Page 52 of An Island Summer
“The cottage doesn’t have central air,” she said.
He pointed to the box fan she’d been using. “Want me to lift that and put it in the open window? It would draw in a draft and move the stagnant air.”
“That’s a good idea,” she said, “but we’ve just found out that all the electric wires need to be replaced so we’re only running the refrigerator right now.” When Toby peered down the hallway, considering this, she discreetly tugged at her shirt to keep it from sticking to the perspiration that had built on her skin.
“When are you getting it fixed?” he asked.
“I’m not sure,” she said.
“You’re not sure?”
She bit her lip, not wanting to tell him, but given how honest he’d been with her today, she figured she should just say it. “I’m still trying to figure out the best way to pay for it.”
“I can help,” he said.
Her face burned with mortification. “Oh, no. Definitely not. It’s fine,” she said, waving away his offer. She didn’t need any charity, especially if the money were possibly coming from Rupert without his knowledge.
“You can’t live like this for any extended period of time. It’s going to be a hundred degrees today.”
She looked down at Charlie who’d sauntered in and plopped down, panting, his four legs spread out on the floor, trying to stay cool. He’d finished his third bowl of water today. She’d kept him wet this morning and let him out every minute that he’d asked, giving him ice-cold water from the fridge as soon as she got home, but it wasn’t even midday and she was getting worried.
“Hang on.” He took out his phone and made a call. “Tabitha, it’s Toby Meyers. Do we have any free rooms available today?” He listened for a tick and then with a pout, said, “All right, thanks. No problem.” He slid his phone back into his pocket. “I’d give you a room at the inn, but we’re completely booked for the entire summer.”
“That’s very kind of you to offer.”
“Wait,” he said, waving a finger in the air, still thinking. “I have a few friends who manage rentals in town; I’m sure we could find something that isn’t rented for a few weeks. Why don’t you let me make some calls for you to stay somewhere air conditioned and we can get the work started on the house?”
“I can’t afford that,” she admitted, gritting her teeth in humiliation.
“Well, you can’t livehere.” He waved an arm through the air. “It’s uninhabitable.”
“I’ll figure it out,” she said, knowing she didn’t have the first clue how to do that. She peered over at Charlie, feeling helpless.
“How will you figure it out, when you said yourself that you can’t afford it? Let me, at the very least, loan you the money for somewhere to stay. We’ll work out a way that you can pay me back in payments or in service at the inn—something.”
Meghan had a millionaire offering to give her a place to stay, and all she could think about was how awful it felt. Yet she knew Charlie would be too hot, and she was completely backed into a corner.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked, studying her curiously.
She shook her head, not wanting to say it out loud.
“What is it?” he asked, his voice soft as if he could tell how hard this was for her. She looked up at him and, for the first time, she saw vulnerability in his eyes. He was letting his wall down right in front of her.
“It’s easy for you to offer when you have the money to do it. But it’s much harder for me to accept it, when I don’t have any way or means to repay you. Even working extra won’t put the money back into your account.” Her voice broke on the words and she turned away so he didn’t see the tears welling up in her eyes.
His gentle, tentative touch on her shoulder startled her. “I don’t care about any of that,” he said. “I just want to do something for you… I haven’t been myself, and I’m sorry.”
She closed her eyes, her back still to him, not knowing what to say.
“Please, let me do this.”
Begrudgingly, she turned around. It wasn’t like her to ask for help, but she was desperate. “All right.”
“Give me a second to call around, and I’ll see what I can find.”
While Toby made his phone calls, Meghan took Charlie outside to let him run in the waves again and cool off. She motioned to Toby that she’d be down the walk and then set out toward the beach, the sparkling sea pawing at the shore as if beckoning her.
As she walked, she thought about Rupert’s story and how Hester had just left everything when he’d turned her down. Where had she gone? Could that be why she’d died in seclusion back in California with no family to speak of? Meghan could relate to the isolation. While she was so thankful for Tess’s support and for Toby’s kind offer, she couldn’t help but feel alone. So many times, she’d willed herself to think like Tess and be completely comfortable in her own skin, but something always felt amiss and she didn’t know what she needed to fix it. That dressing table felt a lot like her: out of place and not really fitting in its surroundings.
