Page 30 of Unexpected Entanglement

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Chris looked around as Rowan drove them in one of the golf carts the inn owned. He’d suggested she show him the rest of the property. She’d driven him along the perimeter of the woods that occupied much of the Kelly land. She’d explained there were trails in the woods that Kieran’s staff had continued to maintain. And they had plenty of water sports equipment and bicycles for future guests to rent.

“You have a lot of potential here,” he said. “You can do guided hikes, kayaking, or paddle board trips. Guests like classes on local interests.”

“Oh, yeah?” Rowan vaguely replied.

“At the Bali resort, we offer Balinese cooking lessons and Batik lessons—a local fabric-design method drawing patterns on fabric with wax, just for example.”

“Bali’s culture is different enough for your clientele to want to learn it.”

“Every place has its uniqueness. We just have to find it.”

Rowan scoffed. “Come to Bright Head Inn. We’ll teach you how to put a lobster to sleep before you plunge it to its death in a pot of boiling water.”

“There you go. There’s an art to it. Cooking lobster can intimidate non-Mainers,” Chris pointed out.

“You’re not serious?” She chuckled.

“I am. Maybe you’d want to make it sound more appetizing, less homicidal. Ask Alex what she would do if she was to teach a regional cooking class.”

“You really think people who come here to relax would want to take a cooking lesson?”

“It’s really about the experience. Make it into a fun time that they’ll remember fondly. They might not cook lobsters when they get home, but they’d say, ‘Hey, remember that time we cooked lobsters at Bright Head Inn? That was awesome.’”

“How do I do that?” Rowan asked seriously.

“Offer it as a group class, hands-on, interactive. Adding a booze element always loosens up people.” Chris glanced at her with a grin. “Maybe combine it with a Maine beer tasting.”

She glanced back at him with a bop of her head and a glint in her eyes, though the brim of her hat made it harder for him to see them clearly. The cap was starting to be his new pet peeve. But he put the weird irritation toward a piece of outerwear aside.

They were driving back toward the main house when he saw several buildings standing a little farther away from the central cluster. “What are those?” he asked.

“The smaller two-story house is the manager’s house I told you about last night. The other will house any full-time workers who need it. Some of the farm’s interns from the mainland are currently staying there.”

“That’s smart. That means you can have on-call staff if needed,” Chris noted.

“It’s fully furnished rooms with standard comforts, but it’s quite basic. I expect whoever lives in it will want to personalize it to their liking, so I didn’t put extra touches on it.”

“I could’ve stayed there. I don’t mind—”

“Roughing it?” Rowan smirked.

Chris laughed. “I don’t mind basic. After seeing everything today, I’m sure whatever you provide is far from roughing it.”

“Yeah, I won’t place you in a staff room.” She asked, “You don’t like your room?”

“I love it. I had the best sleep last night.” He recalled how pleasant it was to fall asleep to the sound of crickets. “Will you need that room for the wedding party? I’m fine if you need me to move somewhere else.”

“I might, but I’m still waiting for a confirmation on Meredith’s last-minute addition.”

“Just let me know.” He continued, “So, let’s tackle this wedding. What can I take off your hands, Boss?”

“Don’t call me that.” She gave him a stink eye. “Do your staff call you ‘boss’?”

“Sometimes.”

“Well, I don’t like it.”

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