David suggested getting rid of the mirrors and the dark wood paneling, modernizing the entire space and giving it a friendlier feeling.
The change would make the bar a large U shape and easily double the seating around it.
He was drawing up a few options for her and told her he would email some concepts to her by the following week. She was anxious and excited about the update.
She’d talked to him about replacing the flooring in the lobby area as well. If it was within her budget, she wanted to replace all the flooring in the rooms as well.
Determining what needed to be done in the rooms was going to take a lot longer than the rest had. She was planning on going room by room, as soon as she had everything else handled.
She had scheduled the fire inspection for the following day and had planned for updates in her budget. She wasn’t working with an unlimited amount, but she had enough to do what was absolutely required. Some more elaborate changes might have to wait until after the grand reopening she was planning this fall. For now, she wanted to give the place a complete overhaul, which meant new mattresses, new comforters, new furniture, and new window coverings. On the outside, the old green was going to be replaced with a more natural color that would work with the wood siding. Some of the windows and doors needed replacing and had been ordered, and the indoor and outdoor pools, which she had found out had been shut down years ago, were being repaired and filled.
Her grandmother had always instructed that, whatever she chose to do in life, she do it to the fullest. And she was all in. She would spend every last dime she had to make the resort a success. Even if she had to trample the rest of her family to do so. This was hers. Her parents had given up so much to build a legacy for her, and she’d sat back and let her uncle and aunt ruin it in the past ten years. All because she’d been weak.
Well, she was no longer going to let anyone tell her what to do or, more importantly, what she couldn’t or shouldn’t do.
She was thankful for the friends and comrades she had. Carrie and Darby had come to visit her the weekend after she’d arrived for a much-needed girls’ night in.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed or enjoyed herself that much. It had been like it had been in the past. Her two friends seemed to not have changed at all.
She’d been a little shocked when Carrie had looked at her over an almost empty glass of wine and had shaken her head.
“You’ve changed so much,” she’d said.
“How so?” she’d asked.
“Everything about you. I mean, you’re still knock-out gorgeous. I mean, that hair.” Carrie had sighed. “By the way, you’re still the only natural redhead in town.”
Raven had laughed and sipped some more wine.
“And you’re still the only black woman in town,” Darby had pointed out to Carrie.
“True.” She’d held up her glass. “This town isn’t big enough to handle two gorgeous redheads and two strong black women.”
“Or two Darbys,” Raven had added with a chuckle.
“I’ll drink to that,” Darby had cheered.
She had hoped to find out more about what Carrie had meant, but then they had started talking about men. She’d tried to ask about Cade, to see if he was seeing anyone or just to find out how long he’d been back in town, but Carrie and Darby talked about a guy named Andre Walker all night. Apparently, he was the town’s hottest catch.
Now, after accepting Cade’s dinner invitation, she hoped that she’d at least gotten a little more about Cade out of her friends. She felt like she was walking into dinner completely blind.
The only thing she had learned over the past week was that he had an ex-girlfriend, Julia, who worked at Darby’s diner.
Raven couldn’t remember if she’d seen the woman last week when she’d been there, but she made a point to look for her the next time she went in.
Shifting the bottle of wine under her arm, she reached up and knocked on Cade’s door. The home, a newer place that sat on the outskirts of town, was a two-story contemporary wood-sided home with a massive wraparound deck.
The home was tucked deep into the property with a detached garage and what appeared to be a work shed off to the side.
When the door opened, she had to shuffle the wine as his grandmother, Jan, wrapped her arms around her.
“Oh my god, it’s so good to see you again,” Jan said, holding onto her.
Janice Williams hadn’t changed much over the years. The woman still had her silver hair cut in a straight bobbed style. She was wearing a stylish rust-orange jacket with a grey shirt underneath paired with slim-legged jeans.
Raven instantly felt overdressed in a lacey white top with a dark purple skirt and matching half boots.
“Come on in,” Janice said, pulling her inside.
Blue was there to greet her just inside the door.
Raven bent down and gave the old dog some attention before following Janice into the house.
The inside was just as glorious as the outside. The living room and kitchen were one massive room. A two-story stone fireplace sat within a wall of arched windows.
She took a quick moment to take in the warm colors, masculine furniture, and tidiness of the home and was impressed with the space.
“When Cade stopped by last week and told me you were back in town, I was so happy and tried to reach out to your gran,” Janice said as she took the wine bottle from Raven.
She swallowed. “You didn’t hear?” Raven’s heart sank. “My gran passed away last month.”
“Oh no.” Jan sank down on a barstool and laid her hand over her heart. “I’m so sorry, child.”
Just then, the sliding door on the back of the home opened, and Cade walked in holding a plate filled with grilled steaks.
He was wearing a tight black T-shirt and worn jeans, and she saw the anger wash over him when he took in the scene of his grandmother crying and Raven standing over her. She felt her entire body go on high alert.
“What’s happened?” He set the plate down and rushed over to his grandmother.
“Ellen.” Jan shook her head and wiped at her eyes. “Raven, I’m so sorry for your loss.” She pushed up and wrapped her arms around her again.
Raven had believed she’d spent all of her tears for her grandmother. Yet now, with her grandmothers’ best friend holding tight to her, her eyes stung, and she shut them before she lost full control.
“Let me open this bottle, then you can tell me how she went and catch me up on everything you’ve been doing since I last saw you.” Jan dropped her arms and walked behind the counter to open the wine.
“I’m so sorry,” Cade said softly. He looked over at his grandmother. “We hadn’t heard.”
She shrugged. “As far as I know, only family knew,” she replied quickly, feeling a little uncomfortable suddenly.
“Here, Gran.” He walked over and finished opening the wine bottle for his grandmother. “I’ve got this. Why don’t the two of you head outside on the deck and enjoy the warmth before the sun goes down? I’ll bring the wine out for you.”
His grandmother lifted her hand to his face and smiled up at him. “Thank you, dear.”
Then she took Raven’s hand and pulled her outside onto a massive deck that hung over a pristine backyard with a small brook running through it.