Forever Summer - Melody Grace Page 0,61

but she made it back to the inn without any other strangers asking personal questions about her love life.

She had to smile, as she unlocked the front door. Living in a small town was definitely a change, but despite the nosy neighbors, she couldn’t help but enjoy it. Having people who cared about her, who were rooting for her and Noah to be happy together … it was sweet.

Overbearing, but sweet.

“Hello?” she called out, stepping inside—and coming back down to earth with a bump. Never mind lazy mornings tangled up with Noah in the sun-dappled sheets: she still had plastic tarpaulins draped over every surface and “wet paint” signs on the walls. It was time to get back to real life, if she wanted to make this inn a success. Evie wandered through the foyer, following the buzz of a drill to the back parlor, where she found two of the construction crew up on ladders, doing something they had promised would result in some historical-looking wainscoting.

Whatever that was.

“Hey Evie. Cooper went to pick up the kitchen cabinets,” Eggsy said, pausing the saw. “Oh, and the phone company sent a technician round. Your internet is all hooked up.”

Evie gasped in delight. “There’s Wi-Fi?”

“Enough to stream all the por—” He stopped, catching himself. “Sports. All the sports you like.”

Evie laughed. “Sure. That’s exactly what you meant.” She gave him a wink and left them to it, heading upstairs to change her clothes. She pulled on some denim cut-offs and a sweater and settled into her makeshift office with the gorgeous ocean view—which was getting blocked with stacks of paperwork and invoices from all the many, many things she’d ordered that would hopefully be delivered sometime between now and when people arrived actually wanting a bed for the night—or a dining table to eat their breakfast at.

It was all coming together, she reminded herself, before she could freak out at the mountain of work still to be done. She had a plan and a list, and soon, things would fall into place.

Evie retrieved her laptop and called Jules. “Guess who has internet?”

“Finally!” Jules exclaimed. She’d been bugging Evie all week about getting connected. “Anyone would think you were doing a whole ‘off the grid’ thing out there. You know, that’s actually now a bad idea,” she mused. “Digital detox, back to nature, all that jazz. It’s very hot right now.”

“I think my guests are going to want some creature comforts,” Evie said wryly. “And if they don’t, I definitely do!” She gulped down the last of her coffee. “So what is it that’s so important you made me sign up for the ultra-deluxe package?”

“Only your brand-new, shiny, spectacular reservation system.”

Evie squealed. “You got it set up!”

“Running like clockwork,” Jules replied, directing her to the login page and talked Evie through the whole thing.

“Amazing,” Evie breathed, clicking through. “This is so simple, even I can do it!”

Jules laughed. “That’s the point. I took the liberty of setting your prices, too,” she added.

Evie’s eyes widened at the figures she’d posted. “I can’t charge that, can I?”

“Of course you can!” Jules insisted. “Didn’t you say those stuffy inns were charging an arm and a leg for their rooms?”

“Well, yes,” Evie hedged, looking around the empty room that still needed another coat of paint. “But they’re established—”

“And you need to show you can hold your own. Believe it or not, people get suspicious when things are too cheap,” Jules said. “Remember that bar on Newbury that offered five-dollar foie gras?”

Evie laughed. They’d kept a running dare for the other to try it, but nobody had ever been brave enough. “OK, OK, I’ll think about it.”

“No need to think too hard, you already have your first booking.”

“What?” Evie’s jaw dropped. “How do they even know about the inn?”

“I told you, babe, people love seeing the process. People are really connecting to your story.”

Evie blinked. “Which is …?”

“Starting over—a new chapter in life. Bringing a magnificent relic back from the dead.”

“Are you talking about the inn or me?” Evie joked, and Jules let out a snort of laughter.

“I think Noah’s taking care of that last one.”

Evie grinned. Oh, he was. “But wait,” she said, reminding herself to focus on work, not play. “I can’t take bookings yet. The inn won’t be ready for guests for weeks!”

“Which is why I put your opening date in June,” Jules said reassuringly. “That’s plenty of time.”

“Oh.” Evie stopped. “June. I can do that.”

She took a deep breath, trying to imagine the Beachcomber