"What do you think, Grandma?" Justin asked, as he handed her a margarita.
"That Whisper Lake is the perfect place for you to have some fun for a change."
A grin spread across Justin's face as he glanced over at her. "Agreed. I've been thinking about what to do that might be fun. Any ideas, Lizzie?"
She could see the teasing gleam in his gaze. "Lots of ideas, starting with tonight's cocktail party. There will be more than a few single women attending. Maybe I can introduce you to some of them."
"That would be good," Marie interjected. "When's the last time you had a date, Justin?"
Now Justin was the one on the hot seat, and Lizzie loved it.
"That, Grandma, is none of your business," he returned.
"I don't want you to end up alone. Time goes faster than you think."
"I'm not worried about it."
"I know you're not; I am," Marie said. "I want you to experience all life has to offer and that includes marriage and children."
"Let's talk about your marriage," Justin said, changing the subject. "Are you changing any of your vows this time around? Will you mix things up since the first time you said I do?"
"We are going to make it more personal," Marie said, giving her husband a tender look. "Ben and I have been through so much together. We know a lot more than we did back then. We were a couple of crazy kids when we first tied the knot."
"Now we're still crazy, but not kids," Benjamin said with a laugh, as he put his arm around Marie's shoulders and gave her a squeeze.
"We're young at heart," Marie put in. "And we have lots of plans for this week, Justin."
"I'm sure you do," Justin said. "What's on the schedule?"
Marie glanced at her. "Were you able to set up tomorrow?"
"I was," she said, thinking Justin was not going to like the schedule at all. "You will set sail at nine a.m. on the Harbor Rose. Mike Olenski is the captain. He'll take all three of you out on the lake for an hour. I'll have snacks packed for the sail, but you can get a full breakfast when you return."
"Hold on—we're going sailing?" Justin quizzed.
"Yes, and after our sail and breakfast, we're going antiquing," Marie said with a happy smile.
"I can skip that part, right?" Justin asked.
"If I can't, you can't," his grandfather told him.
"It will be fun," Marie said. "Anyway, that's enough for you to know now."
"I do have to get some work done as well," Justin warned. "I want to spend time with you both, but I also have a company to run."
"And you have people who work for you. You promised me a no work week."
"I don't remember that."
Marie ignored him, her gaze moving to Lizzie. "And you and I will chat later about some other ideas I have."
"Of course," she said. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to let our chef know that she can start bringing out the food."
As she left the Blackwoods, she ran into Keira and an older, silver-haired woman dressed in a slim-fitting navy-blue sheath dress.
"Hi, Lizzie," Keira said, giving her a quick hug. "This is Paula Wickmayer."
"Nice to meet you. Welcome to my margarita party."
"Thank you so much. You have a lovely inn. It's a bit warm tonight."
"We had a heating problem, but it's being fixed as we speak. In the meantime, we have cold, blended margaritas and plenty of food," she added as Naomi and Victor brought two large trays out to the patio.
"It looks good," Keira said. "But Paula wants to speak to you for a minute in private. Would that be all right?"
"Uh, sure." She was surprised by the question and by the way Keira was avoiding her gaze. "We can just go around the corner into the garden. It's still a little too warm inside the building." She led them around the back of the inn and into the garden.
"This is beautiful," Paula said, her gaze sweeping the beautiful landscaped grounds that included an herb and vegetable garden as well as a colorful array of flowers.
"We grow our own herbs and vegetables," she said.
"That's a lot of work, but well worth it, I'm sure."
"Yes. We plan to open the inn for dinners in the upcoming months." She paused. "What did you want to talk to me about?"
"I work for Falcon Properties," Paula said. "I don't know if you've heard of the chain."
"Of course. Falcon is a luxury brand started by Maximo Corinthos, a Greek shipping billionaire, and his wife Athena. I studied the entire branding history in college."
Paula smiled. "The Corinthos family has built an amazing hotel chain, and we are now in the business of acquiring small, charming inns, and adding them to our very extensive portfolio."
"Really? But most of the Falcon hotels are huge properties with executive suites and five-star restaurants."
"We're expanding our portfolio. Our mission this year is to provide our guests with luxury and intimacy, a feeling of home away from home. From what I understand, you provide a very personal experience for your guests. I also read about your innovations in Mountain West Magazine. The photos didn't do it justice. Anyway, I happened to be speaking to Keira at a real-estate conference last week, and when I found out she knew you personally, I asked if she could introduce us."
"Why?" she asked, feeling a tightening in her gut. "I mean, I'm happy to meet you, but why did you want her to introduce us?"
"Because Falcon Properties is interested in buying the inn," Paula replied, quickly adding, "and before you say no, I'd ask that you hear me out. Most of the owners we've approached in the past are reluctant to give up ownership, but we've been able to show them how they can make money and also still be part of their inn's success. We have a great case study that you can review with an inn in Maine."
"I appreciate the offer, but I'm not interested in selling the inn. It's always been my dream to run a place like this."
"You'd still be running it, but you'd have someone to help with the background financials, the marketing and the repairs."
She frowned, knowing it would be difficult to argue that point with her heat on high. As her gaze moved to Keira, she saw the guilt in her friend's eyes and wondered why Keira hadn't given her the heads-up that this offer was coming. She felt blindsided and a little betrayed. "I don't know what to say. I'm in the middle of a party."
"Would it be all right if I gave you some information?" Paula asked. "There's no pressure, Ms. Cole. You don't have to make any decisions immediately. It's just something to think about."
Paula pulled out a thick envelope and handed it to her. She reluctantly took it.
"I'll give it a look, but I wouldn't hold your breath," she said.
"I never do," Paula replied, with a confident smile. "But I also know the value of what we offer and the challenges facing small inns these days. I used to run one with my husband. We were innkeepers for ten years. We saw it all—the ups, the downs, the good times, the bad times, and while we loved every second of it, it took a toll on us. When we finally realized that we could have our dream in a slightly different way, it changed our world. We sold out. My husband retired, and I got a second career in real estate. Two years ago, I moved on to Falcon Properties, because it gave me the opportunity to get back into the business of hospitality. I have a lot of experience, Ms. Cole. I hope you'll give me a chance to talk to you about this offer once you've had a little time to think about it."
"I'm doing fine," she lied, wishing it were true. "But thanks for your interest. I will look through this. In the meantime, please feel free to have drinks, appetizers, mingle, and enjoy yourselves." She turned and headed through the side door of the inn, needing a minute to drop off the packet and take a breath.
She'd no sooner entered her office when Keira came through the door behind her.
"I'm sorry, Lizzie. Paula was supposed to come tomorrow. I was going to tell you last night, but then you left with Justin, and I thought I'd have a chance to speak to you today, but Paula arrived earlier than she said."
> "You should have found a minute to warn me that you were bringing her by. And why did you even agree to introduce us? You know I don't want to sell the inn."
"I also know you're swimming in debt, and you look more and more tired every time I see you. I didn't think it was my decision to make. You don't have to do anything. I just felt like you should see all the opportunities available to you. Falcon Properties would keep you on as manager of the inn. It would still be your place."
"No, it wouldn't. It would be theirs. I would just be the hired help. I've done that." She was appalled that Keira thought she would even entertain the idea. But maybe she hadn't been hiding her problems as well as she thought. That was also disturbing. She didn't want her friends to think she couldn't handle her business. It felt like she was back in school, with classmates giving her doubtful looks and teachers wondering why she wasn't doing as well as her sister and brothers had done.
"Then don't do this," Keira said. "It's just an offer, nothing more. I'm not saying you should sell. I'm not pushing it, and I'm not taking a commission on anything. Paula is a nice woman. I heard her pitch, and it sounded interesting. I thought you should hear it."
"I just wish you'd told me, but you're right, it's just an offer, something to consider." She ran a hand through her hair. "It's been a difficult day with the furnace problems and the party planning. I don't want to talk about this right now. I need to get back to the party."
"I am sorry if I added to your stress."
"It's fine. We'll talk later."
"Lizzie—"
She put up her hand, seeing the concern in Keira's eyes. "Don't worry about it. Just go to the party and keep Paula entertained. I can't deal with her right now. I need to check on Naomi and make sure we're not running low on anything."
"All right. We'll talk later."
She walked out of her office and was immediately waylaid by Ted Robinson, the furnace repairman. As Keira headed to the patio, Lizzie steeled herself for what might be coming next.
"Good news," Ted said, although the look in his eyes didn't quite match his words.
"Really?"
"The heat is now working, or rather it's not working, but you know what I mean," he said. "If you want it on, it will be on, but at a normal temperature."
"I'm so relieved," she said, realizing it was already starting to feel cooler.
"And now for the bad news." He gave her an apologetic look as he handed her his bill—another piece of paper she didn't want to have in her hand. "I had to replace some rather expensive parts."
The bill was much higher than she'd expected, and her gut clenched as she wondered where she was going to find the money.
"Now, you don't need to pay it all right away. If you can do half or even a quarter today, that would work," Ted said, obviously reading her stricken expression.
"I can give you a check for a quarter now. And I'll get you the rest as soon as I can."
"I know you will."
She walked back into her office and wrote him a check.
He gave her an awkward look as he accepted it. "I wish I could have done it cheaper, Lizzie."
"I appreciate that, but you did a great job. Thank you for coming so quickly and working so hard."
"My wife loves seeing the inn thriving again," Ted said. "We're all rooting for you to do well."
"Thanks. I hope I don't let you down."
"I know you won't."
As Ted left the office, she let out a breath, wishing she was feeling as confident about her abilities as Ted was. The heating bill was a huge setback, and she'd already been running so tight on her budget. But there was nothing she could do about it now. Like the offer from Falcon, she'd put that problem off for another time.
Chapter Nine
Justin wondered where Lizzie had disappeared to. The party was humming along. Victor, the bartender, was filling margarita glasses while a young woman made the rounds with trays of delicious appetizers. He grabbed a chicken empanada as it went by and popped it in his mouth as his gaze swept the patio once more. His grandparents were talking up a storm with their friends.
Vanessa and Roger Holt were in their seventies and were a somewhat reserved and quiet couple from Dallas. Roger and his grandfather had immediately gotten into a discussion on golf and were looking forward to a game they had lined up for Friday. Carlos and Gretchen Rodriguez were in their early sixties. They were gregarious and funny with lots of stories to tell, and Gretchen seemed to be entertaining the group with one of those stories.
Noah and Patty had also joined his grandparents' group. They appeared to be great friends now. Patty put her hand on Noah's arm and leaned in to whisper a secret. It was difficult to believe that only yesterday she'd thought he was a stalker and had had him arrested. But in Whisper Lake, even enemies became friends when there was a friendly innkeeper in the middle of the situation. Speaking of which…
Where was Lizzie? Her friends Gianna and Zach were already here. They were talking to Keira and an older woman he didn't recognize. Brodie and Chelsea had also just arrived and were talking to another young couple who he didn't recognize. They were probably more of Lizzie's friends.
He recognized a few other people he'd seen around the inn: a single woman in her forties, a couple of newlyweds who couldn't keep their hands off each other, and a man in his sixties, who always had his head buried in a book while the young male teenager with him was constantly engrossed on whatever was happening on his phone. Those two reminded him a little of his grandfather and himself. When they'd been in a room together, they'd always each been wrapped up in their own little world of a book or a TV show or a video game. But he had still liked having his grandfather there, even if they weren't talking. It had been a nice change from all the days he'd spent completely alone.
He was alone now, he realized. Although, he could easily join any group. He just wanted that group to include Lizzie. Since she wasn't here, maybe he'd check his phone, see if he had any emails or texts to answer. Before he could do so, Keira wandered over, a troubled, tired expression on her face, which was quite a contrast to the energized, fun-loving woman he'd met at the bar last night.
"Hi, Justin. How's it going?" she asked.
"Good. You?"
"So-so." She lifted the margarita glass in her hand. "I'm hoping this improves my mood. But it's my second one, and so far, I still feel shitty."
"I'm sorry to hear that," he said, wondering why he was surprised by her candor. The people in Whisper Lake seemed very comfortable with expressing their emotions to anyone who would listen. He wasn't used to so much sharing. On the other hand, it did make him feel like he was part of the group, and he kind of liked that.
"I blew it, Justin," she continued.
"What do you mean?"
"I hurt my friend and I didn't mean to, but I did. She told me not to worry about it, but I can't stop worrying about it. Because she's too nice. She probably hates me right now but can't bring herself to say that."
"Are you talking about Lizzie?" He wondered if whatever was bothering Keira was the reason for Lizzie's absence.
"Yes." She took a long sip of her margarita. "And now I'm starting to feel a buzz, but it's still not helping."
"What did you do?" he asked curiously.
"I brought a potential investor to the party." She tipped her head toward the silver-haired woman, who was still talking to Gianna and Zach. "Paula Wickmayer. She's a former realtor who now works for a large hotel chain, and they're interested in buying the inn. She thought I might know Lizzie, which, of course, I do. I heard her pitch, and Paula is a straight shooter, so I thought Lizzie should hear her out."
He was more than a little surprised that someone wanted to buy the inn. "What did Lizzie say to the offer?"
"She didn't hear the offer. She said she wasn't interested, but Paula insisted she take the packet of information, which she agreed to do."
He suspected she'd only done that under duress.
"I know
Lizzie loves this inn and it's her dream, but I think she's drowning. She won't say that, but she's more exhausted every time I see her. I just thought she should know her options. But I could see the anger in her eyes and the hurt. She thinks I don't believe in her abilities, but I do." Keira took another long drink. "I don't know how to make it right."
"It sounds to me like you brought Lizzie an opportunity. That's not so bad."
Keira gave him a hopeful look. "You don't think it's terrible?"
"No. It's not like she has to accept it."
"That's what I said."
"I'm sure she was just surprised by the offer."
"I hope she can see that I'm just trying to help. Lizzie is just the sweetest person, you know? She's been so nice to me and to my mom. I don't know if she told you, but my mother was in a terrible car accident several years ago, and she has a lot of cognitive dysfunction."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Thank you. Anyway, I once told Lizzie how certain memories seem to bring my mom back into the world, and for some reason, the smell of oatmeal raisin cookies does that. The next Friday Lizzie sent over a plate of those cookies, and she's done that every week since then. They're always hot and fresh and smelling of happiness. My mom perks up when they arrive. That's just one example of how generous Lizzie is. But now I've probably wrecked our friendship."
"Lizzie doesn't seem like the kind of person who would let a friendship get wrecked over something like this, Keira."
"I'd like to believe that, Justin. And I'm sorry you had to listen to all that. I couldn't say anything to Gianna and Zach while Paula was there, and Chelsea and Brodie are wrapped up with Hunter and Cassidy and I can't say anything to them, because they're all related to Lizzie, and they're investors in the inn."
"Who are Hunter and Cassidy?"
"Hunter is Lizzie's cousin and Cassidy is his wife. They run a summer camp. They're really great people. Hunter used to be a firefighter and Cassidy is a landscape designer. They decided to start over with a new venture here at the lake."
"I heard about the camp from Zach last night," he said.
Can't Fight The Moonlight (Whisper Lake Book 3) Page 11
