The Lighthouse Inn by Jessie Newton

Author:Jessie Newton [Newton, Jessie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: JEN Publishing

Chapter Seventeen

Julia just knew Maddy had somehow influenced Ben to choose all the same bedding she had. She didn’t know how, but as he picked yet another sheet set that Maddy had insisted on, Julia decided to put them away.

“Thank you for your help,” she said.

“They’d all be nice,” he said, his eyes so bright.

Julia gave him the best smile she could muster. It stretched her face oddly, but she didn’t know how to make it sit right. She didn’t want to tell him she was going for so much more than nice. She and Maddy wanted words like upscale, inviting, and luxurious to show up in their reviews.

The scent of something turning brown and delicious rose from the kitchen below, and Julia turned to leave the linens behind in the closet. They’d ordered far more than one sheet set per room, of course. They needed at least three to be able to make up the rooms in their themes, keep up with the laundry, and provide fresh sheets every day should a guest desire it.

Sometimes Julia wondered what she was doing. Running an inn wasn’t a walk in the park, and she felt like that was what she should be doing with her life right now. Taking her phone, tucking it in her pocket, and finding a bench. Then she could watch families play with their dogs and children, check her messages, and enjoy the New York City skyline all around her.

Here, there were big buildings, especially in the downtown area. Out on the Point, though, the view was more ocean and sand for miles, which she also liked. It calmed her in a different way than the vibrant city atmosphere, and as she led Captain Ben back downstairs, she asked, “Have you been stationed in Nantucket long?”

“About a year, ma’am.”

“How long do your appointments usually last?”

“I requested Nantucket, after having served in various other places. Unless I mess up, I think I’ll get to stay here as long as I want.”

“They let you do that?” She reached the bottom of the steps and looked back up to him. He was extremely good-looking, for a woman who liked that corn-fed, blue-eyed type of look. Maddy always had, while Julia usually preferred a darker-haired, more brooding, mysterious kind of man.

Ben didn’t mince words, that was for sure, and he didn’t look like the type to play games in his relationships.

“The Coast Guard is pretty good about that, yes,” he said, smiling as he took the last few steps. He sighed and looked around. “I was expecting this place to be a bit more shambly.”

“You were?”

“Maddy made it sound like you two existed in chaos nearly all the time.” His gaze met hers for half a second and flitted away. “But the office is nice. The lobby is ready. Even that room just needed to be loaded with furniture.”

Julia looked around, trying to see things the way he did. Vivian from the Historical Society would be dropping by next week to get an update on their progress.

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