“I think we’re good to go.”
Remembering her pledge to be more helpful, she asked, “Can I get you some muffins or coffee to go? They’re orange spice today, and it’ll just take a minute.”
“No thanks. We’re running a little late as it is.”
“Well, let me get the door for you.” She scurried from behind the counter. “Have a safe flight. We hope to see you again soon.”
Once the family was out the door, Grace went back to the computer. She’d already bookmarked the top five commercial property sites at which to list the inn. She felt good about their chances of selling the inn on their own. She just needed that listing from her sister.
She texted Molly, who was due at the inn soon to clean rooms. Do you have the listing written yet? I’d like to get it uploaded today.
A moment later Molly texted back. It’s finished. But I already left the house. I’m at the coffee shop. I’ll have Adam email it to you. Want a frappé?
I’ll wait to hear from him then. And no thanks.
She hoped managing the listing wasn’t too time-consuming. Potential buyers would have questions before they’d travel here to tour the inn. But presumably a lot of them would be financial questions she could turn over to Levi. Not that he didn’t have enough on his plate at the moment too.
With most of the guests checked out, she turned her attention to her own business. Several spaces were available downtown—that would be the ideal location. But all of them had been empty a long time, and there were good reasons for that. Renovations would be expensive.
There were also small homes on the outskirts of town that could work. But, again, converting them into retail space would be costly.
Levi had mentioned business grants. She did a little research to see what was available and found he was right. There were even grants specifically for the rehabilitation of old buildings. But upon reading further, she saw that many steps would have to be taken to have a chance at one of those grants. She read until she was completely overwhelmed and was glad for the distraction when Molly breezed in a while later, latte in hand.
“Good morning!”
“Morning. Adam hasn’t sent me that listing yet.”
“Oh! I forgot to ask.” She pulled out her phone, her face sinking. “It’s dead. I forgot to charge it last night.”
“You can use my charger upstairs. I’ll text him.”
“I need to call him anyway. I forgot to defrost the chicken—he’s grilling tonight. Are all the guests out for the moment?”
“All except Wyatt.”
“Ooh, it’s just ‘Wyatt’ now, huh? And is he the reason you’re wearing makeup today?” Molly’s gaze sharpened on Grace. “Is that a trio palette you’re wearing?”
Grace rolled her eyes, making herself busy with the realty website. It was just a little neutral eye shadow and mascara. And okay, a little eyeliner. Also lip gloss.
“By the way, Levi was getting all up in your business last night, but I called him off. You’re welcome.”
Grace’s lips slid into a rueful smile. “One hot guest and brother dear gets all bent out of shape.”
A throat cleared.
Grace looked up, her smile falling flat.
Wyatt stood at the bottom of the steps. Of course he did.
Her face went nuclear. Darn the man. How did he get down those stairs without a single creak? It hadn’t been done since 1920.
“Good morning,” Molly said to Wyatt gleefully.
“Morning,” he said, but he was staring straight at Grace, that enigmatic expression present and accounted for.
“I think I’ll just . . .” Molly slipped past Wyatt and went upstairs.
Grace lifted her chin. “Do they teach that in security school?”
“Teach what?”
“How to enter a room without making any noise whatsoever.”
“It’s an important skill to master.”
No doubt he’d already learned all kinds of things about Grace and her opinions. She’d really thought she was better at that whole aloof thing.
He came closer, shrinking the space, making Grace glad for the desk between them. Whenever he was near the air seemed to crackle between them. She’d never experienced that with a man before. Most of her dates—and her boyfriends—had been a little lackluster. Had made her wonder what all the fuss was about.
She wiped her palms down her khakis, glad she’d taken a little extra time to get ready this morning. And yes, she could admit, if only to herself, that Wyatt was the reason behind the sudden concern with her appearance.
Since he was studying the map on a nearby wall, she took a moment to study him. He was dressed to hike in boots and sturdy jeans, a backpack slung over his shoulder.
Remembering she was the innkeeper, she wandered over. “Is there anything I can do for you this morning? Besides embarrass myself, I mean.”
His lips twitched just a little. “You seem to be making a habit of that.”
“Not my usual MO, I assure you.”
He turned to her. “What is your usual MO?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Hang around in the background, all low-key, feet on the ground instead of in my mouth.”
His gaze fell to her feet, and she was suddenly very glad Molly had talked her into a pedicure last week.
His eyes tracked back up to hers—those brown eyes. “Pretty feet, though.”
She realized they were standing close, that countertop nowhere near. “You are flirting with me.”
“If you couldn’t tell I must be losing my touch.”
She locked her gaze on the map, her heart having forgotten its usual rhythm. She’d always been direct. She just wasn’t used to getting as good as she gave.
“Do you, um, need help finding someplace? I know the area pretty well. Even the far-lying regions. Though the best hikes aren’t far at all. I guess that’s what makes Bluebell so popular. And like I said, you really don’t want to miss Stone Gap Bridge.” One handsome guest, and she’d turned into Molly. She closed her eyes in a long blink.
“Maybe we can go there together.”
Grace blinked. “Um, I do guided tours.” It was true she hadn’t done one yet. In fact, she’d planned to hire someone for that.
The corner of his mouth curled up as he looked back to the map. “That’s not really what I had in mind. But for now, I’m trying to find a place I’ve been to before.”
“You’ve been here before then?”
“Long time ago. Camping, east of Bluebell, I think. I remember a creek nearby and a waterfall, small one. There was a rock formation that was about thirty feet high. Lots of pine trees in the area. Any of that ring a bell?”
She wondered what he was looking for. “Well . . . we have three creeks running east. Lone Creek, Pine Creek, and Lost Creek.” She pointed them out on the map. They all ran into the lake. “How big was the waterfall?”
“Just a few feet high, maybe ten feet wide. It was a long time ago.”
“I can’t think of anything like that nearby. That’s pretty small. It might even be dried up this time of year.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“How far of a hike was it from town, do you know?”