Celeste turned to Jack. “What did she just say?” Of course she’d heard it loud and clear. She was just hoping Jack might tell her otherwise.

“Well, we wish you luck, Elodie,” Jack said, taking Celeste by the elbow and steering her back into walk-mode. “We’re late for an estate sale.”

“Enjoy!” Elodie called out gaily. “Keep an eye out for the invitation to the grand opening.”

It was all Celeste could do not to break into a run. As soon as they rounded the corner, she stopped in her tracks.

“I can’t believe this!” she said, pressing her hand to her forehead. “I have to talk to Pamela. She can’t lease that space to my sister.”

“Oh, Celeste. Elodie isn’t competition for us. We’re in a totally different business.”

“That’s not the point. This town is my home. Mine. She doesn’t belong here.”

“The town’s not big enough for the both of you?” he teased.

“No. Frankly, it’s not. New York City wasn’t big enough for the both of us.”

“Come on, don’t let this spoil the day.” He took her by the hand again and led her up the gravel path to their destination. The house was a stunning example of the Middle Georgian architecture that had been popular during the whaling era, with a two-story open porch with a pediment roof and a widow’s walk. “I remember the first time I went with you to one of these sales. The only thing that could possibly get me off the water and into an old inland house was my adoration of you.”

They stood on the porch, facing each other.

“Oh, Jack,” she said, forcing herself to smile. “Well, yes, let’s have fun inside. I know a lot of the items will be expensive, but even if we don’t manage to sell, it’s worth having in the store just for the cachet.”

Jack looked skeptical. “I’m not so sure about that. We need to be careful. Sell-through is important this summer.”

“What makes you say that?”

“We need to start thinking about retirement.”

“Retirement? What’s gotten into you? I think this upcoming birthday is messing with your head. We don’t need to change everything just because you’re turning sixty.”

“Easy for you to say as a spry woman in her fifties.”

“I’m serious,” she said.

“Retirement is a reasonable thing to consider, Celeste. You’re just on a hair trigger.”

Was she? Well, the run-in with her sister didn’t help. She couldn’t possibly be serious about bringing Pavlin & Co to Commercial Street. Was this about the auction paperwork? Or was this Elodie making good on her threat from years ago—the promise of payback?

The phone call came on a summer morning decades ago, waking her.