Page 45 of The Summer We Started Over

Eddie was shocked. “How did you manage to arrange this?”

Dinah gloated. “I’m not completely without computer skills. I did it all on my little phone.”

“Dinah, thank you!” Barrett said.

Paul came down the ladder and stood next to Barrett, looking up at the sign. “Do you like it?”

“It’s wonderful, Paul! Thank you!” Barrett threw her arms around him in a quick hug.

“Barrett, look this way!” Trudy Ellison, a local photographer, snapped shots of the crowd, the table of champagne and munchies, the sign, and lots of shots of Barrett.

Dinah sidled close to Jeff. “You were so helpful, holding that ladder. It would have been awful if Paul had fallen. Why, I could just hug you.”

Before Jeff could respond, Dinah threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek. “Oooh,” she cooed. “You’re all bristly.”

The waiters opened the champagne. A small crowd gathered on the street, obviously curious.

Dinah noticed them. “Hello, everyone! Welcome to the opening of Nantucket Blues! Please come join us for our little celebration! The champagne is free and so are the delicious munchies.” She popped one in her mouth and moaned her appreciation.

Several women approached the table and accepted glasses of champagne.

“I love your headband,” Dinah told a pretty brunette. “It’s such a pretty blue. Would you mind if we took a photo of you inside the shop? We’d use it on Nantucket Blues’s Facebook page.”

“Cool,” the brunette said.

She and her friends entered the shop. Dinah bustled around, placing them strategically in front of the wall of blue scarves as she snapped photos. The women went wild over the scarves and Dinah subtly directed their attention to the jewelry case. Barrett slid into the shop. She went behind the counter and began taking credit cards, wrapping purchases in pale blue tissue, and tucking them into elegant bags with the Nantucket Blues name on the sides.

Eddie waited outside the shop, offering champagne to passersby. Women were bustling out of the shop with Nantucket Blues bags on their arms. As they came out, more women went in.

A handsome man with blond hair and Nantucket blue eyes approached. He wore chinos, a blue button-down shirt, and leather loafers without socks.

Eddie stepped forward to greet him. “Hi, there! You must be Drew. I’m Eddie, Barrett’s older and wiser sister.”

“Nice to meet you, Eddie,” Drew said. “Quite a crowd Barrett has for her opening.”

“I know. I’m so proud of her. She said you were her first customer.” Eddie wondered how she could ease Drew through the mob and into the shop to have his photo taken with Barrett. “Oh! You should meet Paul. He made that gorgeous quarterboard for Barrett.”

Paul heard his name and walked over. “It’s not a real quarterboard.”

“Whatever it is, it’s eye-catching.” Drew held out his hand. “Drew Fischer.”

“Paul Folger. I’m an islander. Born here. I’d guess you’re from the mainland?”

Drew grinned. “I look like it, don’t I. I work in Boston, but I’ve summered here all my life. I’ve been here for holidays, too.”

Paul said, “You have the best of both worlds. The winters can be long here. I usually go skiing at Tahoe or down to Costa Rica.”

“Smart man.”

Eddie pretended to watch the crowd while she listened in on their conversation. Drew sounded pleasant enough, not arrogant or patronizing. He seemed slightly older than Barrett. He was handsome. But so was Paul, and Paul was a normal person, and Barrett needed normal. Her sister didn’t need a romantic disaster now that she was starting her own business. Drew might be more complicated than Barrett needed right now.

She faced the men. “If you’re hoping to see Barrett, you’ll have a long wait. It’s amazing that she has so many customers. It’s a great start for her shop. Maybe you should come back and see her tomorrow.”

Paul looked at his watch. “That’s a good idea. I’m starting early tomorrow. I’ll head off now.”

“Thank you so much for that amazing sign!” Eddie hugged Paul tight.

Jeff joined the group. “Do I get a hug, too?” he asked Eddie.

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