Outside the door, I hear loud talking, and Naomi bursts into the office. Jazz bolts upright and, disoriented, begins to cry. When Naomi yells at me for using her computer, Jazz cries harder.
I jump to my feet. “Admit it, Naomi! You’re deliberately trying to sabotage me. You want to see the inn fail.”
She glares pure hatred at me. “I want what’s rightfully mine. You stole this farm from me.”
I go around the desk to face her. “How do you figure? You and Billy were never married.”
“And you never even knew Billy, yet here you are running the inn.” Naomi jabs a finger in Jazz’s direction. “Jazz loved Billy and he loved her. This property belongs to her. And since she’s my daughter, it’s my responsibility to manage her investment.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more. My dream is for Jazz and me to run this business together, one day, when she’s old enough and you’re no longer in the picture.”
Naomi’s face turns a deep shade of purple. “You won’t last that long, Stella. Not if I have my way about it.”
I step closer to Naomi. She smells rank, like day-old underwear, but she doesn’t reek of booze. “You’re fired, Naomi. Pack your things and get out of my inn.” So much for being smart about how I handle her.
“If you fire me, I’ll take my daughter and leave this town. You’ll never see your beloved baby sister again.”
Jazz darts across the room to Inez. Seeing my sister turn to someone else for comfort sobers me. I’m her safe haven, but I’ve scared her. I’m no better than her mother.
“Come on, sweetheart. It’s time to go home.” Naomi yanks Jazz free of Inez and lifts her into her arms. She grabs the child’s pink backpack and coat and turns back to me. “We’ll talk more about this in the morning. Once you’ve had a chance to calm down.” She swaggers out of the office as though she’s won the battle.
Naomi may have won the battle, but I intend to win the war.
I wag my finger at Inez. “Not one word of this to anyone. Understood?”
With quivering chin, she nods her head. “Yes, ma’am.”
I brush past her on my way out of the office. With tears blurring my vision, I leave the main building for my cottage. I belly dive onto my couch and have a good long, much-needed cry.
I’ve really blown it this time. I can add Inez to the growing list of employees who no longer respect me thanks to Naomi. Her threat comes back to me. You’ll never see your beloved baby sister again. She has me right where she wants me—in the palm of her hand. Naomi will eventually slip. And when she does, I’ll be there to watch her fall.
14
Presley
Presley dives headfirst into her new job. Collaborating with others passionate about their work inspires her. They’re not merely her teammates. They’re quickly becoming her new friends. The team meets nearly every day, occasionally in Stella’s office but more often in the kitchen. Everett is a genius at mixing herbs, fresh juices, and blends of alcohol into tasty cocktails, and Lucy knows exactly which wines to pair with Cecily’s sumptuous farm-to-table cuisine. But the mood is not festive. Their intense focus on details is riddled with anxiety because of all that rides on the successful outcome of this party—the future of the inn as well as their jobs. And some of them handle the stress better than others.
Presley catches glimpses of Cecily’s bubbly personality, but mostly, the head chef is wired as tight as a guitar string. Cecily confides in her what Presley already knows. “Jameson’s is make or break for my career.”
Stella is a great faker, except for when it comes to Naomi, who fails to show up for their meetings more often than not. While Naomi’s lack of interest in the homecoming party appears to irritate Stella, Presley is secretly relieved. Naomi sucks the air out of the room with her hostile attitude.
Presley is grateful for Everett, who tries to lighten the mood with upbeat playlists and terrible jokes, and Lucy for always being optimistic and cheerful.
Presley has the least interaction with the head groundskeeper. Katherine is friendly enough, but quiet with an aura of sadness about her. On Friday afternoon at the end of Presley’s first full week at work, after an exceptionally long meeting in Stella’s office, Katherine invites Presley to go for a walk. “I want you to see what I’ve been working on.”
They take the winding narrow road that runs along the perimeter of the property down to the maintenance shed, which isn’t a shed at all but a sizeable steel building someone had the excellent sense to hide behind a row of Leyland cypress trees.
Katherine shows Presley around the side of the building facing the lake. There’s a rectangular greenhouse filled with potted orchids, mums, and lilies in fall colors. Stretching down both sides of the greenhouse are raised flower beds planted with rose bushes and hydrangeas and a host of perennials Presley doesn’t know the names of.
Katherine plucks a drooping pink rose from one of the bushes. “I got a late start last summer, but next spring I hope to plant early.
