Chapter Thirty-Four
Molly led the Johnson brothers down the inn’s staircase. They’d spent almost two hours poring over every inch of the place, and she’d been very careful to avoid the subjects that had gotten her in trouble with her siblings.
John and Jake were nice guys in their midtwenties. They seemed slightly out of place in their city-slicker suits and trendy haircuts, but they were from Chicago after all. They were so young to be buying an inn, but Molly had gathered from their conversation that they were trust fund babies.
John was an accountant and all about the details. Jake was all business and married to a woman who was interested in running the restaurant portion of the business. How would Miss Della feel about that?
There was nothing wrong with them per se. They were polite and very interested. They asked good questions and made positive remarks. They just seemed so... business oriented, using words likeassetsandinvestments. They didn’t ask about the guests who chose to stay here or remark on the outstanding hospitality they offered. And that’s what the inn business was really all about—hospitality.
When they reached the lobby, John turned and thanked her for her time. “We’ll be in touch in the next few days, Molly.”
“You have a wonderful business here,” Jake said.
Molly let them out the door, feeling a leaden weight in her stomach as they said good-bye.
“Everything all right, Molly?” Jada asked from the front desk after the brothers had left.
Molly dredged up a smile, wondering why it took so much effort. “Everything’s fine. I’m just going to go see if your grandmother needs help with cleanup.”
Molly didn’t have to wait a few days to hear from the brothers. Jake called that very evening when she was helping Adam clear the supper table.
“John and I have talked it over, and we’d like to make an offer on your inn.”
Molly turned away from the sink and leaned back against the counter. “Oh! I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”
From the dining room Adam gave her an inquisitive look.
“The numbers look great, and the inn seems like just the investment we’ve been searching for. It needs a little updating, but that’s just cosmetics.”
Updating? The inn was in exquisite shape.
“We’ll put in a formal offer through our attorney, of course, but I wanted to let you know we’re offering the asking price. It’s a fair price, and there’s no need to waste time. We’d like to get going on this venture as soon as possible.”
“Oh. Oh, that—that’s great, Jake. I’ll have to talk to my siblings, but... asking price. I can’t imagine they’re going to have a problem.”
When she disconnected the call, Adam joined her in the kitchen.
He poked his glasses into place. “They’re making an offer?”
“Asking price.”
“That’s great.” He studied her a moment, then his eyes narrowed. “Isn’t it?”
“Of course it is!” Molly turned around and began rinsing a plate. “Now we can all move on. This is definitely a best-case scenario. Who knew it would sell so quickly—and for the asking price! Levi and Grace will be thrilled to pieces, and I won’t even have to move out of the inn because I already live here! With you! Grace already found a place for her business, and of course Levi is eager to move to LA with Mia. I think he even has a couple of job prospects already. This is perfect!”
Adam pried the wet plate from her grip—she must have been scrubbing it awhile—and set it in the dishwasher.
She picked up the other one. “It would’ve been difficult to sell in the winter, you know. If it hadn’t sold in the fall, it probably wouldn’t have sold till spring, and then Grace would’ve lost her little house, and that would’ve put Levi and Mia in a real fix too.”
Adam took the other plate, and Molly went to work on the pan. “They’re going to be so excited. I wonder if I should wait until Levi gets home though. He’s on his honeymoon after all. That’s what I’ll do. I can’t bother him with this. So maybe I shouldn’t tell Grace yet either. For that matter, until I have an offer in hand there’s probably no point getting anyone’s hopes up. What if it falls through? I’ll just wait for the offer, and then we’ll need to have an attorney read it, of course.”
“Of course.”
She gave the pan some elbow grease as she tried to imagine the brothers fluffing the bed pillows, folding the towels just so, and setting out fresh cookies every afternoon. But she just couldn’t. They probably wouldn’t do any of that. They probably wouldn’t even give the historical tour to their guests!
“Who names their son John Johnson anyway?”
“Molly...”
