Mailboat by Cade Haddock Strong

Author:Cade Haddock Strong [Strong, Cade Haddock]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bella Books
Published: 2022-05-23T19:02:13+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Wen kissed Estelle’s cheek and climbed out of bed. She got dressed in the dark and crept into her small galley kitchen to make coffee.

“Darling,” Estelle called from the bedroom.

Wen nudged open the door and poked her head into the room. “Morning. I’m about to head out. Try to go back to sleep.”

She had a few critical deliveries to make, and once she got them out of the way, Estelle had proposed they spend the afternoon in town to decorate Wen’s apartment.

“I think I’ll get up and do some writing while you’re gone,” Estelle said. She pushed back the covers and sat up in bed. The first hints of daylight streaked through the blinds and cast a glow over her face and her bare chest.

Wen sucked in a breath and fought the urge to climb back in bed with her. But duty called, and the sooner she made her deliveries, the sooner she’d be home. She blew Estelle a kiss and said, “See you in a few hours.”

“Be safe out there,” Estelle called after her.

A few hours turned into five hours out on the water, so it was almost noon by the time Wen got back to the marina. She trotted back to her apartment, and her jaw dropped when she opened the door. The sparse apartment she’d left that morning was now overflowing with furniture.

“Surprise,” Estelle said.

“Oh, my God. I don’t understand…how did you do all this?”

Estelle laughed. “I wish I could take credit, but I can’t. About an hour after you left this morning, your father and two of his buddies showed up with a truck full of furniture. I helped them unload it, and then your father and I went to Target.”

“I might need to get my hearing checked. It sounded like you said you went to Target with my father.”

“I sure did.” Estelle picked up a navy-blue throw pillow with little white anchors on it. “You should have seen him in the home goods department. He was like a kid in a candy store.”

Wen scanned the apartment. “I like the nautical theme.”

“I do too. It was your father’s idea.”

Wen eyed the kitchen table and smiled. “And you got me lighthouse salt and pepper shakers.”

“Yes,” Estelle said. “You seemed fond of the set we have on the island.”

Wen was touched she’d remembered.

“Your dad is a real sweetheart, by the way. And super funny. We had the best time shopping together.”

“I’m glad to hear that. But I’m dumbfounded by all that you accomplished while I was out on the water this morning.”

“The place is coming together,” Estelle said, “although there’s still lots to do.”

“There is?”

Estelle took her hand and led her toward the door. “Uh-huh. Come on, let’s go. I want to get some nautical-themed prints to go over the couch, and I’m hoping we can find a glass coffee table for your living area. Your dad told me about a great secondhand furniture store on the edge of town.”

“Um, okay,” Wen replied. “You do realize I only have a six-month lease on this place, right?”

Estelle nodded.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.