3
“I feel bad about leaving you on your own here to deal with the inn, Matt.”
“Don’t.” He hefted Kay’s two sizeable suitcases into her trunk. “All I have to do is follow the plan we agreed on over the past two days.”
She pulled out her sunglasses as the early morning sun crested the hemlock, pine, and spruce-covered hills to the east. “Do you honestly think I should go ahead with the repairs? I don’t want to throw good money after bad.”
“I know it’s a big expenditure, but if you end up selling the inn, you’ll get a higher price for a structure that’s in tip-top shape. If you decide to follow through with your original plan to operate it, you won’t be able to attract guests to a place with such obvious signs of wear. As far as I can see, it’s the only logical choice.”
“I suppose so.” She sighed. “I just never expected to have to deal with this much stuff right out of the gate.”
The “as is” clause in the purchase contract he’d reviewed should have tipped her off to potential problems, but that was water under the bridge at this point.
He called up an encouraging smile. “It will work out, Kay. You’ll have almost a month in Boise to think about what you want to do. Don’t feel rushed. I’ll keep you informed about the progress here, and we can continue to discuss pros and cons by phone.”
“You’re a lifesaver, you know that?”
His lips flatlined. “Hardly.”
“Oh, Matt.” Distress tightened her features. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“Hey. It’s okay.” He forced air into his lungs. Rested a hand on her shoulder. “You better get rolling. I’m not thrilled about you making the long drive alone, and I don’t want to have to worry about you on the road after dark.”
“I drove out here by myself. I’ll be fine.” She gave him a hug. “I wish we’d had more of a chance to visit. All we’ve talked about since you arrived is the inn and my troubles.”
Fine by him. Rehashing his issues would have stirred up feelings he’d rather leave undisturbed.
“We can catch up during our phone calls. Remember to text me every few hours with a progress report on your trip.”
“I will. And stop worrying. I’m used to being on my own.” She slipped on her sunglasses. “I have been for quite a while.”
At her soft admission, he frowned.
That was the closest she’d ever come to acknowledging her marriage hadn’t provided the kind of love and companionship she’d hoped for when she’d said “I do” to the over-the-road truck driver fourteen years her senior who’d proposed after a whirlwind courtship. How could it, with her husband gone most days of the week and taking on freelance jobs in between his regular hauls?
Hal hadn’t seemed like a bad guy, but Kay had deserved a full-time husband.
“I’m sorry, Sis.”
She offered a resigned shrug. “Life’s not a fairy tale, as we both know.” She glanced toward the inn. “Which means I should have realized an opportunity that appeared too good to be true probably was.”
“Don’t write this place off yet. I think it has great potential, if you decide to stick it out.”
“Really?” She refocused on him.
The truth?
He had no idea.
But why add to her stress by sharing his doubts just as she was heading off to play Florence Nightingale? For now, it would be kinder to punt.
“We’re both smart people. Getting this place in shape isn’t rocket science. It should be a piece of cake for a decent contractor. Your location is world class. You have the contact information for the housekeeping service the previous owners used. The only cooking you have to do is breakfast. Scrambling a few eggs shouldn’t be difficult.”
“You make it sound simple.”
Those parts might be.
The biggest challenge was going to be lining up guests, thanks to all the negative reviews floating around in cyberspace.
A formidable hurdle to overcome if ever there was one.
“Not necessarily simple, but doable.”
“I wish I had your confidence.”
He forced up the corners of his mouth as he closed the trunk and stretched the truth. “I have enough for both of us.”
“Hold that thought.” She gave the inn another sweep. “It doesn’t look half bad in the morning light, does it?”
“Not bad at all.” Thanks to the warm, golden hue that tempered a multitude of sins. “You sure you don’t want a cup of coffee to go?”
“Yes. I’m wide awake.” She circled around to the door, tossed her purse onto the passenger seat, and turned back to him. “You’re the best.”
“Not even close.” The words rasped past his throat.
“Matt.” She touched his arm, her voice gentle. “What happened wasn’t your fault.”
The same reassurance everyone had offered. Dana’s family. Cora. Steve. His pastor.
But they were wrong. All of them. Everything that had happened had been his fault.
“Thanks for saying that.” Untrue as it was.
“You need to believe it.”
“Maybe someday.” Like light years from now, in a galaxy far, far away.
Kay studied him, brow crinkling. “Are you going to be okay here by yourself?”
As her meaning registered, he struggled to maintain a neutral expression.
It appeared she was as worried about his mental health as his vet partner was.
But he was holding his own. While guilt continued to plague him, his grief was beginning to lose its power to steal the breath from his lungs and suck him into crushing darkness. Day by day, the pain of loss was transitioning from sharp to dull.
As far as he was concerned, that was progress.
“I’ll be fine, Kay. Trust me on that.”
She chewed on her lower lip as she assessed him. “Only if you promise to touch base with me every single day. Deal?”
A small concession to ensure her peace of mind.
“Deal.”
After one more hug, she slid behind the wheel, started the engine, and drove down the drive with a toot of the horn and a wave out the window.
Leaving him alone with an inn and a heart that were both in need of a heaping dose of TLC.
Why was the Gull Motel calling her?
From the bench she’d claimed at Pelican Point lighthouse, Vienna squinted at caller ID, shading her phone from the bright afternoon light as it vibrated in her hand.
Maybe they wanted to know if she planned to extend her stay beyond the five days she’d booked. The motel had been busy this morning when she’d set out early to take a drive along the coast.
She tapped talk, put the phone to her ear, and greeted the caller.
“Ms. Price, this is Madeline King, the manager at the Gull Motel. I’m afraid I have bad news. The housekeeper discovered a major water leak in the bathroom in your room that’s caused extensive damage. We think a pipe broke. All of your personal items appear to be fine, but we’re going to have to take the room out of service while we do repairs.”
Vienna closed her eyes.
First a firing, now a flood.
What other disasters were lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce?
“I appreciate the heads-up. Would you like me to come back and move my belongings to another room?”
“That’s the problem. We’re fully booked for the next three days. There’s a family reunion in town, plus a small tour group.”
Vienna watched two seagulls ride the wind currents as she absorbed that news, along with the ramifications.
She was being thrown out.
This was becoming a disturbing pattern.
“I guess I’ll have to find other accommodations.” She tried not to let her frustration show. No point blaming her bad luck on the messenger. “Do you have any recommendations?”
“There are several places in Bandon, which isn’t too far, and Coos Bay has multiple lodging choices. Would you like me to give you a few names and numbers, or call them for you myself?”
“Isn’t there anything closer to Hope Harbor?” It was possible the manager knew about a spot that hadn’t surfaced in her Google search.
“The Seabird Inn is lovely, but I expect it’s booked.”
“What’s the story on the Beachview B&B?”
“I don’t believe they’re currently taking reservations.”
“They aren’t—but do you know why?” Depending on the reason, they might be amenable to taking in one guest if she promised not to be demanding.
“No, but the previous owners retired not long ago and sold the B&B. Rumor has it the place could use sprucing up. The new innkeeper may have closed while that work is being done.”
“So the owner is on-site?”
“As far as I know. I saw her in Sweet Dreams last week when I passed by the shop.”
Vienna’s brain began clicking.
If the B&B had even one room that wasn’t torn apart for renovation, would the owner let her stay there? The breakfast part of the B&B was irrelevant. All she required was the bed component. And noise shouldn’t be an issue. Work crews would be gone at night, taking their sleep-disrupting racket with them, and she wouldn’t be on-site much during the day.
Staying there would be far preferable to driving back and forth from Bandon or Coos Bay.
“Thanks for the information.” Vienna stood and picked up her purse from the bench. “I’ll make other arrangements myself. And I’ll come by to get my things within the hour.”
“I’m really sorry about this. I’ll be glad to give you a 10 percent discount on your stay for the inconvenience.”
“That’s not necessary. The pipe break wasn’t anyone’s fault.” And small businesses were struggling enough these days. Why penalize this one for an accident?
Besides, it wasn’t as if she’d planned to stay much longer anyway. Now that the initial shock from her unexpected career detour was receding, she needed to get herself in gear and figure out next steps.
“I wish you’d take the discount. We don’t want dissatisfied customers. Our reviews are always favorable, and we’d like to keep it that way.”
A top priority for anyone in the hospitality industry, as Vienna knew firsthand.
“Don’t worry about that. My stay was fine. You offer excellent value for the price. That’s what my review will say, with no mention of the water break.”
“Thank you so much.” The woman’s relief was obvious. “I’ll have the housecleaner move all of your things out of harm’s way. Stop in at the office when you get back and I’ll help you collect everything. And I’ll contact you as soon as we have a vacancy.”
“Thanks.” Vienna ended the call and started down the path from the lighthouse toward the parking lot, weighing the phone in her hand.
Why not call Mom and see if she had any inside information about Beachview B&B? A town the size of Hope Harbor likely had an active grapevine, and Bev Price had never met a stranger. She might even know the innkeeper.
It was worth a try. Approaching the owner with more rather than less information would be as smart in this situation as it had been in her job.
Picking up her pace down the gravel path, she tapped in the number for the shop.
Mom answered on the second ring. “Hello, sweet girl. What are you up to this morning?”
“I took a drive and stopped in at the lighthouse. Are you busy?”
“Never too busy to talk with my favorite daughter. What’s up?”
Vienna filled her in on the Gull Motel saga. “Bottom line, I have to find a new place to stay, and I’d rather not traipse back and forth from Bandon or Coos Bay.”
“There’s a bedroom with your name on it at Sea Breeze Apartments.”
“I appreciate that, but I had another idea. Do you know anything about Beachview B&B? It’s not far from your apartment complex, down a drive that branches off Starfish Pier Road near the beach.”
“Yes, I’ve seen the sign. The owner is a woman by the name of Kay Marshall. I believe she bought the B&B not long after I moved to town.”
“Do you know her?”
“That would be stretching it. We exchange a few words whenever our paths cross in town, but she always seems a tad distracted and worried. I got the impression she’s on her own at the B&B.”
Vienna relayed what the manager at the motel had told her about the state of the property. “It’s possible the place needs more work than she expected.”
“That could explain the stress I picked up from her, especially if she bit off more than she can chew. Are you thinking of staying there?”
“I called the day I got here, but the message said they aren’t taking reservations.” Vienna stopped beside her car as two seagulls landed a few feet away. “Unless the whole place is torn apart and uninhabitable, I’m thinking about trying to convince her to let me stay. Since I won’t be there much during the day, construction noise won’t be an issue.”
“I can’t see any harm in asking. Worst case, she’ll say no and you’ll end up commuting or staying at Chez Bev.”
The gull on the left flapped its wings and emitted a raucous squawk that sounded almost like absolutely not.
Her exact sentiments.
Angling away from her avian audience, she tried for a diplomatic response. “Those are always options.”
“More like last resorts.” Her mom’s wry tone suggested she’d seen through her daughter’s attempt at diplomacy.
“I wouldn’t go that far.” But close. “Besides, wherever I end up will be short term. Long gaps in resumes raise questions.”
“There’s nothing wrong with taking time off between jobs to chill and explore and play.”
With that attitude, it was fortunate her mother had never set her sights on climbing the corporate ladder.
“That’s not how it works, Mom.”
“You may be surprised. From what I’ve read, the Covid crisis wrought dramatic changes in the workplace. Employees have much more power and flexibility than they had before. I don’t think anyone would fault job candidates who want time for themselves. Priorities shifted, thank the Lord.”
To a certain degree that was true. And it would be nice if she could take this downtime in stride. Enjoy the moment and ignore the money leaching from her savings, with no replenishment on the horizon.
But she wasn’t wired that way. Security had always been a top priority.
Debating her mother on that topic, however, would serve no purpose.
“You may be right, Mom, but I’m not certain I want to test that theory. I have decades of work ahead of me, and I don’t want to sabotage my shot at a plum position by slacking off for too long. Are we still on for dinner at that pizza place you told me about, up 101?”
“It’s written in ink on my calendar. Frank makes the best pizza this side of Italy.”
“My treat.”
A sigh came over the line. “Are we going to argue over the dinner tab every night?”
“Only if you want to.”
“Let’s compromise on Dutch treat.”
“Agreed. I’ll meet you at your apartment at six.”
As they said their goodbyes and Vienna slid the phone back into her purse, the two gulls continued to give her their rapt attention.
“Sorry, guys. If you’re waiting for a handout, you’re out of luck.”
The gull on the right looked at its companion and gave a laugh-like cackle.
A second later, the two of them departed in a flutter of wings, soaring north against the blue sky in the direction of Beachview B&B.
Her next stop.
And as she took her place behind the wheel, Vienna sent a silent plea heavenward that Kay Marshall would be receptive to an unexpected and undemanding guest who wanted nothing more than an uncomplicated stay in peaceful Hope Harbor.