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call home. Letting go is going to be the hardest part. I’ve known some of these kids since they were born. It’s going to be like leaving family.”
    “I totally understand,” Gabi said.
    “All right,” Nell said, “enough of that. My husband, John, normally makes the introductions, but since he couldn’t be here this morning because he had a doctor’s appointment, I’ve been appointed as his fill-in.” Gabi acknowledged with a nod of her head. “All right. Let’s do it. Don’t forget, until we close, Corey’s the boss,” Nell said.
    “Understood.”
    Walking through the double doors, the first thing Gabi noticed was no one was wearing a chef’s uniform, just casualwear. She’d always been of the mind that if you dressed the part, you felt the part and therefore were the part.
    “Can I have your attention for one minute,” Nell said. “This is Gabrielle Johnson, the new owner.”
    No one seemed surprised by the announcement. She figured Corey must have told everyone.
    Nell turned to Gabi. “Let me introduce you to everyone. Of course, you’ve already met Corey yesterday. Next to him is Joey; he’s been here for a year now. He comes to us from The Frenchtown Inn and works on meats.”
    “This is Leslie.” Leslie gave Gabi a welcoming smile. “Leslie’s fresh out of culinary school and she’s on desserts, and Steven over here runs the fish grill. Okay, let’s go into the dining room so I can introduce you to the waitstaff,” Nell said and guided her through the door. “Right now, we only have three waiters. This is Dan, he’s a newlywed, so that bright smile of his isn’t about to diminish anytime soon.”
    She motioned for Brian, who was polishing the silverware, to join them. Gabi recognized him as the young man who helped with their luggage when she brought the girls to New Hope to see the inn. She was certain this was his first job because he didn’t look any older than nineteen or twenty.
    “Hi, Brian. Nice to see you again.” He smiled and gave a slight wave.
    Pointing to a woman, Nell continued, “And this lovely lady is Rosemary. She’s slightly distraught we’re leaving, but she’ll be okay. Right, Rosemary?”
    Rosemary’s mouth twisted to the left. “Yeah, I guess so.”
    “Yes, I remember Rosemary,” Gabi said. “She was the one to tell me you were interested in selling the inn.” Rosemary simply shrugged. “It’s nice to see you again too, Rosemary.”
    Gabi walked away, uncertain as to whether Rosemary would be under her employ for very long.
    “Okay, that’s the staff. I’ll let you get to work now,” she said, walking back into the kitchen. “Now, you all treat her nice.”
    Everyone nodded, but it was obvious they were a little apprehensive about her. Hell, she was apprehensive too. She hid her shaking hands and hoped no one saw them. It was important for her to show them she was easy to work with. Despite her growing excitement, she thought it might be a good idea to practice a bit of decorum before she made a fool of herself. Otherwise, she’d be dancing around the kitchen celebrating. While that might have been a cute sight to see, it wouldn’t have garnered her any respect.
    After Nell left the room, Gabi gave a quick scan of the room. It was a regular-size kitchen that was typical of old homes. With four employees in various parts of the kitchen, excess tables and disorganization, the room appeared smaller than it actually was. She made a mental note to reorganize the kitchen for easier access, but she wouldn’t make any changes until she actually closed on the property. Gabi could smell bread baking and watched as Joey inserted two trays filled with ducks inside the big oven and shut the door. Four sets of expectant eyes stared at her, but it was Corey’s expression of disgust that caught her attention. She saw a muscle flicker in his jaw when he noticed she was looking directly at him. He gave a slight nod and headed toward the