Page 22 of Just One Chance

I couldn't recommend that the Harts use his furniture if it wasn't the right decision. And right now, I didn't have an opinion. I hadn't seen enough to really get a feel for the place and the guests. The owners were obviously wanting to update everything, but other than that, I didn't have a direction to go in.

The inn itself was older and the interior rustic. It wouldn't be crazy to make custom furniture. But it would be expensive and time intensive. Even if the craftsman was their son. The cost of wood and labor wasn't cheap. I didn’t want Boone to undercut the value of his time and work either.

We’d connected last night, and it was impossible to ignore the ramifications of any decision I made.

If I wanted to do my job, I couldn't be influenced by him.

It was my first real night at the inn where I wasn't being distracted by Boone. I could grab a drink at the bar or eat dinner at the restaurant.

Someone knocked on my door, and I checked to see who it was. There was a woman standing there with straight blond hair and a red wool jacket. I opened the door.

She lifted a pair of hiking boots. "Boone said you needed these, and since I run a shop in town, I picked them up."

I accepted the boots from her. "He thought I needed hiking boots?"

"That's what he said. And sorry, I'm Clara Hart. I think you met my fiancé, Beck, earlier at the brewery."

Realization dawned on me. "You're Boone's sister."

"I'm the youngest Hart. It's so nice to meet you." She held her hand out to shake.

"Nice to meet you as well."

I stepped back so that she could come in since she didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave. She moved around the room, finally having a seat in one of the cushioned chairs.

I sat on the bed, setting the boots on the floor. "I had breakfast with your parents this morning. Then Boone showed me his workshop and the brewery. It was nice."

Her eyes widened. "Boone showed you his workshop?"

I nodded. "He had to meet with a client for a pickup."

"He doesn't usually like to bring people there. He only allows family and customers when they are there to pick up their orders."

That was interesting. "He said he was late for the pickup because of our breakfast. I think it was more of a convenience thing. Your parents wanted him to give me a tour of the grounds."

"You have plans for tonight?"

"I was just trying to think about what I should do." I didn't want to be alone tonight, even though I was used to eating by myself on these trips. In fact, I preferred it so that I could focus on what I needed to for my evaluation.

"I'll eat with you at the restaurant if you'd like. Then I can take you over to the brewery."

"That would be nice." It would be good to get to know the sole Hart sister. She was warm and welcoming.

"Perfect. I'll let you get ready and meet you downstairs in an hour." She stood and made her way to the door.

"Thanks for the boots."

She waved her hand. "That was all Boone. He insisted that you needed them if you were going to be here for a few weeks."

"See you in a bit," I said as I closed the door. I couldn't believe that Boone had asked her to purchase boots for me. That was actually really sweet. I put on socks and then tried them on. They were a perfect fit.

This was something I could have expected from the Boone I met last night, not the one that was at my breakfast table this morning. Were they the same person, or was I relegated to the grumpy one now that he knew who I was?

7

BOONE

After dropping Kennedy off, I went to my workshop. This was my happy place, where I could block out the rest of the world.