been mistaken.
Theo spoke, but she couldn’t concentrate enough to process what he was saying. After the terrifying evening she’d had, she’d wanted it to be Taylor in the hallway – wanted the comfort of his presence. At the same time, she was glad it hadn’t been. The restaurant fire had happened on her watch, and she wasn’t sure if he’d blame her for it.
“Meg? Did you hear what I said?” Theo asked.
She glanced at the empty doorway again, then smiled apologetically. “No, sorry. I was a little lost in thought.”
“I was saying that you could join me for a month or so, then come back here and work on your project.” He flashed her the smile that usually made her heart drop.
This time though, it gave her pause. He wasn’t taking her aspirations to fix up the barn seriously. Was he right? Was she crazy to think that she could rebuild that old, decrepit barn?
“So, what do you think?” he asked. “Do you want to come sail the islands with me?”
“I think I need to rest now.” She nestled further into the pillows until she was in a fully reclined position. “This has been a really long day.”
He nodded and kissed her forehead. “I understand. Let me know as soon as you can, though, about the trip. I’m planning on leaving in a few days.”
“I will,” she promised.
He walked jauntily out of the room with his hands in pockets, a man without a care in the world. She watched him until he disappeared into a group of nurses, then closed her eyes. Theo’s proposition was enticing—a chance to escape everything and just enjoy being free to explore the waterways of the Salish Sea.
Doubts clouded Meg’s mind, jumbling her thoughts. She was willing to bet that a huge portion of the population would accept Theo’s offer in a heartbeat. Sailing amidst the breathtaking beauty of the San Juan Islands was an opportunity of a lifetime. But what if she and Theo couldn’t get along in the confines of a small sailboat?
On the other hand, if she stayed in Willa Bay, was her goal to renovate the barn and build an award-winning restaurant nothing more than a pipe dream? Weariness overcame her and she drifted into a deep sleep that lasted until morning, only awakening for a few minutes at a time when the nurses came in to check her vitals.
“We should put some of these up on the walls.” Meg flipped through another stack of old photos, pausing to examine the backs of those that featured images of young women, before setting them in a pile on the table in the Inn’s kitchen. After her hospital stay a few days ago, she was still taking it easy, so Celia had asked Shawn to bring down the boxes from the attic that contained memorabilia from the Inn’s first century. Now, Meg and Celia combed through the boxes for any mention of Davina Carlsen, the woman who’d written the journal Meg had found. “At the very least, we should make digital copies of everything to preserve them.”
Celia nodded and reached for the cup of coffee she’d set on the table as far away from the photos as possible. “I think that’s a good idea.”
“Which one?” Meg grinned at her. “Preserving them or putting them on the walls?”
“Both.” Celia laughed, and Meg could tell she enjoyed being part of the mission to figure out the Davina Carlsen mystery. Besides, she looked like she could use some downtime. Although Celia had been eager to open the Inn and act as its official hostess for overnight guests, it was probably physically taxing for her after being out of the business for so long.
“How is everything going with the guests?” Meg asked. “I’d be happy to help check them in.”
“I think I can handle greeting them when they arrive and setting out pastries and coffee in the morning,” Celia said dryly. “I may not be a spring chicken, but I’m not in the grave yet.”
Meg’s eyes widened. She hadn’t meant to offend the elderly woman. “Oh, I just meant I didn’t have that much to do, so if you needed anything…”
Celia’s lips cracked into a smile. “I know you didn’t mean anything, honey, and I appreciate your concern.” She looked around the kitchen and out into the hallway. “Honestly, it feels good to be needed around here again. There were so many years where it was just me and Pebbles bumbling around by ourselves.” She smiled at