One #2
What are the odds that she’ll take any time off from work to go to Dune Island this summer?
Molly silently grumbled to herself. Grandma would be absolutely crushed to know that Savannah’s canceling the guests’ reservations at Hydrangea House and Peace Place on such short notice .
The guests are going to be devastated, too.
Beverly had always treasured the relationships she’d built with the guests: she’d enjoyed welcoming newcomers to the inn, and she’d regarded the returning visitors to be almost like family members.
And as someone who was raised by a poor, widowed mother, she’d felt a special connection with the low-income families who stayed at Peace Place.
The people she’d hosted were clearly as fond of Beverly as she’d been of them.
Many of the long-time guests sent her cards during the winter holidays and when they returned in the summertime, they brought her small gifts from their hometowns.
After learning of her death, they sent flowers to the church for the funeral, and they’d flooded the inn’s mailbox with notes expressing how fond they were of Beverly and how much they appreciated her.
Their outpouring of sympathy had been deeply consoling to Molly.
Even if her suggestions were unwelcome, she felt she owed it to them and to Beverly to at least ask Savannah to keep the inn open for one more season.
“I get it that you’re eager to remodel, but would you consider honoring the guests’ reservations for one final summer, kind of as a tribute to my grandmother’s memory?
” she asked, hoping to appeal to Savannah’s affection for Beverly.
“The last time I spoke to her, she told me she could hardly wait for the guests to arrive. It always gave her so much satisfaction to help them enjoy their time on Dune Island. I think she would have felt terrible to know her death caused them to miss the vacations they’ve had scheduled for months. ”
“They don’t have to miss their vacations. It’s only April. There’s still plenty of time for people to find other lodgings.”
“Not in Hope Haven there isn’t. Summer rentals anywhere on the island are usually booked in advance by the end of January.
The only places that have openings at this point charge an arm and a leg,” Molly countered.
Not that she really expected Savannah to understand; money was no object to her—and she’d always held high-level positions, so she probably couldn’t appreciate how difficult it often was for hourly employees to receive the time off they requested, either.
“That’s too bad, but I’m sure the guests will understand and empathize.
We didn’t intend for this to happen, and it’s not as if I can just hire a temporary innkeeper at the snap of my fingers.
As I’ve already told you, I don’t have time to go through the process of posting the position, and then vetting and interviewing candidates.
It’s not worth the effort—especially not for a single summer season. ”
Molly was struck by a solution that seemed so obvious she didn’t even take a breath before volunteering, “You don’t have to go through that process. I’ll do it.”
“ You’ll find an innkeeper? When? Grandma B. told me you’ve been super busy.” Ever since they were young girls, Savannah had referred to Beverly as Grandma B., even though they weren’t related. “She said you’ve been tied up with some kind of writing project.”
“I was working on a grant application earlier this spring, but I submitted it already.” Molly’s best friend, Jenny, was the director of a non-profit organization that provided professional clothing and coaching for women in need.
Molly had volunteered to complete the funding application for her.
“Besides, I didn’t mean I’d find an innkeeper.
I meant I’d be the innkeeper. Since I have the summer off, the timing is perfect. ”
“I thought you were working at a camp with Jordan?” Savannah seemed to know a lot about Molly’s summer, which meant that Beverly must have told her about that, too; her grandmother spoke to Savannah a lot more often than Molly did.
The two women had always been closer to Beverly than they were to each other.
“That, um, kind of fell through,” Molly admitted reluctantly. “Jordan and I broke up, so I’m not going to help out at the camp after all.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.” Savannah made a clucking noise. “But I’ve got to say, I’m surprised you’d let your personal feelings interfere with your volunteerism. That must have been one awful breakup.”
It was awful. Molly had been thoroughly dejected and disillusioned when she’d found out that her boyfriend Jordan had been seeing another woman behind her back.
However, she had no intention of telling Savannah about the whole humiliating situation, so she’d cheerfully replied, “It turns out for the best, because now I’m available to work at Hydrangea House. ”
Although Molly lived in Delaware, she’d visited her grandmother on Dune Island for at least two weeks—and often longer—every summer of her life. She’d always pitched in and helped Beverly with whatever needed to be done, so she figured she was qualified to take her place.
“Thanks, but no thanks,” Savannah said curtly. “I’ve already got a designer lined up to visit the inn with me so we can conceptualize the remodel.”
Once the idea of serving as the innkeeper took root in Molly’s mind, she couldn’t give it up.
Willing to do almost anything to make it happen, she suggested: “If you postpone your renovations until after Labor Day when the guests are gone, think of the accommodations revenue you’d accrue over the summer.
You could use all that money to pay for your redecorating projects. ”
“ All the money? Does that mean you wouldn’t expect to receive a salary to keep the inn?”
“Nope, I wouldn’t. I’d consider it a privilege to take my grandmother’s place hosting the last ever public guests at Hydrangea House and Peace Place,” Molly pointedly emphasized. “You’d only have to pay for the housekeeping services and any food I’d buy for the guests.”
“You’re not seriously suggesting that you’d prepare breakfast for them, are you?
” Savannah tittered because at her very best, Molly was a mediocre cook.
It wasn’t that she was incapable of following a recipe, but since she didn’t enjoy the process, she tended to rush through it as quickly as possible, forgetting ingredients and improvising shortcuts. The results were often… unpalatable.
“Hydrangea House only offers a continental breakfast, so I think I could handle making hard-boiled eggs and slicing fresh fruit. I’d buy pastries or bagels at the bakery.”
“At five times the cost of the ingredients if you made them yourself?”
“It would hardly break the bank,” Molly muttered, incredulous that Savannah was quibbling over such a small expense.
After a long pause, she conceded, “I suppose if I agreed to let you be the innkeeper for the summer, we could work out a food budget. Who knows, maybe I could even drop in one weekend and whip up some of Grandma B.’s crepes with caramelized apples and crème fraiche for the guests.”
Molly’s happiness that Savannah seemed willing to keep Hydrangea House and Peace Place open for the summer was momentarily overshadowed by the prospect of her showing up at the inn.
The two women had known each other virtually their entire lives.
Molly was only six months older than Savannah and when they were in grade school, they couldn’t wait to reunite at Hydrangea House in the summer.
However, as teenagers, they developed very different interests, and their personalities frequently clashed.
Even in adulthood, there was an undercurrent of tension between them.
Molly suspected that if they hadn’t both loved Beverly so much, they’d have nothing at all in common and their relationship with each other would have ended a long time ago.
But even if they’d been the best of friends, Molly couldn’t imagine where Savannah would sleep if she came to the inn.
All the rooms had already been booked for the duration of the summer.
Molly supposed she could use the portable folding bed and give Savannah the queen-sized one, but she knew Savannah was too high maintenance to be willing to share Beverly’s former room, where Molly planned to stay.
“You do make delicious crepes,” she acknowledged. “But I’m sure I could provide a nice breakfast for the guests, one way or the other.”
“Well, I still might visit. I’ve been telling Austin about Hydrangea House and he really wants to see it.”
“Who’s Austin?”
“My attorney.”
“Your estate attorney?”
“No. He’s my attorney,” Savannah clarified with a throaty laugh. “Sorry, that’s what I call him—private joke. What I meant is that he’s the attorney I’ve been seeing for the past six months. Romantically.”
“Oh. Grandma told me you’ve been seeing someone, but I didn’t realize he was an attorney.” Molly’s apprehension skyrocketed. If Savannah’s dating history was any indication of her current taste in men, her NYC lawyer-boyfriend would probably be arrogant, opinionated and demanding.
Hopefully, he’ll be just as busy as Savannah always is and he won’t end up visiting Dune Island , she thought.
But even if he does, then being friendly to him for a weekend is a small price to pay if it means the rest of the guests will be able to enjoy one final summer at Hydrangea House and Peace Place.
“You don’t have to look so glum about meeting him.” For a moment, it seemed as if Savannah had read Molly’s mind. “I know it’s not easy being around people who are in love when you’re nursing a heartache, but sooner or later, you’ll meet someone else.”