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Trudy Sinclair was from Autre but had lived in Colorado for ten years before coming home. She was a teacher with Becca. Savannah felt like Trudy understood her a bit better sometimes than Becca did, because at least Trudy had gotten away from their charming, buttiny, hometown for a little while.
“Probably not,” Savannah said. “But he won’t put me in charge of big acquisitions. I’ll just be given a few properties to oversee.”
“Would that be so bad?” Becca picked up a fried pickle and popped it into her mouth.
Savannah smiled at her friend. Becca loved her life in Autre. She saw her family and most of her friends every day. She was marrying a guy who’d been her best friend since she’d moved in next door to him when they’d been ten. Okay, she and Beau might not haveknownthey were best friends right away, but they had been.
Becca’s life was simple and exactly what she wanted it to be.
Savannah’s life…wasn’t.
She hadn’t found a place that made her content like that yet. She was still searching forsomething.
Becca claimed she understood when Savannah explained that, but she didn’t. Notreally. Still, she was supportive.
“It wouldn’t bebad,” Savannah said. “It just wouldn’t be enough. I know all the properties. It wouldn’t be satisfying to just manage them. I want to find new ones in new places.”
“I know.” Becca gave her a smile. “You would be restless if you had to just keep doing the same thing over and over.”
Yeah, that’s what she was afraid of.
“You have to go to this one for Christmas though?” Rory asked.
Rory Robins was another woman Savannah was so glad she’d gotten to know. Rory was not from Autre. At least not originally. She’d moved to the tiny bayou town when she’d decided to makeover her life. And hide-out from her con man dad. Then she’d fallen for a guy who was also not an Autre native. That was almost unheard of in the not-so-little circle of people Savannah hung out with here. Drew had been in town for the holidays, and they’d fallen in love in Santa’s Village.
“Yes,” Savannah said, infusing her voice with enthusiasm. “It’s an actual inn. It’s got twelve rooms. But they also have a Christmas tree farm, and real reindeer. And have sleight rides, and ice skating on their pond, and they do this elaborate light display that people drive frommilesaway to see. Since this is their busiest time of the year, they wanted me to come to see it all decked out and the kinds of crowds they attract.”
“We have real reindeer here,” Rory said, with a grin. “And tons of lights.”
“And people dressing up like elves,” Trudy teased.
Rory threw a fried pickle at her, but she was laughing.
Rory was one of those people. She’d actually met Drew when he’d brought those real reindeer to town. She’d been dressed in a tiny elf dress, candy cane striped stockings, and her hair had been dyed green.
Savannah grinned and nodded. “I know, but there’s no snow here.”
“You need snow?” Becca asked. “Really?”
Maybe. She wasn’t sure what she needed. She just wanted to do something new this year.
“It’s important to the owners that we keep everything else going along with the B&B. So I have to check it out now during their busy season, because that’s the part I’ll really have to sell Steve on.”
“He won’t like that part?” Becca asked.
“Reindeer? And big gaudy light displays?” Savannah said with a laugh. “Not really Steve’s style.”
“But you have a plan to make the whole thing somehow next-level luxurious?” Trudy asked.
Savannah opened her mouth, then shut it and shook her head. “Not really, no.” That was a problem. She kind of liked what she’d heard about it as it was. “But I hope to once I see it.”
“You’ll come up with something,” Becca said, always the true, supportive best friend.
Savannah would have thought so too a couple of months ago. But her experience with the bayou cabins had shaken her confidence. Not her confidence in her ability to see a property and it’s surrounding location and understand what made it special and what would draw people to it, but her assurance that she could convince Steve her ideas were what he wanted and needed for his business. She picked up her Pimm’s cup and took a long drink.
"Well, at least he’s trusting me with another big project,” she said, trying to tell herself it was a good sign. “Though…”
“What?”
