At the very least—she stared down at the counter—she had prepared a second smoothie of the perfect consistency. She grinned triumphantly as she placed lids on both.
With a smoothie in each hand and one last look in the mirror next to the door, she made the quick trip from her apartment, past the kitchen doors, and into the lobby.
Brynn was already standing next to the check-in desk, dressed similarly to Hallie but in clothing that screamed—in a very classy, understated way, of course—wealth. A tailored, crisp shirt fit Brynn so well that it looked bespoke. Black, tapered pants hugged her frame perfectly, accentuating the gentle curve of her hips. A thin necklace that was definitely real gold dripped from her collarbones.
In comparison, Hallie felt like her own outfit was a few shades too faded to be considered black. Still, she extended her arm and offered Brynn the smoothie. “I didn’t know if you had time for breakfast.”
Brynn gave her a smile that implied Hallie had just saved a puppy from a burning building. She took a dainty sip before placing it on the counter. “This is perfect. Thank you. I did actually head out this morning to find something, but I guess shops open later in the winter?”
Hallie nodded, trying not to slouch her shoulders, which was easier to remember in the face of Brynn’s perfect posture. She even drank her smoothie with class, a thought Hallie never believed she’d ever have the chance to think. “We’re in the lull before the winter season starts to pick up, which still won’t be as busy as summer when it’s in full swing. That means fewertourists and reduced hours. Some of the more kitschy shops shut down completely during this time.”
“Definitely a different vibe than the summer.”
Right. Because when Brynn and Grant had been planning to get married, Brynn had spent a decent amount of time in Stoneport. Just a few months ago, in fact.
Hallie had been busy supporting Sydney during that time, who was in the midst of retiring from professional tennis. Even though Sydney’s breakup with Grant a year before that had been a part of her lament, the bigger focus had been her best friend’s career-ending injury and what it meant—the loss of the path she’d been painstakingly forging for the last fifteen years.
Brynn’s wound was much fresher, at least where Grant was concerned. They should have been married three months ago and settling into a life together. There was a small, insecure part of Hallie that wanted to dislike Brynn, but she just… couldn’t. Because Brynn was looking at her again, much like she had last night. It was a look that said Hallie really was the boss here and that, to the best of her ability, Brynn would do anything asked of her. People didn’t look at Hallie like that. Like she was someone who held all the answers.
It was a strange feeling that settled in her stomach then—not exactly unpleasant, though it still made her feel a little squirmy. Hallie cleared her throat. “So we’ll start this morning with a tour of the property. Then I’ll walk you through the departments and what everyone does. Lastly, we’ll review the day-to-day and what I do that’s different from anyone else’s roles. Those are the things you’ll really want to click with since you’ll be handling them in my absence.”
Hallie let out a surprised laugh when Brynn pulled a small notebook and pen from somewhere and started furiously jotting down information. After about thirty seconds, she looked at Hallie again. “Okay, I’ve got that all written down.”
“I do have a handbook with standard operating procedures that I can give you. We made one for Reese when she was getting trained.” It had been, more than anything, a good exercise for Hallie to go through, regardless of the fact that Reese had never ended up using it in any meaningful way. The book was a massive brain dump of what she’d learned working at the inn for decades that hadn’t been documented anywhere else.
A grateful look flashed across Brynn’s face. “That would be incredible. I’ll still probably take my own notes, though. It helps me better absorb the information.”
“Right,” Hallie answered as she started walking, gesturing for Brynn to follow her. “You just finished up your PhD program?”
Brynn nodded. “In philosophy.”
“That’s… abstract.” They stopped in front of the doors leading into the kitchen.
Brynn’s whole face lit up. “Analytical philosophy, my area of study, is actually the opposite of abstract, even if that’s a common misconception,” she said with a rueful smile. “It leverages clarity and logic to try to answer some of our most enduring philosophical questions.”
Hallieknewthat she was looking at Brynn like she’d just sprouted a tail, and yet she couldn’t stop herself from wanting to know more. Brynn was quickly becoming one of the most interesting people who had ever walked into The Stone’s Throw. The best part was that Hallie was going to get a front row seat for whatever came out of her mouth next. “And you spent… how many years studying this?”
“My program was supposed to be five years, but I completed my dissertation in four,” Brynn answered simply. She wasn’t looking at Hallie, though. Instead, her focus had shifted to looking around the hallway, which she was taking in with intense focus.
Hallie tried not to feel self-conscious about it. Why should she be insecure that Brynn would find the inn lacking? It wasn’t like she owned the place. “So, what would you do with a degree like that? I anticipate working at an inn isn’t in your long-term plan?”
Another bright smile landed on Hallie when Brynn looked at her again. “Academia is on the table, but after spending the last twenty years of my life in some type of structured learning environment, I’m fine taking a little bit of time away.”
A privilege that most people didn’t have, but Hallie wasn’t going to mention that. If she wasn’t working at the inn and had to figure something else out, she didn’t know what she would do either.
Still, there was a theme brewing in her life of late. “The Stone’s Throw seems to have become a landing pad for wayward women on their way to what comes next, so I guess it makes sense that you’re here,” Hallie said before changing the subject to her single area of expertise—the inn itself. “So this is the kitchen.” She pointed to the double doors in front of them. “We offer two breakfast options each day of the week, and then on the weekends, we offer a soup, salad, and sandwich at lunchtime.”
Brynn was scribbling furiously. “And what is my involvement in this?”
“Good question. On a day when everything works like it’s supposed to, nothing.”
Hallie was met with big, thoughtful eyes. “And what about a day when everything doesn’t work like it’s supposed to?”
She laughed, unexpectedly charmed. “It’s not that serious. Worst-case scenario is usually that someone calls out, but if that happens, the kitchen has a few different staff members who should be able to fill in for one another. In the unlikely scenario that breakfast isn’t available to be served, we offer all guests a discount off their stay.”
“What about a kitchen fire?” Brynn asked seriously, her focus shifting back and forth from her notepad to Hallie. It was like she needed to document the scenario as soon as possible, lest the one-in-a-billion chance happen immediately.
Hallie moved to one side as today’s waitress, Regina, slipped by them to greet the first guests of the morning. “We’ve never had one of those, luckily.” There was no need to get Brynn worried about an unlikely scenario. Focusing on the big picture was the most important thing to do right now.
