“It’s going to take how long?” he heard her say. “Can’t I sign the documents electronically or something?” A long pause. “So I’m basically stuck here guarding the place until the paperwork goes through?”

An unexpected twist in his chest he couldn’t quite define had him even more uneasy. Obviously Sarah wasn’t able to make the quick escape she’d been hoping for.

And he wasn’t sure just how he felt about that.

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

“What do you mean, you’re staying?”

“Believe me, Gail, if there was any other way around it…” Sarah rubbed her chest as she paced the bedroom an hour later after boiling water to rinse her hair and sponge bathe her body.

This was a nightmare. She should never have agreed to these renovations. She’d back out now if she hadn’t already received the huge fruit basket from Mayor Rodale’s office thanking her for being such an amazing community member. She couldn’t return it—she’d already eaten all the grapes.

“Can’t you just put barricades around the property and no trespassing signs?” Her boss clearly thought this was the least of Sarah’s priorities right now.

“Apparently, I’ll still be liable if anyone gets injured.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The call to the insurance company had not gone as planned. They needed copies of new ownership, which Sarah needed to apply for from the city with a copy of Dove’s will, and then the application could take a few weeks to process, with their prehistoric way of filing paperwork with actual paper!

“How long do you think you’ll need?”

Sarah heard the warning in her boss’s voice. She shut her eyes tight and prepared for an earful. “A few weeks?”

“Are you asking me or telling me?”

“I’m sorry, Gail. I know the timing isn’t ideal. But don’t worry, I can work remotely, and I’ll be back in the city in plenty of time to present the proposal to SmartTech Kids.”

“It’s not ideal, Sarah, but you do have the holiday time banked,” she said begrudgingly.

Sarah’s shoulders sagged in relief. “Thank you.”

“I’m expecting great things with the next version of the proposal.”

Sarah winced. “Absolutely. Already have some new ideas.” The lie wasn’t convincing anyone.

“And make sure you use our existing clients’ software we’ve developed for them for any technology upgrades you’re planning,” she said.

Sarah frowned, then her eyes widened. Upgrades! That was a brilliant idea. “I definitely will,” she said. “Thank you,” she added before disconnecting the call.

If she was stuck renovating the inn anyway, why not do it her way?

An hour later, her list was growing.