Page 31 of Just One Chance

"Of course, Mr. Hart," the hostess said.

"Everyone calls you Mr. Hart?" Kennedy asked, amusement tingeing her tone.

I shrugged. "I don't know the servers and hostesses at the restaurant that well. When I pitch in to help, I'm usually behind the bar."

Before she could ask a follow-up question, Malcolm was striding toward us.

His gaze moved from me to Kennedy. "You wanted to see me?"

"I'm giving Kennedy a tour of the inn, and she wants to talk to you about the restaurant."

He raised his brow. "What does that have to do with the room decor?"

"That's what I wanted to know."

"I like to talk to everyone and tour everything to get an idea of what is offered. It gives me a full picture of the guest experience."

"Let's talk somewhere else then." Malcolm led us into the great room just off the lobby. There were large, overstuffed chairs and a wood-burning fireplace.

He sat in one of the leather wingback chairs, and we sat on the couch. "What are you thinking so far?"

"Ideally we'd like the decor to match the rest of the inn," Kennedy told him, "and maybe even the brewery. We could showcase photos of the property and the buildings."

"I don't think I want the workshop or my home photographed for the restaurant. I like my privacy," I said tightly.

"I wouldn't want my home photographed either. Maybe just the buildings we use for business purposes."

"My job is to figure out what could work best for your business and suggest them to your parents."

She would render an opinion and then leave, leaving us to deal with the fallout. I was hating the idea more and more.

"I like the idea of photographing scenery. That would be a nice complement to the brewery's frames that are photographs of us throughout the years," Malcolm said.

"Your parents mentioned new furniture in the rooms since they haven't been updated in a long time. But the restaurant is new. Are you looking to update anything?"

"I don't think so unless, for some reason, they need to match," Malcolm said.

"Would you mind showing us around so I can see everything?"

Malcolm stood, and we followed into the restaurant where he went through the decisions he made when they were opening. The furniture in the restaurant area, the appliances in the kitchen. When he was done with the tour, he said, "I'd better get back to work before it gets busy again. Let me know if you need anything else from me."

"Will do," Kennedy said.

When Malcolm walked away, Kennedy said, "He was surprisingly easy to deal with. I'd heard that he was the stubborn one."

"You're not making any changes to the restaurant," I said without thinking.

A crease appeared between her brows.

"I should get some work done in the shop." I'd spent most of the morning showing her around, and I was irritated. I hated losing work time to something like this, especially when I didn't think we needed her opinion. We'd always made the right decisions in the past.

She watched me carefully. "I can show myself around for a bit."

I nodded. "Let me know if you need anything."

"I will."

Then I turned and walked out of the inn. I was supposed to show her around the entire time she was in town. But I also needed to get my work done. And I could only take so much of this. I needed some time to myself.