Chapter 9

As it happened, Claire's decision to tell her friends about her planned flower shop was a good choice for multiple reasons.

First, it cemented in her mind that she really was doing this, which helped her spring into action.

Second, it turned out that a group of women small business owners made an invaluable resource for a woman looking to open her own business.

Before they'd left the wine bar several days prior, Monica had pressed a slip of paper into her hands.

"This is my husband Braden's contact information," she said. "He's a contractor and he can help you with anything you need to get your shop going, building-wise. If you need an estimate regarding what it will cost to get the storefront you're thinking of buying into shape, he can give you some insight into that, as well. He won't charge anything just for the information," she added.

When Claire had called Braden the next day, he'd been warm and kind.

"Any friend of Monica is a friend of mine," he'd said which had given Claire a flutter of excitement. She had friends again! "Do you want to coordinate with Lori to find a time that we can all meet over at the property?"

Thursday morning was the best time for everyone. That morning, Claire woke hours before her alarm was set to go off, propelled into wakefulness by the excitement that had been building over the last several days. There were nerves sprinkled in there too, but the more she'd researched and planned, drawing up schematics of what she'd like her shop to look like and calculating how she could scale back her current bookkeeping clients gradually, eagerness had increasingly displaced worry.

She was, unsurprisingly, the first to arrive at the storefront, then had to stand outside, shivering while she waited for Lori to arrive with the key.

"Oh, you poor thing!" The exclamation of sympathy marked the realtor's arrival. She hurried toward Claire, who bounced on her toes for warmth. Lori was already digging into her bag. "It's freezing. Where are those darn keys?"

With a cry of triumph, Lori held up the needed item. They hurried inside, breath frosting the cold.

It wasn't warm in the shop, per se, as the heating hadn't been turned on yet, but shelter from the wind made a big difference. The two women shook off the chill of outside, although they both elected to keep wearing their coats.

"I hope you weren't waiting long," Lori said, tucking the keys back into her bag. Claire wouldn't take control of the locks until the building was officially all hers, and there was still paperwork to be done, although she'd put down her deposit a few days prior.

"Oh, no, I was only out there for a few minutes," Claire said. It was a tiny fib, but she didn't want Lori to feel bad. "Besides, I was early. I got excited."

Lori beamed at her and Claire wondered for the hundredth time why her father always quarreled with this nice lady.

"It's exciting," she agreed. "Both my girls were chattering my ear off this week about how excited they are that you're joining the family of Whale Harbor small business owners."

Claire grinned, although this hadn't come as a surprise. She'd been added to the delightfully robust group chat between Darla, Marty, Monica, and Charity, and had been inundated with messages of delight and support. She felt as giddy as a kid every time she got another message.

"They've been amazing," she told Lori, because moms always loved hearing how much other people adored their kids.

And, right on cue, Lori's expression grew wistfully fond. "They're pretty great, huh?"

Claire felt a soft little pang of longing for her own mom. These feelings hit her sometimes, no matter that it had been years since she'd lost her mother. Grief, she'd learned, didn't have a timeline. The waves of missing didn't capsize her, anymore, though. In some ways, they were almost a nice reminder that she carried her mother with her always.

Perhaps it was a mother's instinct, but Lori seemed to sense Claire's mood and gave her a quick, fond squeeze. She didn't say anything, but she didn't need to.

The front door to the shop opened, signaling Braden's arrival. Claire opened her mouth to greet the man, who she hadn't met in person yet, then froze.

Behind Braden was another man, one who was all too familiar. Liam. The handsome stranger had turned up again.

Claire gave herself a quick but very stern mental talking-to. She was here to start her business. She had plans and she had calculations and she knew what was going on. She was not going to act breathless and flustered over a handsome face.

She cemented this resolve with a quick breath through her nose, then fixed her smile in place. She extended a hand to Braden, who shook it.

"Braden, hi," she said. "Thanks for coming. I'm Claire Boone."

"Nice to meet you," he said. He was handsome, with a muscular form that suited his occupation. He didn't give her butterflies, of course, since he was married to Claire's friend, but she could see how his blond hair and blue eyes would complement Monica's sunshine smile and blonde ponytail. "I hope you don't mind, but I brought along Liam here. He's going to be working with me on upcoming projects."

"I don't mind at all," she assured him. "We've actually met. Hi, Liam."

She was pleased when the words came out cool and collected. See? She was a competent businesswoman!

Her heart did give a little skip when Liam smiled at her, though. "Hey, Claire. Good to see you again."

Braden's gaze flickered in surprise, but he quickly suppressed the look and moved to greet Lori, who then introduced herself to Liam. The foursome clustered around the counter at the back of the shop and Claire got out the plans she'd drawn up.

Braden listened to her explanation of where she'd want display cases and refrigerators to keep cut flowers fresh, nodding thoughtfully.

"These plans are really nicely done," he said, causing Claire to experience a frisson of happiness at the praise. "If you were in architecture school, you'd get an A on your assignment."

"I did a lot of research," she said modestly.

"It paid off." Braden looked up, glancing around the space. "And, Lori, you've really nailed it too. This building is great for what Claire has planned." He moved around a bit, stamping a booted foot on a few places on the floor, knocking against door frames. Claire waited with bated breath.

After a few moments of inspection, Braden smiled. "Well, I've got nothing but good news. Floors are solid, all the wood is secure. You'll want professionals to put in the counters and the cabinets, but it won't be real construction with demolition or anything."

Claire's breath left her in a sigh of relief. The money from her aunt made her dream a possibility, but she didn't have a huge budget.

"That's amazing," she said. "Although when you say ‘professionals… ' I was hoping I could hire you to do it."

Braden smiled. "Absolutely you can; I just didn't want to assume I'd gotten the job. Just like everyone else around here, I have a bit of a slow season in winter. Since your store won't require digging into frozen ground or anything like that, we can easily fit you in."

Another rush of relief overtook Claire. Braden was the only local contractor, and as a soon-to-be small business operator in Whale Harbor, she wanted to work with other local businesses whenever she could.

"You'll probably end up working with Liam more than me though," Braden added.

Claire's relief fled the building. She tried not to let it show on her face.

That was fine. It was fine! Liam was very nice and if Braden had hired him, probably very good at his job. And he was being very professional right now. She would be professional too.

She smiled at Liam. "That sounds great," she said. "I didn't realize you were working in Whale Harbor, though."

He shrugged one shoulder and Claire suddenly remembered that he'd been a little uncomfortable talking about his job the other day in the coffee shop too.

"It's temporary," he said. "But I like to keep busy, so finding some short-term work was the best option for me."

‘Temporary' and ‘short-term,' Claire reminded herself, were two reasons why a crush was a bad idea.

"Well," she said, "I'm glad to be able to provide some work for you, then, even if it's only for a little while."

"Incredible," Braden said, clapping his hands together decisively. Claire almost startled. She'd half forgotten that the other man and Lori were still here. No crushing! she scolded herself. "Let's think about timelines, then. It's okay if there's some variability, but a big picture idea of when you'll need us will be helpful on my end."

They spent the next half hour going over all the things that needed to get done before Braden and Liam needed to come help. A lot of it was paperwork, which Lori had brought with her, producing it from her seemingly bottomless bag, and waiting for approval from the sellers. Then Claire had to make some decisions, like how she wanted to paint the walls or what specific brands of industrial fridges she wanted.

"I can get you some vendor lists," Braden offered, "and we can help with the painting, if you want to hire us for that, but the decision making comes from you."

"Right," Claire said, voice faint.

She wasn't overwhelmed, per se, as she'd known all these things had to happen. She had a detailed list of everything at home. But it was a lot to hear all laid out like this, and though her heart racing was mostly out of excitement, she knew from experience that if she didn't take a break and sit down, she'd start to feel dizzy, and that was not how she wanted to start her first official day in her new role as a florist.

"That sounds great," she said. "I'm just going to take a quick minute to take a seat."

Lori and Braden, who knew a little about her history, gave her brief, concerned looks but nodded as Claire went to sit on a folding chair that the previous owners had left behind. Liam's face, however, creased with worry; as she sat and took the calming deep breaths that would slow her heart rate, he came over, crouching at her side.

"Are you okay?" he asked, voice low. "You got kind of pale all of a sudden. Are you breathing okay? Do you feel dizzy?" He reached out like he wanted to touch her wrist, but stopped before they made contact.

She smiled at him, flattered by his attentiveness, even though she knew it would not be helpful in terms of squelching her blossoming crush. "I'm fine," she said. "I just got a little overexcited. This is kind of amazing, right?"

She knew she was obfuscating, turning the conversation back to good things instead of her health. She also knew she probably should tell Liam about her lupus, especially if they were going to be working together on the renovations to the storefront. Eventually it would come out that she had to be careful when it came to high stress situations and physical labor.

But some instinct had her biting back the truth before it could break free, although Claire suspected that instinct came from a place of vanity more than anything else. Maybe she wasn't going to indulge in her little crush on Liam, but it was still okay to want to appear strong and put-together in front of him… wasn't it?

Liam really wanted to check Claire's pulse. It was a bizarre instinct; though he'd taken hundreds of people's pulses thousands of times in his year as a firefighter, he'd never felt as though he was compelled to do it. Instead, it had just been a regular part of his checklist in caring for people who had suffered potential injury.

Looking at Claire's sweet smile and the way her freckles stood out against her fair cheeks, however, he had the urge to use all the tools he'd gained as a firefighter to make sure that she was as okay as she said she was.

He couldn't just go around grabbing women by the wrist to check their vital signs, though. That would be nuts. So, he would have to accept that verbal confirmation was the best he was going to get.

"Okay," he said, rising to his feet again. "But say something if you start to feel dizzy. We don't want you taking a fall."

He stifled a wince at his word choice. He sounded like he was talking to an elderly person. He'd probably offended her.

She didn't look offended, however. Instead, she smiled again and nodded.

"Of course," she agreed.

Liam kept a close eye on her as they wrapped up the last details of their visit. Claire would get the paperwork moving with Lori and then he and Braden would come back to do some of the contracting work in a few weeks.

He tried not to be excited that he would see her again… or disappointed that it would be several weeks before that happened. He wasn't in Whale Harbor to get attached, especially not to beautiful women with riotous red hair.

Even so, as he and Braden left the storefront, the two women lingering behind to discuss next steps, Liam couldn't help but ask about her.

"So," he said, trying to sound casual as Braden pulled out of his parking space. They were carpooling back to the BB. "Claire seems nice."

Braden cut Liam a look out of the corner of his eye that suggested he saw straight through his attempt at cool detachment. Liam was grateful when Braden didn't comment.

"I don't really know her very well," the contractor said, "but I think she is. She and Mon only really started hanging out recently, although I guess Claire has known some of Monica's other friends for years now. I guess Claire was kind of keeping to herself for a while but is now trying to get out there again?" He shrugged. "Monica was excited, that's all I know."

Liam forced himself not to ask if ‘getting out there' meant ‘dating.' There was no way he could make that seem like casual interest.

Besides, if Claire had only recently connected to Monica, it sounded like her recent turn toward being more social went beyond romance. Something about that resonated with him. He struggled to reach out to people too. Surely his whole sojourn to Whale Harbor showed that much. And while he didn't regret coming here, since it was just the thing he'd needed to clear his head, he also recognized that this tendency could leave him a bit isolated, especially in times when he needed friendship the most.

He was glad Claire was making space in her life for friendships. It probably wasn't his place to even think that, since he'd only just met her, but…

But he wanted to see her again. Even if his time in Whale Harbor was limited, he knew he wanted to see more of the charming redhead who was putting in effort to build the kind of future she wanted. If nothing else, he admired that outlook on life.

He realized Braden was watching him, waiting for an answer.

"Cool," he said shortly, hoping it signaled his disinterest in discussing the matter further. As soon as he did so, he worried that he'd offended his new employer, but Braden merely laughed and let the conversation turn to what the BB kitchens might be whipping up for lunch.

After a truly spectacular lunch of white bean and kale soup and thick slabs of fresh bread slathered in butter, Liam returned to his room to read for a few hours before his plans to meet with Dominic that evening. Despite not being much of a reader, the theme of the BB had encouraged him, and he was now deeply engaged in a sci-fi series about space pirates that Monica had recommended.

Before he knew it, it was time to get ready to head out. He quickly read a few more pages because he couldn't leave the book in the middle of the chapter when it was this exciting. Then he threw on a nice sweater and his best jeans before heading out to a sports bar that Dominic had chosen.

When he got there, he found his friend with his eyes glued to baseball on the television above the bar. For a moment, Liam furrowed his brow, wondering if he'd somehow missed a page on the calendar.

"Hey, man," he said, sliding onto the bar stool next to Dominic. "Is this an old game?"

His friend blinked at him in surprise. "No, it's spring training."

Oh, that explained why baseball was on so early in the year. It did not, however, really explain why Dominic was watching it.

"You watch spring training?" he asked, laughing. "Man, you have a problem."

Dominic's look was grumpy, reminding Liam of the ‘old Dominic,' as he'd come to think of the Boston version of his friend.

"No," Dominic objected, "what I am is a true Red Sox fan. You should try it some time."

They playfully bickered about what it meant to be a real fan of various Boston sports teams until Dominic's eye caught on another man entering the bar.

"Shoot, I forgot to mention," he said. "I invited my friends Rick and Wyatt to come hang out with us tonight. I hope that's okay."

A few days prior, Liam might have been disappointed to hear this. But today, after thinking about how much he admired Claire for putting herself out in the world despite how easy it could be to self-isolate, he couldn't help but be glad that his social circle might be expanding too.

"Yeah, of course," he told his friend as a second man entered the bar a few steps behind the first. "Happy to meet them."

The men exchanged a round of introductions and handshakes as they found a table, since seats at the bar weren't conducive to a conversation between four people. Liam found himself immediately liking Rick and Wyatt, not only because they seemed friendly and open, but because they instantly joined him in ribbing Dominic about his fanatic devotion to the Red Sox.

"One day," Rick warned, "we're going to get a Rhode Island sports team. Then what will you do, huh, Reeves?"

"Do you think Addie would like a Yankees hat?" Wyatt said innocently, tapping his chin with one finger as he gazed off into the distance. "When's her birthday, by the way, Dominic? Not that I have a specific reason for asking."

Dominic frowned ferociously. "Don't you dare. You'll have kids one day too, Wyatt. And I would be all too happy to teach them the joys of… whatever the opposite of a quad is."

The men laughed, even Dominic.

"Speaking of," Rick said as they sipped at a round of beers, "Wyatt, man, that really stinks about your honeymoon."

"What happened?" Liam asked.

With a pained groan, Wyatt explained how his vacation with his new wife had been derailed by illness. Liam had never been married, but he could only imagine what a disappointment that must be.

"The worst part," Wyatt said, "is that Marty is obviously so bummed about it, but she keeps trying to put a good face on it. It's been making me nuts that I can't get that time back for her, but I have been thinking of trying something else."

"Oh yeah?" Dominic said as he cracked the shells on a peanut from the complimentary bowl.

Wyatt nodded. "Sort of a do over. It'll have to be smaller, obviously, since we won't be able to take another huge vacation right away, but I want to do something to mark our wedding… you know, in a nicer way that doesn't involve fevers and blowing our noses a hundred times a day."

"That's an amazing idea!" Rick exclaimed. "And I have a very strong suspicion that my wife would be happy to help you pull off something like that, especially if you wanted to keep it a surprise."

Wyatt grinned. "Yeah, I thought I'd consult the other Sims sister for help in this endeavor. Marty's too smart; I don't have any hope on pulling off so big of a surprise on my own."

The two recently married men put their heads together and began conspiring, using their combined knowledge of their wives to concoct a plan to impress Wyatt's bride. Dominic and Liam ‘helped' by suggesting increasingly outlandish options.

"You should take her to the Arctic Circle to see the penguins," Dominic offered.

"And then to the Serengeti to see an elephant," Liam added. "That's just a quick little trip, right?"

"What if you went on a balloon trip around the world like in that Jules Verne novel?" Dominic suggested. "Addie has been into adventure stories for bedtime reading recently, and I have to say, it sounds pretty fun."

"You know," Wyatt said in a casual tone, "this is not actually helpful."

"Oh, that's good," Dominic returned, "as I wasn't really trying to be helpful." His lips twitched as he stifled his smile.

Liam saluted Wyatt with his beer as he tilted his head toward Dominic. "And I was just brought down by his bad influence."

"I liked you better when you were all grouchy and stuff," Wyatt grumbled, although he also had to duck his head to avoid grinning.

"Alas," Dominic said grandly, "I am in love now; I'm a changed man."

Although the tone around the table was light and a little silly, Liam though Dominic's words were actually quite indicative of this new version of his friend. Moving to this town and falling in love with Charity had made Dominic seem… more himself, somehow, like the truest version of him had been crushed under sadness for too long.

"That's Whale Harbor for you," Rick said with a chuckle, lifting his beer bottle to his lips to take a sip. "Love is always in the air. Or the water. Or something."

"You think we're going to get this guy next?" Wyatt asked Dominic, indicating Liam.

"Oh no," Liam protested, hands up… even though his mind briefly and unhelpfully flashed to a redheaded beauty with an excited gleam in her eye. "I'm just here to take a break, get away from the hustle and bustle of the city."

The other three men exchanged looks.

"What?" Liam demanded.

"Nothing," Rick said unconvincingly. "It's just that when I first moved back here, I told myself it was just to slow down after a hectic couple of years, work wise."

"I had just gotten divorced," Wyatt added. "Love was not on the table for me."

"And as you know," Dominic offered, "I only moved here because it was best for Addie. No romance for me, not at all, no sir, no how."

Liam rolled his eyes at the group, who were snickering quietly into their drinks.

"Yeah, yeah, you're all super subtle. But it's still not like that for me. I'll have to get back to Boston eventually."

He cut himself off, worried this would prompt the others to probe into his work life, which he still didn't want to discuss. But aside from a concerned sidelong look from Dominic, this mention of Boston garnered no reaction.

Rick leaned back in his chair. "I'll believe it when I see it," he said, sounding the tiniest bit smug.

The conversation drifted to other things, including some more gentle teasing about Dominic's ire over the Sox's lineup. Eventually, Dominic looked at his watch and let out a gentle sound of shock.

"Oh man, it's so late," he said. "I love my kid, but man, would it kill her to sleep in every once in a while?"

"Wait until she's a teenager; you'll change your tune," Wyatt joked as they all stood to settle their bill and head out.

"Joke's on you," Dominic shot back. "When my kid is a teenager, yours will still be waking you up with the sun. You'll be dead on your feet and I'll be sitting pretty."

The men chuckled, heading to their respective cars. Dominic grabbed Liam's arm gently, holding him back before he could climb into the driver's seat. Liam gave him an inquisitive look.

"I hope we didn't bother you with all that talk about falling in love back there," his friend said quietly. "I know that's what happened to all of us, but we're not trying to pressure you to stay in Whale Harbor or anything."

Liam laughed, clapping Dominic's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it at all; I know it was all just good fun. Besides, this town is pretty great. There are worse places to end up."

"It is pretty great, isn't it?" Dominic said with the dopey smile of a man whose life had turned out better than he'd ever hoped. "Well, even though I know you're not planning on making the move permanent, I will say that we're thrilled to have you here for however long you do stay."

"Thanks, man." Liam gave Dominic a gentle shove. "Now go home to your family. I'll see you around, okay?"

He got into his car and shot his friend a last wave, indulging in a brief fantasy of a life with many more nights like this, where he had close friends that met places outside the firehouse. He shook his head, turning the key in the ignition. That wasn't in the cards for him, he knew, but it wasn't a bad thought, not at all.