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“What’s the hurry?” Lily asked.
“I have a meeting with Lane at two.”
Lily’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I wish I could be a fly on that wall.”
“Better yet,” Josie said, “you could go in my place.”
“It’s a shame you have to deal with a grouchy old man.” Hannah stabbed at a lettuce leaf.
Josie glanced up from her soup. “He’s not old. Just grumpy.”
“I’m sure you’ll be able to make him see the light.” Lily added some dressing to her salad followed by black pepper.
“I hope so.”
Hannah arched a brow. “You sound doubtful.”
“It’s just that I don’t know what Sandra would want. After all, he’s her nephew—her flesh and blood. If she was alive, and she had a chance to meet him, she might have left him her portion of the inn so it could remain in the family. After all, it’s been in her family for two hundred years. That’s a really long time.”
“And if this guy cared about Sandra or the inn, he would have been here before now.” Hannah’s gaze probed hers. “Right?”
It made sense, but Josie just couldn’t help but worry about respecting Sandra’s wishes. Maybe she thought her nephew didn’t care about the inn. But he was here now so that had to mean something.
“You can play the guessing game from now until eternity.” Hannah’s voice drew her from her thoughts. “You’ll never know for sure what would have happened if she’d lived. All you can do is respect her wishes at the time she passed on. After all, she did what she felt was best for the inn. She left it for you to look after because she knew you cared about it as much as she did.”
Josie mulled over her friend’s words as she took a spoonful of the hearty soup. There wasn’t much time to discuss the subject further as everyone ate quickly so they could get back to work. Once the dishes were cleared, and they’d each paid their check, her friends looked at her.
“You’ve got this,” Hannah said.
“Let the grump know who’s the boss.” Lily returned her wallet to her purse.
Someone cleared their throat just over Josie’s shoulder. She noticed Hannah, who was sitting across from her, tilt her chin upward, and then she hesitantly smiled. Maybe it was Ethan, Hannah’s husband.
CHAPTER SIX
Lane!
What is he doing here?
Josie knew she should say something, but at that moment she was having problems working her throat. When she opened her mouth, no words came out.
Lane’s gaze moved around the table before coming to rest on Josie. “Do you have a moment?”
Not trusting her voice, Josie nodded. All the while her heart raced. How much of their conversation had he overheard?
“We were just leaving,” Hannah said.
“We were?” Lily asked. After Hannah frowned at her, Lily said, “I mean we were leaving. Right now.”
Lily lightly elbowed Josie, startling her into motion. Josie stepped into the aisle to let Lily out of the booth.
Lily leaned over and whispered, “You forgot to mention that he’s drop-dead gorgeous.”
Yes, he is.
Her first instinct was to lift her gaze to meet his, but she didn’t dare as heat radiated from her cheeks. Instead, her gaze landed on his chest. The man was like something out of mythology, all muscled, tall, and strikingly cute. But she refused to let on to him that his good looks had in any way gotten to her.
She needed all her wits about her if she was going to handle the estate in the manner Sandra would want and expect of her. Josie was certain once Lane learned of his aunt’s plans for the bicentennial celebration that he would want to be a part of it too. After all, it was a celebration of his family’s history.
