Five minutes later, after Lucy had guzzled ginger ale and the tea finally had steeped, Lucy grabbed the gardening gloves and went outside, leaving Annie and Claire alone.

“I hardly see you these days,” Claire said. “I hardly see anyone. You wouldn’t even know I had two men living in the house.”

Annie agreed. “Earl and Kevin are so busy trying to finish the Inn. And now that they’ve had to let the crew go . . .”

Claire nodded. She must have heard all of that, too. “And your mother’s here?”

Would it always take a heartbeat or two for Annie to remember that sometimes people would refer to Donna as her mother? Would her brain always need to reboot for her to realize they weren’t speaking about Ellen Sutton?

“Donna’s here, yes. We don’t know for how long.” Annie hadn’t meant to sound as if she were implying that Donna was going to die.

“The doctors said she’s cured?” Perhaps Kevin had told her; perhaps Earl.

“Well, she says she’s come to Chappy to recuperate, so that’s a good sign. But we don’t know how long she’ll be here.”

“And she’s staying with you.”

“She’s in the cottage. I’m in an unfinished room at the Inn. I thought it would be nicer for her to have privacy.” Suddenly, Annie’s thoughts collided again as if they were attempting to jockey for priority. Donna? The Inn? Lucy? Jonas? And what about her manuscript? Would Annie ever be able to get back to it in peace? She looked around the cozy kitchen, with the farmhouse sink, the café curtains at the window, the bead-board cabinets that were painted white. She remembered the first night she’d been there, Christmas Eve a year and a half earlier, the night she’d met John. Earl and Claire’s house had felt like home from the beginning. It held a sense of warmth within its walls. “I don’t know, Claire,” Annie said, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I don’t know if I’m capable of helping her.”

“What would you do if she were your other mother? The one who adopted you?”

“I’d know what to do.” Wow. Annie couldn’t believe that she’d said that so quickly.

To Claire’s credit, she made no further comment. Instead, she nibbled on home-baked shortbread. Then she said, “Earl says Donna had an idea on how to hurry things up in Boston. With the skull.”

Annie sighed. “She suggested that Kevin reach out to an old friend. But he’s not keen on it.”

“Have you asked John?”

“No. I think that would cross the line for him.”

“Probably.” Claire sighed. “That boy is too darned honest. But, Annie, you’re from the city. You were born there and grew up there. Isn’t there someone you know . . . ?”