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“No.” His answer came out gruffer than he intended. “I know you don’t want to accept this, but the inn is going to be sold.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Do you have the money to buy me out?” He suspected the answer before he’d asked the question, but it was time she started to accept the facts, even if she didn’t like them. Things were about to change in a big way. She surely didn’t think the inn was going to be here forever. As it was, two hundred years was an exceptional run.
“No.” Her answer was barely more than a whisper. But then she lifted her chin ever so slightly until her gaze met his. “I’m not giving up. I…I’ll get a loan.”
He doubted she’d get a loan that large. Not wanting to press the issue, he turned to the heaps of clothes. “Where do you want to start?”
She picked a pile and they formulated a process. She would inspect the clothing and then give him each piece. She would tell him if it was to go to the shop or go in the trash. He was surprised by how few pieces were so worn out that no one could get any use out of them.
A couple of hours later, they loaded up the clothes for the second-hand store on the back of one of the inn’s golf carts. As he situated the last bag in the backseat, he noticed Jo walking away.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“I have to get back to work. I didn’t expect to be here all of this time.”
“But I don’t know where I’m going in town.”
“Just ask around. All of the locals know of Second Love. They’ll point you in the right direction.”
He wasn’t ready for her departure. He found going through his aunt’s stuff so much easier with her there. Even though he’d never known Sandy, he had this uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach as he sorted her things.
“Please.” He didn’t say that word very often. In fact, he never uttered it.
“Lane, I really can’t. I have the bicentennial to work on.”
“Wait. I didn’t agree to it.”
She frowned at him. “Of course you didn’t. This was planned long before you were even a thought.”
“But I’m here now. And I’m co-owner. It means I get equal say in what goes on here.”
She pressed her hands to her curvy hips. “You have a strange way of trying to get people to help you.”
She had a point. He did need her help, but that didn’t mean he was going to roll over and agree to everything. Perhaps there was a way they could both get what they wanted.
He pressed his hands to his sides as his gaze met hers. “How about we make a deal?”
“A deal?” There was a definite note of skepticism in her voice.
“Yes. The bicentennial can go on, if you consider selling the inn.”
“No.” She crossed her arms. “I’m not selling.”
She wasn’t the first person to tell him that. He knew it could take a little persuasion to change a person’s mind. It might take him some time, but he would convince her that selling this inn with all of its problems was a great idea. She just needed time to get used to the idea. This arrangement could be the means by which he gained her agreement to the sale.
First, he had to get her to agree. “I didn’t say you had to consent to the sale. I just need you to consider a few offers with an open mind.”
“And if I listen to these offers, you won’t stop the bicentennial?” Her gaze searched his.
“Yes.” He stuck out his hand. “Shall we shake on it?”
“And I don’t have to agree to any of the offers?”
He really hoped she’d find one of them irresistible. “No, you don’t.”
Her gaze moved to his hand before meeting his gaze again. And then she slid her hand into his. Her skin was soft, and her hand was small compared to his. As he tightened his hold, he felt a warm jolt rush up his arm and settled in his chest, causing his heart to beat faster.
