“Raven and I have been besties since we were little kids.”

“Nice to meet you,” Kate said, shaking her hand.

“Those are cool shoes,” Evie said, pointing at the neon pink and white retro sneakers Raven was wearing.

“Thanks! I got them at the thrift store on the edge of town. I’ve found some amazing stuff there.”

“I’d love to go sometime!”

“How about now? Y’all game?”

“I’m not much of a thriftier, but you guys go ahead,” Kate said. She had never liked thrift stores. The thought of wearing someone else’s castoffs just wasn’t appealing to her.

“No, I wouldn’t dream of leaving you here,” Mia said, shaking her head.

“Listen, I don’t mind. And I know you want some time with Evie. I can take your car back and hang by the lake until you get home.”

“I can drive us in my Jeep,” Raven said, holding up her keys and smiling.

“Are you sure?” Mia asked Kate.

“Absolutely. I’ll grab myself a cup of coffee and head back to the B&B soon. Maybe I’ll map out more of the wedding ideas so you’ll have them when I leave.”

Mia smiled. “That would be great.”

“Wedding ideas? Who’s getting hitched?” Raven asked.

“I’ll explain in the car,” Mia said, standing up and handing Kate the keys to her car. “If you need anything, just text me.”

As they left, Kate took the last few bites of her food and looked around. Maybe there was a way to build a relationship with her sister. They were very different, but she was starting to feel more comfortable. Of course, the other part of her wondered what might be coming next.

Kate finished her meal and walked down the sidewalk. The town was cute, she had to admit. The air was also very crisp up in the mountains even though it was May.

She sat down on a bench under a big oak tree and looked down at her phone. A text message popped up. It was a customer back in Rhode Island, wanting to know if she could plan a retirement party for the father of a wealthy socialite. The party would be held in a mansion in Newport.

As she looked at the text and then looked around Carter’s Hollow, she almost had to laugh. The two areas of the country were so vastly different.

Daddy must have the best lobsters we can find. Perhaps you have connections in Maine? Also, the tablecloths are a big issue for me. I don’t like cheap materials. Nanette said you did well with her party last year, but I was there and those tablecloths were atrocious. Can you speak about that?

Ugh. Sometimes she hated the types of people she had to deal with in her business. They were typically snooty, uppity and beyond annoying. But they had money, and she needed it.