“Yeah, I can do that. I have to help Nate with the entertainment room, but I can paint the other chairs when he doesn’t need me.”
“Great. Maybe I’ll paint one too.” She could use the stress relief.
“Cool.” He glanced at his phone. “I’d better clean up. Joe and the judge are taking me to dinner.”
Which meant she and Nate would be alone, at least for a couple of hours. Unless he went straight out on his date with Tiff. In the end, maybe it would be for the best if he did. The less time Ellie spent alone with him the better.
Ryder stood up with the paint tray in one hand and the paint can in the other. He glanced at Toby, who’d been about to follow him. “Sorry boy, you can’t come.”
“Don’t look so glum,Toby. You’re staying with me. We’ll have fun.” She picked up a tennis ball from the dock and tossed it. “Go on, get your ball.”
Toby looked from the ball to her and hung his head.
Ryder transferred the paint can to his other hand and dug in the pocket of his jeans. “Look, I’ve got a treat for you. Be a good boy for Ellie, and I’ll give you another one when I come home.”
Toby took the treat but stayed glued to Ryder’s leg.
“It’s amazing how fast he bonded with you.” Ellie wondered if Toby sensed Ryder had suffered a loss too, which reminded her of her promise to her sister. “Would you mind posing with Toby, Ryder? I told my sister I’d send her pictures every day. She’ll be happy he’s made a friend.”
“Sure.” He put down the paint tray and can to kneel beside Toby, wrapping his arms around the dog’s neck. Ellie took a couple of shots, smiling when she viewed them on her screen. Both the dog and the teenager looked happy. “Do you want to send one to your mom?”
“Nah, it’s okay. Come on, Toby.” Ryder retrieved the paint tray and can. “You can stay in my room while I clean up,” he told the dog. Then he glanced at Ellie. “Is that okay?”
“Absolutely. If you want, I’ll move his bed and his toys into your room. I’m pretty sure he’ll be happier staying with you than with me.”
Ryder’s face lit up with a smile. “That’d be awesome. Thanks, Ellie.”
“No, thank you. You’ve been a big help with Toby, and I really appreciate you cutting the grass and painting the chair.”
“It’s not a big deal,” he said, sounding like Nate.
As Ryder and Toby walked across the lawn together, she snapped another picture. She took a photo of the chair as an afterthought. She’d send them to Nate, and he could forward them to Gina.
But first she’d send them to her sister. Ellie typed Toby has a new friend. She attached the photos and pressed Send.
Taking a seat on a chair near the edge of the lake, she waited for her sister’s response. Dots appeared on her screen and then disappeared. She added Everything okay with you? in hopes her sister would respond. Her phone buzzed in her hand. She’d gotten her wish. Hopefully, she’d also get some answers from her sister.
“Hey, Bri.”
“Hi. Thanks for the pictures. I’ve been wondering how he was doing.”
“Sorry. It’s been a bit crazy around here. But you know, you could have called.”
“It hasn’t been much better around here.” Her sister sighed. “Ellie, did you say something about Richard to mom?”
“Do you mean after she accused me of being selfish for insisting you give Toby to Grandpa for his therapy?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to say. You didn’t tell her the real reason I did, did you?”
“How could I? It’s not like you told me the truth. I had to figure that out for myself.”
“Please, don’t. I can’t deal with that now.” Her sister paused, and Ellie heard what sounded like a door closing. “Have you talked to Mom today?”
“I haven’t heard from her since yesterday morning.” This was the opportunity Ellie had been hoping for. She’d just have to be careful not to reveal her suspicions that the deal with the developer had something to do with their mother’s affair. “But there’s something going on, Bri. Mom’s backed down on insisting Grandpa have a legal competency test and putting him in a home. It doesn’t sound like she wants to sell the inn for the money either, so I can’t figure out why she’s pushing for this deal. Can you? Does Richard have any idea what this is really about?”
“I’m in the dark too. When Mom first told me what she planned to do, she was clear that she was only concerned for Grandpa’s well-being. But this morning, she called to talk to Richard. She hardly said two words to me. She was upset, Ellie. Panicked even.”
“What did Richard say?”
“He told me I needed to do whatever I have to to convince Grandpa to sell. He wanted me to leave for the inn today. When I told him I couldn’t afford to take time off work right now, he…he was upset.”
“How upset was he?” Her sister didn’t respond. Ellie knew what would happen if she pushed too hard, so instead she said, “For Grandpa’s sake and for Mom’s, we need to figure this out, Bri. Why don’t you come Friday and spend the weekend? I could use your help.” She told her about the guest rooms’ redesign and Sunday’s tour.
“Is Mom coming?”
Ellie bowed her head. The last thing she wanted was her mother underfoot. She’d criticize Ellie’s every decision. But if that was what it took to get her sister away from Richard for the weekend, she’d suck it up. “I haven’t asked her yet. But I will if you want me to. Do you want me to?” She closed her eyes and crossed her fingers.
“I know she’s hard on you, Ellie. But if we want to find out what’s really going on, it would be better if she comes. Maybe between the two of us we can convince her to let this go.”
“If I don’t murder her first,” Ellie muttered after disconnecting from her sister.
Chapter Thirteen
I’m going to pretend I didn’t just hear you contemplating murder. I’d hate to have to arrest you.” Ellie whipped her head around, her eyes wide. “I’m kidding,” Nate said as he took a seat on the chair beside hers. “Who’s on your hit list?”
“My mother.” She filled him in on her conversation with her sister. “I was afraid if I didn’t agree to invite her, Bri wouldn’t come.”
Nate frowned. “Back it up a sec. What do you mean you and Bri need to get to the bottom of it? I thought you’d decided it came down to the money.”
“I did. Until I spoke to my mother yesterday.” She caught her bottom lip between her teeth, then glanced at him. “The only person I’ve told this to is Sadie. If I tell you, Nate, you have to promise not to say anything to anyone.”
“I’m a vault, Ellie. You can trust me with your secrets.” Unless they put someone in danger.
“My mother had an affair. My dad isn’t Bri’s biological father.” After dropping her bombshell, Ellie repeated what her mother had told her yesterday.
“I see what you mean, and I get why you don’t want to tell your sister. But that’s a pretty big secret for you to carry, Ellie.”