Page 20 of Meet Me at the Grand

Of course, that had beenbefore.

“Wow.” Liam leaned against a column, hands in his pockets as he stared out at the boats bobbing in the harbor. “I could totally picture eating a lazy Sunday brunch out here with that view.”

“Pretty spectacular, right? And look up.” She pointed at the porch ceiling, which was painted a turquoise color—her favorite part of the whole thing. “That color was chosen to keep the birds from nesting on the porch roof. But to me, it’s always been like a secret, something you only know when you take the time to step out and look up. And there’s something special about the hidden things. The special things. Being in on the secret when not everyone is.”

Liam angled his neck upward and whistled. “That’s really something, huh?”

“Yep.” The sun had started its descent toward the horizon, and the moon was already trying to grasp for dominance as the sky darkened. With the encroaching darkness came a chill that settled deep in Dani’s bones. She tried to shake it off, but maybe it went deeper than the physical. “I’ll show you the inside when you’re ready. But now that you’ve seen the outside, what are you thinking in terms of scope? Can you do this?”

“I get the feelingyoudon’t believe I can do this.”

“What? No.” Yes, exactly that. But she couldn’t scare off the only person willing to help. “I just wondered if seeing the place had you reconsidering at all.”

“No.” He pursed his lips. “But what kind of timeline are you thinking?”

“I’d love to finish by Christmas.”

“Ofthisyear?”

“Yes.”

“I’m going to be straight with you. Even Christmas ofnextyear would be aggressive. A project of this magnitude will take three years—maybe two—at a minimum.”

“That won’t work.”

“I can’t make it go much faster than that. Maybe we could speed it up a bit, but you’re asking for eight months. Less, since we still need to get the town council on board with our plans, find contractors, and get the site manager updated on all the details.”

“Wait. Aren’t you going to be the site manager?”

He looked out across the lake. “That’s normally how it works, but I’ve got another project I’m due back in L.A. for.”

“When?”

“A few weeks? I don’t know. The point is, you’ll have to get the idea of this Christmas out of your head, or I’m afraid Stone Development can’t help you.”

“So you’re just going to back out?”

Liam leaned closer. He studied her through eyes now hooded by the darkness. “Look, Dani, I’m good, but I’m not a miracle worker. This place, it’s got potential. I can picture it. My fingers are itching to go sketch up some fabulous new plans right now. But what you’re asking is impossible.”

“Fine. It’ll take longer than I’d like. I can deal with that. But are you sure you’re up to the task?” How could he be? Maybe she was asking too much.

But she had to try.

“I’ve already got ideas brewing up here.” Liam swirled his hand around his head. “So yes, I’m up to the task. Trust me, okay?”

Ha. Like trusting him was so easy. But at this point, it looked like she didn’t have a choice.

ChapterFour

Sometimes, after a restless night of tossing and obsessive worrying, there was only one solution.

Okay, two solutions: one of Jill’s chocolate croissants and a cup of Joe.

The warmth of Good Day Coffee’s interior enveloped Dani as she stepped through its doors and out of the April air. It was early still, but she didn’t have to be at work across the street at the Tourism Bureau for another fifteen minutes or so when Seb was meeting her for a debriefing of last night’s tour of the Grand with Liam.

Maybe her uncle could ease some of her fears about Liam’s ability to handle this. After all, he knew the Stones best.

Jill Kelley, a fifty-something woman with a shock of bright-red hair and an apron thrown over her thin figure, waved to Dani even as she rang up Henrietta Hudson at the cash register. The whir of the coffee grinders drowned out some of the chatter of residents scattered throughout the airy space, which consisted of simple black iron chairs and light wooden tabletops, pastel teal accents and knickknacks on the wall, and a pastry display case that stood in front of a wall lined with bright white subway tiles. Behind Jill, one of the local teens made coffees and fetched pastries from the case where cheesecakes, cookies, muffins, and scones held center stage alongside adorable tiny chalkboards with descriptions of each.

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