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“Shawna’s just here for the cookies,” Magnolia teased.
“I’ll take her for whatever reason she showed up,” I said, laughing. “Let’s take the cookies with us. I’ve got donuts out here for the guests.”
“I’ll take those right off your hands,” Shawna said as she relieved Olivia of the box, making us all laugh. “Anyone wants one, you can follow me.”
“Ava,” Magnolia said with a hand on my arm as everyone else except Anna headed toward the west wing. “I assume you haven’t had the perfect manager pop up in the past twelve hours?”
“Ah, no,” I said, laughing again, because if I didn’t laugh, I might cry.
“I was telling Anna you were looking for someone to run this place when you move back to California. Anna’s a property manager for Shoreline Rentals.”
I turned to the pretty, friendly brunette. “Really? They have rental homes around here somewhere, right?”
“They have a development on the southeast side of the lake, close to Runner. We’re currently at thirty-six vacation homes and building another dozen in the next two years.”
“I remember now. My aunt mentioned them when they started building. It seems like it was a few years ago?”
“That’s right. It’ll be five years. I’ve worked there since the first construction was in progress.”
“So you manage all thirty-six homes?”
“Some of them are owned and rented by us, and some have private owners, most of whom have us manage for them. As a matter of fact, Zane and Cole’s brother Gabe owns a couple of them.”
“Small world.”
“Let’s just say it’s a smart investment,” Anna said. “Anyway, I currently manage thirty-two of them. I handle all the rental schedules, the maintenance, the cleaning between renters—”
“She runs the whole place, basically,” Magnolia cut in. “Her boss is all about the construction, so he’s occupied with that.”
“He is. And he can have it. Construction is chock full of delays and problems with supplies these days.” Anna laughed, and I found it impossible not to like her. A lot.
“Are you looking for a new job?” I asked.
“I wasn’t,” Anna said. “I like what I do. I like my boss and the people I work with. I just got back in town from a conference on the East Coast for property managers and learned a lot. I heard about your aunt right before I went—I’m so sorry for your loss.” She grasped my wrist with a small hand with gorgeous, modest-length aquamarine-painted nails. “Phyllis was such a sweet lady.”
I swallowed, wondering when this would ever get easier. “Thanks. She was.” I managed to smile. “She loved this place so much. I want to find someone who will love it too and run it for me.”
“I’ve always liked this place,” Anna said, her eyes lighting up, making me believe her. “From the name to the front porch to the view. This place is special to Dragonfly Lake.”
“That’s how my aunt felt,” I said.
“I’m going to help them get the painting going,” Magnolia said. “You two can talk.”
“Thanks, Magnolia,” I said. “Get yourself a cookie. We’re going to need our energy.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice. I haven’t had breakfast.”
Anna and I laughed. “Let’s go in here,” I said to Anna, gesturing toward the gathering room—for one, to give us a little privacy from Deshon and Sadie at the desk, and two, because that lake view was one of the best parts of the inn, and part of me already wanted Anna to fall in love.
She followed me through the doorway, and we ended up by the windows, facing the bright, sunshine-dappled lake. “When Magnolia told me she was working here, she mentioned you were looking for a manager,” Anna said. “Like I said, I wasn’t looking, but I’d love to know more about what you want, what the position would entail, what role you’ll be playing, things like that. Not necessarily now.”
“I suddenly have more time than I thought, thanks to a bunch of awesome people.”
“Cash is pretty great,” Anna said, giving me a knowing look.
“He is.” I couldn’t help smiling at the thought of him.
Fifteen minutes later, I’d laid out everything for Anna, from the ongoing projects to the marketing rebuild I hoped to do for the inn to the hires I’d made in the past week and the additional ones I’d budgeted for. It wasn’t an official interview, but I asked her multiple questions and got a lot of info and, more importantly, got a feel for the kind of person she was. She’d been three years behind me in school. Her grandfather had made the Welcome to Dragonfly Lake sign on the highway coming into town, so her roots ran deep here, and she seemed to love living in this thriving little tourist town. Working as a property manager had provided her with experience that would be a great fit for the inn. She was personable, friendly, and intelligent, and when we agreed to meet for an official interview tomorrow evening, I had a fluttery, optimistic feeling in my gut.
