really know their stuff. Did I mention John’s an accountant? They’re young but they have a lot of business experience. They’ll have no trouble keeping it in the black. Listen to me—I sound like Levi!” Her laugh sounded a little manic, even to her.
He took the pan from her, set it in the dishwasher, then turned her around before she could go at the silverware.
Water dripped from her hands as she met Adam’s concerned gaze.
“All right, Molly. What’s going on here?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re acting very strange. You’re babbling. You’re almost giddy, but something’s not quite right.”
“Of course I’m giddy. We just got asking price on our inn, and very soon now we’ll be free to move to Italy and start a bed-and-breakfast. This is perfect.”
“That’s your third use of that word in two minutes.”
Well, it is perfect!
Molly beat back the automatic denial and accompanying irritation. Instead she stared into Adam’s faded blue eyes. Her heart was kicking her rib cage, and a weird ache settled in the back of her throat.
She had to give consideration to his assessment. Her husband knew her better than anyone, and he was easily the most intelligent person she knew. Not just book smart either. She suspected his emotional intelligence was off the charts.
She grabbed a towel and dried her hands. “Okay. All right. This isn’t easy. Of course it isn’t. This is our parents’ legacy we’re talking about. There’s bound to be some . . . difficulty letting go. Selling the inn will be a little sad, like losing a piece of them. And yes, it’s the only piece of them we have left, save the memories, but it has to be done. We all have dreams and plans that don’t include the inn, and selling it was part of those plans from the beginning.”
Adam cupped her neck, brushing her pulse with his thumb. “Sometimes plans change, and that’s all right too.”
Molly shook her head despite the leaden weight in her gut. “I’m just feeling a natural reluctance to let go. Change is hard. I’ll be fine. And now that I think of it, I should probably go ahead and tell Grace about the offer so she can put an offer in on her house, contingent upon the sale of the inn, of course. She’s really excited about it, and I don’t want her to lose it. There was an open house there Sunday and Pamela said one of the couples was interested.”
Adam’s eyes searched hers for a long moment. “Are you sure this is what you want, sweetheart?”
He was so good to her. Even willing to move to a foreign country to make her dreams come true. She palmed his face, the bristle of his jaw pleasantly scratchy against the sensitive flesh. Then she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips.
“I’m sure. Once the official offer comes in, I’ll tell Grace. And shoot, might as well tell Levi too. It’ll be good cause for celebration on their honeymoon.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Grace pushed the cleaning cart into the closet and started the last load of sheets. They only had three rooms filled, so cleaning didn’t take as long as it usually did. She sent Wyatt a text, asking if he wanted to get some hiking in today. He responded affirmatively and said he’d get supplies from Della and meet Grace in the lobby.
Grace dashed into her room and changed clothes. She’d only seen Wyatt here and there since church Sunday. He’d done a fair amount of hiking on his own, and she had extra work with Levi gone.
They’d snatched a bit of time together last night. They watched a movie in the living room, munching on popcorn and sneaking kisses here and there. Very nice kisses.
When she caught her reflection in the mirror, she was wearing one of those goofy grins. And for some reason, she was just fine with that.
When she was dressed, she shouldered her backpack and made her way down the staircase, already planning ahead. They’d drive up to Lost Creek, to the place where Wyatt had last left off. It was only eleven, so they’d have hours to search. Maybe today would be the day. She longed to give Wyatt the closure he needed.
At the front desk Molly was frowning at the computer.
“Something wrong?”
Molly looked at Grace, her face instantly brightening. “Nothing at all. In fact, everything is perf—great! The Johnson brothers made an offer. I just got it via email.”
Grace blinked. “Are you kidding me? What’d they offer?”