“Thank you,” I said, taking the mug from her. “It smells delicious.”
“There are a lot of great things about this place,” she said, smiling. “But the coffee maker is up there at the top of the list. It grinds the beans fresh and then brews the coffee. All I have to do is add water and press a button!”
“That’s great,” I said. I loved how excited she got. There was something so endearing about her finding joy in the smallest things, and her energy was contagious.
I tasted the coffee, and I had to admit it was better than the coffee I had at home. I told her that, and she giggled.
“So,” she said, settling into the chair next to me. “What did you want to chat about? I know you didn’t come here just to discuss how my coffee is better than yours.”
I shook my head and laughed. “Yeah, you’re right, that’s not why I came here. But that is an interesting topic of discussion.”
Brenna smiled, and then I got to the heart of why I was there.
“I don’t want you to think I’m overstepping, and I don’t want you to feel that I don’t think you can handle this, but you do know that developing inns and hotels and bed-and-breakfasts is what I do for a living, right?”
She nodded, and I saw a smirk forming on the edge of her lips.
“Am I missing something?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No, go ahead.”
“Okay,” I said suspiciously. “Well, anyway, the reason I came is to tell you that if you would like my help in getting this place renovated and up and going, I am more than willing to help you.”
“Oh my goodness, have you been reading my mind?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” I said.
“I mean that I was going to probably be calling you today, and asking for some help. I may or may not have had a minor - or maybe even major - meltdown yesterday because I just don’t know where to start.”
“Oh, I’m sorry you had to go through that,” I said. “I should have offered sooner.”
“No, not at all,” she said. “That’s why I was smirking. You are offering at the exact right time. If you had offered yesterday morning, I would have been too prideful and would have turned you down. I would have insisted I could do it myself, and then I would have gone home, had a meltdown, and then never asked you for help because I already said no. But now, I realize I need help, and you offered, and it just works out so well.”
“I’m glad you feel that way,” I said. “You don’t have my phone number, do you? Let me give it to you so that the next time you start to feel overwhelmed, you can get in touch with me. I might not be able to completely stop the meltdown, but maybe I can just help keep it a minor one.”
“That’s a good idea,” she said. “Our town is small, but it would not be convenient to go running to your house every time I start freaking out about this.”
We exchanged numbers, and then settled back in our chairs and looked out at the sea.
“So, have you thought about where you need to start yet?” I asked after a few minutes.
“Yes,” she said. “I actually have a huge list of questions. Is it okay if I get them?”
“Of course!” I said. “Unless you were in the middle of something. I don’t want to disrupt your day.”
“I was in the middle of trying to gather up the courage to try and get ahold of you so that I can get some help.”
“Perfect. Now that you’ve done that, what else do you have planned for today?”
“I have no other plans,” she said, laughing. “But I don’t want to take your whole day. I don’t want to keep you from Rylan.”
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have the time to offer,” I said. “Rylan is with his grandparents today, so I am completely free.”
I saw her breathe a sigh of relief.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll be right back again.”
She ran inside, and when she returned she had a notepad that I could see was indeed filled with writing.
