*
* *
Jess wasn't entirely sure how she'd made such a mess of
things. All she knew for certain was that she dreaded admitting any of it to
her confident, successful big sister. Still, when her plans had gone south and
she'd realized just how deep a hole she'd dug for herself, calling Abby—the
family's certified financial whiz—had seemed like the only sensible thing to
do.
She didn't want to lose the inn. Even as a little girl, when she'd first seen
the sprawling structure less than a mile away from their own house, Jess had
imagined herself owning it. Just over a year and a half ago, right before
Christmas, in fact, she'd spotted the For Sale sign in front of the inn as she
was driving home. Bored silly by her job at Ethel's Emporium, her heart had
immediately done a stutter step. For the first time since she'd come home after
college, she could feel a sense of anticipation and excitement building deep
inside. This was it, her chance to grab the brass ring, to give herself a sense
of purpose, to build the kind of future her family would approve.
Initially, she'd told no one in her family of her plans. She wasn't entirely
sure why. Probably because she'd feared their ridicule or their lack of faith
that she could possibly succeed. She was, after all, the baby and the wild
child. She'd never stuck with anything for long. Unlike her sisters or her
brothers, she'd never displayed a real passion for work, never found her niche.
She'd been drifting, and everyone in the family had known it. Worse, they'd
expected nothing more of her.
"Oh, you know Jess. She never sticks with anything for long." How
many times had she heard some family member say that, especially her father?
When it came from Abby or her brothers, she took it in stride. When Mick said
it, it cut Jess to the quick. She'd grown up believing she would never measure
up to the high standards he set for all of his children. The inn was her chance
to prove him—to prove all of them—wrong.
Fortunately Jess, like her siblings, had a modest trust fund that had come due
when she'd turned twenty-one. It had been invested wisely, the amount growing,
especially since Abby had taken over managing the account. It was enough, she'd
hoped, for a down payment.
Impulsively, she'd made an appointment the next morning with the Realtor.
Naively and because she was caught up in the dream, she hadn't asked to see the
books or any other proof that the inn could be operated in the black. She'd
done a cursory inspection and found it to be in good shape. After all, one
thing she knew about her father and Uncle Jeff, they designed and built things
to last. She'd made a conservative bid, which had been accepted at once. The
Pattersons were anxious to leave. All that remained was to get the financing in
place.
That's when she should have called Abby, she realized now. Or her father. Even
her brothers could have offered sound advice, but, stubbornly independent to
the end, she'd handled it all herself. To keep the payments within reason,
she'd accepted an interest-only loan for the short term, then planned to
refinance once the inn was open and operating at a profit.
Best-laid plans, she thought now, sipping her wine as she waited for Abby to
come back from tucking the kids into bed. Nothing had gone as she'd
anticipated. The Pattersons had never installed any kind of up-to-date
reservation system. The heating and air-conditioning systems were barely
functioning and needed to be replaced with something more energy-efficient.
While the building itself was sound, the rooms were shabby, the curtains faded,
the linens unacceptable. The exterior looked dilapidated, which had been easy
enough to fix, but even a coat of paint cost money.
The down payment had depleted her funds, so she'd applied for a business loan,
using the inn as collateral. She'd been approved easily.
Filled with excitement, Jess had finally revealed her purchase to the rest of
the family. Predictably, Gram and her siblings had been delighted for her. Mick
had asked a thousand and one perfectly reasonable questions for which she
didn't have adequate answers. That was when she'd gotten the first nagging
sense that she was in over her head.
Then, a few months ago, while she was still trying to complete the necessary
redecorating, she'd gotten a letter from the bank pointing out that she was
behind on her payments for the mortgage and for the business loan. She'd
scrambled to come up with the cash, embarrassed that in her zeal to spruce up
the place, she'd overlooked the due dates for those payments. It had happened
again a couple of months later. With her funds depleted, she'd missed two
payments in a row after that.
That's when she'd received the warning notice that she was in violation of the
terms of both agreements, her mortgage and her small-business loan.
"Meaning what?" she asked Lawrence Riley when she'd called the bank
in a panic.
"Meaning with your very spotty payment history, we could start foreclosure
procedures. I've been keeping an eye on things at the inn. You have no cash
flow."
"I'm renovating. The grand opening is scheduled for July first. I'd hoped
to make it by Memorial Day, but it just wasn't feasible."
"How do you expect to make these next payments or the ones the month
after?"
"I'll find the money," she assured him, even though she had no idea
where.
"Maybe you should speak to your father," he suggested. "I'm sure
he'd be willing—"
Jess cut him off. "This is my project. My father's not involved."
Her comment silenced him, which she thought was a good thing. But then he said,
"If I thought your father was backing you, I could look the other way for
the short term…."
"Well, he's not," Jess repeated. "You'll get your payments, Mr.
Riley. You know what potential the inn has. You know it's going to be a
success."
"With the right management, yes," he said. "I'm no longer
convinced you're the person who can accomplish that."
His condescension and lack of faith infuriated her. She would have told him
off, but even Jess was wise enough to recognize her already precarious standing
with the banker.
"Please, be patient," she said instead. "These are good loans,
Mr. Riley. You know me. You know my family."
"As I said, if you want to bring your father in, we can discuss—"
"No," she'd replied fiercely.
"It's your decision, of course. I'll expect the payments on my desk on
time," he said. "Good day, Jessica."
That conversation had taken place on Tuesday. She'd called Abby on Wednesday,
the minute she'd realized there was no way she'd have the money in time. She
knew Abby was going to flip out when she heard the kind of deals Jess had made
without consulting her, but in the end she'd help her fix things, because that
was what Abby did. She made things right. Even when her marriage was falling
apart, she'd found a way to keep her equilibrium, stay on track at work and
give the twins the kind of attention they needed to get through the turmoil. If
she'd handled all that, this would be a piece of cake, Jess thought
confidently.
Of course, that was before she'd realized that Trace was part of the equation.
She had no idea exactly what had happened between him and Abby all those years
ago, but it hadn't been good. There was a history there, and despite Trace's
assurance that he wouldn't let it interfere with the bank's decision, Jess
wasn't a hundred percent sure she could believe him. Nor was she certain how
Abby would feel once she knew she'd be dealing with her old flame. It might be
better not to mention that at the outset.
When Abby finally joined her on the porch, Jess asked about work, how the girls
were doing in kindergarten, whether there were any new men in Abby's life. Abby
finally regarded her with impatience. "You're stalling," she accused.
Jess flushed. "Maybe a little, but I did want to catch up. We never get to
have a real heart-to-heart anymore. I miss that."
Abby's expression softened. "Me, too. But a life-or-death problem tops
catching up. Talk to me."
An hour later, after Jess had spilled her guts and seen the dismay in Abby's
eyes, she wasn't so sure this was going to be as easy to fix as she'd hoped.
"We can straighten this out, can't we?" she asked her sister, unable
to keep a plaintive note out of her voice. "I know I've made a mess of
things so far, but when you see the inn again, you'll understand why I had to
do it exactly this way. It's going to be amazing."
"It will only be amazing if you can keep the bank from foreclosing,"
Abby said direly. "Why didn't you call me sooner? I would have loaned you
the money."
"I don't need your money," Jess insisted. "I can do this on my
own. I just need to buy a little more time. A couple of months, max."
"You have reservations coming in?"
"We're booked solid the rest of the summer, and we're starting to get
reservations for the fall," Jess said proudly. "Plus, once word of
mouth kicks in about how cozy the place is and how fabulous the food is, that
should take care of the rest of the year, at least on weekends. I'm going to
offer some holiday specials, too, to try to boost bookings in November,
December and even the long weekends in January and February. I really do have a
great marketing plan, Abby."
"In writing?"
"No, but I can put it on paper, if that will help."
Abby nodded, her expression thoughtful. "Do that. Maybe it's the
bargaining chip you need. First thing tomorrow I'll meet you over there and
we'll go over all your financials. We can put together some realistic budget
projections, then I'll go with you to the bank on Monday."
Which meant, Jess knew, that she'd come face-to-face with Trace. Maybe that
wasn't such a good idea. "I know how busy you are. Once we put everything
together, if you need to go back to New York, I can take the paperwork to the
bank."
"It'll be okay. Let's face it, I speak their language and you don't. This
is your dream, and you tend to get sidetracked by all your plans. I can talk
hard, cold facts and numbers."
Jess gave in, because she knew Abby was right. She'd get emotional, while her
sister could keep her cool. "If you're really sure it won't be too big an
imposition, then thank you. I'll never be able to repay you for doing this for
me, Abby. I have to keep the inn. I just have to. It's the first thing that's
really mattered to me, ever. It's my chance to prove I'm as good as the rest of
the O'Briens."
Abby stared at her with a shocked expression. "What are you talking about,
Jess? Of course you're as good as the rest of us."
"Come on. I've always been the screwup, the hyper one with no ability to
focus. You probably expected me to mess this up from the beginning." The
belated diagnosis that she had attention deficit disorder had come when she was
ten and struggling in school. From then on, it had been her curse and, all too
often, an easy excuse for her failure to follow through on things.
"That is not true," Abby said, though her expression said otherwise.
"Sweetie, you have ADD. We all understand that. Despite that, look at all
you've accomplished. You graduated from high school near the top of your class.
You got your college degree. Those are huge accomplishments for someone with
ADD. You'll figure out how to manage everything at the inn, too."
"I barely got through college because I kept changing my major. And I've
drifted through half a dozen dead-end jobs since then," Jess reminded her,
determined to keep it real. "I'm twenty-two and I've never even had a relationship
that's lasted more than a few months."
"Because you haven't found the one thing or the one person you were
passionate about," Abby argued. "Now you have the inn. I remember how
you used to talk about it when you were little. You loved going over there. I
was so excited for you when you told me you'd finally bought it." Her
expression turned determined. "Stop worrying. I intend to do everything in
my power to see that you keep the inn."
"Short of bailing me out with money," Jess reiterated. "I won't
let you do that."
"Let's just see how it goes, okay? I have the money to invest in a sure
thing and I have faith in you."
Tears welled up in Jess's eyes. "I love you, sis."
"Love you more. Now let's get some sleep, so we can get started on all this
first thing in the morning. What time should I meet you at the inn?"
"Nine?" Jess suggested. She owed her sister one lazy morning at
least.
"Make it eight."
Despite her emotions being all over the place, Jess grinned. "Not bad. You
must be relaxing. I was figuring you'd say seven."
"Watch it, kid. I could change my mind."
Jess was on her feet at once. "See you at eight," she said hurriedly,
then started down the steps. At the bottom, she turned back. "I'm glad
you're home, Abby, but I'm sorry I dumped all this on you."
"That's what family's for," Abby said. "Don't ever forget
that."
Despite her sister's words, Jess wondered if she'd ever truly believe that, at
least where her disapproving father was concerned. Once Mick heard about this,
there'd be plenty of I-told-you-so's to go around.
And once Abby realized that she was going to be dealing with Trace Riley and
that Jess had kept that fact from her, Jess was very much afraid she might walk
away and leave Jess to fend for herself.
*
* *
Abby walked into the kitchen shortly after dawn, awakened by
the sound of the robins, bluebirds and wrens outside her open bedroom windows.
She'd forgotten how noisy nature could be, especially in the spring. As early
as it was, she wasn't surprised to find her grandmother there ahead of her.
"You're up early," Gram said, her tone chiding. "I thought you'd
sleep in for a bit on your first morning home."
"I have a lot to do today," Abby said, pouring herself a cup of the
strong tea Gram had brewed. She laced it with milk, then sighed with pleasure
after the first sip. "It never tastes like this when I make it."
"That's because you use tea bags and brew it in the microwave, I'll
bet."
Abby grinned. "Could be."
"A good pot of tea takes time to steep. If you put a little time and love
into it, it shows."
"I have enough trouble finding time to love my girls without worrying
about how my tea feels," Abby replied.
"Which means you're working too hard. You never have learned how to relax.
Why don't you grab a book and take it outside to the hammock this morning. I'll
keep an eye on the girls. I'll take them into town and show them off."
"If you wouldn't mind watching the girls, I'll take you up on that,"
Abby told her. "But the hammock will have to wait. I promised Jess I'd
meet her at the inn in an hour."
Gram's expression immediately sobered. She sat down across from Abby and
stirred her tea, then lifted her gaze to Abby's. "She's in trouble with
that, isn't she?"
Abby didn't want to betray her sister's confidence, but she'd always been a
lousy liar. She settled for asking, "What makes you think that?"
"For one thing, this is Chesapeake Shores, where gossip is everybody's
favorite hobby. For another, Violet Harding's sister works at the bank. She
told Violet that she'd seen something about foreclosure on a file with Jess's
name on it. Of course that old gossip couldn't wait to spread the word. The
Hardings are still furious that Mick bought up all their family's land to
develop this town. Never mind that it was their good-for-nothing father who
sold it to him because he needed cash, somehow it's Mick's fault that they
don't own all that acreage anymore." She waved off the topic. "None
of that matters. Is Jess going to lose the inn the way Violet said?"
"Not if I have anything to say about it," Abby told her firmly.
"And please don't tell her you know. She's so afraid of letting all of us
down."
Gram shook her head. "Does she honestly believe we care more about that
inn and whether she succeeds or fails than we do about her?"
Abby nodded. "I think she does. She wants desperately to prove herself,
especially to Dad."
"Now that I understand," Gram said, her mouth set in a grim line.
"Why those two can't communicate without starting a fight is beyond
me."
"It's because they're exactly alike," Abby said. "They both have
more pride than sense and a mile-wide stubborn streak. And neither one of them
can stand to be wrong about anything. Even though I wasn't around when Jess
bought the inn, I'm sure Dad was the first to suggest she was making a mistake
and will be the first to say I told you so if she fails."
"That's it in a nutshell," Gram agreed. "I don't remember him
being that ornery with the rest of you."
"Trust me, he was," Abby said. "But with the rest of us, we could
let it roll off our backs. We knew we had you and Mom in our corners, no matter
what. With Mom gone, Jess has always taken everything Dad said to heart, even
offhand comments he's forgotten about as soon as he's made them."
"You're right. I've talked to him about that myself, but he doesn't see
the problem. Your father's always believed that blunt honesty is a virtue, even
when it hurts. He thinks mollycoddling is a waste of time. He believes you
children should know without a doubt that he loves you, no matter how harsh his
criticism might be."
"That worked fine with the rest of us, but not with Jess. She's had too
many obstacles to overcome."
Gram regarded her worriedly. "Are you going to be able to help her to
straighten this out?"
"I'm going to try," Abby said. "Don't worry, Gram. I know how
important this is. The bank won't take that inn away from her without a fight
from me."
Gram's expression turned thoughtful. "Maybe it would be better if she had
to save it for herself, instead of letting you rush to the rescue."
"It probably would be," Abby admitted. "But based on what she
told me last night, I don't think that's going to be an option. She's waited
too long, and now there's not enough time for her to pull everything
together."
"Does she want to borrow money?"
Abby shook her head. "She's adamantly opposed to that. All she's asked for
is my business expertise."
"Is that going to be enough?" Gram asked.
"I won't know until I see her books," Abby said honestly.
"Well, Jess made the right decision when she called you," Gram said.
"She's been counting on you since she was a little bitty thing, and you've
never once let her down."
"Pile on the pressure, why don't you?" Abby replied as she stood up.
She leaned down and pressed a kiss to her grandmother's cheek. "Thanks,
Gram. I love you."
"I love you, too. And Jess. It's going to be okay. When O'Briens stick
together, there's nothing we can't do."
"That's what you've always taught us," Abby agreed.
Unfortunately, she was very much afraid it was going to take a lot more than
family spirit and loyalty to save Jess's inn.