Page 25 of Brass Anchor Inn

Her brows rose. “And modest too.”

Not wanting to discuss himself, he said, “May I see the schedule for the party?”

She picked up a handwritten list and handed it to him. “It’ll start Monday with the reveal of the time capsule. Your aunt was very excited about it.”

He turned his attention to the piece of paper in his hands. He noticed her pretty handwriting with lots of loops and curls. Even with her flourish, it was still legible.

Monday afternoon:

Time capsule reveal.

Bury new time capsule.

He leaned forward, searching the desk for a pen. He put a bold line through the second item on the list. It was for the best. There was no need to raise false hopes that the inn would be there in another hundred years.

“What time on Monday is the time capsule reveal to take place?” He sat poised with pen and paper to make a note. It always came down to details. He liked for things to be precise.

“Um, I was going to have it at four, but if we’re not creating a new time capsule, there’s no need to start so early. Say five o’clock. It should give us enough time to dig up the old one and reveal its contents before the reception and dinner.”

He glanced at her list. There was no mention of the reception and dinner. He marked it all down and then read,

Tuesday:

Contest Reveal

He was almost afraid to ask, but as co-owner, he felt it was his duty. “What is this contest reveal?”

The smile returned to her face. “It’s a surprise.”

“Not from me. Remember I’m your partner.” He wasn’t sure it was the right choice of words, but now that it was out there, he went with it.

Jo turned to her computer and began typing as though she planned to ignore him. The thing she didn’t realize was that he wouldn’t be easily dissuaded.

He sat there for a moment, staring at her. When she didn’t so much as acknowledge him, he cleared his throat.

She stopped typing and turned to him. “All right. If you must know, it’s a decorating contest.”

“Decorating?” It wasn’t an answer he was expecting. “Decorating what? A cake?”

“No. The inn.”

Surely he hadn’t heard her correctly. “I know the place could use some updating, but you want a bunch of amateurs to come in here and decorate your lobby?”

This time instead of smiling, she laughed. As much as he liked to see the twinkle of amusement in her eyes and the smile on her face, he didn’t like her laughing at him. A frown pulled at his lips.

“Okay.” His voice came out gruff. “Enough with the laughter.”

Jo sobered up. “They aren’t decorating the lobby. It’ll be a lot more contained than that.”

“So what are they decorating?”

“The dozen rooms that need painting.”

He shook his head. He didn’t want potential buyers to be horrified by substandard decorating. “You can’t let them decorate guest rooms.”

“Of course I can. Your aunt was in favor of the idea. In fact, she loved it. We worked hard to come up with this plan. The shops in town will be carrying supplies for the contest.”

What he heard was her telling him that he didn’t have a say in the contest. His fingers tightened around the pen. He wasn’t used to people overruling him. And yet he had to be careful of how he handled this situation. Becoming Jo’s enemy would make it that much harder for him to get her to agree to the sale of the inn.

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