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When she stepped into the room, the first thing she noticed was the soft sounds of the ocean coming from small speakers strategically placed around the room. And then her gaze took in the décor. She gasped. The flooring—her original flooring—appeared to be a boardwalk. And along the wall he’d placed real posts that stuck out a few inches from the wall with holes drilled for a rope rail like found along an actual boardwalk. On the wall was painted sand. It wasn’t just the color of sand, but there looked to be real sand mixed into the paint to give it a textured effect.
She was absolutely stunned by the degree of detail he’d put into his room. The wall also had the image of the ocean and a darkening sky. As her gaze lifted, she found there were stars on the ceiling. Just out of curiosity, she turned off the lights. And the ceiling lit up as the stars and moon glowed.
She was utterly gob smacked that he had such a great attention to detail. No wonder he was such a success in the real estate business. With his imagination, he could do most anything.
And then the worry kicked in. She was in big trouble because his room was amazing. If she were a judge, she would have voted for it. Why had she ever thought the contest was a good way to resolve the future of the inn?
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Theyweredelicious.
Lane ate one of the giant chocolate chip cookies that were stacked inside a picnic basket lined with a red and white gingham tablecloth. It was a great idea. And so delicious. How could someone taste those amazing cookies and not vote for Jo?
He scanned the room and noticed she had the deep-blue carpet he’d picked out. She’d used it to represent the ocean and on the wall she’d painted a mural of Beachcomber beach, and in the background was the park.
The image was colorful with the beach was dotted with bright umbrellas. And then there was the vibrant green of trees in the park. In the background were some of the shops and restaurants facing the park. He immediately picked out the Purple Guppy Pub. He smiled.
Jo had done an amazing job. Everything in the room was a reminder of life on the beach, from the picnic set up on the table to the seashell lamps on each end of the dresser to the sunny comforter on the bed.
As he went to leave, he couldn’t resist grabbing the last two cookies at the bottom of the picnic basket. She had won the contest. He was certain of it. There was no way his room could compete with the warmth and joy of her room.
And that left him in a difficult spot. He would have to deal with owning a part of his past—a part that reminded him that he’d been rejected and unloved. The thought weighed on him.
He checked the time. It had been a couple of hours since the contest had concluded. The awards ceremony should be taking place about now. He slowly made his way to the back of the inn.
He was surprised to find the deck and yard filled with people. It was standing-room only, and even then there wasn’t much room to stand. He slowly made his way toward the stage.
Mayor Banks stepped up to the microphone. “Thank you all for coming. This has been a very exciting week for Bluestar. And none of it would have been possible without the hard work of Josie and Sandra. Sadly, Sandra isn’t here to share this big day with so many people she cared about, but Josie is here, and she has worked really hard to make this week a huge success. Let’s give her a round of applause.”
A roar of clapping hands filled the air. Lane clapped too. He’d personally witnessed some of the work Jo had done for this event. And the mayor was right. The celebration was well-planned and executed. Jo would be a great addition to any hotel chain.
Speaking of which, he had a list of properties looking for a new hotel manager. He’d brought it with him, thinking he would give it to her in person, but when he saw her all dressed up, he’d forgotten all about the list. All he could think was that he would never see her again, and that made him profoundly sad.
He would miss her sunny smiles and her heart of gold. She really cared about the people around her. If you needed something, she would be the first one to volunteer to help. He’d never met anyone like her.
He watched as she stepped up to the microphone. He swallowed hard. Why hadn’t they just jumped right to naming the winners?
“Hey,” Sylvia said. “There’s quite a crowd here.”
He glanced to his side, surprised to find his assistant standing there. If she was here, he didn’t need to be. “Are you planning to hang out here until they announce the winners?”
She nodded. “Aren’t you?”
He shook his head. “I’ve got other things to do.”
“Oh, stay. They’re so close to announcing the winners. And you worked so hard on the contest. I loved what you did with your room, but I have to say that Josie’s room had a really warm and cozy feel to it.”
And that was exactly why he wanted to leave now. Josie was bound to win. He fondly remembered her chocolate chip cookies. He wished he could have more, but he also knew he’d never taste them again.
Sylvia gently nudged him. “They’re announcing the winners.”
He didn’t really care about the official winner. Sure, all of the rooms were very nice, but he shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he waited for them to announce the winner of the contest between him and Jo.
After the winner accepted their plaque and cash award, the mayor thanked everyone again. And then it was the moment Lane had been waiting for.
“Ladies and gentlemen, our new owners of the Brass Anchor Inn have decided to run a side contest to see whose room would garner the most votes. And I have the results right here.” He held up a folded piece of paper. “Now where are our owners?” Mayor Banks glanced around. “Ah, I see Josie up here in front. And do we have Lane around here?”
“He’s here.” His assistant waved her hand.
