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As Ariel returned to her inn, she noticed that Miles was no longer on the front porch, and his plate and glass weren’t on the side table there, either. As she passed by the living room entry in the hall, she saw young couple who had checked in earlier standing in the living room, looking frustrated and agitated.
"I'm sorry about the noise," she said sympathetically. "There are workers doing some construction nearby, and it seems to be causingquitea disturbance. I’m not really sure when they’ll be letting up. I went over to speak with them."
Josh and Millie both looked disappointed, and Millie sighed. "We were really looking forward to a peaceful and romantic weekend," she said. "But I guess that's out of the question now." The young woman’s eyes began to tear up.
Ariel could feel her heart breaking for the young couple. She knew how important it was for them to have a romantic weekend as part of their honeymoon—and that they had picked Leeside to get away from the hustle and bustle of their daily lives.
"I completely understand your frustration. I'll make it up to you both, don't worry about that. Let me see if I can find some earplugs for you, and maybe I can offer you a free dinner tonight or a couples massage tomorrow as an apology for the inconvenience."
Josh and Millie exchanged a glance, and Ariel couldn't help but notice the way their eyes lingered on each other. It was clear that they were very much in love, and Ariel couldn't stand the thought of them being unable to enjoy their time together because of the construction noise.
"Listen, I know how important this weekend is for you both. These are small gestures, but they might help you relax and forget about the noise for a while."
Josh and Millie looked at each other, and then back at Ariel, their faces brightening. "That sounds amazing," Josh said. "Thank you so much!"
Ariel smiled, relieved that she could salvage their weekend. Hopefully, the noise wouldn’t last all day—maybe Stanton would take some pity on her. "No problem at all. Let me make a few calls and see what I can arrange."
With a sigh, Ariel headed back toward the kitchen. She knew that the next few months were going to be a battle because of Stanton, but she was determined to win it. Her business depended on it, and so did her reputation. Not only did she not want to have the rooms at Leeside sit empty all summer because it was right next to the din of Stanton’s megahotel rising from the ground, but who wanted to come and spend good money on a meal at the Seaside Café when the ambience consisted of construction noises and the smell of burning diesel fuel?
Ariel wished that Doris had never sold to Stanton—though she supposed that the old woman might have been grateful to get out of her house and property, if it had been in any shape close to what Leeside was when Ariel had inherited it.
A swirl of emotions stormed inside of her as she entered the kitchen, hoping that today wouldn’t bring any more bad news.
CHAPTER FOUR
"You want the good news or the bad news first?" Miles asked from under the kitchen sink as Darcy handed him a wrench.
Ariel paused in the doorway of the kitchen and felt her stomach lurch. "Oh no. Uhm, the good news?" She figured she might as well hear something to cushion between the disagreement with Stanton and whatever the next bad news was.
Miles grunted as he tightened a bolt. "Well, the good news is that I think I fixed the leak in the sink."
A small wave of relief washed over Ariel, but she knew there was more to come. "And the bad news?"
Darcy chimed in. "The bad news is that we're running low on some specialty ingredients. Saffron, pink salt. And we could use more ice. We should really think about an ice maker in here for the restaurant, but for now, we're going to have to make a trip to the store soon if we want to keep up tonight."
Ariel frowned. "That's not ideal. I don't know if we have time for a shopping trip. We still have to go set all the linens and candles out and make sure the new lighted sign that directs the diners to the parking by the east wing is working."
Darcy shrugged. "We might not have a choice if we want to keep our guests happy."
Ariel sighed. He was right, of course. There was no point in running a restaurant if they didn't have the supplies they needed to accommodate their customers. "Okay, let's make a list and see what we need. Maybe we can make it a quick trip."
“Ahead of you, Boss,” Darcy said, leaning away from the sink to snag a notepad from the kitchen island. He handed the list over to Ariel. “I think we can get by for first service with these numbers, and we can reassess in the morning to see if this is what we need to keep in backstock, or if it should change.”
“Thanks, Darcy. I think I’ll place this as a pickup order, and hopefully, the market will have it ready by the time I get to town. Miles, you need anything for the sink?”
“No, ma’am,” Miles said, sliding out from under the cabinet and standing, wiping his hands on his jeans. He stepped over to Ariel and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “But how about I go with you? You can fill me in on how things went with Stanton. I have to stop back by the marina, anyway. Not for work stuff—don’t worry, I’m yours for the day.”
Ariel shook her head, frowning. “Stanton is a whole tale. But, yes, I’ll fill you in. Thanks for the sink, by the way.”
“Thanks for lunch,” he replied, his eyes warm and focused on her. Ariel felt a little flutter in her stomach that was not nerves or stress, but the giddy awareness of being near Miles. She wondered if this was what Millie felt like when she looked at Josh.
"Of course," Ariel said with a smile. "Anytime.”
“You two kids,” Darcy said, laughing. “Get out of here!”
With a wave, Ariel and Miles were off, stopping in the yard to check on Katie and Connor, who were taking a break in the shade near the bluffs. The mulch was almost done in the flower beds, and the smell of the fresh cedar wafted through the air, mixing with the ocean breeze in delightful counterpart. Ariel felt grateful for her little team. They were always there for her, even when things got tough.
