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if you can find when Vern gave her a check. If he wrote a check. If he was doing something shady, he might have paid with cash. I’m taking the police tape down so you can get back to work. Oh, and it might be a good idea to change the locks since we didn’t find a key for cottage four on Vern or in the cottage.” Pam started to walk away but turned back to Hannah. “Are you sure you’re up for the challenges of running this business?” she asked before heading to cottage number four, not waiting for an answer.
    Hannah stood in front of her office, letting that question cloud her brain. She had managed to keep her insecurities at bay but Pam brought them front and center. No, she wasn’t at all sure she was cut out for what was ahead. She wondered what the story was with Pam. And she wondered what Cal was doing at the beach so early yesterday morning. Coincidence? Or something else?
    Her stomach sank when she saw that Jack and Cal had the hood up on the Volvo.
    “Did you find something wrong with the car?” she asked when she reached them.
    “Nope,” Cal said with a big smile across his face. “Looks like Caroline took good care of her car. You shouldn’t have a lick of trouble.”
    “What’s up with my daughter? She’s acting like she got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” Jack said after he slammed the hood closed.
    “She had a few more questions for me.”
    “Did you show her the letter?”
    “Uh huh. She didn’t react. I can’t get a read on her except that she doesn’t think I’m cut out to run this place.” Hannah’s eyes moved between Jack and Cal, hoping for some kind of positive feedback.
    Jack chuckled. “Don’t let her get under your skin. She’s probably upset that I have a new friend. And a good looking one at that.” He winked at Hannah and lowered his voice. “She’s never been good in the sharing department. It’s probably why she’s divorced, but don’t tell her I said that.”
    Pam returned to her car with a trash bag filled with the police tape from cottage number four. “We’re all done here.” She tossed it into the back seat of her cruiser before turning to face Jack. “Dad, have you seen Noah recently?”
    “He hasn’t stopped by my house, if that’s what you mean. I did see him hanging out with a bunch of his friends yesterday. They were sitting on the town green, bored and looking for trouble. Why?”
    Her jaw muscles worked furiously. “I’ll stop by later and talk to you about him. I’m worried.”
    Jack nodded and waved as she drove out.
    “That son of hers. I don’t know the kids he’s hanging around with, except one girl—Vern’s stepdaughter, Tasha. He’s got it bad for her and I don’t think it sits well with Pam. Ya know, the sharing thing again.”
    “Tasha? From Simply Sweets?” Hannah asked.
    “Yup, that’s the one. So, Hannah, are you ready for a tour around town now? I’ll get my car,” Jack said.
    “Great idea,” Cal agreed. “You can pick out your new appliances for cottage one. I’ll have it all transformed for you in less than a week.”
    Hannah smiled. The thought of her own cozy place on the beach felt good. Whatever else was coming her way was pushed to the background. Instead, she imagined a gleaming counter in her new kitchen, shiny wood floors, and a porch overlooking the ocean.
    She looked at her cottage and pointed. “Cal, can you build a deck on the ocean side of my cottage? Like the one at your sister’s place? Maybe not as big, but I’d like it to wrap around this side so I can sit outside with my feet up and watch the sunrise over the ocean. And have it extend to the office side. The office porch should have a ramp, too,” she added, thinking of accommodating any handicapped guests.
    Cal nodded enthusiastically. “I tried to convince Caroline to add a deck but she said it was too frivolous. It’s a great idea and it will be like adding another room, at least when the weather is nice.”
    Jack