And I won’t have the money to do anything until this place sells. Maybe I should wait to start looking.”
She didn’t want to get her hopes up for nothing, and she had a terrible feeling some other buyer would swoop in and buy the property. In fact, she’d been fretting about that since she’d left the house.
“The inn might not take that long to sell, and you need to be ready to go once it does.”
“I listed it everywhere this morning.” She stepped up to the computer and opened the email program. Her heart stuttered at the email from one of the realty sites.
“Someone’s already reaching out.” She opened the email and read it.
“What’d they say?”
“They want to take a look. It’s a couple from Tennessee that wants to open a bed-and-breakfast—the Farnsworths. She managed a hotel for six years, and he manages a landscaping business. They’re asking if they can come Wednesday.”
“Wow, that was quick.”
“Can you imagine if we sold it that fast?” Grace could buy that little house and finally be in business for herself. Buy more equipment, hire some employees, advertise. She was going to have the best outfitters business around.
“Slow down, sparky. Coming to look isn’t the same as making an offer.”
“I know, but look at this place. What more could anyone want?”
“It doesn’t come cheap. We don’t even know if they can really afford it. But you should check Molly’s availability for Wednesday.”
Definitely. Molly, with her positivity and gift of gab, not to mention her love of this place, was the right person for the tour-guide job.
“I’ll do that.”
Movement sounded overhead. Was it Wyatt? She’d been so deep in thought when she pulled up she didn’t even check for his car. They’d only spent an hour or so together since their return, when they’d gone to the police station yesterday to file a police report. And after all the time they’d spent together this week, she found herself missing him.
“Is Wyatt still around?” she asked before Levi slipped out the front door on the way to some wedding errand.
“He left a while ago.”
Her spirits sank a little. “Okay, thanks.”
She hoped Wyatt hadn’t already gone to the library. She wanted to help him with the map. She certainly knew the area better than the librarians did.
Oh, who was she kidding? She wanted to spend time with him and just needed a good excuse to do it.
Grace tracked down Molly upstairs folding towels in the laundry room. “Guess who’s found us a potential buyer?”
“What? Already?”
“I posted the listings this morning, and we just got an email from a Tennessee couple. They seem legit and want to inspect the place this week.”
Molly hugged the white towel to her stomach. “Wow. That was quick.”
“They’d like to come in Wednesday afternoon and possibly stay the night if they like what they see.”
“Oh . . . Wednesday? I kind of have a full day. Think you can put it off till the weekend?”
“Weekends are our busiest times.”
“Exactly. It’d be great for them to see how successful this place is.”
Grace saw her point, but weekends were all hands on deck.
“Oh, wait,” Molly said. “This weekend we have that family reunion. It’s going to be a zoo. Maybe the next weekend?”
Grace saw that little house slipping right through her fingers. “I don’t think we should make them wait that long. What if they find someplace else in the meantime? If you’re not free Wednesday, Levi or I can show them around.”
Molly bit her lip. “No, no. It’s fine. I can clear my schedule.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. Tell them it’s a go.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Grace steadied the kayak, holding her breath as the middle-aged woman stepped into it. Her husband was already set to go and waiting just off the dock. They’d come in this evening after seeing her ad on the diner’s place mat.
Once the woman was settled in the cockpit, Grace relaxed.
“This is a nice one,” she said. “Very comfortable.”
“Glad you like it.” Grace handed her the paddle, failing to inform the woman that she was the first to take it out. “Have fun, you two. Just pull it up on the dock when you come back and stop up at the front desk.”
The two were already off, efficiently paddling their way past the end of the dock. Grace headed back up the slope of the inn’s lawn. These were the first customers in a week who’d come in off the street. Most of Grace’s business originated from the inn’s guests, which worried her a