She didn’t hesitate for even a second. “I do.”
After giving her a quick—and very hot—kiss to let her know how much having her trust meant to him, he led her up the block, then turned down the next street. The shops on Mill Row were unlike the other commercial streets in town. They set up sidewalk displays and were more geared toward the arts. Together they weaved through the busy sidewalk, past a photography gallery where Shelley slowed to look over a few of the pictures.
“Quinn! I haven’t seen you in months.” Todd MacGuire owned the gallery, and they had gone to school together.
“Todd, this is my girlfriend, Shelley Walters.” The look in her eyes told him that she liked hearing him say the word girlfriend as much as he liked saying it.
“It’s nice to meet you, Shelley. Do you live in Maryland, too?”
“I do, but I’m moving to the island soon.” They chatted for a few minutes about the island and her coffee shop, until they were interrupted by a customer and Todd excused himself.
They passed the Whalers Museum and the Little Shop of Sweaters, and then Shelley stopped in front of Trent’s ex-wife, Reese Nicholson’s, place—a gallery called Dandelion—to take it all in.
“This whole street is so full of life. I love the brightly colored shutters on the shops and the sidewalk displays. It feels very artsy.”
“Locals call this Mill Row.” He took her gently by the shoulders and turned her so that she could see why he’d brought her here. “And this is the old gristmill. It’s been vacant for as long as I can remember.”
Shelley drew in a deep breath as she looked at the old gristmill across the street, sitting stately beyond a line of tall bushes. She took a step forward, as if she couldn’t resist its pull. “Is it for rent?”
“I’ll have to check into it to be positive, but I’m pretty sure it is.”
They hurried up the grassy hill, and her excitement was contagious as they slipped between two overgrown bushes and the property came into view. The building was larger than most of the shops in town and resembled a two-story house rather than a business, with four windows upstairs and two big picture windows on either side of the front door. The cedar siding was gray with age, and the white trim brought it to life. Overgrown gardens swallowed most of the large front yard. An iron railing spanned the length of the side yard and overlooked Mill Brook. The gardens and the babbling brook were enough to make anyone realize the appeal of the property, but what set the mill even farther apart from any other location in the area was the enormous historic waterwheel attached to the side of the building, powered by the brook. Quinn knew that the inside of the building would need renovations, but there were plenty of capable hands on the island—heck, in his family alone!—that could easily bring the mill back to life.
“I can see it so clearly.” Shelley swept her hand out, indicating the rough wooden deck that covered the area in front of the front door. “Tables with beautiful umbrellas overlooking the brook. Listen to the water, Quinn. Isn’t it soothing?”
He was so busy watching her fall in love with the property that he barely heard the question, and before he could answer, she added, “And even if the mill doesn’t work, we could probably get it functioning enough to catch water. If the property actually is available, it’s going to be amazing.”
Nodding his agreement, Quinn joined her by the railing. Beyond the front bushes, there was a breathtaking view of Mill Row and residential streets peppered with homes that led to the glorious blue bay. “The town acquired it about three years ago, after Charley Mill passed away. He had family off the island, but he left the mill to the town.”
“Charley Mill? Mill Row? Mill Cove?” She gripped his shirt and gazed up at him. “Are they all connected?”
“Yes, they are. See? You really are fated to be here.”
Shelley threw her arms around Quinn’s waist. “This feels like what I’ve been searching for my whole life.”
Quinn wanted to tell her that she was what he’d been searching for, but the truth was that he hadn’t been searching. Instead, Shelley had come unexpectedly into his life on the island right when he was looking to get off of it.
And now, just as unexpectedly, he didn’t want to leave anymore.
SHELLEY SAT WITH Quinn, her feet tucked beneath her on the sofa in the honeymoon cottage, feeling as though her life had finally shifted into place. After finding the gristmill and falling in love with it, Quinn had made a call to his mother, who sat on the town planning committee. Abby used her connections to get the scoop on the property, and within two hours she had tracked down the town officials who would need to approve the sale and arranged to have the property opened for Shelley and Quinn to look inside.