Page 93 of The Summer Swap

“You must be Lily, the artist.” He shook her hand. “I’m Seth, and I’d like to talk to you once you’ve given us this tour.”

Cecilia expected Lily to protest that she wasn’t an artist but instead she seemed to grow a little taller.

“Yes, I am an artist,” she said and glanced at Todd with a little smile, “although for the past few days I’ve been using my paintbrush on walls and woodwork.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing the results,” Seth said, and Cecilia agreed.

She could see how eager they were to show her what they’d done to the cottage, and she was determined to be a receptive audience.

“Lead on. Where are we starting?”

“In the living room, and we’ll work our way upstairs.” Todd opened the door and Cecilia took a breath.

She’d set her expectations low. Not because she didn’t trust Todd and Lily to do a good job, but because she didn’t trust her own emotional response. This place had once been an important part of her life with Cameron, and she didn’t think that a coat of paint and a few clever finds in a thrift store would make much difference to how she felt about the place.

The moment she stepped inside she realized she’d underestimated Todd and Lily.

Nothing was where it had been before. Nothing was the same.

The old hard sofa that Cameron had complained about had been replaced with a new, modern version. She could tell without even trying it that the deep cushions would be comfortable, that it would embrace the person choosing to sit on it rather than rejecting them. It was upholstered in cream and scattered with cushions in shades of green and blue.

“The sofa cover is washable,” Lily said, “before you think I lost my mind choosing cream.”

“It’s perfect. And so is the position.” Now the sofa faced the windows so that anyone sitting there could enjoy the spectacular view.

The large rug was new, but the coffee table was the same, which pleased her because she was the one who had found that table. She wondered how they’d known what to keep and what to discreetly remove.

But the major change in the room was the walls. What had once been a gallery of Cameron’s work until she’d destroyed it, was now floor-to-ceiling shelving that extended over the doorway that led to the kitchen. The shelves were white and displayed books and various objects that she’d collected over the years. A vase filled with shells, a piece of driftwood, a photo of her as a young woman that she couldn’t remember seeing before.

“This is spectacular.” She stepped closer and ran a finger along the shelves. “Todd? Did you build these?”

“I built them, Lily painted them.”

Lily stepped forward. “We chose white because we thought it was more adaptable. You can add pops of color with vases and candles.”

“It transforms the room. Don’t you agree, Seth?” She turned to look at him and found him staring at the one painting that remained in the room.

The Girl on the Shore hung on the wall above the fireplace, the soft colors drawing the eye and bringing the whole room together. It was as if the cottage had been designed around this one painting.

She hadn’t thought about Seth seeing it and suddenly she was anxious about what he might say.

“Let’s take a look at the kitchen.” She turned to walk through to the kitchen, but he caught her arm.

“Wait. That painting—”

“Let’s talk about it later.”

He seemed about to argue and then nodded slowly. “All right. If that’s what you want.”

“It is.”

“You don’t think it looks good there?” Lily glanced from them to the painting, suddenly doubtful. “I love it so much I thought it should stay right where it was. So did Todd. But maybe you don’t want a Cameron Lapthorne displayed with such prominence.”

“We can decide that later.” Cecilia moved quickly into the kitchen. She admired the newly painted cabinets and the blind that Lily had fitted above the back door, but her mind was back in the living room with the painting.

She should have destroyed it along with the others. She should have consigned it to the past.

And now Seth was watching her, and she knew why. He had questions, and she wasn’t sure how she was going to answer them.

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