“Staying in town for a while wouldn’t be so bad. We love having you here.” Jessica nodded. “And you can help us plan Whitney’s wedding.”

As one of the bridesmaids, Sarah would be heavily involved in her friend’s big day…if Whitney ever committed to a date. A year since she’d gotten engaged, Whitney turned a shade paler whenever anyone asked when the big day would be.

Like now.

“Do we have a date yet?” she asked.

Whitney squirmed on the chair. “We’re getting closer to nailing down a day…” She sipped her wine.

“So…fall?” Jessica asked.

“Maybe fall…maybe next spring,” Whitney said, unfolding her legs and sitting forward on her chair. “Right now, we’re dealing with Sarah’s dilemma.”

Sarah suspected Whitney had good reason for putting them off, and she respected her friend’s privacy, so she shot Jessica a look that said, Let it go for now.

Her cell chimed with a new notification, and she dove for it.

But she frowned, seeing the Facebook message. “It’s a Facebook message from Wes.”

I’ve attached the quote for renovations based on the inspection we did months ago. Let me know what you think.

“It’s a quote for renovations,” she told her friends.

“How much?” Whitney asked.

Sarah lowered the phone and shook her head in disbelief. “You know, that guy has a lot of nerve just assuming I’ll do what he wants. I told him I didn’t know what I planned to do yet.”

“How much?” Whitney repeated, sending her a look that suggested her past grudge was showing.

Sarah sighed as she skipped the list of things needing repairs and found the price at the bottom. She squinted to look at the dollar amount. “Could that be right?” She’d estimated at least double what he was quoting. She quickly responded, asking Wes if there was a mistake.

Seconds later came his reply: Incentive pricing to give the inn a second chance.

She sighed.

“What did he say?” Jessica asked.

Sarah showed her friends the message.

“Well, the price to fix this place up couldn’t possibly be better, and you could work from here, right?” Jessica said.

Her office did do most of their work remotely with just weekly meetings or pitch presentations in the office… Sarah stared at the old house. Could she do it? Obviously her friends wanted her to, but putting her own life on hold didn’t exactly appeal to her. But then neither did seeing a historic building and her grandmother’s legacy disappear.

“I think I need more wine for this decision,” Sarah said, picking up the bottle. Three drops trickled out.

“Is there any in the cellar?” Whitney asked.