“Uneventful. You doing all right? I hate to tell you, but word around the office is you’re losing it.”
“Just a little trouble sleeping is all. I think I need to take a break from my routines. Chill out. I’ll get it settled and be back before you know it.”
Ethan knew better than to suggest sleep aids. Men who were trained to be on constant alert weren’t about to render themselves helpless. At least Wyatt wasn’t.
“Where’d you go?”
“Not far. A little lake town called Bluebell, tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains.”
“Sounds quaint.”
“Used to spend summers here with the folks when I was a kid.”
“Ah. Does the Gov still summer there?”
“Not anymore. He stays in Raleigh year-round.” The trauma of that last summer had spoiled the place for both of them.
“Maybe this is just what you need. A little R & R. Come back refreshed. You’ve been hitting it pretty hard for a long time. And that shooting . . .”
“It’s what we’re trained for.”
“Sure, but not many agents actually find themselves taking a bullet. You did good, Jennings.”
“Thanks, man.” He rolled his left shoulder, the pain more a nuisance than a worry.
He was almost to the end of town when his family’s old summer home came into view. It was as big and white as he remembered with a wide, welcoming front porch and neat lawn.
Only one thing was different: a sign reading Bluebell Inn. His eyes lingered on the words for several seconds before he pulled into one of the diagonal slots in front of the building.
“Listen, Ethan, I gotta run. I’ll call you in a few days.”
He ended the call, unable to take his eyes off the familiar sight. It appeared he’d get to see the inside of his old summer home. But did he really want to face the memories it might dredge up?
Chapter Two
Would this meeting ever end? Grace Bennett stifled a yawn as her brother, Levi, droned on about the inn’s finances. Beside her, Molly’s phone buzzed. Her sister tucked a strand of her long dark hair behind her ear and sneaked a peek. Probably her husband, Adam. The two had been married in June and moved into Adam’s beautiful lake home and were pretty much joined at the hip.
The siblings gathered in the inn’s library as they always did for Death by Numbers. These days money wasn’t so much a worry, but spreadsheets still weren’t Grace’s sweet spot. So she humored Levi while he did his thing.
“And that about covers it.” Levi’s blue eyes narrowed on them. “Now if you could both just pull your heads out of the clouds for a minute, I think it’s time we talk about the inn’s future.”
They’d gotten the place up and running after their parents had passed away unexpectedly four years ago. It had been their retirement dream to turn their historic home back into an inn, and the siblings came together to fulfill that dream. At the time Grace was heading into her junior year of high school, Molly was almost finished with her hospitality degree, and Levi was putting his degree to work in Denver with a commercial construction company. Their parents’ death had changed everything.
“What do you mean?” Molly asked.
“I mean, it’s time we put the inn on the market.”
That had always been the plan. With the influx of money they’d had two years ago, running this place had gotten easier. The restaurant was now full menu, much to Molly’s delight, and they’d employed a few part-time employees to help manage it.
Molly cleared her throat. “Do you think we’ve been profitable long enough to appeal to buyers?”
“I think so.” Levi started talking numbers but stopped when he must’ve realized he was losing them again. “So now’s as good a time as any. What do you think?”
Grace smirked. “Someone’s missing his honey bunch.”
Levi’s fiancée was the popular actress Mia Emerson—Grace still wasn’t sure how he’d managed that—and they’d been together two years now.
“I understand completely,” Molly said. “And I think putting the inn on the market now makes sense.”
“But what about my business?” Grace had started Blue Ridge Outfitters last year at age twenty, running it out of the inn and storing her equipment in the shed out back.
Levi hitched a shoulder. “You always knew you’d have to move it eventually.”
“But I won’t be able to afford rent yet. I’m still building.” Plus whoever was running the front desk also handled the rentals. In a retail space she’d need to hire extra staff.
“By the time the inn sells, it’ll probably be next spring or even summer. And we should all come away nicely from the sale.”
“That’s true.”
Technically Grace’s outfitter business was already turning a profit, but that was because her overhead was almost nil. She was using her profits to purchase equipment: kayaks, tents, climbing gear, paddleboards, bikes. They weren’t cheap. But the influx from the inn’s sale would be a nice cushion.
“If you’re both on board,” Levi said, “I’ll have Pamela Bleeker come out and appraise it, then she can list it.”
Molly frowned. “Why can’t we sell it ourselves and save the Realtor fee?”
“It’ll take a lot of time and effort since our market reach needs to be national or at least regional,” Levi said.
“Well, Grace is good with online stuff, and I can handle the showings.” Molly blinked dramatically. “Some say I have amazing social skills.”
Levi rolled his eyes. “That’s up to you two. My plate’s full with wedding stuff.”
With Levi’s wedding here at the inn less than three weeks away and Mia filming in LA, he’d had no choice but to step up to the plate.
Molly looked at Grace. “We’ve got this covered, right, Sis?”
“Sure, I’m game.”
The chime on the front door alerted them to an arrival.
“Meeting adjourned. You’re on deck.” Levi nodded to Grace as he stood and gathered his papers. “I have errands to run.”
Molly rose, addressing Grace. “I’ll be out back weeding if you need me. Try not to.”
Her siblings slipped out the back door, and Grace made her way down the hall. They weren’t exactly booming with business, it being a weekday and off-season. In fact, they had only three rooms full at the—
Her thoughts halted at the sight of the man in the lobby. Though her approach had been silent, he was already staring at her as she came into view.
It wasn’t his good looks that arrested her attention—though he had those in abundance—but his air of intensity.
“Hi there. I’m Grace, one of the innkeepers.” Her words wobbled. She slipped behind the desk, glad for the buffer. “How can I help you?”
“Saw your sign as I was passing by. Looking for a place to stay.” His voice was low and pleasantly rumbly.
He appeared to be in his thirties. She scanned his face and altered her opinion. Midtwenties with the confidence of someone older.
“I think we can help you out.” Grace opened the appropriate window on the computer.