“Nobody’s judging you, Jess, or covering for you, for that matter. It’s not as if Abby’s been over here questioning us to see if you’re doing everything perfectly. She has confidence in you these days, and so do we.”
Though Gail sounded sincere, her words didn’t make Jess feel any better.
“I swear to you I’m only bringing this to your attention because you didn’t seem to be aware of it,” Gail said, clearly trying to smooth her ruffled feathers. “I thought maybe you could fix it, maybe make an adjustment of some kind before something more serious happens.”
Jess sighed. “I’m sorry. Again. I shouldn’t be taking my frustration out on you. You’re only the messenger. I will deal with this, Gail. And, yes, take over placing the orders yourself again. I have no idea why I’ve gotten so lax recently. It’s not Will. I am sure of that.”
“May I ask you something then?” Gail asked hesitantly.
“Sure.”
“Are you still happy running the inn? Do you think you’ve lost focus because there aren’t any new challenges to tackle?”
Jess regarded her with surprise. “What makes you ask that?”
“When I took the job here and you and Abby told me about the ADD, I read up about it on the internet. Sometimes when things get to be too routine, boredom sets in. Has that happened for you?”
Instead of taking offense that Gail had been studying her disorder, Jess thought about what she was suggesting. Was it true? Was she more distracted lately because she was tired of the same routine now that things were running relatively smoothly? It was certainly true that there weren’t the kind of daily challenges she’d faced when she was trying to get the place up and running. Back then, there’d been something new every day to keep her on her toes. Of course, then her crime, according to Abby, had been making too many expensive, impulsive purchases without regard for any sort of budget.
“You could be right,” she admitted slowly. “I took on fixing up the attic for that very reason, but then Dad took over all the work, so I haven’t even had that to occupy my time.”
“Do you want to sell this place?” Gail asked. “Move on to something new?”
“Absolutely not,” Jess said, as sure of that as she was of anything. “The Inn at Eagle Point was always my dream. Will reminded me of that just recently. And I do love this place. Running it, seeing everything I envisioned fall into place… Gail, it’s the happiest I’ve ever been.”
“Then how are you going to keep it new and exciting for yourself?” Gail asked.
Jess sighed. “I honestly have no idea. I didn’t realize until just now that I was slipping back into my old ways, ignoring stuff that didn’t interest me, losing track of things.”
“I have a thought about that,” Gail said. “If I’m not overstepping.”
Jess had to swallow her pride, but she said, “Of course not. Tell me.”
“We could sit down sometime and brainstorm some ideas, if you want to,” Gail began cautiously, then warmed to the subject. “Maybe we could come up with some new promotions, a few events, like wine tastings, that kind of thing. I’ve been jotting down notes for a while now.”
Hearing the excitement in Gail’s voice, Jess caught her enthusiasm. She nodded eagerly. “Let’s do that. How about first thing tomorrow?”
“I’ll meet you in the kitchen at six,” Gail said. “We’ll brainstorm over scones and coffee. How’s that? I think I can make those orange-cranberry scones you love almost as well as your grandmother now.”
“Don’t let her hear you say that,” Jess warned. “But that sounds perfect. And thank you for being understanding about all this.”
“I love this place as much as if it were my own,” Gail said. “It’s the perfect job in the perfect location. And I love working with you.”
“When I’m not making your work a hundred times harder,” Jess replied ruefully.
“Hey, I live for challenges, same as you,” Gail said. “Lunch, by the way, is going to be amazing. Apparently I do my best work when I have to be inventive.”
“Then I’ll call the family and get them over here,” Jess told her. “I know a jam-packed dining room, full of people singing your praises, will make up for a lot.”
Gail laughed. “Indeed, it will. I live for an appreciative audience.”
Jess managed to keep smiling until Gail had left, but then she put her head down on her desk and let the tears flow. Somehow she’d convinced herself that the inn was going to be her personal savior, that these episodes of slipups and distractions were under control. History should have taught her otherwise.
She allowed herself five full minutes of despair and self-recriminations, then sat up. Even though the promise of brainstorming new ideas tomorrow sounded great, she had a feeling it was going to take more than that to get herself back on track. Whatever she and Gail came up with would be fun, but she needed a more absorbing challenge. Maybe what she needed was to expand her business, to find another small inn that needed to be refurbished and brought back to life.
She turned on her computer and, ignoring the piles of paperwork on her desk, started looking for real estate in nearby bayside communities, even a couple of available properties by the ocean suitable for bed and breakfast locations.
When she finally glanced at her watch and realized the entire morning had sped by and she’d never called her sisters, her sisters-in-law or her mother to join her for lunch, she railed against herself all over again. If she didn’t get on this, it was going to be one more thing for Gail to hold over her head.
“What the devil is wrong with me?” she muttered under her breath as she dialed her mother’s art gallery. Hadn’t this morning been a wake-up call, after all?
“Mom, Gail just told me our lunch menu today is going to be spectacular. I
