Page 14 of Perfectly Matched: Harbor Falls Romance Collection

“Well, he was a man with a plan. He knew what he wanted and damned if he didn’t make it happen.”

Suzie smiled at her husband who in turn patted her growing tummy.

“You gotta have a plan, men, that’s all I can say. You gotta have a plan.”

The men chuckled and high-fived their agreement and the women batted away their Alpha male attitudes with a flit of their Southern belle eyelashes. They had gathered for an impromptu celebration—Suzie and Brad had married a month earlier and there was a baby on the way. If that wasn’t enough to celebrate, the hotel renovation was on track, and the marketing plan for the launch of the renovated Falls Lake Lodge and Resort were taking off. Suzie and Brad had felt like entertaining, so they invited over some old and new friends for an evening barbecue by the lake.

“So until the doctor told you at the hospital, you really didn’t know you were pregnant?”

Nora Patterson picked at a brownie then held out something to her. She and Suzie had been strategizing some local release plans for her cookbook, which would release in the fall. It helped having a bookstore owner on her side.

“Here, I brought a book for you from my bookstore. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Raising Kids in the 21st Century. It is a bestseller.”

Suzie took the book.

“Thanks, Nora. You’re a doll.”

She leaned over and hugged her.

“No, I had no clue,”

she told her.

“I was told by doctors years ago I would probably never be able to conceive. I had resolved myself to that fact—so yeah, I was shocked!”

Brad stood and hefted up his pants, broadened his shoulders.

“Well, it only took me one time so….”

Suzie sat up in her chair and shot Brad a startled look.

“Brad Matthews! Stop that.”

Everyone laughed.

Marnie poked her head out of the back screen door of the inn.

“Suzie, where did you put the watermelon?”

“In the basement, sweetie. The big fridge. But let one of the guys get it. It’s a heavy sucker.”

Marnie gave her a thumbs-up and then crooked her finger at Greg, who promptly rose to do his wife’s bidding.

“Yeah, man with a plan,”

Suzie chuckled.

“Brad, baby, pull that big ol’ Adirondack over here for me please? I need to put my feet up.”

“Yes, dear.”

Everyone in the crowd chuckled.

Suzie felt full with life. The little munchkin growing inside thrilled her to no end. The husband sitting to her right fulfilled her every dream. And the backyard with friends who came to celebrate their growing family, rounded out her simple life.

“How’s the renovation coming, Brad?”

James asked, sitting on the arm of another Adirondack chair, his arm draped around Eliza.

“Great! I was so amazed. What you told me that first day on the property was true. The old building was added to the federal historic registry a while back. Seemed the bank that owned it back in the day didn’t want to put the money into the structure to remodel according to federal specs, so they claimed it was condemned and unworkable. The new architect I hired took one look at the place and said we were fools to tear down the landmark.”

Suzie elbowed him.

“I told you so.”

Brad grinned.

“Lesson learned. Have a plan but listen to the woman.”

The crowd erupted in laughter again.

“It’s solid though, and probably not as costly as I thought. It will take a year or so but will be worth it.”

“At least the baby will be here before then. Oh Brad, the contractor came yesterday about the addition on the house. Forgot to tell you.”

“You’re building another room on the inn? A baby room?”

Marnie joined the group and grabbed Suzie’s hand to pull her up off the chair.

“C’mon girl, we got plans to make. Show me where this new room is going to be, and then we’ll talk about everything you need to put in it.”

Shrugging, Suzie looked back at Brad and gave him a smile and a little finger wave good-bye.

Marnie tugged her along.

“Eliza? Nora? Sydney? Y’all come too. This is a group project.”

Brad chuckled.

“Do they ever not do anything in a group?”

Greg slapped Brad on the back. “Rarely,”

he chortled.

“Welcome to Harbor Falls, Mr. Matthews, and to the rest of your life.”

With a soft whistle through his teeth, Brad replied.

“No place else I want to be, man. All of my heart is right here.”