“Love you too, Millie. Very much.”
“Hey, you two. Is everything okay?”
Camille lifted her head at the sound of her concerned husband’s voice coming from the Inn’s entryway. “Foster.”
“What did I miss?” Foster peeled out of his raincoat and hung it on the hook near the door, his worried eyes locking in on Camille’s. “What’s going on?”
“Everything’s fine,” she assured. She stepped out of Skip’s arms. “We’re just having a moment.”
“Told your wife that The Getaway is all yours.”
Foster’s eyes rounded, clearly just as shocked by the news as Camille had been. “Skip. You’ve got family and friends you should pass this down to. We couldn’t take that from them.”
“Eh, I’ve got a few third cousins and maybe an old college football buddy still hanging around, but no one that I love as much as the two of you. And if you ask me, there’s no one that loves this place as much as you two do, either. If the saying is true and you both will want me to rest in peace, that will only happen knowing you’re at the helm of this ship.”
Camille and Foster didn’t even need to discuss it.
“We would be honored,” Foster said. He took Skip’s hand and clasped it firmly as though sealing the deal.
“Good. Because I’ve already put the place in your names.”
Camille whirled around. “What? Skip, it’s too soon for that. You said we would get it in your will.”
“No, I said this place would be yours once I’m gone. Just forgot to add that it’ll be yours while I’m still here, too.”
And that’s when it hit her, worry striking her right in the chest. “Skip, you’re not—?”
“Dying? No, not any more than anyone else. We’re all marching our own way toward death, I suppose. I’m just a little closer to the finish line.”
“So why hand over the Inn now?”
“Because I want to, and I can. I still haven’t given you two a proper wedding gift, you know.”
“Thisis not a proper wedding gift. A salad spinner or a duvet cover. Those are suitable wedding gifts,” Camille said. “Not entire houses.”
“You telling me you don’t want it?”
Foster placed a hand on Camille’s shoulder. “No, of course, we want it, Skip. We’d be honored to take over the place.”
“Good, because it’s a done deal and those sorts of things aren’t all that easy to reverse.”
She wasn’t sure if that was true, or if it was just a line to gain her compliance. She still couldn’t believe any of this was happening. One minute she was racing down the stairs, worried Skip had collapsed or worse, and now she was the one very close to having her knees unhinge. She couldn’t keep herself steady.
“There’s some paperwork you’ll have to do, but we’ve got time.” He gave the couple a big, toothy grin. “I’m not going anywhere just yet.”
While Camille prepped for dinner,Skip and Foster played a game of gin at the kitchen table, their laughter and ribbing the sweetest sound to Camille’s ears. At least, what she could make out over the whistling hum of wind outside and the steady downpour of rain that had only increased in intensity over the course of the day.
She had a marinara sauce simmering on the stove and a salad prepped and ready in the fridge when Josh came in later to join them, fresh baguette in hand.
“Brought this from Morgan’s place. Figured it might go well with the pasta.”
One thing Camille hadn’t managed was the art of baking. Running a bed and breakfast required some proficiency in the kitchen, but she relied on Sugar Blossom Bakery heavily to meet their pastry needs.
“Thank you. That’s perfect. How are things going over at her place?”
“Great, actually. A little slower with the storm, but we’re keeping her busy with the tasting menu for the gala. She seems really excited to work on it.”
Camille took the baguette when Josh passed it off, then placed it on the cutting board to slice up for their meal. When she ran her knife through the crusty exterior, steam rose up in hot wisps. Her mouth couldn’t keep from watering.
