The Promise of Palm Grove (13 page)

It was obvious that all thoughts of Leona were already forgotten.

I
t was becoming clear that Jean and Ida wanted to discover everything they could about the city of Sarasota.

While they walked back to the inn, the ladies quizzed Beverly on the surrounding government buildings. They asked what she knew about the other hotels and restaurants nearby. They asked about the museums and the retirement communities, the shopping centers, and the signs for the botanical gardens. They picked up brochures to take excursions to some of the islands around, to visit Orlando, even Tampa.

Everything around them seemed to be cause for excitement and questions and, well, happiness. Their enthusiasm and energy were infectious. Those things also made Beverly realize that she'd spent an awful lot of time being afraid and worried.

She'd always over-thought things. It had been a curse when she was young, but it was a true liability now.

No matter what other people might have said, Beverly had always blamed herself for Marvin's abandonment. She'd been
sure that he never would have strayed if she had been more fun. Prettier. More easygoing. Actually, she wasn't sure exactly what she had worried about; she simply knew that she'd worried about it a lot and had given herself a very hard time about her imperfections.

Now she knew better.

But what she hadn't realized was that she'd been entirely too focused on the Orange Blossom Inn and not on rediscovering herself and what made her happy.

However, maybe that was a blessing in disguise, because Ida and Jean seemed intent on unearthing these things in record time.

Now the two ladies were in the kitchen baking sugar cookies and key lime tarts. This was their idea. They were excited about it and had no desire for her to supervise them or help.

Which made her feel a little out of sorts. “Are you sure you don't need my help? This kitchen can be a bit confusing.”

“We've got it,” Jean said.

“I should warn you that those key lime tarts can be a little tricky. Sometimes the filling doesn't set like it should.”

“
Nee,
I don't think this filling will be a problem. I'm trying a different recipe, you see.”

With effort, Beverly bit back a sharp retort. She'd literally spent weeks experimenting with different recipes in order to serve the best items possible. The last thing she needed—or wanted—was to have her reputation spoiled by two adventurous cooks. “Um, where did you find the recipe?”

Ida held up one of her library books. “In here. All we needed were key limes, and they had those at the produce store at Yoder's.”

“Ah.”

“We've got it all covered. Therefore, you should go relax, dear,” Jean said.

Relax? She felt like all she'd been doing was relaxing today. “Maybe.”

“We'll be serving tea in two hours,” Ida reminded her. “Besides, didn't you say you had some phone calls to make?”

Beverly knew it was time to call her lawyer and talk to him about Eric. “All right, I think I will go make those phone calls.”

Jean nodded. “Off you go, then, dear. After, try to relax a bit if you can.” Her eyes brightened. “Or putter around in your garden. I know you like to do that.”

Beverly did as Jean suggested, mainly because the thought of going against those two seemed exhausting. After leaving a message for the lawyer, she picked up some snips out of her shed, walked over to her rose garden, slipped on her garden gloves, and started snipping off the deadheads and pruning the bushes.

Then she gave in to what she knew she had to think about. Her conversation with Eric. What if this place really was his?

What was she going to do? For the life of her, she didn't know if she could survive more turmoil. Or starting over again.

Thank goodness she'd put money aside. She actually had put quite a bit in the bank. Not enough to put down on another business, but more than enough to take some time to figure out what she wanted to do.

She supposed she could rent a room or lease a place for six months. Or maybe even put her things in storage and take a trip out west. Everyone always talked about how much fun
those bus trips were. Maybe she should pick up some brochures about them one day soon.

Yes, taking a long bus trip might be fun. And what an opportunity, to have three or four weeks with nothing to do but make friends with her travel mates, play cards in the evening, and explore new places during the day.

She could read a book. She could read a lot of books. Take time for herself.

Thirty minutes later, her lawyer stopped by. Since he was semiretired and lived just a few blocks away, she wasn't too surprised to see him. After explaining her situation again, she gave him all the paperwork she could find.

Then, her stomach in knots, she did her best to be patient.

“Beverly? You're daydreaming again,” Sadie said from the front sidewalk.

“Oh, hey. How are you?”

“I'm
gut
.”

As Sadie approached, she examined Beverly through narrowed eyes. “Are you ready for tea already? Usually, this time of day, you're hustling and bustling around.”

Beverly started, then looked down at her simple Timex watch. “Oh, gosh, I've been sitting out here over an hour. I guess the time got away from me today.”

“I would say you've been working hard, but it doesn't look like it. It looked like you were lost in thought.” Her lips twitched. “Yet again.”

“I guess I can't stop that habit, no matter how hard I try.”

“Can't think of a reason why you'd want to stop your daydreams. You always seem to look right pleased about them. Besides, I have a feeling they are just as much a part of you as your brown hair and brown eyes. That's who you are.” Sadie
winked. “Your tendency to drift off into thought is one of the reasons I like you so much, dear. I've always thought it was rather sweet.”

Beverly felt even more at a loss. For some reason, Sadie's kind words made her feel kind of choked up. What was she going to do if she really was going to have to leave the Orange Blossom Inn? She'd lose all her friends. She'd be alone again. “You've been a
gut
friend to me, Sadie. For sure.”

“Just like you've been to me, and to everyone you've come in contact with.” She sat down next to the flowers, on a wooden bench that Beverly had painted a pale green. “Ah, it smells like heaven here.”

“I think so, too.”

“So, are Marvin's sisters driving you crazy? Are they being mean?”

“Not at all. Actually, they're making me wish they lived here full-time. They really enjoy life. We went to the library this morning.”

Sadie smiled. “They got you to go out and about? Praise God.”

“I know. It was a minor miracle. We were only gone a few hours, but getting out of here for a little while did me a world of good.”

“So if it isn't those two ladies who have you in a tizzy, who is it?”

“You know me that well, huh?”

“I do. And you know me well enough to know that I'm not going to let you push off my questions.”

Until that very minute, Beverly had been sure that she was going to keep her problems to herself. She hadn't wanted to burden anyone else. But Ida and Jean's arrival had forced her to reevaluate everything in her life.

The women's no-nonsense ways combined with their desire to retain her friendship, even when she wasn't being much of a friend, encouraged Beverly to rethink things.

Maybe it really was time to begin deeper conversations and reveal her real feelings with people who cared about her.

“Actually, I think I need your help, Sadie.”

Sadie clapped her hands. “
Gut
. I've been waiting to feel useful all day. What is on your mind?”

“Well, I happened to meet a man at the library.”

Sadie's pleased expression turned into something akin to bliss. “Truly? That is
wonderful-gut
!”

Beverly waved a hand in the air. “This meeting was definitely not wonderful.”

“Oh?”

“See, I accidentally ran into him and his books fell. Then, because his books were about the area, I made the mistake of asking him if he had any questions about Sarasota.”

“That doesn't sound like a mistake.”

“It was,” she said around a moan. “It turns out that he's here because he believes he inherited this very inn from his friend John.” Thinking again of how shocked she'd been, she pressed her lips together. “What are the chances, you know?”

“It does seem unlikely. Really unlikely.” Sadie's brow wrinkled. “Furthermore, it doesn't make sense, Beverly. This is
your
inn.”

“It didn't make sense to me, either. When I first moved to Florida, I was so devastated by everything that had happened with my fiancé and best friend that I think I was kind of numb. I took everything my Aunt Patty said at face value.” She paused, remembering her kind, elderly aunt who'd always had a reputation for having a heart of gold and the attention of
a gnat. “She was so proud of this place, and I was so grateful that she trusted me enough to run it with her. All I remember her saying about the inn was that she had the lease for a lifetime.”

She glanced at Sadie, appreciating that her friend was willing to listen to her problems but also not wanting to overwhelm her with too many details. But instead of looking puzzled or bored, Sadie merely nodded and smiled encouragingly . . . allowing Beverly to tell a story that she now realized she should have never tried to keep inside.

“When Aunt Patty passed away, I simply took over the lease. For the last three years, I've hardly given the owner a second thought. I simply wrote my check on the first of every month, posted it, and didn't think about it again.”

“I wouldn't have, either, dear.”

“After we got back from the library, I called my lawyer and left him a message with what Eric told me. He came right over and looked at the papers about the inn and Aunt Patty's estate that I'd stuffed into a back cabinet.”

“And?”

“He took everything with him, but his first thoughts were that there's a mighty good chance that everything Eric said was true. Aunt Patty actually was leasing this inn from her ex-husband. And she definitely did have that lease for life, but it was
her
lifetime, not her niece's,” she added ruefully.

“What a story.” Sadie's eyes were wide with disbelief.

Beverly nodded. “I should have remembered long before now that Aunt Patty was a pretty ditsy lady when it came down to details.” Feeling terrible, she added, “Actually, it seems I have inherited that trait from her.”

“I'm so sorry that this happened, Bev.”

“Me too. Putting all the blame on her shoulders might make my pride feel a little better, but I truly cannot. I should have looked into things long before now.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Bide my time.”

Sadie waited a beat before giving her a chiding look. “That's it?”

“I don't have much choice. I want to continue here, but that may not be an option. Eric is coming over the day after tomorrow to see the inn and to talk about things.”

“At least he's giving you a couple of days.”

“Barely. He wanted to come over today, but I said I needed time.”

“So you don't actually know what his plans are,” Sadie said.

“That is true. Eric hasn't come right out and said that he wants me to leave. So he might want me here. If that's the case, then I'll start leasing the inn from him.”

“I don't like the idea that some
Englischer
can pretty much pop out of nowhere and take over your life.” Sadie frowned. “It don't seem right.”

Beverly didn't like it, either. But she also knew if the situation was reversed, she'd do the same thing Eric was doing. “It's out of my hands.”

“Well, it's in God's hands, that is true. But there must be something you can do.”

“What I can do is start looking for another place to live.”

“Definitely not.” Getting to her feet, Sadie started walking toward the inn's back door. “Let's go on in. You might be thinking that now is a
gut
time to lie down and let some strange man walk all over you, but I for one do not. I'm going to take over this problem of yours and fix it.”

“Sadie, you can't. It might be in God's hands, but at the moment it's in the lawyer's hands, too.”

Instead of grinning at her joke, her friend was treated to a pointed look. “Last time I checked, lawyers worked for their clients. We're going to see what all we can discover about your ditsy aunt, her ex-husband who suddenly realized he had an inn to give away, and a man named Eric who has suddenly decided he wants to run the Orange Blossom Inn.” She rolled her eyes. “Though, who would want to compete with everything you've done, I surely don't know. Can he even bake?”

The irreverent question startled a chuckle out of Beverly. “I have no idea. I guess if he can't, he's going to have to hire someone.”

“I wish him luck with that.”

Feeling a bit like a lost puppy, Beverly followed Sadie inside. Sadie was right. That whole matter was in God's hands in the end. “No matter what happens, I want you to know that I appreciate your support.”

Sadie pursed her lips. “You can thank me when it's all over. And then you can make me a coconut cake,” she said as they entered the gathering room, where Ida and Jean were already setting up the afternoon tea.

Ida popped her head up. “Did you say you wanted a coconut cake?”

“Not today,” Beverly said in a rush. “Sadie was simply making me a bet.”

Then, luckily, the room started filling up with her guests and no less than four of her girlfriends. Eventually, she knew she was going to have to come to terms with the fact that her afternoons serving tea might one day be a thing of the past. And she might have to look for a new place to live.