A Haven on the Bay - Nicole Ellis Page 0,18

this angle, all of the odds and ends that had been crammed in behind the larger items were visible. There was no way he’d be able to see her vision for the barn in this mess. Even Zoe and Shawn, who both had a strong passion for restoring the Inn to its former glory, were skeptical of her dream.

He reached the top, situated himself near the edge, and let his legs swing loosely in midair. Just thinking about doing that made her queasy. She sat down next to him, a safe distance away from the ledge.

He grinned at her. “Are you afraid of heights?”

“No.” She peered at the cold, hard ground twenty-odd feet below her and laughed. “I’m afraid of falling.” She eyed him with curiosity. “You aren’t though, are you?”

“Nope.” He scooted back about a foot until he was even with her, then crossed his legs. “My dad is really into rock climbing, and he started teaching my sisters and me when we were barely able to walk. One of my earliest memories is him holding me against a short climbing wall to practice finding handholds. My arms were too short to do much, but I loved the idea of climbing high above the ground.”

“Wow.” She shook her head. “I don’t think you ever told me before that you were into rock climbing. I’ve never been.” Her eyes darted back to the barn’s floor and she shivered. “Although, I’m not so sure I ever want to.”

“Oh, I bet you’d love it,” Taylor said. “When you’re up there on top of a huge rock and can see for miles around, it’s all worth it.” He opened the box of pastries from the Sea Star Bakery and selected one.

Meg unscrewed the lid of the metal Thermos and poured its contents into the two mugs, pushing one across the floor to him. He still hadn’t said anything about what he thought of the barn. She wanted to ask, but was almost afraid to hear his response. She grabbed a cinnamon twist from the box he’d brought and bit into it, showering her lap with crystals of spiced sugar. She eyed her pants with dismay. Although she’d worn her oldest pair of denim jeans to work in the barn, she hadn’t expected for them to get dirty quite so soon.

Taylor laughed. “I think you’re wearing more of that donut than you’ve eaten.”

Her cheeks burned and she brushed the sugar off onto the dusty wooden planks of the loft. What was a little more debris added to what had already accumulated over fifty years of neglect?

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you.” He popped the rest of his bearclaw into his mouth and wiped his hands on his jeans. “You’re usually so buttoned up.”

She pulled her head back. “Buttoned up?”

“Yeah, you know, like in control of the situation.” He shook his head. “You’re always so cool and collected in the kitchen, no matter what happens. And you seem so sure of what you want out of life.”

She stared at him. He thought she had things together? Although she was in her element in the kitchen, she still sometimes felt like she was running around like a chicken with her head cut off. “I wouldn’t say I have my life together,” she murmured under her breath.

He cocked his head to the side. “What did you say? I didn’t catch that.”

She flashed him a smile, then took a swig of coffee before standing. “Nothing. Just something silly.” She gestured to all of the garbage in the barn. “So, what do you think?”

Her stomach twisted as he stood slowly and put his hands on his hips, looking around again. His expression gave no indication of what he was thinking, and he took his time before speaking.

“I like it.” He smiled widely at her. “I can see a lot of potential here.”

She let out her breath in an audible whoosh.

He looked at her with concern. “Are you okay? Is the hay bothering you? We should probably open all of the doors and windows while we’re working because we’re going to disturb a lot of dust.”

She grinned like a fool, her heart filling with happiness. Taylor was an accomplished chef and restaurant manager. If he thought the barn had potential, her crazy dream might not be so impossible after all. “Actually, I’m great. Can I tell you what I’m thinking for organizing the space? Once we get everything cleared out of here, of course.”

“I’d love to hear about