Page 40 of Pick Yourself Up
His lips twitched. “You’re more than okay, Amber. Are you ready to meet everyone? I can tell them all to take off.”
Now that her panic receded, she could hear voices closing in. Friendly chatter. “Don’t be silly. I’m ready. Boomer. Friends. They’re all friends.”
Her hand still shook when Gray took it in his, but she hoped no one else would notice her fear. If they were as observant as Gray and her brothers, she doubted it. Maybe they’d be polite enough to ignore it.
Four men and two women approached, so Amber slipped on her inn keeper persona. Six wasn’t a lot of check-ins, but it was a lot of strangers with her heart rate bouncing.
Gray squeezed her hand. “We’ve got this. The guys are all friends and I’m betting the women they’re with are great.”
They probably were, but that didn’t make the initial meet easy when panic continued to rumble through her bloodstream. She managed a smile as the men moved in to hug Gray and slap his back in the way men did. She couldn’t imagine greeting her sister with a slug to the shoulders.
Boomer stood alert at her side, eyes and ears trained on the newcomers while she kept her hand in his fur.
“Thanks for helping, everyone. Let me introduce you all to Amber Malssum. She’s sister to Jolie, Annie, Bobby, and Boss Man.”
The tall blond man laughed. “A much prettier version of the men. I’m Troy Phail and this is my wife, Piper.”
Piper reached forward to shake Amber’s hand. “It’s great to meet you. We’re so excited about what your family is doing with the farm. And building a place for visitors to stay? You’re making me giddy. Sorry for invading like this, but I was too excited to stay behind when Troy said he was bringing out security stuff. I’m sorry. I promised myself I wouldn’t gush.”
Troy hugged his wife and kissed her hair. “Piper worked as an urban planner before taking over the job of making Phail the best it can be. She gets very excited about new tourism opportunities.”
Everyone chuckled, and some of Amber’s nerves faded away.
A man held out his hand. “I’m Graham, an electrician, and this is my wife, Aisling. She restores old buildings, so she wasn’t letting the opportunity to see your farmhouse pass her by.”
Aisling laughed. “Damn straight. I love this old house. I hear you want to do most of the renovations yourself, but whenever you’d like to have an extra set of hands or opinions, I’m your girl.”
Another man laughed. “And I’m your guy. I’m Sean Falcone and I own Falcon Construction back in Phail. I’d be happy to help with anything you need. If Ford doesn’t have the connections to source locally, I do.”
The final man grinned. “And I’m Sam. It’s great to meet you both. My wife Tansy and I live at Midnight Lake, between here and Phail. We’ve got great connections for security systems.” Amber knew from past conversations that Sam, Graham, and a few others ran Midnight Lake Security.
As part of her job, Amber had learned to keep names and faces straight, even with a dozen at once, so six was no problem. “It’s nice to meet you all. This is my friend Boomer.”
Sam held out his hand. “You’re a beautiful dog, Boomer. I bet you’d like to meet Jetson. He’s our German Shepherd, but he’s not as big as you.”
Boomer sniffed his hand and checked with Amber. When she nodded, he stepped into Sam’s space and let him rub him down.
Gray leaned down to whisper. “Okay? I didn’t expect them to show up today. And I didn’t expect so many.”
She smiled. “It’s okay. I’m over the panic, now.”
He raised an eyebrow, and she wondered if he could see the difference between her regular self and her manager’s persona. Other than her family, no one else could, but it warmed her heart that he knew her so well in such a short time.
Piper moved closer. “Tell me if I’m being a pain, but I’m dying to know what you envision here.”
Amber smiled. “I haven’t been here in Vermont very long, and I’ve only just committed to turning this into a B&B or an inn.”
Piper laughed. “You’re at the idea stage? That’s my favorite. The possibilities are endless and you haven’t hit any of the roadblocks that make you change direction. We’re all good at brainstorming. Tansy’s a master at thinking outside the box and reducing our human footprint on the earth.”
Piper’s enthusiasm had Amber smiling. “I have ideas and the beginning of a vision, but nothing’s finalized in my mind yet.”
Aisling grinned. “The building looks strong and secure. Has Ford gone through it yet?”
Gray held up his phone. “He did, and he’s on his way up. He said no one gets to make suggestions until he’s here. I think the whole gang is coming.”
Crowds were easier to deal with than small groups. Fading into the background in a crowd was easy. Except, this time, the crowd was here to see her project. To add ideas and input. All good. It was going to be all good, especially with Gray and her family at her side.
Boomer nuzzled her hand, and she squatted down to hug him. “It’s okay, Boomer. They’re friends and I’m going to have fun.”
