Page 8 of Sunset Tides
She smiled and pulled her coat on. He’d been so particular about their weekends recently.
Was she making him feel neglected? Claire didn’t think she’d been busier than usual, though she did go to that conference onthe mainland last week. He must’ve missed her more than she realized. “How about we do it tomorrow night?”
He thought on this for a moment. “Okay. Deal.”
She gave him a kiss and rushed out to her car. The drive over to the farm wasn’t long, and when she got there, she started her search for Lucy in the tasting room.
It was busy for a rainy winter’s day, and Claire couldn’t see Lucy anywhere. She was pleased, however, when she spotted Marty and Emma across the room.
“I didn’t expect to see you today,” Marty said as she walked over. He’d just taken a large bite of apple pie and was struggling to contain it as he talked and chewed. “Did Lucy order you here too?”
“She didn’t, but I had to stop by. I’m so curious about what she’s up to. Why is she ordering you around?”
Emma looked up, a smile on her face. “I didn’t get any orders. I’m here for moral support.”
“That’s nice of you!” Claire meant it.
She missed working with Emma. Ever since she’d gotten full-time work as a nanny with Marty’s boss, Emma no longer worked weekend hours at the hotel. Her smiling presence was sorely missed. Even Gigi, who had never skipped an opportunity to pick on Emma, complained about wanting her to come back.
Marty took a sip of water and fully cleared his mouth of pie. “Consider yourselves lucky. Lucy has a new cause, and she’s taking no prisoners.”
“A new cause?” Claire took a seat. It wasn’t unlike Lucy to get swept up in things. She was passionate, and ever since she had been a kid, she’d gone through phases and cycles. Lucy vacillated between being unbelievably excited and unbearably bored.
“She’s trying to save Grindstone Farm from bankruptcy,” Emma explained.
“Oh!” Claire laughed. That was unexpected. “How does she plan to do that?”
Marty took another enormous bite of pie before answering. “It’s a long shot. I mean, I don’t know. Doesn’t seem possible, but – ” He started coughing.
Emma patted him on the back. “Slow down! We can get more pie!”
He shook his head. “No, please don’t let me have any more pie.”
“The farm is over a million dollars in debt,” Emma said. “I’m not sure how it happened.”
“They were bought by a private equity firm,” Marty interjected, mostly recovered from his coughing fit. “A leveraged buyout. Have you heard of that before?”
Claire nodded. “They were all the rage in the eighties.”
“Ah, so it’s a retro business practice?” Marty said with a smile.
Claire pretended to be offended, putting a hand to her chest. “It’s not retro. It’s – I don’t know, modern, apparently!”
“Quite modern,” Emma said, shooting Marty a look. “Lucy said she needs to raise money so she can buy the farm back at auction.”
Claire let out a breath. That seemed ambitious, even for Lucy.
Before she could comment, Lucy swooped in, her cheeks flushed pink and her eyes wide and bright. “Hey! It’s so good to see you all!”
Claire stood and gave her a hug. “It’s good to see you, too. Can you sit with us for a minute?”
Lucy shook her head. “There’s no time for that, and honestly, I’m disappointed in Marty for sitting here, stuffing pie in his face, when he promised to help me.”
He pushed the now-empty plate away. “I’m sorry. I’m done. I got a whiff of this when I walked in and I couldn’t say no.”
Lucy nodded. “I understand, and I forgive you.” She clapped her hands together. “But now it’s time to get to work.”
Emma laughed, and Marty rolled his eyes, standing from his seat.
