up?”
“He’s been so distant lately. Why didn’t I see this coming? I can believe this is happening.”
“Let’s assume nothing has happened yet. Maybe the relationship ha just been heading in that direction, and he wanted to carry protection just to be on the safe side.”
“I need to confront him about it. Tell him what I found and see what he says.”
Sympathy swelled in Hanna, and she wished she were there to hold her sister and let her cry on her shoulder. “Do you want me to come over?”
She heard Alex begin to wail in the background. “I gotta go, Hanna. Alex bumped his head. I’ll call you later.”
She said good-bye, then jabbed the off button.
Oh, God. You have to help her.
The words jammed in her mind like cars in rush-hour traffic.
Later that night as Hanna sat behind the computer, she wondered how Nat was doing. Was she confronting Keith even now?
Help her, Lord. Give her the words and the strength she needs to handle this.
She kept remembering Keith’s kindness to her in extending the loan She knew his loan committee must have looked at it unfavorably, and yet he’d done it anyway. Life could be so complex. She dragged he hands over her face.
The screen saver kicked on, and she realized she’d hardly gotten a thing done. She continued transferring the reservations from the book to their old computer, Methuselah. Even though it was ancient by today’s standards, it still worked and even allowed her to access the Internet through free software. She’d recently invested in a program that allowed her to see at a glance how booked they were for any given week or month. Soon, she’d put all the guest information directly into the computer when she took reservations and use the book for backup only.
Gram entered the office. “How are we doing for June?”
Hanna paused her tapping and clicked on the button that would show June. “Here we are.” She pointed at the screen. “We’re half booked most nights and sold out for the third weekend. Not bad, huh?” Well on the way to the 38 percent increase they needed over last year.
“That’s wonderful!” She squeezed Hanna’s shoulders. “This is going to work out just fine. All your ideas were just the thing. Thank God for giving me such a brilliant granddaughter!”
“If I were brilliant, I would’ve done this two years ago.”
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Gram grabbed a paper from the desk and handed it to her. “There was a young man in while you were grocery shopping. He was interested in the watercraft position, and I had him fill out a … oh drat, what’s the word?”
“Application?”
“That’s it. Anyway, I skimmed it, and it looked pretty good, so I asked him to come back at seven tonight for an interview. I hope that’s all right with you.”
“Sure, that’s great, Gram, thanks.” Her grandmother went to the front desk to check in a guest, and Hanna studied the form. Devon Garret was a third-year business student at Central Wyoming and was seeking employment for the summer. That would work out fine since business slowed once fall arrived. He’d been employed at various businesses during previous summers. Why in the world was he interested in the Higher Grounds position? He was overqualified to oversee the watercraft and run the shuttle. When he heard what they were paying, he’d probably scoot right back to the accounting firm where he’d worked last summer. But if he didn’t, it would be their gain.
She finished keying in all the guest information and, before she knew it, seven o’clock rolled around. A golden-haired young man arrived, looking to be about her own age and wearing a baby blue polo with white Dockers shorts.
He extended a hand. “Hi, I’m Devon Garret, and I have an appointment with Hanna Landin.”
She shook his hand, noting his smooth, cool palm. “I’m Hanna. Nice to meet you, Devon. Why don’t you come back to the office, and we’ll talk.”
She took a seat behind the desk and