’t expected a big showing in a small place like Tall Pines, but Edna must have traded in every bit of unused scuttlebutt she had to fill the room.

  Whatever the reason, Tall Pines had showed up and dressed for the occasion.

  He hoped he could go through with it. Disappointing a crowd this size would be hard.

  And Edna would change the locks on the tiny apartment he’d gratefully claimed after three long days driving as fast as he could to get absolutely nowhere. A phone conversation with his father revealed he’d had a shadow the whole trip—a luxury travel trailer. They’d met at a twenty-four-hour diner, and Dean had to face the fact that if he’d really wanted to move on, he would’ve made it across the state line.

  So he’d called Edna, emailed her links to some of his favorite, most devastating photos, the ones he was proudest of but that told the starkest stories, and took advantage of Edna’s charity and sound advice.

  When he wasn’t busy feeling like a fool for leaving Elaine when she’d asked him to stay, he was dreaming up her response to this gamble.

  Breaking down in front of friends and family would really embarrass him, but he’d take the chance because he had to stay here. He didn’t want to dread meeting old friends.

  Somehow this exhibition, the opportunity to tell his stories to Tall Pines, had become a test.

  If he passed, nothing was holding him back. He’d make plans for the future and convince Elaine she liked them, too.

  If anyone could understand his need to make sense of both coming home and leaving his career behind to try something new, it was Elaine.

  Edna handed him a glass of wine. “Drink up. It’ll help.”

  He wasn’t a wine kind of guy, but he didn’t feel like arguing so he took her advice.

  “Ready?” Edna asked as she smoothed her dark suit down her hips. His father took the plate out of his hand.

  He thought about telling Edna he’d changed his mind, but then he saw Elaine run past the window toward the door. He couldn’t quite see her through the crowd, but a small river parted and closed up until she appeared near the front.

  “Ready.” She was beautiful in the fancy dress, but her glasses and dark curls were familiar. It had been less than a week, but he’d missed her smiles. Right now, even her frown eased some of the worry he’d been living with ever since he left town.

  She was here, and he would prove that he was never leaving again.

  When he managed to look away from Elaine, everyone was looking at him. Edna’s glare told him he’d missed his intro. She whispered, “No dead air!” and managed to work the wineglass out of his grasp.

  Dean cleared his throat and glanced around the room, meeting eyes here and there until he found Elaine again. She was fussing with her hair, but her hands stilled as she nodded at him.

  He needed her, and she was here.

  “Thank you all for coming. Some of you are familiar, maybe from my first lifetime in Tall Pines or from my newest adventure, coming home. I convinced Edna to let me put together a show for the gallery’s grand opening so that I could tell you all about what I’ve been doing while I’ve been away. These are stories that should be heard.”

  His dad crossed his arms over his chest, but the pride on his face beamed like a lighthouse across a rough sea.

  Dean wasn’t certain he could do this, but it was too important not to try.

  He moved to stand in front of a black-and-white photo of a soldier dressed in camouflage stretched out on the ground. One hand was behind his head and the other cradled a Father’s Day card to his chest. Staring at the photo was painful, mainly because he’d taken it on the same trip that sent him home. The soldier could have died. A concussion seemed like a splinter in comparison, but they’d both lived. And Dean had come home. The soldier was still deployed, still forced to talk to his family through letters, emails and occasional phone calls. Every person that mattered to Dean was right here in this room. The least he could do was tell the story.

  By the time he’d covered the six large photos of his travels, his chest ached, his voice was almost gone and more than one person in the crowd was in tears.

  He glanced at Elaine to watch her wipe away a tear. She’d been...bedraggled when she came in. Now she was a red-eyed mess. Standing so close and yet too far away to wrap his arms around her was almost the hardest thing he’d done that evening. He watched her shoot uneasy glances to her left and right like she was making sure no one noticed. But he had.

  “These stories matter,” Dean said. “But they take a toll.” He moved to stand in front of his photos of the Bluebird and downtown Tall Pines. These were the kinds of shots Edna wanted, souvenirs for tourists. They also told another important story. “And sometimes you have to come home to understand that toll. I can’t imagine a better spot to recover.”

  He pointed at Elaine’s wildflower photo, a beautiful shot of color next to his black-and-whites. “Sometimes you find beauty in the most unexpected locations. This was our Dr. Watson’s first photography lesson.”

  The small wave of sound and the breeze as everyone turned to consider her was gratifying. She was fidgeting with her droopy curls again, but she’d regained a bit of her control.

  “And this will be my next challenge. I’m going to teach photography lessons, maybe hold retreats, once the inn is up and running. We’ll book weekend classes in the spring and fall. Anyone who’d like to learn how to tell a story through a lens can sign up. I want to make sure the stories that must be heard find their way to the world.”

  Everyone was quiet for a minute until Edna reminded them that all the photos were for sale. He wasn’t sure what her cut was, but he had no doubt there was one. Before he could make his way to Elaine, his father wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug. “Good job. I’m so proud of you. And whatever I can do to help, I will.” Before he could answer, Mark and Andrea were congratulating him. He reached around Andi to try to draw Elaine closer but she was gone.

  * * *

  MAKING A RUN for the privacy of the restroom had been a little cowardly, but it was absolutely necessary. Elaine ran her hands under the cold water and held her fingers over her eyes. She repeated the same move twice and then dried her face.

  “Nothing is going to make those eyes look normal except time, Doctor,” she muttered and tried to add some oomph to her hai
r.

  Why was she fussing with her hair and makeup in the restroom?

  Dean Collins had seen her at her worst: after a day of grimy renovation and limping through the woods. He wasn’t going to change his mind about whatever he’d decided because her eyes were puffy and her nose red.

  But losing his home might change that, no matter what he’d said before.

  “You won’t know how he feels until you talk to him.” And she couldn’t stay in the bathroom forever.

  Although, as public restrooms went, it wouldn’t be the worst place to hang out indefinitely.

  A knock on the door jolted her back into the present. “Come out, Elaine. I know you’re in there.”

  It was just Wanda Blankenship. She could bluff her way past Wanda. No problem.

  After a deep breath, she pulled open the door, a wide smile on her face. “Wanda, I didn’t know you’re an art fan.”

  Wanda snorted. “I didn’t know you owned more than one dress. Now I see it’s at least two.”

  Elaine glanced at her dress and tried to decide whether she should respond when Wanda had a valid point.

  “At least it’s a nice dress. Looks good on you.” Wanda didn’t smile. That made it seem more like a real compliment. First Edna. Now Wanda. It was a lot of unexpected kindness for one day.

  “Here.” Wanda held out a compact. “Use this.”

  Elaine opened it and swiped powder over the pink tip of her nose and her shiny cheeks. For half a second, she considered asking Wanda to apply eyeliner but changed her mind.

  “You’re going to tell us what happened tomorrow, aren’t you? At Purl’s Place?” Wanda asked as she dropped the compact into her purse. “That’s the price of admission. The juiciest gossip you know. I have a hunch you’ll take the prize. He was looking at you like you’re a lost security blanket.”

  Again with the unexpected encouragement.

  Elaine didn’t know how long she stood there with her mouth open. Wanda finally gave her shoulder a nudge. “Come on. Everybody in the room could see it, two people who are going to be a whole lot better together than they ever were apart.”