LITMIR.BIZ

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though she was certain she had said those words about a million times already. So much for making a good impression. She was stuttering and blushing and acting like an idiot over a man who barely remembered her.

      To her relief, Sage didn’t pursue it as they reached the second floor of the big house.

      “This is the apartment we’re renting. It’s been vacant most of the time in the five years I’ve lived here. Once in a while Abigail opened it up on a short-term basis to various people in need of a comfortable place to crash for a while. Since Anna and I inherited Brambleberry House, we’ve kept Will busy fixing it up so we could rent out the space.”

      Will again. Couldn’t she escape him for three seconds? “Convenient that he lives close,” she said.

      “It’s more convenient because he’s the best carpenter around. With all the work that needs to be done to Brambleberry House, we could hire him as our resident carpenter. Good thing for us he likes to stay busy.”

      She remembered again the pain in his eyes. She wanted to ask Sage the reason for it, but she knew that would be far too presumptuous.

      Anyway, she wasn’t here to talk about Will Garrett. She was trying to find a clean, comfortable place for her children.

      When Sage opened the door to the apartment, Julia felt a little thrill of anticipation.

      “Ready to take a look?” Sage asked.

      “Absolutely.” She walked through the door with the oddest sense of homecoming.

      The apartment met all her expectations and more. Much, much more. She walked from room to room with a growing excitement. The kitchen was small but had new appliances and what looked like new cabinets stained a lovely cherry color. Each of the three bedrooms had fresh coats of paint. Though two of them were quite small, nearly every room had a breathtaking view of the ocean.

      “It’s beautiful,” she exclaimed as she stood in the large living room, with its wide windows on two sides that overlooked the sea.

      “Will did a good job, didn’t he?” Sage said.

      Before Julia could answer, the children came into the room, followed by the dog.

      “Wow. This place is so cool!” Simon exclaimed.

      “I like it, too,” Maddie said. “It feels friendly.”

      “How can a house feel friendly?” her brother scoffed. “It’s just walls and a roof and stuff.”

      Sage didn’t seem to mind Maddie’s whimsy. Her features softened and she laid a hand on Maddie’s hair with a gentleness that warmed Julia’s heart.

      “I think you’re absolutely right, Miss Maddie,” she answered. “I’ve always thought Brambleberry House was just about the friendliest house I’ve ever been lucky enough to live in.”

      Maddie smiled back and Julia could see a bond forming between the two of them, just as the children already seemed to have a connection with Conan.

      “When can we move in?” Simon asked.

      Julia winced at her son’s bluntness. “We’ve still got some details to work out,” she said quickly, stepping in to avoid Sage feeling any sense of obligation to answer before she was completely comfortable with the idea of them as tenants. “Nothing’s settled yet. Why don’t the two of you play with Conan for a few moments while I talk with Ms. Benedetto?”

      He seemed satisfied with that and headed to the window seat, followed closely by his sister and Sage’s friendly dog.

      Her children were remarkably adept at entertaining themselves. Little wonder, she thought with that echo of sadness. They had spent three years developing patience during Maddie’s endless string of appointments and procedures.

      When they seemed happily settled petting the dog, she turned back to Sage. “I’m sorry about that. I understand that you need to check references and everything and talk to the co-owner before you make a decision. I’m definitely interested, at least through the school year.”

      Sage opened her mouth to answer but before she could speak, the dog gave a sudden sharp bark, his ears on alert. He rushed for the open door to the landing and she could hear his claws scrabbling on the steps just an instant before the front door opened downstairs.

      Sage didn’t even blink at the dog’s eager behavior. “Oh, good. That’s Anna Galvez. I was hoping she’d be home before you left so she could have a chance to meet you. Anna took over By-the-Wind, Abigail’s old book and giftshop in town.”

      “I remember the place. I spent many wonderful rainy afternoons curled up in one of the easy chairs with a book.”

      “Haven’t we all?” Sage said with a smile, then walked out to the stairs to call down to the other woman.

      A moment later, a woman with dark hair and petite, lovely features walked up the stairs, her hand on Conan’s fur.

      She greeted Julia with a smile slightly more reserved than Sage’s warm friendliness. “Hello.”

      Her smile warmed when she greeted the curious twins. “Hey, there,” she said.

      Sage performed a quick introduction. “Julia and her twins are moving to Cannon Beach from Boise. Julia’s going to be teaching fifth grade at the elementary school and she’s looking for an apartment.”

      “Lovely to meet you. Welcome to Oregon!”

      “Thank you,” Julia said. “I used to spend summers near here when I was a child.”

      “She’s one of Abigail’s lost sheep finally come home,” Sage said with a smile that quickly turned mischievous. “Oh, you’ll be interested to know that Will was her first love.”

      To Julia’s immense relief, Sage added the latter in an undertone too low for the children to hear, even if they’d been paying attention. Still, she could feel herself blush again. She really had to stop doing that every time Will Garrett’s name was mentioned.

      “I was fifteen. Another lifetime ago. We barely recognized each other when I bumped into him earlier today outside. He seems…very different than he was at sixteen.”

      Sage’s teasing smile turned sober. “He has his reasons,” she said softly.

      She and Anna gave each other a quick look loaded with layers of subtext that completely escaped Julia.

      “Thank you for showing me the apartment. I have to tell you, from what I see, it would be perfect for us. It’s exactly what I’m looking for, with room for the children to play, incredible views and within walking distance to the school. But I certainly understand that you need to check references and credit history before renting it to me. Feel free to talk to the principal of the elementary school who hired me, and any of the other references I gave you in our phone conversation. If you need anything else, you have my cell number and the number of the hotel where we’re staying.”

      “Or we could always talk to Will and see what he remembers from when you were fifteen.”

      Julia flashed a quick look to Sage and was relieved to find the other woman smiling again. She had no idea what Will Garrett remembered about her. Nothing pleasant, obviously, or he probably would have shown a little more warmth when she encountered him earlier.

      “Will may not be the best character reference. If I remember correctly, I still owe him an ice-cream cone. He bet me I couldn’t split a geoduck without using my hands. I tried for days but the summer ended before I could pay him back.”

      “Good thing you’re sticking around,” Anna said. “You can pay back your debt now. We’ve still got ice cream.”

      “And geoducks,” Sage said. “Maybe you’re more agile than you used to be.”

      She laughed, liking both women immensely. As she gathered the children and headed down the stairs to her car,

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