Page 17 of Falling Inn Love
“No. It looks great. I’m impressed. Thank you for all you’re doing.” He raises his eyebrows and nods, his eyes glowing.
Just then, the front door opens and a young couple strolls in, pulling a suitcase behind them. Without hesitating, I smile warmly and check them in. “Welcome, it’s great to have you here.” We make small talk about the weather and the area, and I have them smiling as they head off to their room.
Evan’s mouth turns up a little. He looks pleased. I file their paperwork and update their information in the computer.
“Want to take a quick break and talk about your ideas now?” he asks.
“Sure.” I gather up my notebook and laptop and head over to the coffee table where I set everything down. I refill my mug and join him on one of the sofas.
He looks like he still feels heavy from his encounter this morning, so I decide to see if he wants to talk about it. “How was your meeting today?” I ask him.
“Not good.” He scoots in closer to me nonchalantly and puts his feet up on a nearby ottoman. Something about just sitting together feels relaxing and normal. My nervousness has faded a little bit, but I still feel my belly flip when he’s close.
“I need to pay off the loan we owe to the bank by January first, or we’ll default and lose the inn.”
“How much do you owe?
“Ninety-six grand.”
“Wow.” I was not expecting that much.
“Yeah. So not really a good day.”
I feel like my plan may possibly give him hope for the future, so I decide now’s the time to share it. “Do you want to hear my ideas? Maybe there’s a solution in here.”
“Yeah, let’s do it.”
I open my laptop and pull up the plan I put together for him. He inches closer. Our arms are almost touching and the little zaps of electricity that come with that are distracting me, but still I power through. I’m excited to share everything with him.
“Okay, we’re going to start by overhauling the inn’s social media and scheduling out social media posts. I’ve created sample posts with photos I’ve taken around the inn and described the pictures we need to put with the various posts.”
“That’s cool,” he says.
“I also want to put this scheduling software on the social media and website so that people can book directly online, saving both them and us time, while still keeping the inn always booked up.”
As I present my ideas, his eyes widen with interest and he nods and smiles. I can tell he’s excited, and that makes me excited.
I continue explaining how the inn can be rented out as a wedding and filming venue for various types of film companies. “The idyllic New England setting would be perfect to pitch for Hallmark movies. Fortunately, I have a friend, Logan, who’s a literary agent. I think he can help us make the right connections there.”
“What kind of friend?” he asks.
I smile. “The best kind. He’s not only my agent, he’s like a brother to me.” I continue with the plan and Evan seems to be thinking.
By the time I’m done, he actually seems relaxed.
“What do you think?” I finally ask.
“I think you have to stay here. If you can pull this off, I owe you big time,” he says appreciatively. “Seriously, I’m not even sure where to begin with any of this. It’s overwhelming but exciting.”
“It is overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be,” I say. “We can break all of this up into manageable chunks. I will help you.”
“I’m so impressed, Beth. I actually feel like we have a chance here now.”
Something about the way he looks at me soothes me and worries me at the same time. I need him to understand that I can’t give him what he needs. He deserves better than me.
“Sixty days, Evan. That’s all I can do, okay?” I’m not sure if I’m telling him that or telling myself that. Who is falling in love here?
“Sixty days,” he replies, locking eyes with me with a look of confidence that sends sizzles down my spine. “Challenge accepted.”
