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going to change her life for the better. She’d started off by throwing herself into not just Andi and Nate’s wedding, but something that was allhers: the Tapping of the Maples Festival. In two weeks she was going to put on her first big event in the Adirondacks. Even before Stu had left, she’d watched the details line up one after the other and knew in her heart just how great the festival was going to be for the entire town.
    So, yes, she was uncomfortable, sitting in the inn’s kitchen with Sean. But that didn’t mean she was going to fold under the pressure. Just the opposite, in fact. Not only was she going to sit here and enjoy every single bite of her chocolate cake, but she was going to force herself to relax about Stu’s brother. For years she’d listened to Stu’s stories about his beloved older brother and she’d wanted to meet him. Finally, she was getting her chance.
    “So,” she said to Sean. “Stu said you were traveling?”
    “I was.”
    While she waited for him to say more she finally took a bite of the cake. Oh god, it was good, half a dozen layers of chocolate cake surrounded by white and brown frosting. So good that she might have actually let loose a small moan of appreciation.
    Closing her eyes to fully appreciate every single taste sensation of the cake, when she finally swallowed it down and opened her eyes back up, she was surprised to find a glass of milk in front of her.
    After drinking half the glass in one gulp, she smiled and said, “Thank you. That was the perfect touch.”
    “You’re welcome.”
    She swore one half of his mouth almost quirked up as he said it, but she couldn’t have proved it for a jury. It was just a sense she had that he was loosening up a little bit.
    “Where were you traveling, if you don’t mind me asking?”
    One of the things she loved most about her job was talking to the inn’s guests about their travels. She very much wanted to visit all those wondrous places she’d heard about.
    It was another vow she’d made to herself: one day would see the seven wonders outside of a book or cable TV program.
    “I’ve been all over Asia these past weeks.”
    She could tell he was a big traveler, simply by the way he said it, like it was no big deal to visit Asia. If it had been her, she would have been gushing all over the place and pulling out pictures.
    “I’ve always wanted to see that part of the world,” she murmured after taking a second, smaller bite of cake. “Do you have a favorite country in the Far East?”
    “Japan.” He seemed almost surprised by his response. “Especially in the spring.”
    She leaned forward on her hands guessing, “Were the cherry blossoms in bloom when you were there?”
    “Everywhere.”
    She closed her eyes, trying to imagine what it must have been like to stand beneath the pink blooms. “How lovely it must have been,” she said, a smile on her lips at the vision in her head.
    “Lovely,” he echoed.
    She opened her eyes and found his gaze locked to hers, a definite smile trying to form on his lips. His brown eyes were darker than she remembered them being a few minutes earlier. More intense. Which was saying something, because he was one of the most intense men she’d ever come across.
    Wanting to go back to that space they’d just been inwhere things had finally felt somewhat comfortable, she said, “Stu told me you own your own business.”
    His almost-smile disappeared. “I just sold it.”
    “Oh.” She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say to that. Of course, she went for honest. Just like she always did. “Is that a good thing?”
    “It was time to move on.”
    Yes, she knew about moving on. “Any thoughts about what you’re going to do next?”
    Feeling borderline comfortable again, she was about to take another bite of cake when Sean said, “Look, Rebecca, you seem like a nice person, but the truth is I don’t understand what happened with you and my brother. Maybe you could explain it