A Haven on the Bay - Nicole Ellis

1

Meg

Meg Briggs pried the final pansy from the black plastic tray and shook off the loose dirt before placing it in the hole she’d dug with a garden trowel. She patted it into place and leaned back on her heels to survey her handiwork. Before she’d started planting that day, only tufts of knee-high wild grass had bordered the front of the old barn at the Inn at Willa Bay.

Now, purple, pink, and white flowers brightened the exterior of the structure, contrasting sharply with the peeling white paint. She stood, brushing plant debris off her pants before taking a final look. Someday, the whole place would be revitalized. For now, though, this small patch of color would have to do.

A little time remained before she had to get ready for her dinner with Theo, the man she’d been dating for the last few months, so she walked around to the opposite side of the barn and sat down on a stone bench. Next to her, the bushes rustled as a brisk breeze swept through them. In the distance, an eagle cried out as it swooped down toward the bay to pluck an unlucky salmon from below the surface. She leaned against the barn’s siding and drew her knees up to her chest, gazing out at the deep blue waters of Willa Bay, and allowing her thoughts to wander and her body to relax.

At times, it seemed like her life had changed a lot in the last few months, but at other times, it was as though she was an actor in a slow-motion movie. When she’d signed the contract to buy the resort with her friend, Zoe, and Zoe’s boyfriend, Shawn, it had been with the understanding that they’d get the Inn and the grounds in working order before doing anything else. Later, they’d renovate the old barn into a restaurant for Meg to manage.

Originally, Meg had been fine with that agreement. There wasn’t enough time or money to simultaneously take on all of the necessary projects to turn the resort into an event venue. The restaurant was a lower priority in comparison to everything else on the list. She truly was happy for Zoe to realize her dream of operating the premier wedding venue in the Pacific Northwest, but Meg badly wanted to see her own dreams come to fruition as well. She closed her eyes and inhaled the warm salt air. All in good time.

The last time she’d talked to Zoe and Shawn, they’d discussed moving up the barn remodel to sometime in early October and postponing their plans to fix up the twenty guest cottages perched above the beach. But starting earlier came with a catch—Meg had been charged with clearing out half a century’s worth of storage from the building by the end of September. If she could complete that task in time, they’d proceed with the renovations. If not, they’d need to do the cottages first.

If everything worked according to plan, her restaurant could be open as soon as January. The project timeline was ambitious, but Zoe had already worked wonders in getting the Inn ready for their first wedding tomorrow, and Meg didn’t doubt her friend could pull it off. January still seemed far away, but three months had flown by since they bought the Inn from Celia in April. Meg could wait another five or six months for her restaurant to be completed.

“Oh, there you are,” said a woman’s voice behind her. Meg turned to see Zoe standing about five feet away, shading her eyes so she could see Meg against the glare of the sun.

“I was just planting some flowers in front of the barn.” Meg grinned. “I was planning on checking in with you before I left, honest.”

Zoe’s laughter bore a nervous tinge. “I figured you would. I just had a few details to go over before tomorrow. I saw your flowers though. They look nice.”

Meg glanced at the iPad Zoe held in her hands and raised an eyebrow. “Only a few things?”

Zoe regarded the iPad ruefully. “Okay, okay. Maybe more than a few. Remember, the wedding is at one o’clock tomorrow afternoon. Shawn will manage the parking, and Tia and I will coordinate the ceremony and reception, but I need you to circulate and make sure nothing goes awry.”

“It’s going to be great.” Meg got up from the stone bench and walked over to Zoe. “You and Tia have been slaving over the schedule for weeks. Nothing is going to go