The Way Back to Erin

by Cerella Sechrist

  Even Erin. Because here was where her life with Gavin had begun. This was where they had lived and loved. He didn’t begrudge her that. But neither did he share her fondness for the place. For him, it didn’t matter if the inn was sold or not. All that mattered was that Erin and Kitt were provided for, going into the future. And selling the inn might accomplish that.

  He took a tentative step forward and sat down on the edge of the settee. Erin didn’t move away, but she didn’t acknowledge him either.

  “Erin, please try to see it from Aunt Lenora’s point of view.”

  Erin’s head came up then, and he could see she’d been crying. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot. Belatedly, he noticed the edge of a tissue peeking from her balled-up hand.

  “What about my point of view?” she demanded, her voice hoarse with frustration. “This place has been my home for almost fifteen years. My memories are here. Gavin—” She stopped suddenly and looked away, sniffing and struggling to regain her composure.

  Burke tried to phrase his next words as gently as he could. “Gavin is not here, Erin,” he said, his tone soft.

  Her face crumpled. “I know that. Of course I know that.” She drew a shuddering breath. “But this place is where we planned to spend the rest of our lives together. Losing it...would be like losing him all over again.”

  Her words shouldn’t have hurt him so much. But they did. She still loved Gavin. She still grieved him. Why couldn’t he be sympathetic? But all he felt was a jealousy that had festered for too long. Even in death, Erin’s heart belonged only to Gavin.

  “But Aunt Lenora is right,” he argued. “This is no way for you and Kitt to live.”

  “I have Gavin’s life insurance, money from the army that I could use to fund this place until we get back on our feet.”

  “You need to use that for you. To secure a future for you and Kitt, to send him to college one day. You shouldn’t pour resources into a black hole.”

  She cringed. “Don’t call it that.”

  He bit his tongue and tried again.

  “Is this really what you want? To live out the rest of your days in this inn, struggling to make a go of it by yourself?” He knew he had to tread carefully. “Think of Kitt. Is this what you want for him?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Kitt isn’t you. He’s not bitter about this place.”

  Burke remained patient. “I’m not...bitter, exactly. I just don’t have any great love for the inn. I think it’s outdated and it’s not providing for you or Kitt or Aunt Lenora anymore. In which case, I can see the merit in Allan’s offer.”

  Her jaw tightened, and she looked back at the photo album in front of her. “Don’t pretend you’re not biased. Maybe you think that selling the inn will gain you some sort of ground with Tessa.”

  He blinked, stunned. “What? What does Tessa have to do with this?”

  Erin pushed the album off her lap and stood to her feet. “Burke, less than two weeks ago, you were prepared to marry her. And now her father shows up, wanting something, and you’re all in. Don’t tell me that you’re not just a little bit swayed by how that will look to your former fiancée.”

  He was indignant. “Of course I’m not swayed by that. Why should I be? Tessa has never been involved in any of her father’s enterprises.”

  “That doesn’t mean she wouldn’t look at you differently if you backed him up.”

  Burke stood to his feet and looked down at her. She seemed small and vulnerable, ready to burst into tears. But her words were inexplicable.

  “What’s gotten into you? I think Tessa ditching me at our wedding was a pretty good indication of how she felt about me.”

  She stood to her feet and faced off with him. “Then why are you taking Allan’s side?”

  “I’m not. I’m on your side.” I always have been. From the moment I fell for you as a lost and lovesick boy. “But you’re not thinking rationally. You’re allowing your judgment to be clouded by grief and sentimentality.”

  He didn’t see it coming when she lifted her arms and pushed him. He stumbled a little but caught himself. “Don’t you dare treat me like some crazy widow,” she said, her voice thick with anger. “Just because I lost my husband and I love this place does not mean my judgment is clouded.”

  He held up his hands. “You’re right. That wasn’t fair. I’m sorry.”

  His apology seemed to soothe her, at least a little. She crossed her arms over her chest and took a ragged breath. “I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have pushed you like that.”

  “It’s no big deal. You’re upset. You’re afraid someone is going to take your home away from you.”

  She looked at him with such wide-eyed, hopefulness that it made the next words he had to say all the more painful.

  “But Erin...at least think about what Allan is offering.”

  The hope in her expression withered. “This inn has stood for well over two centuries. It has always been a place for families, a refuge. No matter how you feel about it, would you really be okay with Allan turning it into some kind of resort clubhouse?”

  She made a good point. That wasn’t necessarily something he was on board with. The Moontide was more than just a resort lounging area. But at the same time, Allan was offering Erin a way out—a chance to secure her future and the opportunity for Aunt Lenora to live out her twilight years without the burden of the inn or worrying over Erin and Kitt’s future.

  “It’s a solution to a problem. I never said it was the perfect one.”

  Erin’s features hardened. “Fine, if that’s how you feel. But there’s no way I’m letting Aunt Lenora give up on this place without a fight.”

  And to his disappointment, Burke knew she meant it.

  * * *

  “THERE HAS TO be a way.” Erin sipped the latte her friend and former employer, Connor Callahan, had made for her. Connor’s wife, Harper, also a friend of Erin’s, gathered dessert plates while Connor finished rinsing the last of their lunch dishes in the sink. Erin was seated at the kitchen counter in their home.

  Harper and Connor had a rare afternoon off from the restaurant, and they’d invited Erin over for lunch. The timing couldn’t have been better, given Aunt Lenora’s announcement the day before. Or more likely, Harper, as one of Allan’s daughters, had heard about her father’s plans and decided to invite Erin over to check up on her. However it had come about, Erin was grateful. She needed the support of her friends right now, especially after Burke’s betrayal.

  “Do you think you can do it?” Harper asked as she cut a peach pie into wedges for their dessert. “I mean, do you really see yourself running the inn by yourself one day, after Aunt Lenora is gone?”

  “That was always Gavin’s and my plan. After he retired from the army, he would get some sort of job in town, and we’d keep the inn going once Aunt Lenora was too old to keep up with it. And besides, I’ve been taking care of most of the day-to-day running of it myself for the last few years. Aunt Lenora can’t get around like she once did, and with Gavin gone...” She trailed off as Harper handed her a plate.

  “But that was before the Delphine opened,” Connor pointed out. Erin noticed he didn’t attach Allan’s name when mentioning the resort. She wondered what he thought of his father-in-law. It wasn’t a subject that had ever come up. “I’m sure that’s affected the Moontide’s business.”

  Erin poked at her pie. “Of course it has. But...it’s new. And fancy. The inn just needs a few renovations, some updates to make it more appealing. Besides, I’m sure eventually people will realize that the Moontide is a much better choice for a more intimate stay. We just need to ride things out until that happens.”

  She raised her head just in time to see Harper and Connor share a look. Erin couldn’t read what passed between them, but she felt a pang at the sight. She and Gavin had been able to do that. Communicate without words. She mis
sed having that connection with someone. She pushed her plate of uneaten pie aside.

  “You think I’m being sentimental, too.”

  “Who called you sentimental?” Harper asked.

  “Burke. He said I wasn’t looking at this rationally.”

  “I’m sure he just wants the best for you. And for Kitt.”

  Harper could be very diplomatic when she had to be. But Erin didn’t want diplomacy. She wanted her friends’ untainted opinion. But maybe that wasn’t possible given all the connections—Harper as Allan’s daughter and Tessa’s sister, Connor as Erin’s former boss and friend.

  “What if you expanded your services?” Connor suggested.

  Erin sat up straighter. “What do you mean?”

  Connor wiped his hands on a dishtowel. “Well, you have that book club that meets at the inn once a month, yeah?” Connor’s Irish accent was more pronounced when he got excited, and he was clearly warming to his subject. “Build on that sort of thing. Offer more options to the locals.”

  Erin nodded. “That’s always been part of my plan. But I don’t know where to begin.”

  “Hmm.” Connor tossed the dishtowel onto the counter as he considered. But it was Harper who spoke up next.

  “What about weddings?”

  “The Moontide already offers weddings.”

  “Well, yeah, sometimes. But the last wedding that took place there was Connor’s and mine, wasn’t it? And that’s been two years. You have all that beautiful lawn space and the gazebo...it’s such a cozy venue. What if you did something like, I don’t know, a wedding venue open house?”

  “You mean, promote the Moontide as a venue option?”

  Harper cocked her head thoughtfully. “You could hold it outside, decorate the backyard just like you did when Connor and I got married.”

  The room fell silent following this suggestion, and then Connor and Erin began speaking at the same time.

  “Callahan’s can do the catering, and you can invite a couple of local bakeries to offer samples of their wedding cakes.”

  “I can invite local musicians to come and play. Maybe Rory can make some suggestions since she used to play around town?”

  Connor stepped to a kitchen cupboard and opened it. “And what if you had the bridal boutique participate somehow?” He pulled out a mug. “They could showcase a few dresses, put them on display or something.”

  “Maybe even create some sort of package promotion,” Harper said, “where the bride and groom can also spend their honeymoon night at the Moontide.”

  “Good idea!” Erin felt the thrill of hope. Harper was right, the Moontide hadn’t hosted a wedding in a very long time, having lost any wedding business to the Delphine. The resort was able to offer so much more than the inn. Even Tessa and Burke had chosen to have their ceremony there...even if Tessa hadn’t gone through with it in the end.

  Connor obviously liked his wife’s suggestion. He went to Harper and wrapped his arms around her, planting a kiss on her forehead.

  “You are absolutely brilliant, love.”

  Harper made a face. “Just do me a favor and don’t tell my dad it was my idea.”

  “What will he do, if Aunt Lenora doesn’t sell?” Erin asked.

  Harper sighed. “He’ll find some other way to build the golf course. He’s not one to give up if things don’t go his way.”

  Though it was probably her imagination, Erin thought Harper’s words sounded almost like a warning.

  * * *

  BURKE HAD TO give her credit, Erin had meant it when she said she wasn’t giving up the Moontide without a fight.

  “An open house?” Aunt Lenora’s brow was furrowed, adding more lines to her wrinkled forehead. “You mean invite anyone and everyone to come tramping through here, just for curiosity’s sake?”

  They were seated at the kitchen table. Erin had asked him and Aunt Lenora to stay after dinner while Kitt went outside with Scout. The dishes weren’t even cleared away. Erin had been too eager to talk with them.

  “First of all, we’d hold it outside, in the backyard. So not everyone would be tramping through the house, as you put it. And second, the payoff would be worth the hassle. We might even be able to book a few weddings on the spot!”

  Erin was obviously excited about the idea, though Burke thought it sounded a little too optimistic. Sure, the Moontide had been a venue for weddings many times in the past, but it couldn’t offer the kind of luxury and detail that a larger business, such as the Delphine, could. At least, not without more money for renovations and a lot more work for Erin.

  “What’s your long-term goal here?” Burke asked. “The Moontide isn’t really set up to accommodate multiple weddings over a year. They always take extra work and coordination with caterers, florists and all the dozens of other people who are involved in pulling a wedding off. Not to mention, do you really want to be dealing with bridezillas all the time?”

  Erin turned to him with a scowl, her eyes blazing anger at his interference. He should have just kept his mouth shut.

  “Just because you don’t think it’s a good idea doesn’t mean it’s not worth a try.”

  “I’m just saying, is all the effort you’re going to put into an open house worth the trouble?” He drew a breath and steeled himself for her anger. “Erin, do you really think something like this is going to be enough to bring this old place back to life? Are you just putting off the inevitable?”

  Erin’s jaw clenched, and he prepared for the argument he knew was coming. But then, Aunt Lenora spoke up, turning Erin’s attention away from him.

  “What all would this open house entail?”

  Erin’s face lit up, and Burke felt his breath catch. He wished there was some way to make her look this happy every day. Was it possible? He’d dedicate his life to trying, if it were up to him. And if the idea of the open house meant that much to her, should he really be trying to shoot it down?

  He watched her expression as she went over all the details of her proposed event. The sight of her enthusiasm made his chest ache. He feared she’d be disappointed. The Moontide had the potential to be something great, but it would take far more time and money than any of them had to offer. And even then, he worried that Erin was holding onto this place mostly for Gavin’s sake—for a future that had already been stolen from her.

  “And Connor and Harper offered for Callahan’s to cater the event with finger foods and hors d’oeuvres. Though I’d also invite a couple of local bakeries to showcase their cakes.”

  “Ah, so you’ve been scheming with Harper,” Aunt Lenora commented. “I might have known.”

  Burke raised an eyebrow. “Harper’s in on this?” As Allan’s daughter, that was an interesting twist.

  Erin ignored his question and forged ahead. “Maybe all the inn needs is a chance, Aunt Lenora. It’s been in your family for generations. You can’t let it go without some sort of fight.”

  “Hmm.” Aunt Lenora didn’t speak, but he could tell by the gleam in her eyes that she was considering.

  “I’m not sure this is the solution you think it is.” He didn’t like being the one to deflate her optimism, but he worried she was getting her hopes up too much.

  “How would you know?” she countered. “You haven’t been around for years. You don’t know what it takes to run a B&B.”

  The accusation stung, but she wasn’t wrong. “I don’t,” he admitted, “not entirely. But I do know a few things. The Moontide is ancient, and it’s going to require extensive—and expensive—renovations to keep it operating efficiently. I’ve spent the last few weeks repairing some of the more minor issues, but you’ll have to hire a competent contractor at some point to keep this house in working order. In addition, I’ve done some research. B&Bs are still a hot market, it’s true, but the income isn’t consistent. As a single mom with a small child, is th
is really how you want to live? With such a precarious and uncertain livelihood?”

  “I have Gavin’s life insurance money plus his army pay, as his widow.”

  Burke nodded, trying to remain diplomatic. “Okay. That puts you in a better financial position than most maybe. But what about Kitt’s future? How are you going to pay for college? Or any other issues that arise? What if you find something seriously wrong with the Moontide, and you need to dip into that money to fix it?” He hesitated to voice his next argument, but if ever there was a time to address these issues, it was now. “And what about Aunt Lenora? How are you going to take care of her and run a B&B as she gets older?”

  Aunt Lenora didn’t comment on this consideration, but Erin wasn’t deterred.

  “That’s why we need to make the inn viable again.”

  “Erin, with all due respect, I’m not sure that you can.”

  She blinked several times in rapid succession and looked away. He wondered if she was holding back tears and felt the bite of guilt. He didn’t want to make her feel badly. That was the last thing he wanted. But he also didn’t want her chasing a dream that wasn’t meant to be or clinging to something when it was time to let go.

  “Why are you doing this?” she asked him, her voice a near-whisper of desperation. “Why do you even care? You haven’t taken an interest in the Moontide for years...maybe never. So why now?”

  Her anger was warranted. He’d wanted nothing to do with the inn before this, so he didn’t have a right to offer input on its future. But it wasn’t really the inn he cared about. It was Erin, Kitt and Aunt Lenora and their future. He didn’t want to see Erin tied to a sinking ship. The Moontide needed more than she could give it, no matter how many open houses she held.

  “It’s not the Moontide that I’m worried about. It’s you.”

  Her expression hardened at this. “Well, don’t be. I’m fine.”

  His jaw clenched. “Are you, Erin? Or are you holding on to a past that can never be your future?”