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I tried to remember the last few weeks, but it was a blur of work, preparations, and to-do lists.
“Did you let him in? Did you tell him what was going on? Did you give him a chance to help?” Kylie asked.
“I mean, I thought he knew.”
“You can’t assume he knew what was going on inside here.” Kylie tapped my head.
“You feel like you need to do everything yourself, and it’s taking a toll on your relationships,” Alice said.
“Delaney’s unhappy with me too. But I don’t see how I can fix it unless I sell the business. I can’t even afford to do that right now without losing everything.” Who was going to buy an untested business? They’d want to see the books, and there weren’t any.
“Did you ever think about discussing these issues with Mac? Letting him in and asking for his advice?”
“The B&B is my problem. I need to do this on my own.”
Alice sighed. “You know, when I was unsure where to go next with my business, Sam talked to you about leasing me the front room. He knew I was struggling. I couldn’t find a space or someone who wanted to sell my mosaics here in town, and when an opportunity came up, he seized it. He was the one who negotiated the deal. Do you remember what that was?”
“I gave you a discounted lease in exchange for…” My voice trailed off. “You helping me with the front desk.”
“Have you asked for my help?” Alice asked gently.
“I didn’t want to ask. You have a family.”
“Or doyouhave to be the one who greets the guests, answers the phones, and cleans the rooms?” Kylie asked.
Guilt spread through me. “Both. It’s my baby, and I felt badly taking you away from Sam and Maggie.”
“But it’s what we agreed to, and I’ve been benefitting from the reduced rent for months without you asking for anything in return.”
“So, you’d work the desk in the evening so I could be with Delaney?” I asked her, feeling like my brain was working again.
“Or with Mac. Whatever you need. You don’t need to be tied to this place,” Alice said pointedly.
“That’s how I’ve been feeling. Like I’m stuck.”
“You’ve got me, and you could hire someone who’s retired and only wants to work a few hours or days a week. Someone who loves to socialize and will talk up the guests.”
“That’s a nice idea. Do you know anyone?” I asked, licking the spoon clean. The ice cream carton was mostly empty at this point. I should have felt sick, but I didn’t. Instead, I felt energized, as if this was a problem that could be solved.
“I can ask around,” Kylie said.
“That would be amazing.” I didn’t need to pay Alice a salary for her work, so it was possible I could swing another part-time worker.
“Now, what about a cleaning service?” Kylie asked.
“When I looked into it, cleaning companies were crazy expensive,” I said, throwing the carton into the recycling bin by the back door.
“What if you hired someone to clean, but it wasn’t a service?”
“I hadn’t even considered that.”
Kylie’s eyes brightened. “Maybe someone who has kids in school and just wants a daytime gig. No work to bring home.”
“Do you know anyone?”
“I can ask Elle if she has any ideas. She meets so many people at the barbershop. She can put some feelers out, see if anyone knows someone.”
“That would be amazing. I’m so lucky to have you two.” My eyes stung. “But what about Mac? What if he’s done with me?”
