by Susan Hatler
My heart didn’t just sink. It plummeted all the way into my belly. I knew this would happen eventually. Max’s family ran one of the most successful relocation companies in the world, and of course they would never allow him even a month off. “Tokyo?”
He nodded, wearing a smile that broke my heart. “Have you ever been?”
It was obvious how much he loved traveling. I stepped back a little but not enough to leave his embrace. “Yes, when I was little. I don’t remember much about it except that I was scared of the trains, and Brian wanted to ride the roller coaster but he was too little.”
Max chuckled. “Everyone is afraid of the trains in Tokyo. They’re terrifyingly fast.”
My heart managed to drop a little lower. I knew that this time with Max had always been temporary, but I’d let him in anyway, and now he was leaving. I didn’t want him to go, so I decided to change the subject. “Guess what happened today?”
“You fell through that bad section of flooring in the upper hall of building three?”
I laughed at that. Max had nearly gone through the floor the day before, and while it had been scary, and distressing, he had made it funny, too. Max had managed to make everything seem fun, but who was going to make me laugh once he left?
I shook my head. “No. We had potential buyers come in, and take a tour of the inn.”
His eyes darkened. “How could you have buyers? The inn isn’t even on the market.”
“They must’ve heard through word of mouth. Small town and all of that. They seem interested in living here and keeping the inn running, which was what Brian and I wanted. I’d worried I might get a flipper in here, or a developer that would want to tear the inn down, but they seem determined to run it,” I said, giving him the high price I’d quoted them. “They didn’t waver at the number, and called shortly after they left to say they’re sending over an all cash offer.”
His hands dropped away from my face, and his brows came together. “Are you sure about this, Wendy? Selling I mean? I’m just asking because you seem to love it here.”
“Of course I’m sure.” As soon as the words came out, my eyes watered, and I knew I wasn’t sure. “I thought you would be happy for me. Now I can buy that townhouse in Sacramento I’ve always wanted, and I can go back to my business.”
He set his phone down and petted Lucky, who was lying quietly on the foot of the bed. I knew I should tell him dogs did not belong on the bed, but I had a feeling she had been planted there for a while anyway. He sat me down next to him, and lifted my hand. “I know you love the townhouse in Sacramento, but I think you love the inn, too. I never thought you’d really go through with it.”
I sighed, pushing the hair away from my face. “Max, it isn’t that simple. I live in Sacramento. Just like you live in San Francisco.”
He shook his head. “I have a condo in San Francisco, but I’ve never really lived anywhere before. I just stayed there. I’ve only recently learned the difference.” He squeezed my hand. “This town is home for me.”
Shock rolled through me. “What are you talking about? You’re leaving on Monday. You have the traveling bug just like my parents do.”
“You’re wrong. I love to travel, but this place is home for me. I feel it in my bones. No matter where I go, this will always be home. I will always come back here.”
“If you’re thinking of moving, then why not Sacramento?” I held my breath, wondering if I had just assumed too much. After all, this could just be a vacation fling to him. No, I knew that was my insecurity talking. He’d always been honest about his feelings for me.
“I could live in Sacramento for you, but it would never be my home.”
I stomped over to the window. Outside the manicured green grass sloped down to the steps. The ocean lay in a great shimmering sheet of blue below. The sound of the waves came through the open window, and I placed my hands against the screen, feeling the heat of the sun beyond them leaching into my skin.
“Tell me you won’t miss that.” Max’s breath washed over my shoulder and the heat of his body against my back made me lean against him, even though I wanted nothing more than to walk away before things got more confusing.
“You don’t understand.” My voice was barely a whisper as my throat tightened, and a hot tear escaped down my cheek. “Of course, I’d miss this place. I’d miss the sound of the water rushing against the sand, joking with Brian, hanging with Megan and Olivia, the memories of my grandma throughout the inn, and even the baristas at Bay Side Coffee. Most of all, though, . . . I’d miss you,” I said, my throat closing up.
I’d let him into my heart, and now he was embedded there, for better or worse. I turned around, and his face was close to mine. I tilted my head back, and he planted gentle kisses on both of my cheeks, before his mouth met mine in a sweet and fierce kiss, that left my senses reeling. His tongue melted with mine, over and over, his hands sliding up and down my back, until he pulled me tight against him.
Finally, I leaned back, fighting to catch my breath as hot tears ran down my cheeks. He wiped the tears away with this thumbs. “What’s wrong, beautiful? Did you change your mind about selling the inn?”
I shook my head. “You talked about where home is, and I thought mine was in Sacramento. Now I’m not sure. But I have to go get things ready for the Pumpkin Festival meeting,” I said in a breathy whisper. “I have people coming.” I gave him a quick kiss and left his room, closing the door firmly behind me.
The Pumpkin Festival was in four weeks. With the way things were unraveling quickly, maybe I would be gone before the festival. If so, I would miss the cakewalk and the kids in the bouncy houses. I wouldn’t get to throw darts at the balloons again, or get to see Max toss rings at the bowling pins, in order to win a goofy prize.
Everything was finally turning out the way I thought I’d wanted. We were most likely selling the inn, possibly for full price, and I had a good chance of getting my townhouse. I’d be able to get back to my real estate business a lot sooner than I had even planned, too. If everything was falling into place, then why was my heart breaking right now?
Chapter Twelve
I left Max’s room and headed for the lobby. I got there just in time to greet Olivia and the other four women who were working to bring the Pumpkin Festival to life. Olivia introduced me to the others: Wren, a lovely older woman with silver hair and a slender figure; Erin, an energetic woman about my age; Tricia, another woman with a bright smile and a tan that made me instantly envious; and Suzie, who looked like she was in her late twenties and had an air of authority about her that I instantly liked.
We all shook hands and I led them into the library, where I’d arranged a table with bottles of water and snacks arranged on pretty plates. Tricia immediately went to the windows, peered out and exclaimed. “Look at that amazing view, girls.”
They all gathered at the windows. Suzie used her hand as a sun visor, and said, “I can’t believe how gorgeous that is. I’ve never been inside the inn before. The whole place is stunning. I’ll have to get my boyfriend to bring me here for a weekend getaway.”
“It would make a charming staycation spot,” Erin said. “Do you give discounts to locals?”
I shuffled my feet a bit. “I’m not sure if the new owners will offer a discount or not.”
All of their faces registered surprise. Suzie asked, “You’re selling this place? Why? It’s beautiful, and a landmark too.”
Olivia seemed to notice the downcast expression on my face, and cleared her throat. “Enough small talk, ladies. We need to get to business.” She took a seat at the table and opened the file she’d had stashed in her large tote bag. I breathed a sigh of relief. It’s not like I wanted to explain to perfect strangers that now that I’d fallen in love with the inn again, I had to sell it.
Olivia tapped her pen against the table. “I know that we all like the dunking booth . . .”
The others gave out a collective groan and Suzie shook her head. “No, not
all of us.”
“You don’t?” I asked, unable to help inserting my opinion, even though I was a newbie. I sat down and put a lemon tart from the bakery onto my plate. “Why not? The dunking booth has always been there. It’s a part of the festival, and a landmark in its own right.”
“It’s so boring, though.” Tricia said, scraping the cream cheese off her slice of carrot cake.
I stared at her. “The dunking booth is boring? Not for the person sitting there. You never know when you’re going to get dropped into freezing cold ocean water.” I turned to Olivia. “Do you remember when we got talked into working the dunking booth? That was the year that major league baseball player volunteered as a celebrity dunkee?”
“Do I?” Olivia shook her head. “My hands looked like raisins for a week. I pretended to check the water like a zillion times just to be close to that hottie. I even volunteered to get dunked, in order to impress him.”
“Me, too.” I laughed. “It was fun, though. Wasn’t it? Not boring at all.” I could almost feel that hard seat below my bottom, and see the people lined up waiting for their turn to dunk me. Even being dunked had been fun. It was a lot like the way I’d fallen for Max. I’d barely taken one breath, and then . . . bam . . . I’d been plunged in all the way.
Tricia spoke, shattering my thoughts. “I think we should do away with all the hokey little things we’ve done in the past, and try new things. I hate the cakewalk, and the pie-eating contest. Besides, we’re probably just promoting childhood obesity with those things. And the dunk tank is not something people want to do anymore. It’s too big of a commitment.”
“It’s a dunk tank, not a marriage proposal,” Olivia joked.
Erin raised her hand. “Tricia means we have to pay the deposit now if we want to reserve the booth, which means we have to make sure to collect enough money from the game to pay off the rental, and lately that has not been happening.”
Who cared about money when we were talking about the dunk tank? It may be quirky and silly, but it had been a huge part of our life growing up. I couldn’t imagine the Pumpkin Festival without that dunk tank there.
Could I imagine a life without the inn in it? I had left town, yes. But the inn had always been here. When I left this time, that wouldn’t be the case. There would be new owners, and nothing would ever be the same. I could never drive through the gate, down to the circular drive, and know that I was almost home.
Wait . . . home? Had I just thought of the inn as my home? I needed to lay off the tarts. Maybe the sugar was affecting my brain. My home would hopefully be that gorgeous townhome in the city. Blue Moon Bay wasn’t my home, anymore.
Olivia rapped her fingers on the table. “So, you don’t want cake or pies or a dunk tank? None of the old stuff. What do you want then?”
Tricia clapped her hands. “I think we should ditch the petting zoo, and bring in some musical acts.”
“Fun idea!” Suzie enthused as she forked a little key lime tart from the tray, and bit into it. For someone who was against pies and cakes, she sure seems to enjoy the tart.
Olivia stared at them both. “Come on, guys. The kids love the petting zoo. I don’t think it’s a good idea to revamp the entire festival.”
Tricia shrugged. “That’s really the whole point, though. It’s time to get rid of the old, and bring in the new.”
I guzzled a long swallow of water. They could have been discussing my life, and not just the festival. Old versus new. Which was better? My gaze flew to the windows. The ocean lay just below in a perfect, smooth expanse that touched the far end of the horizon. How had I not craved that view, while I’d lived in Sacramento? Because I’d gotten rid of the old, and brought in the new. Huh.
“A musical act doesn’t sound bad,” Olivia said, jotting notes down on the paper. “Couldn’t we have both? The petting zoo and music? A combination of the old and the new?”
Suzie tapped her chin. “I’d have to crunch the numbers.”
Erin brightened. “We could use local talent.”
“Good idea.” Olivia scribbled a few more notes. “Now I’d still like to have the sack races . . .”
More groans.
“That is beyond tired, so let’s get rid of that this year,” Suzie said.
Tired? The sack races were a blast! Olivia, Megan, Charlie, and I had competed every year in those races, usually tied to one another. Max had told me he was looking forward to the sack races, and he’d even suggested we race together. The idea of being tied to the ankle with him, and bouncing along in a burlap sack was most appealing.
Olivia laid her pen down and leaned across the table. “The sack races stay. They are cheap to do and everyone loves them, especially the tourists.”
Erin set down her water bottle. “We’ll put it to a vote at the end.”
Olivia clicked the end of her pen repeatedly, which made sharp noises that echoed slightly. I knew she was annoyed, and I didn’t blame her. The others were turning our Pumpkin Festival into something else entirely. Then it hit me. It wasn’t our Pumpkin Festival. It belonged to Blue Moon Bay, and I didn’t. I belonged in Sacramento. At least I’d always thought I did.
Blue Moon Bay would never have the excitement of Sacramento, or the opportunities I found there. Here, I’d never be the Realtor of the Month. Or, if I were, then it would hardly be such an accomplishment since there were only a handful of other Realtors in town. Why was I even debating between Blue Moon Bay and Sacramento, though? It wasn’t like I even had a choice in the matter, thanks to my grandma’s will.
“Before we vote on the activities, I’d like to make a speech,” Olivia said. “Just because the dunk tank was a failure in the past doesn’t mean it will be in the future. Things change. Maybe the only reason the game stopped working was because people didn’t realize how much they loved it. We should give them a chance to love it again.”
I totally knew what she was talking about. Blue Moon Bay hadn’t worked for me in the past, and I’d forgotten how much I loved it. But thanks to my grandma’s will, I had gotten another chance to love this town, and I didn’t want to lose it again.
The vote for the dunking booth came and it was spilt right in half, two wanted to keep the game, and two didn’t. I was the deciding vote. Olivia turned to me. “Wendy, we need a tie breaker. What do you vote?”
Stay or go? It wasn’t just the dunking booth I would be voting on. It would be my entire life. I had to decide, and I didn’t know how. I looked at Olivia and saw the pleading look in her eyes. My heart twisted so painfully I wondered if the tart had triggered a major cardiac infarction.
Then I remembered Max’s advice for me when I’d been trying to decide on the paint colors. He’d told me to go with my heart. I closed my eyes, and it was a no brainer. “I vote for the dunking booth,” I said. “It’s always been there, and it should stay.”
After the meeting, everyone scattered. I sank back into one of the sofas, feeling utterly defeated. Now that I wanted to keep the inn, I had no feasible way to do that. Grandma’s will mandated we sell it.
Olivia paused by the door of the library. “Thanks for all of your help, Wendy.”
I smiled at her. “That’s what friends are for.”
Olivia brushed her red locks over her shoulder, and sighed. “I wasn’t much of a friend to you when you first came back.”
I looked up at her. “I wasn’t much of a friend to you for a bunch of years.”
She smiled, leaned down, and hugged me hard. I finally had my friend back. Lacing my arm through hers, I walked her to the lobby. The others walked out, still exclaiming over how much they loved the inn. Olivia glanced around the lobby. “It will be weird to have different owners here. This is your family’s place, and I’ll never think of it any other way.”
“Me, either.” The lump in my throat almost choked me. I grabbed a few little items on the nearest shelf, and rearranged them to keep from having to look at her. She headed for the double doors, stopping with one hand on
the knob. “I’ll miss you when you leave, Wendy.”
“I’ll miss you, too. But this time we’ll keep in touch. I’ll make sure of it,” I said, meaning every word.
She walked out, closing the door behind her. I stared at the back of the doors, then turned, and walked back to the windows. I would miss everyone here. I didn’t really have anyone in Sacramento, and I had to admit that now. I had friends I loved in Blue Moon Bay. Max was here, too. If he came back like he claimed. Maybe in Tokyo, he’d fall in love with someone else, and stay there just like Ian had. There were no guarantees in life. I’d learned the hard way that people could leave at any given moment.
There was a knock on the door outside the inn. Weird. Maybe it was a new guest, who didn’t know we left it open until ten in the evening. I pasted on a polite smile, went to the door, and pulled it open. My smiled died when I recognized the woman on the other side of that door.
“Hello, Wendy, dear. Don’t you look wonderful?”
My blood pressure shot dangerously high, and I felt faint. “Mom? What are you doing here?”
****
The inn doors opened further as my mom stepped into the lobby, and I saw Olivia, still outside, staring in at me. She must’ve seen my mom, because she mouthed “good luck” as the doors closed. Before I could protest, my mom’s arms reach out, and wrapped around me.
My stomach plummeted. She had hugged me just like that before. The day she had walked out on me.
“I’m very sorry about your grandma, dear.” She pulled back, giving me a better look at her. She had the same dark hair that I had, but her eyes were brown instead of emerald green like my dad’s. Her hair was pulled up into a messy knot and she wore a brightly colored skirt, a slim fit tank top, sandals of some kind of woven material with beads running along the top straps, and a wide belt with a giant feather laden buckle.
“I’m surprised to see you.” I blinked, shocked that I’d been able to form words. What was she doing here? I took a step back, and nearly tripped over the massive duffel bag sitting there. Mom caught me by one arm, which kept me from falling, but didn’t make me feel any better.
