“I love this space.” Clare paused on the pretty patio behind the gift shop. It makes me wish I could do something like it at home.”
“Why don’t you?” Avery said.
“Money comes to mind first.” Clare waited while Avery balanced her trays to open the back door. “But I might just start a patio savings fund.”
As they went in, Madeline, chestnut hair tumbled, earrings swinging, strode down the short steps to the office. “Hi! Avery, this looks great. I’m so excited. My girls are up there—they’ll give you a hand putting everything where I’ve set up.”
“Madeline.” Clare took a deep breath. “It smells wonderful in here.”
“Between the candles and the diffusers—Inn BoonsBoro label there. We’re featuring the Marguerite and Percy pomegranate scent tonight; we can’t miss.”
“Oh, talk about looking great.” Clare paused in the kitchen nook. “It’s so clever. It makes me want to completely re-outfit my kitchen. I love that pitcher, oh, and these bowls! I’m going to be doing a lot of my holiday shopping here.”
She wandered through, passing off the tray, studying the pretty displays of jewelry, the vibrant art, the gleaming pottery. “You’ve done an amazing job.”
“I want this.” Hope stood in front of a painting where cherry blossoms in full bloom spread over a blue sky and reflected dreamily in a rippled pond. “I want this for my apartment. I want to look at spring every day.”
“I love it.” Avery glanced at Clare, got the nod. “It’s perfect, and sold. Clare and I want to give you a housewarming present when you take up residence at the inn.”
“Really? Oh boy. I’ll take it.” She wrapped her arms around their waists. “You’re the best.”
“I can put a red dot on the title card, noting it’s sold—if you’re sure.”
“Absolutely,” Clare told Madeline.
“First sale! That isn’t from me, my girls, Justine or Carolee. Ladies, we’re in business.”
“What else can we do—besides spend money?” Avery asked.
“Honestly, we’re pretty set. Nervous, excited, but set.”
Avery checked her watch. “We’ll come back in twenty, just in case. I’ve got my cell if you need anything sooner. Let’s run across the street so Hope can show off.”
“I’m already seeing a half a dozen things I know we’re going to want at the inn when we start accessorizing.” She was still trying to scan when Avery pulled her out the door. “I’m going to go back tomorrow with a notebook. Did you see that bamboo bowl? That’s perfect for the kitchen island.”
She dug out her keys. “We can go in the front. The doors should be in next week, and I got a look at the reclaimed teak benches Justine bought for the porch.”
She locked up behind them. “Let’s go up. They finished the tile in Nick and Nora. You’ve got to see it. I do a walk-through every night after the tile crew leaves. I know Beckett does one, but I feel like I should—plus I get to see everything that was done that day.”
“Have you . . .” Clare glanced toward Elizabeth and Darcy.
“I’ll catch her scent now and then, or hear a little something. But I think she’s a bit shy around me yet. Just look at this. Isn’t it spectacular?”
The back wall shimmered with sea blue glass tiles, floor to ceiling, a stunning contrast for the chocolate brown floor. Large tiles of brown-on-brown tuxedo stripes added a touch of sophistication to the other walls.
“I never would have thought to put these colors together,” Clare realized. “They’re wonderful—elegant, modern, a little glitzy, I guess.”
“Exactly so, and it’ll play off the chocolate brown ceiling and soft blue walls in the bedroom. And the lights? Terrific. Crystal chandelier over the tub, crystal sconces flanking the mirror.”
Hope laid a hand on her heart. “I swear, I fall a little more in love with this place every day.”
“I’m in love with Beckett.” As her friends turned, Clare let out a half laugh. “Wow, that sort of blurted, didn’t it?”
“In love, love?” Avery asked. “Like the big L?”
“That’s the one.” As Hope had, she laid a hand on her heart. “I didn’t think—or believe—I’ d be in love again. Not all the way through. I guess I didn’t believe I could go all the way through twice. It’s not the same as it was with Clint. I don’t think it can be or should be. But it’s just as much, as deep, as real. I can’t believe how lucky I am.”
“You and Beckett.” Avery blinked damp blue eyes. “In