Page 5 of Return to Lovett Cove (Lovett Cove B&B #1)

CHAPTER FOUR

“You’re the one I’m…” Her voice trailed off. “R. Scott? You’re R. Scott?” Jasmine blurted. She looked baffled as her gaze roamed over him, like she hadn’t just seen him at the inn. Well, he did shower at the office and put on fresh clothes.

“River. Nice to meet you.”

Jasmine fidgeted in her chair. “Of course you are. A handyman and a lawyer?”

“What can I say? It’s a small town. We all have second and third jobs. Sometimes I volunteer for the fire department.”

“Okay, so where’s the paperwork I have to sign?”

“No time for biscuits?” he grinned lazily.

Candace greeted him and asked how his day was going. He told her it’d been busy, but he was just finishing. He thanked her for the biscuits. After dipping half a biscuit into a small pool of honey on his plate, River took a healthy bite. “Mmm. These are good any time of the day.”

“I already had mine,” Jasmine said, pouting.

“We can get you another one.” He waved at Candace and signaled for her to bring another plate.

“Oh, no. I’ve had enough.” Jasmine patted her stomach. “Watching my figure.”

River couldn’t help but watch it too. “Looks good to me. And since you’re not planning to stay, might as well eat as many as you can. You won’t find better anywhere.”

“No, I don’t think I will.”

River grinned at her as she gratefully accepted the biscuit. Her tense shoulders eased down when she took a bite. “Look at that, I think we just agreed on something.”

River opened the portfolio he’d brought and took out a pen. “Papers as requested. The house is officially yours.”

Jasmine eagerly picked up the pen. When she spotted the line for her signature, her hand hovered over the paper. He watched a mix of emotions play out on her face. Confusion, uncertainty…

“Something wrong?” River asked.

Jasmine put the pen down. “There’s an attorney who lives here, right? Someone I can talk to about this contract?”

“Oh, sure. Let me give you his number.” When she dialed it, River pulled out his phone and answered it. “Hi. RS Legal Services.”

Jasmine closed her eyes and let out a sigh. She placed her phone in her lap. “R.S. River Scott.” She stared at him with acute irritation.

River grinned. “Hi, Jasmine.”

“Isn’t this a conflict of interest or something?”

River stared at the ceiling, feigning deep in thought. “Nope. I was your mother’s attorney, and I handle real estate here in Lovett Cove. It’s a small town. Many of us wear multiple hats.”

Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re the town’s handyman also, right? If my mom needed something fixed, she called you?”

River chuckled. “Just doing her a favor. She mentioned the kitchen sink sounded clogged before…” He trailed off, sensitive to Jasmine’s grief. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Jasmine. Your mom was a wonderful woman.”

“Really?” she asked sarcastically. “I guess people can surprise you.”

She picked at the uneaten half of her biscuit, the papers forgotten. He knew a little about Jasmine’s relationship with her mother.

Or the lack thereof.

Lily had mentioned they were estranged, but she was working on repairing their relationship. Step One: Open an inn.

“Seriously, tell me what you’re thinking,” River asked. “We can at least talk it out.” Jasmine looked at him with suspicion. “I promise to give you objective advice. Free of charge, of course.”

Jasmine snickered at that, her half-smile genuine. “Okay, River, I want to sell the inn.”

“Okay…”

“Keeping it is out of the question.”

“How so?”

“This was my mother’s dream. Not mine. I’m not even sure why she moved to this…” Jasmine stared out the window.

People milled about on their daily rounds. River knew most of the people after living here a few years. Some faces came and went, but most stayed and created a wonderful community of good, neighborly people. “You were saying?” River encouraged.

“This is a really small town,” Jasmine remarked.

“It is. But that’s part of the charm and beauty of Lovett Cove. Your mother settled here easily enough. People are nice and accepting of one another. I’d be surprised if you haven’t felt that already.”

Jasmine nodded and looked toward Petunia and Candace, who were arguing about something. Usually, which decorations went with their “brand.”

“You’re right,” Jasmine agreed. “I have felt…wanted. Not by you.”

He grinned at the dig she snuck in there at the end. Jasmine popped a piece of biscuit in her mouth and chewed with her nose lifted. She looked cute. He could almost hate bringing her down a peg or two. Almost. “I don’t recommend selling the house as-is.”

“Of course you don’t.”

“It’s not that I’m trying my best to annoy you.”

“This is your best?”

“It’s because you’re likely not going to get back what your mother paid to purchase it. There are repairs people will expect to be made before they’ll put in an offer to purchase.”

Jasmine frowned and looked at her phone’s clock. “Repairs? Like the kitchen faucet? How long will that take?”

River caught the time. “Longer than the day you were planning on spending here, I’m guessing.” He stood, and she looked panicked. “I’ve got another appointment to get to and another one after that. But I can show you what I mean tomorrow, if you can stick around another day.”

“I…My job. I’m very busy. I can’t stay—”

“Lily stayed on the second floor, in the largest guest room. It needed the least amount of work, so she started there. She might’ve left you a few things, too.

The key is under the yellow flowerpot with the jasmine flowers.

Just don’t use the kitchen sink, but there’s a small one in the guest room.

” River spotted the unsigned papers. “Read over the paperwork. If you have any questions, we can go over them tomorrow.” River smiled at Jasmine, whose skin had paled slightly.

“Welcome to Lovett Cove. Sleep well. Call me if you need anything.”

He last saw her staring out of the cafe window at him, hands on the glass, like she was trapped.