Page 24 of His Hot Mess

“Oh my gosh, so am I!” I blurted, and soon both of us were laughing.

I breathed as my muscles loosened. This was a good idea. Now I’d definitely have to eat crow and thank Chris for the connection.

A little more relaxed now, I took in the view as we stood on the porch.

“Your house is stunning,” I said, unable to keep the awe from my voice.

It really was. The lake house looked like something out of a magazine. Two or maybe three stories—I couldn’t tell from the steps; white clapboard siding; a sprawling porch with a painted swing and gorgeous spring plants spilling from giant pots on the porch and boxes on the windows.

The grounds were beautiful too. The grassy property sloped down to the shore of Ruby Lake, one of the smaller Jewel Lakes. The water sparkled like diamonds in the afternoon sun.

“The property was gifted to us, if you can believe it,” Cat said as she led me to the front door.

“Gifted!”

“I know. It used to be my old boss’s. My mentor, actually.”

Hearing her talk about a mentor reminded me of the conversation I’d had with Chris. I wondered who his mentor had been. And if he’d also been gifted a giant lake house.

We moved into the living room, where a plate glass window overlooked the porch and water beyond.

“It’s a long story,” Cat said, “but the end result is Alfred moved to a new place over on Emerald Lake and left this house to my boyfriend’s camp—the adjoining property over there.”

Cat pointed to a wide dock stretching out into the water from a point of land up shore. At the shoreline, I could see a newer-looking outbuilding and racks of canoes lined up under a protected overhang.

“Your boyfriend runs the camp?”

“We both do. Sort of. Jake oversees the operations—it’s his baby. But I helped him do all the fun backend work—incorporation, tax filings, all that important stuff. Which is why you’re here to see me, I understand?”

I smiled. “Yes. Thanks so much for seeing me.”

“Well, you’ll be the first person besides Jake to join me in my new office down here. Grayscale did an amazing job of converting the main floor of this place to offices.”

I’d almost forgotten Chris had worked on this place, even though it was the whole reason he knew Cat and had connected me with her.

Cat led the way down a wide hallway to a room with a placard over it that said CATHERINE JONES. Inside was a large mahogany desk sitting in front of a wall of half-filled bookshelves. At the other end of the room, where we stood now, was a sitting area, with four neatly arranged easy chairs and a coffee table in the middle. A bay window overlooking the trees at the side of the lake completed the room.

“I’m sorry about the boxes,” Cat said. “I’m still moving in.”

“Looks like my apartment,” I laughed.

She told me to make myself comfortable while she went to get us coffee.

I got a good feeling from Cat—she was warm and friendly, but when talking business, spoke with a certain amount of authority. On the phone when she’d set up the appointment, she’d told me she was a corporate lawyer by trade but that she was setting up a new business specializing in helping women starting up their own businesses.

Cat’s strong-woman-in-charge style reminded me of Lucy in some ways, which added to my comfort. Growing up, I’d relied on my big sister to be the authority on everything. It was easy for me to take the backseat—or spend my time contemplating the flowers and singing to myself instead of making my own decisions—when my sister was such a take-charge personality.

But I wasn’t here to get babysat. I didn’tneedbabysitting. I straightened my clothes and reminded myself I was here to tell Cat what I needed and get advice. That was all.

After she came back and we were both settled with our mugs, Cat pulled out a notebook and pen.

“So, tell me about your vision for your business.”

My stomach rattled with revived nerves. I put my coffee down.

“Well… it’s going to be a vintage clothing shop. I’ve already signed the lease and will be starting improvements to the store tomorrow.”

Of course this reminded me of Chris, and I felt my cheeks flush.

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