“Maybe you were looking to save a little cash?” Carrying an armful of broken wood, Evan traced Ben’s steps to the dumpster located just outside the courtyard wall on the north side of the inn.
The sun continued descending toward the horizon line over the ocean. There were probably fifteen more minutes of light.
Ben’s gloves were crusted with dirt, so he scrubbed the sweat off his face with a sleeve. “It’s possible. When Grandma handed me the reins, the finances weren’t in the best shape, and I didn’t have a lot in the bank.” And still didn’t.
They trudged back to the remaining debris, boots crunching glass and thin, broken tree branches. After chipping away at the rubble all weekend in between other business stuff and family obligations, Ben was thankful he’d nearly cleaned it all up.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself, man. I’m pretty sure I could get you some emergency funds. Not a lot. But something.” As Walker Beach’s assistant community developer, Evan helped hand out grants to struggling businesses.
“Anything would help. But what I really need is guests. People keep canceling because of this damage.”
Evan dusted his gloves off onto his pants. “I thought I saw a guest going inside as I pulled up today.”
“Yeah, I still can’t believe Bella wanted to stay after she saw the wreckage in the courtyard. I mean—” His words cut off as Evan stared at him. “What?”
“Bella?” Evan’s brows knit together. “Since when are you on a first-name basis with the guests?”
Ben’s cheeks warmed as he strode toward one of the last remaining pieces of jagged wood that had fallen from the porch. “There’s only one guest. It isn’t hard to remember.”
“Probably doesn’t hurt that she’s good-looking either.”
Ben jerked his gaze toward his friend, but Evan just laughed. “It was only a guess, but with that reaction I can see I wasn’t far off.”
So, she was good looking. That didn’t mean anything. Plenty of good-looking women called Walker Beach home.
But Ben hadn’t found his thoughts straying to any of them during the last three days, which was why, except for brief interactions, he’d avoided Bella since Friday night.
“Whatever. You gonna help me with this?”
“Someone’s touchy. Must have struck a nerve.” Grinning, Evan helped Ben lift the railing. It strained beneath their arms as they walked it to the dumpster and hefted it inside.
Whew. “Looks like we’re mostly done here.”
Evan peeled off his gloves and tucked them under his arm. “Let me know when I can help with the actual repairs.”
He may get a kick out of busting on Ben, but Evan had turned into a good friend these last few years. “Thanks, bro. You have no idea what that means.”
Evan shrugged. “Not like I have much else going on these days. Just working late most nights and looking in on Chrissy.”
Chrissy Price, the forty-something-year-old hardware store owner in town, had been a mentor and friend to Evan since he’d stopped his wild ways a few years back. She’d been diagnosed with an aggressive cancer a few months ago and, unfortunately, it looked like she probably wasn’t going to make it.
“Well, I appreciate it all the same.” Ben would need all the help he could get if he wanted to repair the inn in a few weeks’ time. Any longer and he’d miss out on the rest of the high tourism season.
Once again, Ben surveyed the damage along the side of the inn, his gut twisting at the sight. But movement inside the courtyard caught his eye. Someone walked toward them.
Bella.
She’d done away with the professional clothing and wore a yellow tank top and shorts that showed off her shapely legs. Her hair was on the top of her head in a messy knot, and long earrings brushed the top of her shoulders.
Man, she was pretty. And with the casual style, she looked like she belonged here.
Evan nudged him in the ribs. “Looks like Bella is coming to say hi.”
“Shut up.”
They walked forward to meet her inside the courtyard gates. Bella flashed a tentative smile. “Long time, no see.” She turned her attention to Evan. “Hi, I’m Bella.”
“I know.” Evan’s eyes sparked with something like amusement. He held out his hand. “Evan Walsh.”
She took his offered hand. Evan held on longer than necessary.
Ben had never wanted to punch the guy before, but he wouldn’t have minded taking a swing at his friend right now. “He was just leaving.”
“Yes, I was.” Evan slapped Ben on the back. “Let me know when you need me next, buddy. Bella, a pleasure to meet you.” And with that, Evan headed to the parking lot, whistling some obnoxiously upbeat tune.
Ben grunted and turned to Bella. “Did you need something?”
Despite his professional tone, she stiffened. But why? Just because they’d shared a few minutes of pizza and Yahtzee didn’t make her more than a guest in his mind, no matter what Evan might say.
“Oh. Yeah. Yes.” She cleared her throat. “I just wanted to let you know that my shower isn’t working.”
He nodded. “I’ll get inside and take a look right away.”
“No rush. Not until morning, anyway.” She offered a wry grin then glanced around the courtyard. “I haven’t been back here since your porch nearly killed me. It’s tranquil. Well, it will be once you get everything fixed. How long do you think that will take?”
“I don’t know. Weeks.” She’d be long gone by then.
Not that he cared.
“It would look gorgeous with a garden.”
“Maybe. But at this point, I doubt I could even afford the seeds.”
“You know seeds are super cheap, right?” Bella leaned against the stone wall ringing the courtyard. “Your finances can’t be that bad.”
He really shouldn’t be talking about this, especially with her, but there was something about the defiance, the certainty, in her voice that made him want to knock her off that high horse. “You wouldn’t say that if you got a good look at them.”
“So, show me.”
Ben huffed out a staccato laugh. “Right.” But she was looking at him so openly, as if she hadn’t just suggested he show a stranger his vulnerable position. “You’re serious.” Even after he’d been so rude to her? “What’s your angle?”
“Do I need to have one?”
“Doesn’t everyone?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t know anything about you. And you don’t know me.”
“I have an MBA and experience running a business. I can’t promise I’ll be able to help, but I’m happy to try.”
But then he’d owe her.
The wind teased a piece of hair loose from Bella’s bun, sweeping it across her face, sticking it to her upper lip. She plucked it free. “Now you know one thing about me. And I already know at least one thing about you. You’re a member of town royalty who has the largest family tree in history.”
He surprised himself when a chuckle flew from his lips. “In all of history, huh?”
“Fine, maybe not the largest, but definitely bigger than mine. Other than some aunts and cousins who won’t talk to me because my mom offended them in some way, my mom is my only family.” Bella’s eyes fell to the ground. “That I know of.”