Page 63 of Every Beat of My Heart

“Yes. Yes. I do.”

“Teddy’s going to have to figure this out. The farm doesn’t stand a chance if we don’t make some changes. The least we can do is hear her out. Do we know her background?”

“Dad showed me her résumé.” Wes slid it across the table.

She graduated magna cum laude with a degree in marketing and business. Then worked in Baltimore City for a marketing firm I wasn’t familiar with, but then again, I didn’t know anything about that world. “You research this place?”

“It’s large and well respected.”

“We know why she left when she did? I don’t see any other experience on here. Just the inn where she’s essentially a receptionist.”

“She’s more than that, and you know it. She acts as the manager when Aiden isn’t there, she’s implemented changes, and the guests love her. She worked at a highly competitive marketing firm where she focused on branding and logos. Maybe she shines in smaller businesses where she can implement changes and see the outcome.”

“I hope you’re right, and we’re not wasting our time. Teddy will never let us hear the end of it if she’s a fraud.”

“I think she’s the real deal,” Wes said.

“You know there’s a reason she left the firm,” I said.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it was burnout. Everything I saw was that the employees were expected to work long hours for not much pay. Maybe she was ready for something new,” Wes said.

“You might be right.”

“We’ll have to wait to see what Teddy thinks,” Dad added.

If Teddy didn’t like her, which was a real possibility, he would be impossible to reason with. I just hoped Charlotte was able to work her magic.

CHAPTER 14

CLAIRE

On Wednesday after school, I dropped Owen off to work on the farm. It was opening day, and I was worried about him. But Jameson assured me he would be fine.

When I left, Jameson had steered him to the area where they secured trees to the vehicles. I was positive he wouldn’t get hurt doing that. And there was always someone else there to handle the machine that wrapped the tree.

I didn’t think I was ready for him to operate that yet. With an unexpected night off, I went out with a friend, Violet. She ran the ice cream shop downtown, so we rarely got to see each other. But she’d recently hired an employee to cover some evenings for her.

I arrived early at a wine bar in Annapolis. It had large windows that overlooked the water and the boats that turned around in Ego Alley. Soon they’d be decorated with holiday lights.

A few minutes later, Violet rushed in. “Hey, sorry I’m late.”

I stood to hug her. “I’m just happy to see you. When was the last time we were able to get together?”

“I think it was to celebrate your divorce.” Violet shrugged off her coat and sat across from me.

I gestured at the glass on the table in front of her. “I ordered your favorite wine.”

“Perfect,” Violet said as she sipped it.

“The divorce was good but awful at the same time. I felt guilty taking Owen away from his father.”

“Eric made you feel that way. He was never there for Owen, and this is your chance to start over to meet someone new who could be amazing for you.”

“I love that you’re a romantic, but I’m not. I have a lot of baggage. There aren’t guys lining up to date me.”

Violet leaned in. “Whatever happened with that firefighter who came by after the fire to check on you?”

“He showed us how to use the fire extinguisher. But I hope I never need it again.”

---