Read The Inn at Eagle Point for Free Online

far, but when you see the inn again, you'll understand why I had to
do it exactly this way. It's going to be amazing."

"It will only be amazing if you can keep the bank from foreclosing,"
Abby said direly. "Why didn't you call me sooner? I would have loaned you
the money."

"I don't need your money," Jess insisted. "I can do this on my
own. I just need to buy a little more time. A couple of months, max."

"You have reservations coming in?"

"We're booked solid the rest of the summer, and we're starting to get
reservations for the fall," Jess said proudly. "Plus, once word of
mouth kicks in about how cozy the place is and how fabulous the food is, that
should take care of the rest of the year, at least on weekends. I'm going to
offer some holiday specials, too, to try to boost bookings in November,
December and even the long weekends in January and February. I really do have a
great marketing plan, Abby."

"In writing?"

"No, but I can put it on paper, if that will help."

Abby nodded, her expression thoughtful. "Do that. Maybe it's the
bargaining chip you need. First thing tomorrow I'll meet you over there and
we'll go over all your financials. We can put together some realistic budget
projections, then I'll go with you to the bank on Monday."

Which meant, Jess knew, that she'd come face-to-face with Trace. Maybe that
wasn't such a good idea. "I know how busy you are. Once we put everything
together, if you need to go back to New York, I can take the paperwork to the
bank."

"It'll be okay. Let's face it, I speak their language and you don't. This
is your dream, and you tend to get sidetracked by all your plans. I can talk
hard, cold facts and numbers."

Jess gave in, because she knew Abby was right. She'd get emotional, while her
sister could keep her cool. "If you're really sure it won't be too big an
imposition, then thank you. I'll never be able to repay you for doing this for
me, Abby. I have to keep the inn. I just have to. It's the first thing that's
really mattered to me, ever. It's my chance to prove I'm as good as the rest of
the O'Briens."

Abby stared at her with a shocked expression. "What are you talking about,
Jess? Of course you're as good as the rest of us."

"Come on. I've always been the screwup, the hyper one with no ability to
focus. You probably expected me to mess this up from the beginning." The
belated diagnosis that she had attention deficit disorder had come when she was
ten and struggling in school. From then on, it had been her curse and, all too
often, an easy excuse for her failure to follow through on things.

"That is not true," Abby said, though her expression said otherwise.
"Sweetie, you have ADD. We all understand that. Despite that, look at all
you've accomplished. You graduated from high school near the top of your class.
You got your college degree. Those are huge accomplishments for someone with
ADD. You'll figure out how to manage everything at the inn, too."

"I barely got through college because I kept changing my major. And I've
drifted through half a dozen dead-end jobs since then," Jess reminded her,
determined to keep it real. "I'm twenty-two and I've never even had a relationship
that's lasted more than a few months."

"Because you haven't found the one thing or the one person you were
passionate about," Abby argued. "Now you have the inn. I remember how
you used to talk about it when you were little. You loved going over there. I
was so excited for you when you told me you'd finally bought it." Her
expression turned determined. "Stop worrying. I intend to do everything in
my power to see that you keep the inn."

"Short of bailing me out with money," Jess reiterated. "I won't
let you do that."

"Let's just see how it goes, okay? I have the money to invest in a sure
thing and I have faith in you."

Tears welled up in Jess's eyes. "I love you, sis."

"Love you more. Now let's get some sleep, so we can get started on all this
first thing in the morning. What time should I meet