Page 17 of There I Find Hope

“You’re still a friend. A friend with a lot of years between us, but still a friend.”

She smiled. She liked that he hadn’t hesitated to help. That’s what friends did, right? They jumped in when they were needed. They didn’t sit around and wait for her to finish up and then hurry out to help them. But dug in and worked beside her.

Maybe Noah was just a natural friend to everyone.

The thought didn’t exactly make her happy, even though she knew it should. She liked that he had made her feel special. She wanted to continue to feel special to him. That she was a little different. Maybe because they had history; they had shared memories, and they were good ones.

“All right. Thanks so much.” She dusted her hands off on her apron and then nodded in the direction of the dining room. “We can talk in there if it’s okay. Guests might come through, but I need to be here to talk to them anyway in case they need anything.”

“That’s good. Lead the way.”

Chapter 7

Noah followed Sunday into the dining room. He hadn’t expected to find her in the kitchen at the bed-and-breakfast. Maybe he’d hoped he might catch a glimpse of her, but he hadn’t expected that he’d be sitting and talking to her.

It had been gratifying to see that she remembered him. That she looked pleased to see him. Like the memories were good. He was afraid the reference to Glenn might throw her off, but it hadn’t, and she’d apologized. He hadn’t been expecting that. It showed a humbleness he admired.

“It’s okay to sit here?” she asked as she indicated the head of the dining room table while she pulled out a chair for herself beside it.

“This is perfect.” He sat down, pulled the little bit that he’d printed out on a piece of paper out of his briefcase, and set it down in front of him. “I’m not sure if you know that it’s me and my partner who are building the hotel just north of Strawberry Sands.”

“No!” Her eyes were wide, her hand went to her chest. It didn’t look like she was very happy about it.

He hurried to explain. “My friend and I are doing it because we both grew up in Strawberry Sands... You probably remember Franklin Slessing.”

She nodded, but she hadn’t relaxed.

“We love it here. I’m moving back. Love the small town, love the lake views, love the camaraderie that you find here. I even love the winters.”

She laughed a little, because there were a lot of people who did not love the winters.

“But it’s hard for anyone who grows up here to stay here and make a living.”

“I can’t disagree with that. I’ve been trying for three years to get my candy shop to take off, and if it hadn’t been for my mom hiring me to help her here at the bed-and-breakfast, I wouldn’t have been able to stay here.”

“Exactly. We’re hoping that the hotel will draw tourists, particularly in the summer. The Percheron team that Chi and Griff have purchased have been a huge draw along with the horseback riding. I understand they have someone close to them managing it.”

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