“What were you thinking of doing?” she asked carefully.
“I don’t know,” Hope said, staring at her plate. “That’s just the problem. I don’t know.”
“That makes two of us,” Gemma said. She leaned back into her chair and stared at the water, hoping that it might provide the answer, or at least the inspiration, that she needed to get through to tomorrow when she again faced a blank page…and an equally open future.
Chapter Eleven
Ellie
Ellie offered her class on a weekly basis, open to the public, but it was rare for a newcomer to attend. Today she had her usual crowd: Sally Hayworth who ran the island newspaper and always posted a little advertisement about Ellie’s classes at a discounted rate in exchange for extra help on her brushstrokes; Donna from the grocery; Joan Kessler who ran the inn up near the old lighthouse, though rumor was they might be selling soon, and who liked to hang her paintings in the lobby, even if they weren’t very good, not that Ellie would ever let on. There was Darcy, who led the quilting club and was one of Gran’s oldest friends, and then there were Ellie’s friends: Mandy, Naomi, and Lena, who came for support and the company.
Usually she liked her Friday night class. It gave her an opportunity to socialize, to catch up on all the island news, to have a few laughs and to remember the purpose of this all. She usually left the studio after each session thinking how much she loved the island, loved the people, loved what she did.
But tonight, all she wanted was for this class to end. It was Friday. Chances were strong that Simon was out and about. And from the looks of it, he wasn’t going to be joining her class, even though she had signs posted all over town. And yes, she had been watching the door, long after her last regular had come in and taken her usual seat.
Darcy, who missed nothing and forgot even less, caught her eye. Ellie felt her cheeks burn as she turned back to the canvas where she was meant to be demonstrating trees tonight. They were surprisingly difficult to capture well, and some of her students were more adept than others.
“I hear that we have had some surprise visitors in town this past week,” Darcy remarked as she swirled her paintbrush in her cup of water.
Ellie nodded and said, “Both my sisters are back, and Hope’s daughters are here too.”
“I saw Gemma at the coffeehouse the other day,” Lena chimed in, even though her eyes never strayed from her canvas. “Such a sad face. Terrible that the man would jilt her like that.”
“I don’t know if he really jilted her,” Ellie said, a little uneasily. She didn’t want to think about Gemma today, but now, when she did, it wasn’t with the same anger she’d felt last night. Gemma had experienced a life-altering setback in recent months. Could that be the sudden interest in selling the cottage? She’d talk to Hope, find out more. Hope was always reasonable; maybe together they could work things out. After all, if Gemma was willing to pull Hope onto her side, why couldn’t Ellie try to do the same?
“I’d rather be jilted than alone forever,” Mandy said with a sigh, and Darcy let out a loud snort.
“You’d rather have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?” she demanded, with a raised eyebrow arched, oddly, in Ellie’s direction. She dabbed at her canvas, even though Ellie was forever explaining the best technique with the brushstroke.
“I’m just saying that it might be nice to be loved…even for a little while.”
Ellie gave Mandy a sympathetic smile. It was no secret that Mandy had harbored feelings for Mack for the better part of three years. In other words, since the day Mack stepped foot on the island as the new owner of the pub which was located just next door to Main Street Sweets. Since then, Mandy found every excuse she could to visit the place. There were rumors, of course, that Mack had a few brief summer affairs over the years. There was never a shortage of seasonal hires, after all. Now, with summer upon them, she could see the anxiety in Mandy’s eyes.
“What about you, Ellie?” Darcy asked. “Do you feel the same?”
Ellie sighed and went back to her demonstration. “Oh, I don’t know…right now I don’t have time for romance, anyway. I have my business, and I’m trying to build up my inventory.”
“I meant to tell you, Ellie,” Naomi cut in, giving her a proud grin. “You know those three paintings you brought me on Monday? I already sold two.”
Ellie was astonished. That made four paintings in one week, and just at Lakeside Gifts. She hadn’t even checked on her inventory at the other shops in town. She made a mental note to do that this weekend.
Everyone cheered their congratulations, and Ellie felt her chest swell with pride. This was what Gemma had forgotten about, living in Chicago, where she could walk down the street every day for a month straight without seeing a single person she knew. But here, Ellie knew everyone, and they knew her. And even if there were some quirky personalities, and some downright difficult ones, she thought, glancing at Darcy, everyone cared. This was a community. It was special. And she wouldn’t leave it. She couldn’t.
Still, something in her chest was heavy when she thought of Darcy’s comment. A part of her did want love. Romance. Connection. Happiness. And right now, the only man on the island who could offer that was…
“I hear that Simon Webber and his parents are also back for the summer,” Darcy announced.
Naomi darted a glance in Ellie’s direction. Ellie did her best to feign nonchalance.
“Is that so?” Naomi remarked, and something in her tone told Ellie that she shouldn’t bother pretending this was brand-new information.
“I saw him around town,” Ellie said simply. “He’s engaged to be married.”
Naomi’s expression folded in disappointment that Ellie tried hard not to let bother her. But Darcy quickly jumped in, saying, “And the girl has already run off to Philly.”
My, word did travel fast around here.
“I’m sure she’ll be back,” Ellie said mildly.
“Perhaps,” Darcy said as she blended some shades of green paint and brought her brush to her canvas. “At the end of the day, most people end up exactly where they were meant to be.”
She glanced over at Ellie and gave a little wink, and because Ellie wanted to believe this, and because she knew support when she saw it and wasn’t one to turn away, she smiled, straight to the heart.
***
She wasn’t stalking him. Evening Island was small, and the locals knew all the best places, the ones that were tucked on cobblestone side streets, off the main strip, the ones that didn’t have quite as cute doors or signage or flowerpots flanking the windows. The ones that were understated. The ones that had been around forever, since Ellie first could remember.
The next afternoon, she happened to bicycle past his family property on her way back from the north side of the island, where she’d captured the most beautiful painting of the rocky shoreline and the light glistening over the surface off the water. She loved the way the water was so clear, as far as the eye could see, that you didn’t know where the shore ended and where it began. And, truth be told, she loved that her sisters wouldn’t think to look for her there.