Page 47 of Silent Partner (Pine Falls 3)

I detected a hint of motherly concern. Which made me feel guilty, as I wasn’t sure how enjoyable being my partner had been for him so far. It was mostly a lot of negotiations and him talking me off the ledge as I worried that Giselle and Carter would find a way to ruin it all. I worried that I was adding more to his burdens, not less. Especially considering his name had been dragged through the mud online over the last few days, since a certain someone got engaged to a widowered senator from Wyoming, of all places. It was sad how many times I had stalked the articles about Jill Copeland and her new fiancé. The engagement seemed to have come out of nowhere, and I was having a hard time wrapping my head around her dumping Brant and then pursuing the much older and less distinguished Ronald Dallinger. Perhaps he’d pursued her? Maybe he was more charming than the articles made him sound? He seemed like a rough-and-tumble cattle rancher, who was a grandfather already, so it just didn’t add up. Yet I didn’t think it was a good idea to mention any of that right now. However, I did wonder if Brant was upset by the news. Did he pine for Jill?

Shaking off my tangential thoughts, I refocused on Sheridan. “It must be some case he’s working on.”

Her cheeks flushed, and she swallowed hard. “Yes,” she stuttered, “the case.”

Okay, that was weird. What was this case?

She waved a hand in front of her face. “Let’s not talk about that. I came here to offer my services to you.”

I leaned back in my seat. “Great,” I replied, though I had no idea what she was offering. I mean, she was supposed to act as a liaison between Brant and me, eventually. Except Brant had been staying in direct contact with me. All privately, of course.

“I’ve shocked you.” She smiled. “I should probably back up a bit. Brant told me that you’re hoping to rebrand and renovate the restaurant. Renovating and redecorating my home,” her voice quivered, “became a never-ending hobby.”

I felt in the pit of my stomach how much it hurt her to mention her home. The home she no longer lived in. It was no secret how much Sheridan prided herself on her beautiful house that she’d made to look like an English estate. Over the years, she’d been featured in magazines, touting her style and even some of her DIY projects.

She took a deep cleansing breath. “Anyway,” she purposefully made her voice lighter, “I could really do with a good renovation project right about now. I need to keep my mind off some things,” she quietly admitted. “So, what do you say?”

I assumed she meant she needed to keep her mind off John. That broke my heart. I wondered if they were finally going to get divorced. “I would love your help, but Brant and I still need to iron out a budget and a plan.” My hope was to renovate in such a way that we wouldn’t have to close the restaurant for more than a few days. I wasn’t sure that was possible. Once the final paperwork was signed between Giselle, Carter, and myself, I was going to start talking to contractors.

“Darling, I never let budget and planning get in my way. Neither should you.”

Easy for someone who had lots of money to say.

She must have noticed the consternation written on my face. She took my hand. “Honey, you need to learn how to dream big. Sure, they won’t all come true, but half the fun comes in dreaming. And I think we could all use a little more of that right now.”

There was some truth there. I definitely needed some more fun in my life. You know, besides snuggling my cat and stalking Brant’s ex-fiancée online. Which wasn’t exactly fun. It was probably disturbing on some level. Obviously, I needed a better hobby.

I nodded, agreeing with her. “So, where do we begin?”

Her face broke into a real smile this time. “I have an idea. Can I steal you for an hour?”

I looked at the clock on the wall. As long as I was back for the dinner crowd, we should be okay. “Uh, sure. What did you have in mind?”

“I’d like to keep it a surprise.”

A surprise? I wasn’t sure I could take many more of those. Although I knew if anyone was great at giving good surprises, it was the wonderful woman in front of me. And for some reason I couldn’t explain, I felt like we needed each other. Maybe I was going crazy. Or perhaps Sheridan was exactly the kind of crazy I needed right now.

“Let’s go.”

Chapter Twelve

When Sheridan and I walked across the street and entered M&M’S on Main, I was definitely surprised. I’d thought for sure she would be taking me to a design studio or something like that. Not a clothing boutique.

---