Her needlework in her lap, Mae was watching Bailey with a concerned frown. Bailey hadn’t realized how long she’d been sitting in silence, thinking of the man she’d met that afternoon.
“I’m sorry, Aunt Mae. My attention wandered. I didn’t mean to be rude. What were you saying?”
“I asked if you’ve enjoyed your stay here so far.”
“Oh, yes, of course. Very much. The inn is just beautiful and the meals have been delicious. It’s no wonder the dining room is becoming so popular with the locals.”
“You haven’t gotten out at all since you arrived. Wouldn’t you like to see the area? Do some shopping or sightseeing?”
“I’ve been resting. I needed to be lazy for a few days.”
“You did look exhausted when you arrived. Quentin’s been working you too hard at that shop, hasn’t he?”
Bailey smiled ruefully. “You know Quentin,” she prevaricated.
Mae huffed. “Yes, I know Quentin. He’s a petty, unreasonable, self-absorbed, egotistical, tyrannical—”
Bailey laughed, despite herself. “All right, that’s enough. I know you never liked him. For that matter, everyone knows it. Including Quentin.”
Like her aunt, Bailey had never been one to hide her opinions behind a mask of polite fabrication. It was a trait that had finally gotten her fired, though she hadn’t yet mentioned it to her family.
“I don’t know how on earth you managed to convince him to give you a leave of absence,” Mae went on. “He always acted as though he couldn’t do without you for a weekend, much less for—how many weeks did you say you’re taking off?”
“I haven’t really decided yet,” Bailey hedged. She didn’t want to lie to her aunt, but she wasn’t ready to let everyone know what a mess her life was in right now. It was too humiliating.
Mae peered at her niece through her red-framed glasses, her softly lined face pensive. “Would you like to talk about it, dear? You know I’m always ready to listen when you h
ave a problem. Perhaps it would help to share it.”
Bailey blinked back a quick rush of tears, refusing to give in to them. She hadn’t cried in years; she wouldn’t start now. Not over Quentin. And certainly not over Larry, the man she’d invested so much time and effort into recently, only to find herself fearing for her safety because of him.
She sighed. “Thanks, Aunt Mae, but I’m not ready to talk about it just yet, okay?”
“Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be here.”
“I know. And it means the world to me.”
She quickly changed the subject. “Mark Winter seems very nice. I enjoyed visiting with him during dinner. I can see why he and Dean have become such good friends.”
Mark was the editor of the local newspaper, the Destiny Daily, and a frequent visitor at the inn. When he’d shown up for dinner at the same time Mae and Bailey were being seated, Mae had invited him to join them, an invitation he’d accepted with obvious pleasure. He seemed fond of Mae, and had treated her with respect, which had inclined Bailey to like him at once.
“Mark is a fine young man,” Mae said with a smile. “We see him often. He says he likes the food we serve much better than his own bachelor fare.”
“I don’t think it’s the food that keeps him coming here.”
Mae sighed softly. “You noticed that, did you?”
“How could I have helped it? Every time Cara entered the room, Mark all but fell into his plate. He’s obviously crazy about her.”
“Yes. I believe he fell in love with her the first time he saw her, only a few days after she came to work for us nine months ago. He’s asked her out at least twice a week since.”
“And how many times has she accepted?”
Mae sighed more deeply. “None.”
“She isn’t interested in him?”
“To be honest, it’s hard to tell. Cara keeps so much to herself. There are times when I’ve seen her looking at him, and I thought… well, anyway, she’s done everything she can to discourage his attentions. But she’s learning, as the rest of us have, that Mark is a persistent man. He’s very polite about it. He asks her nicely if she’d like to go out, she firmly turns him down, and he smiles and says maybe some other time. They’ve played that scene so many times, it’s become almost a habit whenever their paths cross.”