Chapter 7 #2
“Well, I’m sure you’ve seen the large plot of land beside RED.
We’re lakefront, so it’s automatically a draw for visitors.
The dream was always to expand into something more with the land, we just never had a solid plan until a couple of years ago.
And unfortunately, we put the project on hold when Hazel and Owen passed. ”
She takes a moment like speaking about them is still hard for her.
Cary only ever spoke about his parents a couple of times, and none of the things he shared were positive.
I’ll have to ask him more about Thea’s relationship with them.
We didn’t talk much about it when they passed since it was still fresh and he was dealing with the fallout of his relationships.
“Once we decided we wanted to make it a bed-and-breakfast, we visited a few in neighboring towns to get an idea of how they run. I know I want to have two floors of guest rooms. We’re thinking three floors total.
The main level for the kitchen and some spots where guests can relax and socialize.
I actually want to ask Grayce, the owner of the café down the street, if she’d like to put a small pop-up coffee shop inside.
We could rent the space out to her. I think it could be a nice way to include the local community while offering our guests a bit of the small town flair. ”
She pauses to take a bite of her food.
“That’s a great idea, I think adding local touches is smart.” I’m being sincere. I may have ideas I think will help set them apart from the competition in other towns, but mine mostly involve RED. I didn’t consider bringing in other aspects of the community.
“Thanks,” she says, taking a sip of her drink before continuing on.
“Obviously, the catering will be from the restaurant. I plan to hire people specifically for room service. The kitchen there won’t be of the same caliber, so most of the meals will come from here.
I figure we can do some small dishes and desserts on-site though.
Maybe have a grab-and-go case that’s kept stocked during the day. ”
Once again impressing me with all of her good ideas. “What about the rooms?” I ask.
Before she can answer, someone pops their head in asking for Cary.
“Sorry, I’ll be right back, you two keep talking,” he says. Thea watches as he walks away, looking a bit nervous, and I wonder if it’s because she’s now left alone with me.
“What about them?” she counters, turning her attention back to our discussion.
“Do you have any specific ideas for them?”
“Listen,” Thea starts. “Can I just quickly say something? About Ripley?”
My eyes flick to the closed doors Cary just exited through and then back to Thea. I’m too sober for this conversation.
“I’d rather you didn’t.” My voice comes out harsher than I intend, but I need my point to make it across this table. Thea casts her eyes down, chastened. “Now about the rooms.”
“I think they’ll all be standard. I want people to want to spend time downstairs and in town as well.”
Her tone straddles the line of sounding defensive.
With that in mind, I hesitantly voice my idea, moving us further away from the topic of Ripley.
“I was thinking it might be nice for a couple of them to be a bit bigger, sizable enough to house a kitchenette.” She opens her mouth like she wants to shoot me down, but I hold up my hand to halt her.
“Let me finish, then if you hate it, you can tell me no.”
She goes back to eating, giving me a nod to continue.
“I did a ton of research last night, and it seems like most bed-and-breakfasts aren’t set up for long-term stay.
So it got me thinking, maybe having a couple of suites with a bit more space and a kitchenette could be worth it.
Tourism in this area is growing, but there’s nowhere offering anything long-term unless they rent a homestay.
Filling the gap in the market could be profitable. Which brings me to another point.”
I expect her to interject again, but she doesn’t.
“I think all the rooms should face the lake. It’ll mean all of them are of equal commercial value, and no one will feel like they’re missing out on the view.
The only other hotels offering waterfront rooms are all the way on the other side of the lake, in an entirely different town, and from what I’ve seen online, they haven’t been updated in a quarter of a century. It’s a no-brainer.”
I end there, knowing I’ve given her a lot of information. I’m not done though. There’s more on the screen in front of me, but I don’t want to overload her. And I can’t gauge how receptive she is so far.
“It’s definitely… something to think about. I’ll have to speak with the architect before even considering it.”
I nod my head in understanding. It’s a more positive response than I expected. “Yeah, of course. Again, these are just ideas. I’m sure you have plenty more.”
“I do. We want to have lake activities as well. We even discussed talking to the mayor about expanding the existing walking trail that circles the lake to connect on our side so guests can access it if they’d like to go on a run or hike,” she replies, trailing off at the end like there’s more she wants to say but decides against it.
I nod. “What about the distillery part of RED? Have you thought of any ways to incorporate it?”
Cary comes back in before she can answer. “Sorry about that. There was an inventory mix up, but everything’s good now,” he assures before Thea can freak out. “What did I miss?”
Thea looks to me then Cary before saying, “Just talk about how the rooms should all be water-facing.” She gives him a small smile before turning the conversation back to my question. “I’m sure we’ll offer special tastings, but I don’t have any more specific ideas on how to incorporate it. Do you?”
Cary’s gaze finds mine like he’s fully invested in whatever I have to say. It’s slightly unnerving, and I tell myself it’s because he wants me on my best behavior.
“Yeah. Bear with me, I came up with this last night, so I don’t have all the logistics figured out, but I’m thinking some kind of uplifted experience featuring the bourbon would be interesting to bring to the B the mixologist can go into detail on how the bourbon is made, which flavors pair best, just something to bring them into the experience in an exclusive way. ”
Once my spiel is over, I take a breath and a drink of my water. It’s disjointed since I haven’t had much time to develop the idea, and maybe they hate it.
After a few silent seconds, Cary finally says, “Damn, that’s a good idea, Seth. I like it.” Thea smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes. She doesn’t say anything, just nods. “You’ll have to hook up with Ripley. He’ll teach you everything you need to know.”
His words have my sip of water running down my windpipe, and I have to fight to keep it from sputtering out of my mouth.
“You okay?” Cary asks.
“Thanks, and yeah, sure. I’ll catch up with him at some point.
On another note, I… well, I know I’ve been hard to work with in the past, but I really do want to help this be a success.
” I turn my gaze down to my plate as the words rattle off my tongue.
To most, it doesn’t seem like a lot, but considering my past with Thea, I want it known I’m truly trying to mend our relationship.
I value my friendship with Cary, and I want to solidify my spot in his life, even if it’s just as his best friend.
The feelings I’ve harbored for him for the last ten years have become more of a dull ache, something of the past. This is my chance to move past them and make amends for my previous actions.
So I’ll give my all, even if it means torturing myself by working alongside Ripley.
With the business talk out of the way, we chat about nothing of importance for the rest of the meal, and before long, I’m packing up my laptop and getting ready to leave for the day. Cary man-hugs me goodbye, and I wave to Thea as she leaves to help prep for the early bird dinner rush.
When I’m in my rental car and pulling out of the parking lot, my eyes look down the street to where Ripley’s house is.
Sitting here, I consider which way I want to go.
A part of me wants to be reckless, take a right, and show up on his doorstep.
The other part of me knows it’s a bad idea, so I flip on my left blinker and make my way back to the hotel, telling myself the whole drive it was the right decision despite it feeling so wrong.