Annie had seen the tender side of Claire when baby Bella had landed on the Vineyard. It had taken Annie aback; before then, she’d been intimidated by the untamed hair and the wild look Claire could get in her eyes if she felt she or her family were being wronged.

Pausing, Annie waited to gather herself. Then she said, “I shared the basics with them, but that’s all.”

“If they only wanted the basics they could read the bio on your book jackets.”

“I don’t have the patent on misery, Claire.”

Claire returned to her chair, her pearl-gray eyes looking softer now, her mouth turned up in a small grin. “Oh, my. Sometimes life is shit, isn’t it?”

The gravity of the moment fell away, and Annie laughed. Cussing—as Earl called it—was not commonplace for Claire. “That it is.”

“What do you want, Annie? What are you hoping will happen next?”

“I want it all to go away. I want Donna to be fine, and I want to find out tomorrow that the skull belonged to a British sailor who went down with his ship in the eighteenth century and we are therefore free to rehire our crew and finish construction so we can pay our bills, get our occupancy permit, open the Inn, and provide a home to the people we’re already committed to. Of course, even if that all happens, we won’t have Jonas back.” As soon as she’d said those last words, Annie wished she hadn’t.

“Where’s Jonas?” Claire’s penchant for being a busybody quickly resurfaced.

“I heard he left the island. I guess he went back to New York, to show his paintings.” It seemed kinder than sharing the rest. Besides, the day had already been emotional enough.

“I don’t expect Taylor’s happy about that. Is Lucy upset that he’s gone?”

Annie had had no idea that Claire knew he and Lucy had spent time together. “Yes, they’re friends. I’m sure she’s sad to see him go.”

Claire laughed. “Friends? Well, it’s just as well he’s gone. The age difference between them isn’t good. Especially since Lucy’s still a child.” She sighed.

“You have the wrong idea,” Annie said. “Lucy’s been supportive, but that’s all. Unlike me, she seems to be a natural caregiver. Jonas has been having a tough time. On top of all the drama going on here, his girlfriend broke up with him. He wanted her to move to Chappy, but she wouldn’t. Maybe he left to be with her.”

“Uh-huh. Well, enough of that then. Besides, we were talking about you. If you want my advice, if you can get the nuisance of that skull cleared up and get back to the business of the Inn, you’ll be able to think better about how to help Donna.”