Read Online Beach Winds by Grace Greene - Free Book Online Page A

can be so lonely around here this time of year.”
    “ I guess so.”
    “ Good. Then take off your coat and let’s take a break. What’s your preference? Coffee or hot cocoa?”
    Maia was so brisk and business-like that Frannie found herself obeying. Between the bell over the front door and a clear view of the sales floor from the break room door, there was no risk of missing a customer arriving. Inside the break room was a sink and counter and a narrow stove.
    “ You can hang your coat on the hook over there. Cocoa?” Maia turned on the fire under a shiny kettle.
    Suddenly uncomfortable, Frannie shoved her hands in her coat pockets and pulled it closer. “I’m fine.”
    “ You won’t be for long, and you won’t feel it when you leave if you don’t take it off while you’re inside. That’s what my mother says.” She pointed to hooks on the wall. “Hang it over there and have a seat.” Maia she pulled a couple of ceramic mugs from the cupboard.
    Frannie did as she was instructed. She watched Maia rip open the envelopes and shake them into the cups. As the water heated, Maia removed her sweater and draped it over the back of a chair.
    The kettle wailed and Maia poured the hot water into a cup. She stirred it briskly as she set it on the table.
    “Here you go.”
    She went back to the counter and did the same with her own. Frannie swirled the spoon, enjoyin g the steam rich with the aroma of cocoa.
    “ It has little marshmallows.”
    Maia laughed and her dimples deepened. “Is there any other kind?” She sat opposite Frannie and the metal chair squeaked on the floor as she moved closer to the table.
    “ Tell me what you had in mind.”
    Guilt bloomed. For what? Because she ’d been jealous of the easy friendship she witnessed between the two women? But Maia wouldn’t know that. For heaven’s sake, Maia was a store clerk. They barely knew each other.
    She asked carefully, “What do you mean?”
    “ The painting? You said you wanted to ask about a painting.” She reached across and patted her hand. “Is the cocoa too hot? Did you burn yourself?”
    “ No,” she sputtered.
    “ Then what? What’s wrong?”
    “ Nothing. Really.” She shook her head.
    “ I can tell you’re a thinker. A deep thinker. I can be pushy. I hope you aren’t offended.”
    “ No.” She pressed her fingers against the mug. She was a bit off-kilter. She wasn’t used to shopkeepers inviting her in for hot chocolate. If this was a new sales technique, she thought it might prove effective.
    “ Good. You look more comfortable now.” Maia sipped her cocoa. “So, tell me, what sort of paintings are you interested in?”
    “ I want to dress up my uncle’s house. A little extra color, you know? I want a local feel.”
    “ You’re at the right place.”
    “ I liked some of the paintings I saw when I came before. One, in particular.”
    “ What caught your attention? I’m a great believer in first impressions.” Maia had an extra twinkle in her eye.
    “ Those sunrises and sunsets by Anna Barbour were very nice, but since Uncle Will bought that other set, we have enough of that.” She smiled. “There was one other I particularly liked. It’s hanging next to those sunrise-sunset paintings. Sand and dune grass. With sand and grass actually mixed in?”
    Maia leaned forward, grasping her cup as if she might upset it in her joy. “Small world, right? Not only did Juli paint the set your uncle bought, but that’s her painting, too.”
    “ Really?” Something about that unsettled her again.
    “ Funny, too, because you two remind me of each other.”
    “ How so? We don’t look alike or anything.”
    “ Well, not to argue the point, but you both have brown hair and blue eyes.”
    Frannie laughed. “True, but it looks different on her. It looks good on her.”
    “ Listen to you. All I know is that you’re both slender, and I have more than my share of curves.”
    She knew Maia was teasing. She didn’t mean any harm.