Her Unexpected Detour (18 page)

Once he’d gotten his supplies loaded into the Gator, Brent headed for the Checkerberry’s big red barn. The thought of seeing Kayla, to be near her again, feel her gentle touch on his aching body, had him unloading his supplies and back up to the inn in no time. He felt a bit guilty for being the dirty mess he was—hell, there was more dried mud visible on him than skin—but this was an inn. There had to be at least a dozen available showers.

He only needed one, and he knew exactly which room it was in.

Unfortunately, Ruby sprang on him the second he stepped through the back door. “Whoa, there, mister,” she said, moving to block his path. “And just where do you think you’re going?”

Brent’s gaze flashed to the stairs. “Uh, up to take a shower?”

“Oh, no you don’t. You’re not tracking all that mud and ick in here, no sirree Bob! You have a perfectly fine shower at your own place. Now, out you go.”

She shooed him out with a wave of her hand. Brent had no choice but to step back before she plowed him over.

“But, Ruby—”

“No buts, young man. I appreciate all your hard work, but you know better than to come in here like that—even if there is love in the air.”

Brent shook his head and stared down at his grandmother. In her seventies or not, the woman was no pushover. Though the scowl on her face looked much less intimidating with that sparkle in her eyes.

“If I go home and clean up, will I be allowed reentry?”

“Brent, dear, you look exhausted. Why don’t you get yourself a good night’s sleep and start fresh tomorrow, okay? I’ll make a big breakfast, and we can eat as a family. It’s been ages since we all sat down for breakfast together. And of course Kayla can join us, too.”

Panic shot through his heart. He hadn’t gotten a full answer out of Kayla. What if her car was ready before he came back? Would she wait to tell him good-bye? Or maybe that she’d decided to stay?

He stared down at Ruby, contemplating charging past her and rushing up to Kayla’s room. But as his grandmother put both hands on her hips, he knew better than to push his luck. Besides, she could be the sentry he needed.

“Promise you won’t let her leave before I get back?”

“You have my word.” She took both his hands in hers, their soft, wrinkled skin so different from Kayla’s, and gave his a squeeze. “I’m so proud of you, sweetheart.”

“For what?”

“For not giving up on love.”

“Well, don’t be too proud just yet.” His gaze shifted to the lobby and the stairway beyond. “I’m still waiting to see if love has given up on me.”

Chapter Twenty-One

K
ayla woke the next morning amidst a clutter of notepads, pencils, and electronic devices. She lifted her head and pried a pen off her cheek as she checked the time. Eight thirty?
Crap
. If she didn’t hurry, she’d miss breakfast at nine. Ruby had made a big deal about it when she came up to check on her last night, so it’d be terribly rude to skip out on it. Besides, this was one breakfast she couldn’t stand to miss. Not with the surprise she had planned for everyone.

Thanking her lucky stars that she’d thought to shower the night before, Kayla ran to the bathroom to freshen up. What time had she finally dozed off? One? Two? She thought of Brent as she brushed her teeth and hoped he hadn’t had to work too late to get those sections of fence mended. After his fall into the ice and all that shivering, she’d been surprised at how much energy he’d had after lunch.

Hopefully, he’ll have that much energy at lunchtime again today
. A sly smirk stretched across her reflection’s lips. Sure, he was behind schedule, but she was here to help, right? And the guy had to take a break and eat sometime. Why not offer him a side of stress relief ala Kayla?

Knowing Brent, he’d bounce back from the physical demands of yesterday. His job revolved around manual labor, didn’t it? Too bad she wasn’t used to it. Her body ached from head to toe after bending and squatting in those flower beds all week. But hey, no pain, no gain. And a lot stood to be gained from her stay here.

Stay
.

Kayla swallowed hard. She’d promised Brent that she would think about his proposal, about leaving Indiana behind. But the decision wasn’t a split-second one, and she had yet to convince the logical part of her brain that it was a good idea. Sure, her heart was all for it. As were her girlie parts—oh, Lord, were her girlie parts all for staying—but the going currency in this country wasn’t love, it was cash, and his idea of starting her own company was sadly lacking in that area.

If only she could find a way to get him, her father, and her job all in one place, then life might finally be perfect. Well, as perfect as it could be without her mom. That kind of perfect just wasn’t meant to be.

She pushed those thoughts aside and yanked her hair into a messy bun. A decision didn’t have to be made right this minute—she still had time to think. Besides, until she received final word from her boss, nothing was definitive. Sure, the emails she returned to last night had all been positive, and the proposal drafted so far was shaping up to be top-notch. It just needed her careful touch and a bit more guidance for the designers. But would it be enough to please Phillip Jacober?

Kayla brushed on what little makeup she had, then grabbed her laptop and headed for the door. It wasn’t until she had a hand on the doorknob that she remembered she was still in the oversized T-shirt and cotton shorts she’d borrowed from Tommy’s girlfriend. Kayla quickly swapped her PJs for a pair of jeans and a clean, purple tee—right side out—then snatched up her laptop and zipped down the stairs. She hit the landing before realizing she’d forgotten her shoes and socks, too. With an eye roll at her scatterbrained start to the day, she hurried toward the dining room. Shoes could wait, this couldn’t.

Brent and Miles sat across from each other at the usual Masterson table, scowling and involved in a low, heated discussion. Neither looked up as she approached, but their conversation ceased when she reached the table.

“Morning, guys.”

Miles offered her a warm, practiced smile. “Morning, Indiana. Sleep well?”

“What sleep I got, yes.”

She set her laptop down on a nearby table and came around to place a hand on Brent’s shoulder. His hand came up to cover hers.

“Morning.” He offered her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Before she could ask what was going on, Ruby burst through the door with a steaming casserole dish in hand.

“Good morning, dear. You’re just in time.”

“Can I help you with anything, Ruby?”

“No. Sit, sit. What would you like to drink?”

“Coffee would be great. And maybe a small glass of orange juice?”

“Of course.” Ruby set down the dish and looked from grandson to grandson. A look of annoyance skittered across her features. “Brent, would you be so kind as to get those for Kayla? I need to rest.”

He threw a warning look at Miles, who gave him a flat look in return. “Sure, Ruby.”

“There’ll be no fighting at my breakfast table,” she said once he was out of earshot.

“Then I may as well leave,” muttered Miles.

“You will stay right there, young man.”

Kayla looked between them. “What’s going on?”

“The boys are just bickering this morning is all, dear. Hungry?”

Worry knotted Kayla’s stomach. She’d hoped to bring excitement and inspiration to the table this morning, but at this rate, would anyone even be receptive to her ideas? “Um, yes. A little.”

Brent returned with her drinks, and the familiar scent of his aftershave soothed her nerves as he took the seat beside her. She longed to touch him, to smooth the frown from his face, but it didn’t seem right, here at the table. After breakfast, she’d get him alone and ask. Though, who knew? Maybe her little impromptu presentation would cheer him up before then.

Ruby served them each a heaping plate full of what she called “Hash Brown Surprise” then took her seat across from Kayla.

“It smells wonderful, Ruby. Thank you.”

“So.” Miles pointed his fork in the direction of her laptop. “You gonna share a funny YouTube video with us this morning or something?”

She laughed. “Nope, something even better. Only, no laughing allowed.”

Brent met her gaze, his curiosity finally peaked. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yep. But everyone needs to clear their plates first. I need fully fueled minds for what I’m about to show you.”

A smile stretched across his kissable lips, and her heart did a ridiculous little flip-flop. How had she gotten so lucky to have crossed paths with a man like him?

“Well, if you two would stop making googly eyes at each other, we’d all finish a little faster,” Miles teased.

“Hush, Miles,” said Ruby, a grin on her face as well.

Ah, much better. This was the kind of mood Kayla wanted everyone to be in when she unveiled the fruits of last night’s labor: a proposed advertising master plan for the Checkerberry Inn. Conversation remained light, and plates were soon emptied. Miles set down his fork with a groan, thanked Ruby for yet another fabulous meal, and then turned his eyes toward Kayla.

“All right, the suspense is killing me. Show us what you got.”

“Well, after all the fresh air and exercise I’ve gotten here this week,” she started with a smile. Miles half coughed, half laughed into his hand, Brent’s face turned beet red, and Ruby just smiled, oblivious to the reference. “I got to thinking—the inn’s occupancy rates have been slipping the past few years, right? But I couldn’t understand why. Everything about this place is amazing. So what caused it? The recession, an increase in competition, facilities becoming outdated?

“Well, last night I did a little research. Yes, the recession impacted this area, but the Michigan hotel industry actually saw an increase in customers over the past three years, not a decrease.”

Miles shifted in his seat. “Uh, Kayla, that’s great and all, but—”

“Shh, Miles,” said Ruby. “Let her finish.”

Kayla winked at Ruby and reached around to retrieve her laptop. “So I dug a little deeper, and pulled up the websites of every bed-and-breakfast-type business I could find in central and lower Michigan. Then I did a comparison of their locations to here, amenities they offered, nearby attractions, etcetera, with what the Checkerberry has to offer. And you know what I found?”

“What?” Ruby asked.

“That you actually have one of the best locations in the region when it comes to nearby attractions: golfing, the casino, museums, antique shops. Now, you’re rather landlocked, but there are other niches out there besides lakefront accommodations. And your beautiful building is leaps and bounds nicer looking and better equipped than many of your competitors, too. Where you’re lacking is your website.”

“Our website?” Ruby blinked. “But Miles set that up several years ago.”

“Yes, but just having a website isn’t enough. You’ve got to keep it up-to-date, list events, post pictures, capitalize on SEO.”

Ruby blinked and blinked again. “SEO?”

“Search engine optimization. Look, travelers want the world at their fingertips. They don’t want to have to spend time digging around for places to stay or things to do—they’re too busy for that. So they go online and do a search for “places to stay in central Michigan.” Right now, you guys come up on page five. No one is going to stick around through five pages of search results, not when the casino and brand-name hotels show up on page one.”

Kayla clicked to demonstrate. This morning, the inn had slipped to the bottom of page five.

“Can we fix that?”

“Yep. Give me your password, and I’ll have you bumped up in no time. I can update the site while I’m in there, too, if you don’t need me outside today.”

Miles looked across at Brent. “I told you she was good.”

“Good enough that Ruby can turn down the offer?”

“Offer?” Kayla frowned. “What offer?”

“Home Depot made an offer on our land, dear,” said Ruby.

Miles nodded. “A very generous offer.”

“But you heard Kayla—if we update the website, we might be able to bring more guests back to the inn. Right?” Brent met her gaze, hope in his eyes.

She swallowed hard. It was one thing to come up with a master plan or a proposal. But that was where her expertise ended. Come up with a plan, hand it off to the client, and move on. Not all plans came to fruition, which never concerned her before. But this was Brent and his family’s livelihood—could she really sit here and promise them that her plan would work?

“Well, yes, theoretically.”

“Theoretically?” Miles’s brows rose. “Theoretically doesn’t pay the bills, Kayla.”

“True. But the website improvements aren’t the only suggestion I have.”

Miles crossed his arms. Brent shot him a dirty look, then reached out to touch Kayla’s arm. “Go on.”

“Well, for one, you could consider opening the dining room up to non-guests. Turn it into a mini restaurant. Your food and beverage costs would go up, but with the right pricing points and enough diners, you could easily turn that into a profit.”

Brent nodded. “Maddie is one hell of a cook.”

“But she’s one person. We bring in too many people and then we’ll just have to hire in more staff to help,” said Miles.

“Or you guys could help on busy nights, until you see how steady the crowd gets.” Kayla received two male scowls for that idea. “What? This place would have the hottest waiters in town.”

Miles grinned. Brent’s scowl deepened. “What else?”

“The off-season. You’re sitting on a virtual gold mine all winter long. Why not rent out the facilities for special events? Weddings, business parties—you name it. Maybe even continue to rent out rooms. Just because there’s snow on the ground doesn’t mean you have to close up shop. People need to get away no matter the season.”

“No.” It was Miles who spoke. “Ruby needs a break. We can’t expect her to run the place year-round at her age. Open season is hard enough on her as it is.”

Ruby offered him a weak smile. “Now, Miles. We need to consider all our options if we are going to keep the inn open.”

“At what cost?” He pushed back from the table and rose to his feet. “These ideas are well and good, but they also mean more work for all of us. What happens if you get sick, or Brent gets hurt? We don’t have the finances to hire people to fill in.”

“But if we bring more guests in, we would,” said Ruby.

Miles ran a hand through his hair. “This place is like a never-ending hamster wheel. We just keep going round and round and will never be able to get off to go another direction.”

“It doesn’t sound like you’re talking about Ruby anymore,” growled Brent.

“Because maybe it’s not only Ruby who needs to think this through. What if I’m not here, huh? Then who’s gonna be around to watch over Ruby while you’re out playing with fence posts? Kayla?”

All eyes at the table shifted to her. Kayla remained mute, her gaze sweeping one at a time to each of theirs. They had become like a second family to her this past week, but could she really leave everything behind to assume such a role?

Was that even what she wanted?