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“This is your trip. I’m happy to do whatever you want.”
Natalie and Delaney listed off the things they still wanted to see, and I listened, content to just be here. I knew reality would settle in soon, but I had two more days where I could put it out of my mind.
CHAPTER21
NATALIE
Ireturned from Annapolis only to hit the ground running with getting pictures for the website and interviews with local news outlets and the paper about the opening. When Carter called to say he needed to go on a business trip to Texas, I was relieved. I couldn’t handle him on top of everything else.
Piper suggested we hold some kind of ribbon-cutting ceremony, and even though I thought it was over the top, Kylie and Alice disagreed.
They thought it would be good publicity, so suddenly, I was planning that along with a party so that locals could tour the inn and tell others about it.
Each new suggestion sounded amazing, but preparing for them was something else. I was overwhelmed with the details of finishing the renovation and preparing for the upcoming opening. I was up late one night, approving the photographs for the website, when my phone buzzed with an incoming text.
Mac: Can you talk?
I couldn’t, but I’d been too busy to do much more than see Mac in passing in the few weeks since we’d returned from Annapolis.
Instead of answering, I called him.
“You’re still up?” he asked.
“Just approving the photographs for the website.” My voice felt gritty with disuse. It was later than I thought.
“I bet they’re all great.”
“I’m not sure about that. I’m worried if I pick the wrong one, it will make a difference. What if I screw this up and make the wrong decisions?” I dropped my head onto the counter.
“You’re working too hard. You need to get some rest, make sure you eat, and take more breaks.”
“I can’t.” The counter was covered with Post-it Notes of lists. There was a list for the opening, one for the website, marketing, the rooms, and food. My to-do list was endless, and I was the only one who could cross off the tasks.
“You need help,” Mac said simply.
I ran a hand through my hair. “I’ve got this.”
“I’m not saying you don’t, but you’re working around the clock. It’s not healthy.” His tone was filled with concern for me.
“It’s just for a few more weeks, and then things will slow down.”
He grunted in response, and I knew he didn’t believe me.
“I just need to get through the opening. Then things will slow down. You’ll see.”
“You have to work smarter, not harder.” This was something Mac said to me almost daily these days.
“That’s when your business is established, not when you first start out.”
“The quicker you embody that theory, the better things will be. You don’t have to do everything on your list. You can get help.”
“We’ve been through this. I can’t afford to hire anyone.” I was tired of this conversation. We talked in circles and never agreed.
“You have friends and family willing to help.”
“Are you offering yourself up?” I asked him.
He’d finished the B&B and moved on to another project, one that was outside of town. I no longer saw him during the day, and it wasn’t as convenient for him to stay the night. Sam was still working on the backyard and landscaping, but we were nearing the finish line.
