“No worries, Julie. You’ve been my rock today. Thank you so much for being here.”
“Of course! I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else.”
He gave her one last hug and kiss before watching her walk down the road toward home. Seagrove Island was the safest place on earth, as far as he was concerned, but he still watched her until he could see she was nearing the end of her driveway.
“I gathered up all of the tablecloths and put them in the wash. Room’s ready for the first guest too.”
“Thanks, Lucy,” Dawson said, looking around the deck. “I’m going to take these tables to the storage barn, and then I’ll be inside. If the guest arrives early, just let them know I’ll be right there.”
“Got it, boss,” she said, with a laugh. Dawson knew Lucy was really the boss around there, and he was so thankful for her. Without his beloved Granny to keep him on the straight and narrow, Lucy had been a godsend to him. He couldn’t imagine running the inn without her.
He walked down behind the house and put the tables into the barn. As he turned back, he saw a car pulling into the driveway. He’d also had some gravel brought in and spread on the side of the house to create a small parking area. It only held four cars, but it was enough for the inn.
By the time he walked through the back door and into the house, he could hear Lucy talking in the foyer.
This was it! His first guest and hopefully the beginning of a successful business. For some reason, he was a bit nervous, but he took a deep breath and pushed the swinging door from the kitchen, which led into the dining room.
For some reason, the voice sounded vaguely familiar to him. As he walked through the dining room and saw his first guest, he was stunned. Oh, this wasn’t good.
“SuAnn?” he stammered as he stared at her. Looking unaffected, she forced a smile.
“Oh my. Aren’t you Julie’s… friend?” she said in her typical condescending tone.
“I’m her boyfriend, yes,” he said. Lucy looked back and forth between them.
“Don’t you think boyfriend sounds a little juvenile, dear?”
Dawson, took in a deep breath and counted to three in his head before speaking. “Welcome to The Inn At Seagrove. Julie didn’t tell me you were coming for a visit.”
She chuckled. “She doesn’t know I’m here. Please don’t tell her. I plan to surprise her and Janine tomorrow.”
“I… uh… I really don’t think I can keep a secret like this from her…”
She furrowed her eyebrows. “Now, Dawson, you wouldn’t want to ruin an old woman’s long planned surprise for her daughters, would you?”
This woman was one of the most cunning he’d ever met, and he was certainly no match for her. What harm could it do to let her surprise Julie and Janine the next day? After all, he didn’t want to call Julie and interrupt her evening with drama. Better to let her spend time with Janine and check on Meg without more problems.
"Fine. I'll keep your secret tonight, but you better let your daughters know that you're here tomorrow or I will."
SuAnn painted on a smile. "Thank you. And I'm very happy to see that you're so protective of my daughter. You know, she hasn't been on her own very much in her life. She needs someone watching out for her.“
Dawson could feel his blood start boiling. He pasted on a smile to match hers. "I can assure you that Julie doesn't need me to protect her. She's a very capable and smart woman, and I'm lucky to call her my girlfriend."
SuAnn made a grunting noise and then looked down at her suitcases. "I know this place isn’t exactly a fancy hotel, but do you offer services to help me get these bags up to my room?"
He figured it probably wasn't the best move to attempt to strangle his first guest. "Of course. You're going to be in the Seagrove Suite, our best room. As our first official guest, we wanted to make sure that your stay here was as pleasant as possible."
"Well, that is certainly appreciated. I'll follow you."
He picked up her bags, wondering why she seemed to have brought everything she owned, and walked up the stairs. She followed behind him, saying nothing, which was probably a good thing because nothing that ever came out of her mouth seemed to be nice or appropriate.
He turned left down the hallway to the last room on the left. It overlooked the ocean and was bigger than the other rooms. In fact, it used to be two bedrooms, but years ago they had removed the wall to create a suite. Dawson had never moved into it, opting to keep the bedroom he had slept in as a child. It was the smallest one, but it held a lot of memories. He just couldn't think of turning that into a room to rent out, so even now he kept it for himself.
"Here we are." He opened the door and turned on the lights. He had to say that he was pretty proud of the decor. Julie had helped him pick out the colors and the bedding.
SuAnn walked in behind him, setting her overnight bag on the floor next to the vanity. She walked around the room slowly, saying nothing for a change. She peered out the window, touched the bedding and then turned around, with another fake smile on her face.
"Well, it's certainly very quaint. But, I think I'll enjoy the view."
Quaint. Code for small and not nearly fancy enough.
"I definitely think you will. Lucy is finishing up dinner right now, so if you’re hungry, you're welcome to join us in the dining room."
"Actually, I think I will. I'm famished after such a long trip. Just let me freshen up and then I'll come down."
He nodded his head and closed the door behind him before walking down the stairs. He had to admit, he had hoped she'd say no, opting to stay in her room for the night. But she didn't. In typical SuAnn fashion, she was going to insert herself into dinner and make everyone uncomfortable. And by everyone, he only meant himself and Lucy.
He walked into the kitchen and warned Lucy about what was to come. He even offered to let her eat dinner out on the deck so that she didn't have to endure spending time with Julie's mother. In a fleeting moment, he considered the fact that this woman might one day be his mother-in-law. That was pretty terrifying. But he loved Julie, and that meant he had to find a way to love her mother.
A few minutes later, as Lucy was setting the table, SuAnn appeared in the doorway. She had changed her clothes to a green cardigan sweater and a pair of black slacks.
"Well, hello there," Lucy said, reaching her hand out to shake SuAnn’s.
"Hello. I’m SuAnn. And you are?"
"My name is Lucy.”
"You’re the cook here then?"
"Lucy is like a member of the family. She's my partner here at the inn,” Dawson said, correcting her.
"Oh, dear, I hope I haven't said anything out of turn. I didn't mean any offense."
Of course she did.
"None taken," Lucy said, cutting her eyes at Dawson.
Dawson stood until both of the women had sat down. Even though it was their grand opening, their next guests would not arrive for a few more days, so he was stuck trying to figure out how to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner with a woman who definitely didn't like him and was more critical than anyone he’d ever met.