Page 17 of Eclipse Bay

“You’re staying here?”

“Sure, why not?”

“Then I think I’ll use my folks’ place,” she said coolly.

What had he expected? That would have been too easy, anyway. Nothing ever came easy to him. He had a talent for doing things the hard way.

“Suit yourself,” he said. “But this is Eclipse Bay. You’re a Harte and I’m a Madison, and by now everyone knows Isabel left Dreamscape to both of us.”

“So?”

“So, people are going to talk, regardless of where you choose to sleep.”

She watched him pour the coffee. When he handed her the mug, her fingers brushed against his. He savored the small thrill, wondered if she felt anything at all.

She turned away a little too quickly and paced to the far end of the counter.

“Let’s go back into the solarium.” He led the way out of the kitchen. “We can sit down out there.”

Hannah said nothing, but she trailed after him. He watched her settle neatly onto a cushioned white wicker lounger. Winston sauntered into the sunroom, found a satisfactory place near the window, and flopped down on his belly. He rested his muzzle on his front paws and watched Rafe through feathery brows.

Hannah turned the mug between her palms. “What exactly do you plan to do with Dreamscape?”

“I’m going to open an inn and restaurant.”

Her mouth fell open. She stared at him, her eyes widening in astonishment.

“You’re going to dowhat?” Somewhere between a screech and a choking sound.

“You heard me,” he said mildly.

“You can’t be serious,” she sputtered. “That’smyplan. At least, the inn part is my plan.” She hesitated, frowning. “I hadn’t thought about adding a restaurant.”

“You should have thought about it. The reputation of any hotel is greatly enhanced by a high-quality restaurant.”

“No offense, but as I recall, your idea of a high-class establishment when you lived here was the Total Eclipse Bar and Grill. I seriously doubt that any place that uses the sloganWhere the sun don’t shineis going to show up in your better grade of guidebook.”

“The Total Eclipse has its place in the grand scheme of things.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” She eyed him. “Just what do you know about running an inn and a restaurant?”

“I worked at a five-star place down in San Diego for a while.”

“Terrific.” She gave him an icy look. “You’ve worked in a hotel, so you think you can run one?”

“I’ll admit I’m stronger in the food-and-beverage area than I am on the innkeeping side.”

“What did you do at this five-star place in San Diego? Wait tables?”

“Among other things,” he said. “What about you? Know anything about the innkeeping business?”

“As a matter of fact, I’ve been taking intensive classes in hotel management for nearly a year. Ever since I got the idea of turning Dreamscape into an inn.”

“Is that so? And just where did you get the brilliant notion of converting this place into a hotel?”

She hesitated. “Aunt Isabel and I started talking about it a year ago.”

He whistled softly. “What an astonishing coincidence.”

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