Page 32 of Pick Yourself Up (Heroes to the Core #3)

Up For Grabs

A mber sat on the bed in the owner’s suite with her laptop and notebook. Boomer curled up at the bottom of the bed in the late morning sunbeams that brightened the room.

Spending time on her own stressed her out, but it wouldn’t improve if she didn’t keep practicing.

Boomer lifted his head to gaze at her, and she grinned.

“Okay, I’m not alone. I know you can sense my nerves, but I’m okay.

I promise. Gray’s outside in his gardens, the doors are locked, and the alarms are set.

You’re here with me. I have to remind myself that there’s no danger anymore. ”

Now she could turn her focus to making her dream Inn a reality. The thought of a fully functional inn delighted her. She shimmied on the bed. “It’s happening, Boomer. We’re going to run our own place.”

Which filled her heart.

She’d always loved making people feel at home, enjoyed special touches to help them relax.

She’d also enjoyed working at hotels, but knew running her own place would be better.

From her experiences, she knew all the inns —hah—and outs.

The parts she hated, like laundry and cleaning, she’d hire out.

Her focus would be on the guests and the inn itself.

Because instead of a hotel, it would be an inn. An inn where she’d know her guests better because there weren’t dozens of rooms. Each person’s experience could be individualized, and excitement rippled through her at the thought.

She’d enjoyed the hotels, and she’d learned a lot, but she was going to love this inn. It would be more like a home with visitors.

There was still a ton of work to do before she’d get there, but it would get done.

Not only was she a hard worker, Amber was surrounded by people who loved her and would help as much as they could.

She didn’t have to do it alone.

Her heart warmed at the thought of running the inn with Gray for years to come.

“But we need to make decisions, Boomer. Do you want to help me finalize names for the inn and themes for the rooms?”

Boomer yawned and set his head on his massive paws before letting his eyes droop closed.

“Looks like I’m on my own.”

She flipped to the notebook page of themes for the room.

She loved the idea of using the theme as the name of the room instead of a number and had decided on a few.

There were eight rooms on the second floor.

She didn’t want to have more than that yet.

In the future, they could expand to the third floor if they wanted.

Or she and Gray could take over that space for their own. A family space. They hadn’t talked much about the future yet. For now, they were reveling in being in love. And that was more than enough.

But she couldn’t stop imagining adding to their family. The farm would be the perfect place to raise kids. She figured Boomer would find babies and kids fascinating.

With a tiny head shake, she yanked her imagination back to work. Themes for the rooms. She needed to put her imagination to work, naming and decorating the spaces, not picturing babies.

Apple Blossom. Soft pink and white accents. Photos would be easy to come by. In season, she could add sprigs of branches full of blossoms.

Harvest Gold. The leaves around them were the perfect shade and the room would be gorgeous.

She’d love to add photographs of people harvesting the apples.

They’d been working too hard for her to think about it, but she could easily set up some photos now of her family doing the chore.

There were still plenty of apple trees laden with fruit, and the photos would add a personal touch.

She could also use at least one of the paintings she’d seen at Phail Central.

Maybe even hire Josie Ellis to paint a few of their orchard for the main floor.

That sent a thrill of joy down her spine.

How did people harvest apples in the past? Could some of those tools be used as wall decor? She added that to her list.

Another room would be Apple Pie. That would be fun.

She could use old pie plates and rolling pins as decor.

Photos of baking, predominantly black and white ones from days gone by.

Cinnamon sticks in mason jars to add to the experience.

She might add those to all the rooms. Tied with ribbons to match the room’s theme. She added ordering ribbons to her list.

Jolie wanted to have a room themed around the pond.

Maybe Quackers? Just Duckie? Photos here would be fun.

They could include some of Hemsworth rounding up the ducks.

Quack Mobile and Duckington Palace. Actually, she could use that for the room’s name.

Who wouldn’t want to stay in Duckington Palace?

And she could have fun with some touches echoing castles and royalty.

Maybe she could find tiny tiaras to order for the ducks. That would be a fun photo shoot.

What about a Machine Shop? Was that an appropriate name for a room or would it turn people off?

Maybe it would attract more men and couples.

She didn’t want a frilly space, only appropriate for elderly women with lace handkerchiefs.

She wanted the inn to be comfortable and fun for everyone. Friendly.

She could have photos of the machines used on the farm over the years. Some miniature replicas would be great.

What other options? Cider. Inn Cider. Inn Cider Inn. She kept coming back to that for the overall name of the inn, although the theme worked better for a room. More cinnamon. Photos and old equipment like wooden cider presses.

She needed a name that worked for the inn itself. Something with a nod to the entire farm, not just a piece they didn’t have yet.

The name needed to be memorable in a good way, like how the town of Phail created its unique names. They were close enough to town that she could borrow the name. She knew Piper and Troy would love it. Piper had given her a whole list of potential names.

She’d check with the others at supper tonight to see what they thought. The Inn would be on their property and they all should have input.

Boomer lifted his head and turned to the door, woofing softly. From this distance, she couldn’t hear the beeps of the security system arming or disarming, but he did. His body language and perked up ears told her it was Gray coming in.

Sure enough, Gray called through the house. “It’s me.” He never wanted her to worry, so he either texted before he came in or called out.

He was the best.

He wore moccasins as he entered the bedroom.

They left their dirty boots at the door.

For now, they each had another pair of moccasins made by Nimii, the artisan who lived in Phail.

She couldn’t wait to have the ones she’d commissioned for the inn.

It would be a homey touch she hoped would make their inn stand out—and good business for her talented new friend in town.

Gray greeted Boomer with a pat and a rubdown, and then he sat beside Amber on the bed. He wrapped one arm around her and leaned in for a kiss. “Missed you.”

It had only been a couple of hours, but she grinned because it was true. “Missed you, too.”

“What are you working on?”

“Names for the inn and the rooms.”

He smiled. “You’re saying Inn more than B&B now, so that means you’re using Inn in the name?”

Her eyes widened. “I hadn’t realized I’d changed. Yes, you’re right. I’m leaning that way.”

“Amber’s Inn?”

“Absolutely not. I don’t want my name in it.”

He chuckled and leaned over to check out her notebook.

She flipped it to where she’d been playing with the names for the rooms and ideas for decor and items to search for.

“This is awesome. I love the idea of using old equipment as decorations. Why don’t we call out to someone at Midnight Lake and see if they mind if we take them up on their offer to search their basement and sawmill for things you can use to decorate? ”

“I don’t want to bother them.”

“They offered. They wouldn’t have done that if they hadn’t meant it.”

He lifted his phone and waited. When she nodded, he dialed.

“Hey Sam. It’s Gray Santoro from the apple farm.”

He was so easy with people. Amber had always been able to do it for her job. That was easier, as she was familiar with the other person’s expectations and hopes. Calling people who weren’t family had always been more challenging for her.

It wasn’t long before Gray was offering to pick up a meal for everyone from the No Fail Diner and promising to see them soon.

Without pausing, he called Ginny with an order for them.

When he hung up, she smiled. “It would have taken me twice this long to work up the courage to make the first call.”

He leaned over to kiss her softly. “We all have our strengths. Yours are many and varied, just not cold-calling people you barely know.”

“You know me so well.”

He waggled his eyebrows. “Inside and out. Now, let’s find you some treasures.”

G ray held Amber’s hand as the trees thinned, and they approached the Midnight Lake clearing.

The hike had been fun, and the path was easy to follow.

Boomer had enjoyed the fresh scents and bounding through the trees, although he never ranged out of sight or far from Amber’s side.

Now he bounded over to walk next to her.

Autumn was in full swing, and the scenery was unlike anything Gray had seen anywhere in the world. Amber had already taken dozens of photos. “Do you think the autumn leaves are so pretty in Vermont to make up for the fact that winter is coming?”

Amber laughed. “Maybe. If that’s true, it’s a good trade.”

Despite the laugh, Gray felt Amber’s tension rise. They were approaching people she didn’t know very well and asking for a favor. She didn’t realize people liked her exactly as is. She was an amazing person, and she knew that once they got through the initial few minutes, it would be easier on her.