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  “Hello,” she said upon entering and moved to stand closer to Michelle, since she knew this sister better than the others at this moment. “Quinn said you wanted to talk to me.”

  “Oh yes,” Michelle said, standing and grabbing Nikki by the arm. “You all remember Nikki, right? Her father’s the fire chief.”

  Dixi took that as her cue to jump down and join her own siblings as they played in the middle of the floor. For some reason they loved the old Aubusson rug in this room and routinely spent hours here just entertaining themselves.

  “Hi, Nikki.” Raine was first to speak. “You’ve done a great job here. I love the feel of the B and B as soon as you hit the front porch. And I hear the place is quite popular.”

  Nikki smiled, her cheeks heating only minutely. “It was your grandmother’s vision, I just came by to learn from her and ended up staying.”

  “She’s done a great job. Her personality is what helps keep word of mouth traveling. Nikki wrote the verbiage for our brochure and she does all the advertising. Everyone in town knows her and her family, so that’s another hometown connection to The Silver Spoon as well,” Michelle told them.

  “But it’s Michelle’s cooking that really keeps them talking,” Nikki added. “We’ve had some pretty important people stay here just to get a taste of her food.”

  “But they could just come into the restaurant without staying, right?” Savannah asked.

  “Yes,” Nikki replied. “But I try to develop attractive packages that will keep them here. For example, earlier this year we had Drake Sheridan and his crew come out and convert the sunroom to a small gift shop. Now we have everything here that a tourist could want.”

  “Except a pool,” Preston was quick to point out. “And a gym. I like to keep up with my workout regimen while I’m on vacation.”

  “But that’s not what The Silver Spoon is about,” Michelle told him. “We’re about creating that home-away-from-home feel. Not the impersonal touch of a hotel.”

  Parker nodded. “I can see the appeal.” Then, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, he continued onto a totally unrelated subject. “I heard your sister got married a few years ago.”

  He wore jeans that looked old and worn, but great nonetheless because they were on him. His good looks were so stark and in-your-face they’d always intimidated Nikki. Not like Quinn’s, which just kind of snuck up on you and settled right in the center of your chest. She coughed at the thought.

  “Yes, she did. Barry’s doing his second tour in Iraq. He and Cordy have three kids now, one boy and two wicked pretty little girls,” she told him.

  “Is that so? Wow, I can’t imagine Cordy with kids. Can you, Preston?”

  The brothers shared a secretive smile. Nikki just shook her head. She did not want to know what that meant. Cordy had been in love with Parker Cantrell most of her teenage years, until he’d graduated and left to join the police academy in Baltimore. That next summer Barry and a busload of soldiers had come to Sweetland on one of those crab-feast-slash-shopping day trips that were very popular in Bay towns and swept Parker right out of Cordy’s mind.

  “So does this place make a lot of money?” Savannah asked, to Michelle’s instant chagrin.

  Nikki wasn’t bothered by Savannah’s candor; she’d already figured her onetime good friend hadn’t changed much. It was almost funny to realize how right she’d been.

  “About a year before Mrs. Cantrell opened this place some developers came down and spent a week in town measuring and checking out everything. Mayor Yardley took them all around, giving them the history and showing them our best sights. At the end of the week they made an offer to wipe the entire town out and build a resort and golf course instead, said it would be a huge vacation destination. The town council vetoed that idea, and the next year Yardley was voted out of office.

  “Now Liza Fitzgerald is mayor, and one of the first things she did was begin the revitalization of Sweetland. She even named new members to head up the chamber of commerce. Mrs. Cantrell supported that revitalization wholeheartedly and decided to convert the house into a B and B and specialty restaurant to make Sweetland more appealing to tourists. The construction on the extension to the house for the restaurant took about three months. She called it The Silver Spoon because she said when she was young kids always teased her about being born with a silver spoon in her mouth, when really her family had to scrimp and struggle just like the rest of the citizens in Sweetland. Right after that other shops began to open on Main Street. A few newcomers hit town with their ideas, and since then we’ve seen both an eighty percent growth in full-time citizens and a booming tourist season that kicks off at Memorial Day and holds steady right up to the Labor Day weekend.”

  Nikki paused for a moment, hoping one of them would say something or at least ask her another question. But they all remained quiet, staring at her expectantly.

  “Like most of the other businesses in town, the summer’s our peak time,” she continued, acting as if she were pitching the B&B to a bunch of tourists. Which was kind of what the Cantrells felt like after all this time.

  “As a matter of fact, we’re completely booked starting this coming weekend and through the second week in June. Each month of the summer we have at least three reservations already. And the restaurant does well steadily because the citizens as well as visitors have come to love Michelle’s cooking.”

  She stopped talking then and was determined not to say another word. For one thing, she was sort of out of breath from that recitation, and for another … well, the first reason was good enough.

  “Sounds like you have a handle on things around here,” Quinn replied.

  Nikki turned to his voice because she hadn’t realized he’d reentered the room. He was so tall, his appearance so dominating that she had to take a quick breath. It felt like he’d sucked all the oxygen out of the room with his arrival.

  “I know this place like the back of my hand. And I know what Mrs. Cantrell wanted for its future. I can write up a report so all of you will have an idea as well,” she offered.

  “I told you she’s the best person for the job,” Michelle added. “If we want to keep this place going without any hiccups because of Gramma’s passing, making Nikki manager is our best option.”

  Nikki’s head snapped around to face Michelle. “What? Me, manager?”

  So many thoughts had filtered through her mind since Mrs. Cantrell’s death, but this was not one of them. Of course, Cordy had asked her what she thought would happen to the B&B, but Nikki had kept that to herself. She hadn’t voiced to anybody that she didn’t think the B&B would continue to be run by Cantrells. And now, as she looked at Michelle, she got the sinking feeling that none of the siblings here considered that to be a possibility, either.

  “You have a degree in hospitality management?” Preston asked.

  “Ah, yes,” she answered, still a little stunned that this conversation was actually taking place. “Hospitality and hotel management. I minored in accounting.”

  “Smart girl,” Parker added. “I vote yes.” His smile was slow forming—a practiced move she’d bet her biweekly paycheck on. Once it was complete it was dazzling, his dark eyes so expressive, so charming. He was still a heartbreaker, she thought, almost shaking her head. A damned good heartbreaker, she suspected.

  “Are you married?”

  Nikki turned quickly again. She was going to have one sore neck by the time she went home tonight. “What?”

  Quinn moved from where he’d been standing in the doorway and stopped when he was only a couple of feet away from her. “Married? Kids? Other responsibilities that might hinder you from performing your job duties here one hundred percent,” he continued.

  He was serious, his brow furrowing just a bit, his jaw set in that intense line that almost looked painful. The puppies still played and barked as if none of the humans were standing there. Nikki let their sounds calm her racing heart. Quinn Cantrell was giving her that intense
look that sent trickles down the base of her spine, and he’d just asked her if she had a man, a family. She felt like a colossal idiot for the answer she had no choice but to give.

  “No,” she stated quietly. Then she cleared her throat and spoke with more conviction. “I’m not married and I don’t have any children. I live in the apartment over my parents’ garage. I go to church on Sundays and I shop at Godfrey’s Market just like everyone else in town.”

  “And you plan to live here for how long? Forever?” he asked with that clear look of his.

  Maybe she didn’t like Quinn Cantrell as much as she used to.

  “I was born in Sweetland and don’t see any reason why I should leave. It’s my town, my home. Can you understand that, Quinn?” She asked him that but really had no idea why. In fact, once the question was out she wished she could yank the words back. But that was futile. If there was one thing Nikki knew with startling clarity, it was that the past just could not be undone.

  “So you could move into the caretaker’s suite as soon as possible?” he continued.

  Nikki lifted her chin just a bit because it was clear to her that Quinn Cantrell was used to calling all the shots. She’d bet he walked around that big fancy hospital with his shiny tie-up shoes—pre-Dixi-urination—and crisp pressed pants and dress shirt. His tie would be perfectly straight just like his posture. He’d give his staff that look with the furrowed eyebrows and deep dark eyes and order them around just as he was attempting to do with her. Well, this wasn’t Seattle, and until she accepted the position, Quinn Cantrell was not her boss.

  “I don’t know that it’s necessary for the manager to live on premises. Mrs. Cantrell did because she grew up in this house. It was her home. I already have a place that I grew up in. And when I decide to move I’d like to select my own residence.”

  “And that’s just fine,” Michelle intervened. “I live down the street and we could always hire an evening assistant manager to take care of anything that could happen in the off hours.”

  “That sounds like a good idea,” Raine added. “That way Nikki could still have a personal life. She’s too young to be tied to this place twenty-four seven.”

  Quinn didn’t waver at his sister’s words. “It’s a twenty-four seven job.”

  “How would you know?” Savannah asked him. She’d been quiet for most of this exchange so Nikki was a little stunned to hear her speak. But when she did it was with that same Savannah-esque attitude, complete with the pouting lips. “You’ve never run a B and B. I’m sure this isn’t the machine your clinic is. And besides, she’s been here since the beginning. She’s the best person for the job whether she lives here or in a box by the river. Not that I would suggest that, mind you,” Savannah finished with a weary look at Nikki.

  Nikki remembered that look and smiled, shaking her head. “That’s not an option I was considering.”

  “Good. That’s settled, Nikki gets my vote,” Savannah announced with a smile then stood frowning down at the puppy who instantly ran toward her with an obvious don’t-forget-me look on his precious face. “I’m sick of sitting in this house. I’m going out for some air.”

  Savannah was more than a little chagrined to find she wasn’t doing that alone. Micah, her brown pup, was right behind her. “Be quiet if you insist on tagging along,” she scolded impatiently as she walked out of the parlor through the living room.

  A few seconds later they heard the door slam.

  “She’s going to drive that dog crazy,” Raine said as she stood and shook her head. “Nikki has my vote as well.”

  “Mine, too,” Parker chimed in. “Now I’m going for a swim.”

  “I’ll join you,” Raine said. “You coming, Preston?”

  Preston, who had been watching Nikki with amused interest, shrugged. “I think you’re the best person for the job, Nikki. We really appreciate your devotion and look forward to working with you,” he told her as he stood and came to shake her hand.

  Professional, debonair, intimidating: Those were the words she’d use to describe Preston Cantrell. He and Parker weren’t identical but you could definitely see they were twins, so saying he was handsome would be more than repetitive on her part.

  “Thank you, Preston. And thank all of you for your faith in me. I’ll try to do everything Mrs. Cantrell would have wanted,” she told them. Even though she still wasn’t sure why she was taking the job, all things considered. No, she was sure, it was because Quinn didn’t think she could do it, or he did but had reservations. Either way, she was determined to prove him wrong.

  Preston shook his head. “We’ll be happy if you just do the job the way you see fit. I’m sure my grandmother respected your vision and your skills or she wouldn’t have had you here.”

  She could only nod. Was she really going to manage The Silver Spoon B&B all by herself? Talk about coming a long way, she thought with an inner pride that left a lump in her throat.

  Michelle came over to hug her. “You’ll do just fine. Now I’ve gotta go work on this week’s menus. I’ll be in my office if you need me.”

  Nikki held on to her when Michelle would have pulled away. “You didn’t tell them?” She whispered the question in her ear.

  “Later,” Michelle replied. “We’ll talk about it later.”

  Nikki wasn’t in agreement with putting off the inevitable, especially not when “later” could very well mean after all the siblings had returned to their homes. As the primary bookkeeper in the last years, she knew how much was owed and had been told by Mrs. Cantrell that she’d taken care of it. Nikki partially blamed herself for not knowing that something was wrong sooner, but she’d trusted Mrs. Cantrell. This place meant the world to her; she would never intentionally do anything to lose it. At least Nikki didn’t think she would.

  Clearing her throat after Michelle had pulled away, Nikki tried to sound as if nothing were wrong. “Both our guests have checked out. We’re clear until Friday. But my mom wanted me to remind you that the women’s auxiliary is having a class down at the municipal building on Tuesday morning. Afterward they’re all heading down here, so that’s about fifty for lunch or early dinner.”

  It was Michelle’s turn to nod. “I’ll give her a call to see if she wants something special served. Talk to you later,” she said with a wave. Then she stopped and gave her older brother a look. “Behave,” Nikki heard her whisper.

  When they were alone, she and Quinn, Nikki couldn’t think of any reason to stay. She began walking to the door but knew instinctively her getaway wouldn’t be that easy.

  “Where can I get supplies for this dog? And is there a shelter here in Sweetland or should I contact the one in Easton?” he asked.

  Again, Nikki was turning with a start. “You aren’t going to keep Sweet Dixi?”

  Quinn slipped his hands into his pockets as he stood there watching her. “I work long hours at a cancer clinic. While I have a big enough house, I also have a maid service that comes in once a week. There’s no way I can provide twenty-four-hour care for her. Besides, my siblings aren’t animal people, either. Case in point,” he added, pointing to the four pups who still played in the middle of the floor.

  Dixi, Rufus, Coco, and Loki seemed oblivious to the fact that they’d been left. Michelle had already had Ms. Cleo and Lily kenneled up when Nikki had come back into the room. Then again, Michelle was the only one, besides her, who was used to this rambunctious litter of Labs. The others came from the big city and their own lives, their own responsibilities. The dogs were just an inheritance, one they didn’t seem proud of accepting.

  “Kraig Bellini is the town vet. He’s over on Trailway and usually stays open to around seven in the evenings. He does house calls when necessary. You could go over there and talk to him about your plans. I’m sure he has some connections.”

  “Thank you,” he said blandly.

  “You’re welcome,” she said and continued to walk away because he hadn’t changed. And probably never would. Quinn Cantrel
l was certainly welcome to be the rigid jerk she remembered, and he was more than welcome to take his big-city ways back to the big city that he came from. Sweetland had been doing just fine without him. And so had she.

  Chapter 5

  The Silver Spoon was crowded, and that was unusual for a Sunday evening. Generally, when it wasn’t tourist season, the citizens of Sweetland attended the church of their choice on Sunday mornings, or hit the water for some fishing, or just piddled around their homes doing things they hadn’t grabbed enough time during the week to do. This gave them all day long to prepare what they liked to call “good Sunday meals.”

  When Michelle took over the kitchen at The Silver Spoon—about ten minutes after Janet decided to open a restaurant and a bed-and-breakfast—she’d planned to offer a light “good Sunday meal.” Over the years she’d changed some items and added new ones, and today Sundays at The Silver Spoon was a good place to be if home was not an option.

  Tonight she’d planned an extra-special dinner, adding a few items to the menu that would not likely be offered again. That was because tonight was special. All of her family was home, where, in her opinion, they belonged. For years she’d wanted her siblings to come back to Sweetland. They’d been born here, had roots in this town that sprouted with their grandmother and continued with the legacy she’d left them. The Silver Spoon wasn’t only a place to eat and sleep, it was the dream of a woman who’d dreamed all her life. Who had loved home and family above all else. And who in the end hadn’t been able to keep either one on her own.

  Unfortunately, tonight Michelle would have to tell them the truth. She would have to let them know the real situation of The Silver Spoon, the situation she’d been praying about for the last eight weeks.