As the other people at the table joined in with their fishing tales, Wyatt had a feeling the lake would feature on more than one mural. He looked at each of the tables, trying to gauge whether they had finished discussing their ideas.
As his gaze skimmed across Penny’s table, she looked up. Their eyes collided and a sharp jolt of awareness hit him with the force of a sledgehammer. As if sensing his shock, Penny’s smile disappeared.
Taking a deep breath, he forced his gaze away from her. He hadn’t been attracted to another woman since his wife died. He’d loved Anya with all his heart and couldn’t imagine feeling the same way about anyone else.
But Penny had worked her way under his skin, filled his dreams, and made him terrified of what it meant.
Penny waved a French fry in front of Wyatt’s nose. “Are you listening?”
The faraway look in his eyes disappeared. After the meeting with the residents of the tiny home village, she’d dragged Wyatt to The Welcome Center’s café. After some not-so-gentle persuasion, she’d convinced him that everyone needed to eat. Especially people who had six hours of painting ahead of them.
“I’m listening,” Wyatt grumbled. “You were telling me how much the property values in Sapphire Bay have increased over the last three years.”
“And why did I mention it?”
Wyatt stared at her blankly.
“I knew you weren’t listening. Trust me, this is the best time to buy a house, especially if it’s beside Flathead Lake. Compared to other locations, lakeside properties here are still selling well below the national average.” She dipped the French fry into a blob of ketchup. “If you’re looking for a solid investment, you’ll get better returns if you buy a property instead of putting your money in the bank.”
“I’m happy where I am. I’m not staying in Sapphire Bay permanently.”
That odd sinking feeling hit Penny’s chest again. “You don’t have to live here permanently to earn a great capital return. You could buy a property and rent it to someone else. The rental market is crying out for new houses.”
Wyatt helped himself to one of her French fries. “I like the house I’m renting. Looking for something else would take too much time away from my painting.”
“You could always ask the people who own the house you’re renting if they want to sell?” That suggestion went down just as well as the one of buying an investment property.
Sitting back in his chair, Wyatt studied her face. “You’re having withdrawal symptoms.”
“From what?”
“Work. You’re so used to wheeling and dealing in the property market that you can’t stop—even when you’re living with your sisters.”
Wyatt was right, but she wasn’t ready to admit that she could be a workaholic. “It doesn’t matter who I’m living with. Profit is profit, and house prices in Sapphire Bay will increase like they have in other towns around Flathead Lake. Just look at Woods Bay. Four years ago, you could buy a really nice three-bedroom home with a lake view for under two hundred thousand dollars. Similar properties are selling for at least half a million dollars now.”
“Are you thinking of expanding your property portfolio?”
“I don’t have enough equity in my Seattle home to buy an expensive property, but I’m thinking about buying a fixer-upper and starting from scratch.”
“Have you talked to a realtor?”
“Not yet.” That was on her list of things to do tomorrow. “I asked a few businesses if they were looking for staff, but no one has any jobs available. Buying a house was my next idea. Diana needs a job, too, so I thought she could help with the remodeling.”
Wyatt plucked another French fry out of her basket. “Has she done anything like that before?”
“No, but she’s enthusiastic and ready to learn.”
Wyatt’s eyebrows rose. “If that’s all it took, we’d all be aerospace engineers and doctors.”
“Haven’t you heard the saying, girls can do anything?”
“You still need to know the basics. Otherwise, someone could get hurt. Do you want the rest of your fries?”
Penny pushed the basket closer to him. “I’ve had more than enough. If Diana doesn’t help me, she’ll have the same issue when she looks for work.”
“Have you thought about starting a business a little closer to home?”
Penny frowned. “You can’t get much closer than remodeling houses in Sapphire Bay.”
“Yes, you can. The other day, you told me I was lucky to find somewhere to stay.”
“You were.”
“And why was that?”
“Because there aren’t many houses to rent.”
“What’s the next best thing to renting a house?” Another fry disappeared into Wyatt’s mouth.
“Renting a room?”
“Exactly.”
She waited for his cryptic comment to make sense, but it didn’t. “Tell me what you mean.”
With a sigh, Wyatt picked up a paper napkin and wiped his fingers. “How many spare bedrooms are in your grandmother’s house?”
“You think we should rent rooms to strangers?”
“You and your sisters inherited an enormous house. Renting the spare rooms would be another way for Diana to earn money while she waits for you to buy a property or looks for another job. Before I moved here, I looked at different accommodation options. There aren’t many Bed and Breakfasts on this side of the lake.”
Penny’s mind was moving at a million miles an hour. “I never thought of starting a Bed and Breakfast. There has to be a reason there aren’t a lot more around the lake.”
“Most people don’t have the room that you do. It’s something to think about.”
It was more than something to consider. Wyatt’s idea was brilliant.
The first thing she needed to do was talk to her sisters. Diana would be the perfect host. With Barbara’s marketing and digital skills, they could have a website and social media advertising up and running in no time. Even Katie, if they could convince her to come home, would enjoy meeting their
