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rid of the snow, once the bulldozer was up on the main road here. When it was shifted we were fine.” He paused, turned to her. “And we are fine,”
    he reassured her.
    “What are your bookings like for the weekend?” she asked.
    “Pretty good, twelve out of the fifteen rooms are taken. And both restaurants are almost full. Local trade as well as the hotel guests.”
    Paul cleared his throat, briefly hesitating, and then said, “I know you’ll be able to sell this place, Meredith.
    Whether it’s to the Morrisons or someone else, because it’s such a good buy. And I just wanted Her Own Rules / 47
    to say this now…I’m really going to miss working with you. You’ve always been great, such a wonderful boss.”
    “That’s nice of you to say so, Paul, thank you. And I’ve enjoyed working with you all these years. And I couldn’t have done it without you. You’re definitely a big part of the inn’s success, you’ve put so much of yourself into it, built up the business so well. And as I told you earlier, if the Morrisons do end up taking it over, I’m sure they’ll want you to stay on. If you want to, that is.”
    “I do, and when they were over here last weekend they indicated they felt the same way.”
    “What’re your feelings about them? About their intentions, Paul?”
    “They’re more than interested, Meredith. I’d say they are extremely eager to get their hands on Hilltops, as I told Blanche the other day. It’s apparently what they’ve wanted for the last few years…a country inn in Connecticut, far away from the hectic pace of New York City and the rat race of Wall Street and Madison Avenue. New careers for them both. New lifestyles for them and their kids.”
    “I didn’t know they had children,” Meredith said, frowning. “Does that mean they’d want to live in the cottage? Your cottage?”
    Paul shook his head. “No, Mrs. Morrison’s indicated that they’re going to keep their house in Lakeville. But if they did want the cottage, Anne and I could always move into the inn until that apartment over the garage was made livable.”
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    Meredith nodded her understanding; she walked over to the fireplace, where she sat down, poured herself another cup of coffee. “Do you want a second cup, Paul?”
    “Yes, please.” Paul joined her by the fireside.
    They sat in silence for a few minutes, drinking their coffee, lost in their own thoughts. It was Meredith who spoke first, when she said, “As you know, the asking price for the inn is four million dollars, and so far I’ve not budged from that figure. Between us, I would come down a bit, just to make the sale. What’s your assessment of them regarding the price?”
    “It’s hard to say,” Paul replied, looking thoughtful.
    After a moment or two’s reflection, he went on. “I’d stick to your guns for a bit and see what happens. But just be mentally prepared to accept three million.”
    She shook her head. “No way, Paul, I’ve got to get three and a half million, at least. Anyway, the inn’s worth that…in fact, it’s worth four. My real estate people actually valued it at four and a half.”
    “But you’ve always said to me that someone’s got to want to buy a property to make it a viable holding, an asset.”
    “I know, I know, but I really do need three and a half million dollars for my expansion program,”
    Meredith said, putting her cup down with a clatter.
    “The two inns in Europe are going to cost money, and I’d like to have something left over from this sale for operating costs and to plow back into Havens.”
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    “Look, Meredith, I’m sure the Morrisons are quite well placed. He’s worked on Wall Street for years, and she’s been one of the partners in an ad agency on Madison Avenue. In any case, when you meet them, talk to them, you’ll be able to judge for yourself what the freight can bear.”
    “Too true…why try to second guess?”
    There was a knock