Page 35 of The Inn Dilemma

“Now, it doesn’t look like much in this state. But I know your aunt is going to love it. This combines everything she loves. A recliner for relaxing, a table for her coffee, and a resting spot for her book that can hold her place.”Uncle Walt looked so proud as his mess of a vision came to light on the page.

Axel asks, “So it’s a reading chair?” Pulling me out of my memories.

“Yeah, I guess that’s what you could call it.”

“What’s this thing?” He points to a triangle-shaped block on the edge of the attached table.

“A place to rest your book and hold your place.”

“Okay,” he says slowly. “Do you think it’d be possible to make the table swivel instead of just being attached to the side of the chair?”

Reality hits me. This is Axel’s first project; I’m all about being ambitious, but this may be too much.

“I’m up for tackling this project with you, but maybe let’s start a little smaller?” I ask.

Axel sheepishly scratches the back of his neck. “Yeah, maybe it’s a little much to start out with.” He squints as if deep in thought, then comes up with his own idea. “What if we made a little table with legs thatfits under the couch? Like something she can set her drinks and books on?”

I can’t help but smile at his excitement. “That’s something I think we can definitely do and pretty quickly too.”

Axel bounces on the balls of his feet. “When can we start?”

I check the time on my phone. “Umm…”

“Today?”

“Today?” I repeat, finding myself caught up in his excitement.

“Can we maybe at least get the materials today?”

“I can definitely do that.”

“Awesome!”

We hop in my truck and head to the nearest home improvement store. It seems that my list of builds just got a little longer.

“So what did you do today?” Nova asks over her shoulder as she brews her signature sweet tea. Hers is the best I’ve ever had, with more caffeine than a pot of coffee and just the right amount of sugar.

I knocked on her door after getting back from shopping with Axel. The more I’m in her presence, the more I want to be with her. Even though hanging out with my friend’s little sister when I was a teenager wasn’t always my hangout of choice, she rarely got on my nerves. If anything, she provided a slight reprieve from Christian’s serious persona. Don’t get me wrong, I love the guy, but it took getting married to a practical strangera few months ago for him to break free of his dad’s expectations and choose to live freely.

“I actually helped Axel plan his birthday gift for Roxy,” I answer.

“Really? I didn’t know her birthday was so soon.” Nova comes over carrying a tray of sweet tea and her homemade chocolate chip cookies. Baking was one of the few things Amanda did with Nova as a little girl. And if Amanda Price does anything right, it's cook and bake. Nova has the same gifts.

“It’s not super soon. But we’re building something for her, and he wanted to get a head start on it.”

She takes a spot beside me. Before she can try and serve me, I hand her a glass of tea and the biggest cookie on the platter. Then I grab my own.

My eyes roll into the back of my head as I bite down on the warm treat. The outside has the perfect crunch while the inside is soft, and the chocolate chips melt on my tongue.

“Your future husband is a lucky man,” I say with a groan.

It takes me a second to realize what I just said. My gaze swings to her, and the light blush on her cheeks gives away her own surprise. But the smile on her lips tells me the compliment is well-received.

Nova tilts her head to the side. “If I ever get married.” She emphasizes the if. Then she takes her own bite of cookie and clearly savors the taste. “And that’s a big if.” Slowly, she chews the rest of it and swallows it down with some sweet tea. “I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but these are pretty amazing. It’s a new recipe.”

“Did you come up with it?” I ask, taking another cookie from the plate.

“I did,” she says proudly with a little shimmy of her shoulders.

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