The Inn at Angel Island Read Online Free Page A

couldn’t find a potato, a turnip would have to do.
    “Thank you for fixing it for me,” Liza said politely.
    “It was no trouble.” Claire sipped her tea, then sat with her hands folded on the tabletop.
    They had run out of conversation again. Liza took a few more spoonfuls of chowder and a bite of bread, then pushed the food away and sat back. Ten minutes ago, she had felt very hungry. Now she just felt tired, worn out.
    Claire glanced over at her. “So, you’ll be here two weeks. Is that right?”
    Liza nodded. “That’s right. Two weeks.” Unless everything is settled sooner, she added silently. Meaning Claire North would be out of a job sooner, too.
    “At least you’ll have your brother. You won’t be doing this all alone,” Claire said.
    “Yes, he’s coming tomorrow.” Peter had not been able to come east for their aunt’s funeral, so he and Claire had never met.
    Claire nodded. “Good. I’ll get his room ready.”
    “Thank you. I appreciate that,” Liza said honestly. She forced herself to smile back. Claire North was very kind—and making it even harder now to impart the bad news.
    Liza sighed and took a long sip of her tea.
    “Would you like anything else? There are some oatmeal cookies,” Claire offered.
    “No thanks. Not right now.” Liza paused. She felt so tired. It was probably a bad time to talk to Claire about serious matters, but Liza knew if she didn’t say something tonight, she wouldn’t be able to sleep.
    “There is something I need to speak to you about, Claire,” she began.
    “Yes?” Claire turned her head and met Liza’s glance. She didn’t seem nervous, Liza noticed. Perhaps she already guessed what was to come.
    “You must be wondering what my brother and I plan to do with the inn, now that we own it.”
    Claire’s mild expression remained unchanged, her clear blue gaze serene. Liza was beginning to think that the house could come down all around her and Claire wouldn’t bat an eye.
    “We appreciate that you’ve stayed on here, after my aunt’s death, and taken care of the place. But we’ve decided to put it up for sale. We’ve been in touch with a real estate firm in Cape Light, Bowman Realty. We’re hoping to find a buyer and have everything settled within the next two weeks.”
    There. That was clear enough, wasn’t it?
    Claire calmly sipped her tea. “I thought that might be what you would do,” she said at last. “I guess we’ll see how it goes.”
    We’ ll see how it goes? What was there to see? The answer got under Liza’s skin. How blunt did she need to be? Did she have to tell Claire that once they sold the place, she would be out of a job?
    Unless someone came in and wanted to keep running the inn and kept Claire on. That was possible of course. Maybe that’s what she was hoping and hinting at? It was extremely unlikely considering the condition of the place. Even Claire North must realize that, Liza reasoned.
    “There really is no question,” Liza told her. “The agent we spoke to already has a few clients lined up to see the property. It could happen quickly.”
    Claire didn’t answer. But Liza still wasn’t sure that her point had come across.
    She’s been here a long time, and my aunt’s death was a blow. She must be in denial about having to leave, Liza realized.
    I won’t say anything more, she decided. Not tonight. Maybe after Peter comes, we’ ll talk to her again and offer her some compensation or a gift.
    “Is that all you wanted to tell me?” Claire asked finally.
    “That’s it, I guess.”
    Liza rubbed her eyes. This first evening was not going at all the way she had planned. She had imagined meeting Claire and really being able to talk with her, asking questions about Elizabeth’s last days. But you had to feel comfortable with someone for that kind of conversation, and Liza had a feeling that she had just ruined any possibility for that kind of ease. Instead, she was sitting in this cold, damp kitchen feeling