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Back The Summer Cottage
Chapters (75)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover Text
  3. Praise
  4. Booklist
  5. About the Author
  6. Dedication
  7. Quote
  8. Prologue
  9. Part One
  10. ONE
  11. TWO
  12. THREE
  13. Part Two
  14. FOUR
  15. FIVE
  16. SIX
  17. Part Three
  18. SEVEN
  19. EIGHT
  20. NINE
  21. TEN
  22. Part Four
  23. ELEVEN
  24. TWELVE
  25. THIRTEEN
  26. Part Five
  27. FOURTEEN
  28. FIFTEEN
  29. SIXTEEN
  30. SEVENTEEN
  31. Part Six
  32. EIGHTEEN
  33. NINETEEN
  34. TWENTY
  35. TWENTY-ONE
  36. Part Seven
  37. TWENTY-TWO
  38. TWENTY-THREE
  39. TWENTY-FOUR
  40. TWENTY-FIVE
  41. Part Eight
  42. TWENTY-SIX
  43. TWENTY-SEVEN
  44. TWENTY-EIGHT
  45. TWENTY-NINE
  46. Part Nine
  47. THIRTY
  48. THIRTY-ONE
  49. THIRTY-TWO
  50. THIRTY-THREE
  51. THIRTY-FOUR
  52. Part Ten
  53. THIRTY-FIVE
  54. THIRTY-SIX
  55. THIRTY-SEVEN
  56. THIRTY-EIGHT
  57. Part Eleven
  58. THIRTY-NINE
  59. FORTY
  60. FORTY-ONE
  61. Part Twelve
  62. FORTY-TWO
  63. FORTY-THREE
  64. FORTY-FOUR
  65. Part Thirteen
  66. FORTY-FIVE
  67. FORTY-SIX
  68. FORTY-SEVEN
  69. EPILOGUE
  70. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  71. AUTHOR NOTE
  72. Reader’s Guide
  73. Questions for Discussion
  74. The Heirloom Garden
  75. Abby

“Seriously,” she says. “I’ve hired people who are perfect on paper, or who have told the most compelling stories, even though my gut has told me otherwise.” Trish stops. “You’re smart, Adie Lou. You’ve met lots of people and been through a lot in your life. You can tell who’s full of—well, let’s just say beans—and who’s not.”

She continues. “You’re in a different situation here. You’ll be hiring part-time workers, so many will be coming and going. And you can’t afford to offer health or retirement at this time to anyone.”

“You think?” I ask with more than a hint of sarcasm.

“But let that be a long-term goal perhaps,” Trish says. “You might find an older woman, who is divorced like you, and wants a new start. Or you might find someone who has never gotten a break his or her whole life, and this is the place that provides it. If you find that person, hold on to her. I’ve found workplace loyalty and longevity is key to corporate success and is just as beautiful as lifelong friendships like ours.”

“Thank you,” I say.

“Do you mind if I take a look at your business plan?” Trish asks. “I know a lot about them.”

We head downstairs and into the kitchen, where I pull up Excel on my laptop. Trish pulls up a barstool and hunches over the computer.

“Uh-huh... Okay... I see,” Trish mutters to herself.

“What?” I ask. “What do you see?”

Trish looks at me, her face pained. “You’re not going to break even this year,” she says. “Too much money going out, uncertainty over filling rooms, total budget still in question.”

I groan, as she pulls up the calculator on my laptop. She taps furiously for nearly a minute, jotting notes on a pad of paper I have sitting on the counter.

“But,” Trish continues, “what if I went back to Nate and pushed him on the sale of the Lake Forest home.”

“No,” I say, my voice rising. “I can’t do that. We had an agreement. It’s not fair.”

“Nothing’s fair in love and war,” Trish says. “And divorce is both.”

“He probably did me a favor anyway,” I say. “He just made the inevitable happen a bit more quickly.”