Who leaves their keys in the ignition?

I pulled my handkerchief out of my back pocket, opened the door, and popped the hood. My grandfather didn’t believe that you should pay anyone for something you could do yourself, so he taught me and my brother how to work on cars. It hadn’t stuck with Derek, but I loved working with my hands. I loved the satisfaction of fixing something that was broken.

After seeing the condition of her oil, brakes, wiper fluid, tires, spark plugs, air filter, coolant, and battery, my fears about Gran’s decision to put Ashley Thompson in an executive role in the company were becoming reality. If she ran the business the way she cared for her car, we were in serious trouble.

7

ASHLEY

“I seriously cannot believehow much that house looks likeThe Notebookhouse!” Nadia exclaimed for the third time beside me in the driver’s seat as we drove through town.

When Stella and I got home from the pier, my car died and wouldn’t start again, so I called Nadia to come and pick me up. I would have called Skylar, but she wasn’t feeling well. In fact, she’d sent me a text asking me to pick up some saltine crackers and 7up for her.

“I know, right?” I agreed. “It’s crazy.”

“How did I not know that there was a house that looked exactly likeThe Notebookhouse on the island? I’ve lived here my whole life. Who owns it?”

“The Wolfe family.”

“Wolfe, as in Wolfe Tequila?”

“Yes.”

“Wow, I have them to thank for quite a few hangovers. Including the last time we went out.”

“Oh, right.” I’d completely forgotten that when we’d gone out to celebrate Daphne and Harlan’s engagement and commiserate with Zoe over a movie being made about her late husband’s lifeas a war hero, we’d been downing shots of Wolfe Tequila. What a small world.

“They also own Wolfe Clothing and Wolfe Hotels and Resorts.”

“Holy shit! How long have they lived here?”

“They never actually lived here. They bought it as a summer house in the sixties. But they stopped coming in the nineties for some reason.”

“Oh, okay. Mysterious. I do love a mystery.” She wagged her eyebrows.

“All I know is that Stella moved here because her husband ofseventy-twoyears just died, and her grandson, who is now running the company, already fired me once, so he’s not a fan.”

“Asshole.”

“I know, right?”

“What are you going to be doing for her?”

“She wants to create a sustainable, eco-friendly athleisure line for Wolfe Clothing.”

Nadia glanced over at me, then back at the road, then back at me again. “And you’re…”

“I’m going to be doing a little bit of everything and overseeing it, I guess. To be honest, I’m not sure what all my job entails.” Maybe Declan had a good reason to fire me. “I tried to tell her that she should hire someone more qualified, but she said whatever we didn’t know, we could google it.”

A broad smile spread on Nadia’s face. “I like her.”

“She’s a badass. You wouldloveher.”

“I already do,” Nadia confirmed as we pulled up in front of Skylar and Hank’s house.

I leaned down and grabbed my purse and the bag from the Piggly Wiggly. “What time tomorrow?”

Tomorrow was Daphne’s first bridal appointment to try on wedding gowns. It was herSay Yes to the Dressmoment. Zoe, Nadia, and I were all going to be meeting her at Blush Bridal.