“Let’s just see how it goes, okay? I have the money to invest in a sure thing and I have faith in you.”
Tears welled up in Jess’s eyes. “I love you, sis.”
“Love you more. Now let’s get some sleep, so we can get started on all this first thing in the morning. What time should I meet you at the inn?”
“Nine?” Jess suggested. She owed her sister one lazy morning at least.
“Make it eight.”
Despite her emotions being all over the place, Jess grinned. “Not bad. You must be relaxing. I was figuring you’d say seven.”
“Watch it, kid. I could change my mind.”
Jess was on her feet at once. “See you at eight,” she said hurriedly, then started down the steps. At the bottom, she turned back. “I’m glad you’re home, Abby, but I’m sorry I dumped all this on you.”
“That’s what family’s for,” Abby said. “Don’t ever forget that.”
Despite her sister’s words, Jess wondered if she’d ever truly believe that, at least where her disapproving father was concerned. Once Mick heard about this, there’d be plenty of I-told-you-so’s to go around.
And once Abby realized that she was going to be dealing with Trace Riley and that Jess had kept that fact from her, Jess was very much afraid she might walk away and leave Jess to fend for herself.
Abby walked into the kitchen shortly after dawn, awakened by the sound of the robins, bluebirds and wrens outside her open bedroom windows. She’d forgotten how noisy nature could be, especially in the spring. As early as it was, she wasn’t surprised to find her grandmother there ahead of her.
“You’re up early,” Gram said, her tone chiding. “I thought you’d sleep in for a bit on your first morning home.”
“I have a lot to do today,” Abby said, pouring herself a cup of the strong tea Gram had brewed. She laced it with milk, then sighed with pleasure after the first sip. “It never tastes like this when I make it.”
“That’s because you use tea bags and brew it in the microwave, I’ll bet.”
Abby grinned. “Could be.”
“A good pot of tea takes time to steep. If you put a little time and love into it, it shows.”
“I have enough trouble finding time to love my girls without worrying about how my tea feels,” Abby replied.
“Which means you’re working too hard. You never have learned how to relax. Why don’t you grab a book and take it outside to the hammock this morning. I’ll keep an eye on the girls. I’ll take them into town and show them off.”
“If you wouldn’t mind watching the girls, I’ll take you up on that,” Abby told her. “But the hammock will have to wait. I promised Jess I’d meet her at the inn in an hour.”
Gram’s expression immediately sobered. She sat down across from Abby and stirred her tea, then lifted her gaze to Abby’s. “She’s in trouble with that, isn’t she?”
Abby didn’t want to betray her sister’s confidence, but she’d always been a lousy liar. She settled for asking, “What makes you think that?”
“For one thing, this is Chesapeake Shores, where gossip is everybody’s favorite hobby. For another, Violet Harding’s sister works at the bank. She told Violet that she’d seen something about foreclosure on a file with Jess’s name on it. Of course that old gossip couldn’t wait to spread the word. The Hardings are still furious that Mick bought up all their family’s land to develop this town. Never mind that it was their good-for-nothing father who sold it to him because he needed cash, somehow it’s Mick’s fault that they don’t own all that acreage anymore.” She waved off the topic. “None of that matters. Is Jess going to lose the inn the way Violet said?”
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Abby told her firmly. “And please don’t tell her you know. She’s so afraid of letting all of us down.”
Gram shook her head. “Does she honestly believe we care more about that inn and whether she succeeds or fails than we do about her?”
Abby nodded. “I think she does. She wants desperately to prove herself, especially to Dad.”
“Now that I understand,” Gram said, her mouth set in a grim line. “Why those two can’t communicate without starting a fight is beyond me.”
“It’s because they’re exactly alike,” Abby said. “They both have more pride than sense and a mile-wide stubborn streak. And neither one of them can stand to be wrong about anything. Even though I wasn’t around when Jess bought the inn, I’m sure Dad was the first to suggest she was making a mistake and will be the first to say I told you so if she fails.”
“That’s it in a nutshell,” Gram agreed. “I don’t remember him being that ornery with the rest of you.”
“Trust me, he was,” Abby said. “But with the rest of us, we could let it roll off our backs. We knew we had you and Mom in our corners, no matter what. With Mom gone, Jess has always taken everything Dad said to heart, even offhand comments he’s forgotten about as soon as he’s made them.”
“You’re right. I’ve talked to him about that myself, but he doesn’t see the problem. Your father’s always believed that blunt honesty is a virtue, even when it hurts. He thinks mollycoddling is a waste of time. He believes you children should know without a doubt that he loves you, no matter how harsh his criticism might be.”
“That worked fine with the rest of us, but not with Jess. She’s had too many obstacles to overcome.”
Gram regarded her worriedly. “Are you going to be able to help her to straighten this out?”
“I’m going to try,” Abby said. “Don’t worry, Gram. I know how important this is. The bank won’t take that inn away from her without a fight from me.”
Gram’s expression turned thoughtful. “Maybe it would be better if she had to save it for herself, instead of letting you rush to the rescue.”
“It probably would be,” Abby admitted. “But based on what she told me last night, I don’t think that’s going to be an option. She’s waited too long, and now there’s not enough time for her to pull everything together.”
“Does she want to borrow money?”
Abby shook her head. “She’s adamantly opposed to that. All she’s asked for is my business expertise.”
“Is that going to be enough?” Gram asked.
“I won’t know until I see her books,” Abby said honestly.
“Well, Jess made the right decision when she called you,” Gram said. “She’s been counting on you since she was a little bitty thing, and you’ve never once let her down.”
“Pile on the pressure, why don’t you?” Abby replied as she stood up.
