Page 18 of Brass Anchor Inn

Perhaps a reasonable person might just pitch it all, but as he stepped closer to the mantel, he noticed photographs of what he presumed were employees at a Christmas party, if the Santa in the background was anything to go by. It didn’t seem right to toss them in the bin. Not that he wanted them. But still, there had to be an alternative.

His gaze moved around the sunlit room. There were a lot of large windows that gave the most magnificent view of the ocean. Under other circumstances, this might make a nice second home. Not that he was interested for himself as he already owned a home on the west coast. But this property would sell for a pretty penny or two. Now he had to convince Jo into selling the inn. If she wouldn’t sell to him, maybe she’d sell to an independent buyer.

He abandoned the bungalow cleanup and instead went about taking photos of the estate. Luckily, he had the latest smart phone with awesome photo capabilities. It’d been a long time since he’d taken photos of properties for online listings, but he still recalled what he was doing and at what angles to take photos to accentuate the property.

He took photos of the grounds, including and especially the pristine beach. And then he ventured inside the inn. The first time he’d been in the inn, he’d been distracted by Jo, followed by the worry that he wouldn’t have any place to sleep, but this time his full attention was on his surroundings.

“Find something you like?” Jo’s voice came from behind him.

He lowered his phone from where he was about to take a photo of the large meeting room. He turned to her. “I’m surprised by the size of the interior.”

She smiled. Why was she smiling? All he said was that the inn was bigger than it looked from the outside. He didn’t see how that would prompt a smile.

“I knew if you gave this place a chance, you would find things to like about it.”

That’s not what he’d said. “If you think I’m going to change my mind about selling it, you’re wasting your time.”

Her smile didn’t waver. “I’ve heard from disgruntled guests that were dragged here by their partners. They’d swear up and down that they weren’t going to enjoy their stay.”

He crossed his arms and remained silent. He knew she was waiting for him to ask what had happened. He wasn’t going to do it.

“They’ve been coming back every year since then. They love it here. This place has a special charm. Just give it a moment to work its spell on you.”

He rolled his eyes. The next thing he knew, she was going to tell him that Casper the friendly ghost lived there too. He wasn’t going to change his mind about the sale. In fact, after he finished taking pictures, he was headed back to the bungalow. The only thing keeping him from listing the property online was Jo’s signature. He hoped to remedy that in the near future.

“Wait here,” Jo said. “I’ll be right back.”

He watched her walk toward the business offices. He wondered what she was up to. While she was gone, he took a few more photos of the lobby.

When she returned, she produced a flash drive. “Here are the reports you requested.” Before she handed over the drive, she said, “Please be careful with this information.”

He was surprised by her seriousness. He wanted to tell her that he was quite accustomed to working with confidential material, but instead he said, “I will be.”

She dropped the drive into his hand. “It should all be there. If you have any questions, you can call me.”

“While I have you, I wanted to ask if you had any ideas about what I can do with my aunt’s possessions. There’s a lot of good stuff there, and it doesn’t seem right to just dispose of it.”

The smile fled her face. “Of course, I can help.” She checked her smart watch. “I have some things to take care of this afternoon. How about we talk tomorrow morning?”

He’d hoped to start clearing out the house right away, but he understood the need to get work done. His work was his life. His assistant accused him of being a workaholic and would periodically encourage him to develop a social life, but he had no interest in changing.

He cleared his throat. “Tomorrow morning at say eight?”

She shook her head. “How about nine thirty? I have things I need to do in the morning.”

He nodded. “I’ll see you then.”

As he walked away, he resisted the urge to glance back at her. There was just something about Jo that was unlike any other woman he’d ever known. She was sweet and sunny, but she was also strong and unafraid to stand her ground. He was starting to understand what his aunt saw in her.

The bicentennial was only six days away.

Josie wasn’t early for work the next day as she’d stopped by her parents’ house on the way home the prior evening. She’d told them the news about inheriting half of the inn. Her mother had been thrilled. And her father had been proud of her. She’d mentioned Lane in passing but told them she didn’t know much about him.

Her mother insisted on feeding her dinner. One thing led to another. By the time she got home, her mind was still spinning. Everything was changing so quickly. It took her forever to get to sleep.

There was also another reason for her going to work at a later hour. She was hoping to catch Birdie Neill on her morning walk. She wanted to discuss the bicentennial with her as Birdie had been one of Sandra’s close friends.

Josie timed it just right because as she approached Birdie’s house, the older woman stepped off her porch with her little cockapoo, Peaches, by her side. When Birdie’s gaze landed on Josie, a smile lifted her lips. She waved at her.

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