Page 6 of Brass Anchor Inn

Lane stood just inside the double doors of the Brass Anchor Inn. Modern it definitely wasn’t. A frown pulled at the corners of his mouth.

His gaze moved about the room. The interior was larger than he’d expected after viewing the online photos. At least that was a positive. It meant the sale price would be at least double what he’d been imagining, and since he had an unknown partner, it would help them both out.

It was hard to tell the age of the building with so many additions. There was a strong possibility the buyer would want to tear down this old building and build something modern. It would probably be the most feasible way to go.

After all, this was prime beachfront property. It would sell for a hefty price. And the fact there wasn’t a commercial hotel on the island was a definite bonus.

However, there was a problem. No one had told him the name of the other owner. While he had inherited his mother’s portion of the inn, someone else had inherited his aunt’s portion of the inn. He’d spoken to his attorney, but they didn’t know any more than he did.

And so he’d flown to the east coast in hopes of concluding his mother’s estate. In order to do that, he had to contact his aunt’s beneficiary. He could only hope they were as eager as him to sell this place.

His attorney said the only names were his mother’s and his aunt’s names. There was no mention of Aunt Sandy’s beneficiary. Did she even have one? There was so much he didn’t know about his aunt. So many questions his mother wouldn’t answer about her family—about his family’s past.

He couldn’t believe his mother was gone. There hadn’t been any warning. One day she was there and the next she was gone.

She’d passed in her sleep. A neighbor who would check in on her each day found her. It had been a shock. After she passed, he’d been dealing with her stuff and learned about her owning half of the inn. It felt as though the surprises kept coming.

He turned his attention to the check-in desk. There was a young woman working behind the desk. For a moment, their gazes connected and held. She smiled at him. It wasn’t one of those fake smiles. This one was genuine and lit up her beautiful face. He chose to ignore the way it warmed a spot in his chest.

She turned away to finish checking in a young couple. As he neared the front desk, he told himself he was only there to check in. Absolutely nothing more. He had to keep his mind on business. But it wouldn’t hurt to learn the woman’s name.

First, he had to wait for the couple in front of him to finish registering. The man looked at the woman he was with and smiled. Then, she lifted up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to the man’s lips. It was so sickly sweet. Lane couldn’t help but wonder if they were on their honeymoon.

He just couldn’t stomach any more of that lovey-dovey stuff. He turned away and moved to examine some of the black-and-white photos on the wall. He couldn’t help but wonder if he searched long enough if he would find some images of his relatives.

He’d never known any family aside from his mother and father. When he was young, he felt as though he missed something by not having any doting grandparents or aunts and uncles. And while he was told his father’s parents had died in a car accident, he knew nothing about his mother’s side of the family. That was until one day when he overheard his parents talking about his Aunt Sandy.

Lane had questions—many questions that his mother had refused to answer. And now after so many years he’d moved past all those questions. He didn’t need family. He was fine on his own.

At last the woman behind the counter handed the happy couple their room cards and directed them to their room.Finally. He turned to grab his luggage. In that short amount of time, the desk clerk had disappeared. How could she have vanished so quickly?

He stepped up to the desk. “Hello. Is anyone here?”

Thud!“Ow!” The woman straightened, holding a large envelope in one hand while rubbing a spot on her head with the other.

Lane rushed around the counter. “Are you all right?”

With her hand still pressed to her injury, she tilted her chin up until her gaze met his. For a moment, she didn’t say anything. He worried the bump on her head could be serious.

“Here. Let me have a look.”

She shook her head ever so slightly. “I’m okay. Welcome to the Brass Anchor Inn.” She placed the large envelope beneath the counter. “How may I help you?”

“You can start by letting me have a look at your injury.”

“I’m fine.” Her rosy lips said one thing, while the wince on her face told another story.

“Why are you being so stubborn? Let me be the judge of that.”

“Are you a doctor?”

“No.” He was a real estate agent.

“Then I don’t see how you can help.”

“Just let me have a look.”

She lowered her hand to her side. “I’m really okay.”

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