“I’m not trying to say that Steve painted an overly rosy picture of our financial situation here. He genuinely believed in the place. To be honest, he probably thought it would all work out, like it always had. I couldn’t get him to listen to me.”

“I’ll listen to you,” Claire said quickly. “Really.”

He reached into his bag and pulled out a file. “Take a look for yourself. I’ve prepared some reports. There’s a list of expenses, a few pages on the budget, and the projected occupancy for the coming year. At the end there’s a list of suggested improvements –”

“Oh yes, I’ve got some ideas for improvements, too,” she said, pulling her notebook out of her purse.

He narrowed his eyes at the notebook, reading off her first suggestion. “New curtains? It’s going to take more than that to keep this place going.”

Claire nodded, covering her silly notebook with the papers he’d just given her. She flipped to the end of the packet, eager to see the improvements he’d listed.

Eager wasn’t the most honest word – she was also afraid. She’d spent most of her money buying the hotel, and though she’d set aside some money for improvements, the idea frightened her. Spending money was always hard for her, especially because for most of her life, she’d hardly had any.

“You look overwhelmed,” said Chip. “Do you want me to talk you through some of this?”

“That would be great,” said Claire, looking up with a smile.

Dan appeared at the end of the table. “Excuse me, Miss Cooke?”

“Dan, please, it’s Claire.”

He flashed a smile.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I think someone is looking for you.”

“Oh?”

He dropped his voice. “They said they were FBI agents.”

Claire laughed, but his expression didn’t change. “I’m sorry. Are you serious?”

He nodded his head. “They asked for you at the front desk, but now they’re running around the hotel. I think some of the guests are upset.”

Claire stood up. “Wow, okay.” She looked down at Chip. “Some of the staff has been pulling jokes on me. All in good fun, you know, but at first I assumed…” She flashed a smile and let out a sigh. “I’m sorry, Chip. I’d better go and see what this is about. Maybe we can –”

Chip nodded. “I’ll be in my office when you’re done.”

Claire offered him a strained smile. “Thanks.”

Chapter Two

Chip stared at Claire’s back as she walked away.

Unbelievable.

Their first meeting had lasted all of fifteen minutes. When Steve sold the hotel, he assured Chip that he was leaving the place in good hands.

It didn’t seem that way. It seemed like Steve had gotten soft in his old age.