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“That’s a good point, but I don’t have to like it.”
“I don’t think any of us do. It’s a little depressing.”
She thought about depressing. Depressing was buying an inn, with the idea that she was going to fix it up, and then realizing that the job was way over her skill set and abilities. Not to mention her financial situation was totally lacking for such a large project.
“I hate it, but I think I’m going to have to put this back up for sale. I will probably lose money on it, but... It was ridiculous in the extreme of me to think that I could fix this up myself.”
“Does it have to be an inn?”
Pam froze. The sausage pasta was amazing, so delicious, but she didn’t even taste the bite that was still in her mouth as she considered his question. She chewed slowly, swallowing, and then said, “I... I assumed it did.”
“There’s lots of potential here. I mean, it would be kind of expensive for you to use it as your solo residence, but you could have an assisted care facility, you could foster children, you could open up an afterschool care center for kids. You could do a daycare. You could turn it into a school,” he said, the last one uttered almost as though he were reaching for the stars.
But the idea struck her.
She wanted to be a teacher. She hadn’t always dreamed of it, but she’d fallen in love with her students. And she didn’t want to quit.
“I could. It’s... It’s almost perfect for that. I mean, the rooms are a little bit small for a classroom, unless you didn’t have very many students in your classrooms. They’re the perfect size for a small charter school type classroom. Wouldn’t that be awesome?” She could get so excited about it, but she tried to keep herself in check because she didn’t have any money to fix it up into an inn. She certainly didn’t have any money to turn it into a school either.
“Unfortunately, that probably takes just as much, actually more, money than an inn. It wouldn’t just be fixing it up, it would be paying teachers, having an administrator, getting the equipment and the electronics and books and whatever you need, and it wouldn’t make any money.”
“A charter school should make enough to pay the salaries of the teachers anyway, although I don’t know that they always have actual buildings. A lot of charter schools are online.”
“True. If parents are home to take care of their children. I... I wish I could do it. That’s the best idea that I’ve heard in a long time.” She sighed, putting her head back and looking at the ceiling. If only she could get the money from her inheritance. That would be enough to get started anyway.
“Don’t you think it’s funny sometimes, the way we make our way the way we think God wants us to go?” She looked back out at Lake Michigan, knowing that Mark wasn’t going to be able to give her any words of wisdom. He would just commiserate with her.
“You’re saying you thought buying the inn was God’s will?”
“Yeah. And quitting my job. How could I work in a place where I can’t even say the name of Jesus without being threatened with suspension? Unless I’m swearing. I mean, of course I thought it was God’s will.”
But it was just really what she wanted. Obviously, since she’d gotten herself into a huge mess. She’d spent all her savings on the inn and had very little to live on. If she was careful, she’d be able to live for a year, but she was really counting on getting the inheritance money. She should have asked her mom before she quit her job.
But then...she was back to wondering if she could really continue to work there.
“Maybe God is just pushing you into marriage. Maybe that’s what you’re supposed to do.” Mark lifted his shoulder and took another bite of his food. “This stuff is really good.”
His was almost gone, and she’d barely touched hers. Typical man. Could eat during the worst crisis of her life. “Getting married was the biggest mistake I ever made. I don’t want to make that mistake again. Plus, there are absolutely zero prospects. And you know that.”
“There are plenty of eligible men in town. For a small town, Strawberry Sands has several men who aren’t married and are close to your age.”
“The only one that I would even consider marrying would be you. And that would be...weird.”
Even as she said it, her words were true as she spoke them, but her mind shifted as they hit the air.
Being married to Mark would not be terrible at all. After all, they were already great friends. So what if they had a little piece of paper between them? She wasn’t planning on getting married again, and he wasn’t either.
“I kind of wish we could. After all, if I were married, my sister wouldn’t be shoving her best friend down my throat. She says she doesn’t have anywhere else to go, but I kind of feel like she’s trying to matchmake us. That’s what was going on the last time she stayed, and I think Paulette thinks that I’d forgotten about how she took Bruno to the pound. I have not.”
“I can’t believe she did that. Bruno was such a sweetheart, and it made the last days of his life so stressful.” Pam shuddered. But her mind was still going. “You know, that might not be such a bad idea.”
“Taking Bruno to the pound?” Mark almost spit the food out of his mouth. He sputtered.
“No. Getting married. You and me.”
That time, the food really did come out.
