A Nantucket Affair (Nantucket Beach Plum Cove #4)(40)

“So, what’s your plan?” Paige asked.

“Just to make more of an effort, about everything. I started going back into the office this week. Just mornings, except for Thursday. I was there all day and after the weekly meeting I went out for drinks with everyone.”

“Wow, that’s a big change,” Lisa said.

“I think it’s a good one. I was becoming too much of a hermit at home. I wasn’t even always making the weekly meeting and I think Curt stopped asking me to do things because I was always saying no.”

Paige poured a little more coffee into her mug. “How is it being in the office with Brandi?”

“It’s interesting, actually. She’s probably the hardest worker in the office, so I have no complaints there. She’s not afraid to ask for help either, and we worked together on a project that turned out well.”

“Oh, that’s good, then,” Lisa said.

“I feel kind of frumpy next to her, though. She has the most gorgeous clothes. I might feel a shopping trip coming on, if either of you are up for it? I just haven’t bought anything new in ages.”

“Well, first of all, you’re not frumpy. And of course I’d be up for a shopping trip, maybe next weekend. Paige, are you in?”

“I’m in. Peter and I were going to go away next weekend, but we had to postpone it because he is short-handed at the store.”

“Things are still going well with Peter?” Sue asked. She thought they made a fantastic couple.

“Really well. For the first time for me, it’s just easy and we’re enjoying each other’s company. Took me a long time to learn that relationships don’t have to be full of drama. I don’t miss that.”

“That’s how it was with Rhett, too. I just enjoyed his company as a friend first and never really expected more than that. You just never know. He did a sleep study two nights ago and learned that he has sleep apnea.”

“Peter has that,” Paige said. “Tell Rhett not to freak out about the mask. He’ll get used to it, and it will save his life. Sleep apnea is very treatable.”

“I’ll tell him. He’s not too keen about the thought of wearing a mask and hose that will blow air into his face. I think he’s embarrassed at the idea of it.”

“Tell him not to worry and that it doesn’t have to slow anything down in the bedroom. He’ll just wait to put the mask on when he’s ready to sleep.”

Lisa laughed. “Oh, my goodness. Maybe I’ll just have him call you and you can tell him that. Or actually, I should just tell him to talk to Peter. That might be a good idea.”

“What were his symptoms?” Sue had heard of sleep apnea but wasn’t exactly sure what it was.

“He snores and when I got up one night to use the bathroom, I noticed that he stopped breathing a few times in between snores. He was also saying that he always felt tired and couldn’t seem to get a good night’s sleep.”

“How did they test him for that?”

“He went to a sleep lab in Hyannis for a night. They hooked him up to a bunch of sensors and monitored his sleep. When he had more than fifteen apneas in an hour, they woke him up and fitted him with a CPAP mask and hooked him up to the machine that sends air into the lungs, which keeps the airway open, so there are no interruptions in breathing.”

It all sounded somewhat terrifying to Sue. But she was glad that it was treatable and according to Paige, not as bad as it seemed.

“I hope it works well for him,” she said.

“I hope so too. We’ll find out soon enough. His machine should be arriving sometime next week. I’ll fill you in when we go shopping next weekend.”

“Perfect. Oh, I meant to ask earlier, how are Kristen and Tyler doing? Is he home yet from his treatment?”

“He comes home next weekend. Kristen and Andrew are picking him up on Saturday. They saw him two weeks ago and were both encouraged by the visit. I hope for both their sakes that he is able to stay sober. Kristen is the one I worry about. That’s a lot to deal with.”





Chapter 23





When the flip house was totally done, Chase and Beth met Lauren there so she could take pictures for the online listing and for flyers to hand out at the open house. Beth felt mostly relief as they walked around the house with Lauren. It had turned out beautifully. Hopefully, the open house would attract multiple offers and they’d be able to make some profit.

“I love the backsplash you did in the kitchen,” Lauren said.

Chase looked her way and smiled. “That was all Beth. I wanted to cheap out and use a different one, but she insisted.”

“Good, that was smart. Gives it a rich look. Buyers, especially on Nantucket, love that. And Chase, nice job opening up this room. Everyone wants open-concept and this makes it look so much bigger.”

Once Lauren got all the pictures she needed, they left and she agreed to keep them posted.

“I’ll do the open house next Saturday and will hopefully call Sunday with an offer—or two. Cross your fingers.”

Chase helped Lauren pound a for sale sign in the front yard, before she climbed into her white BMW and drove off. Chase wrapped his arms around Beth’s waist from behind, and they both stared back at the house for a moment.