Chapter 1

"Hey, Grace, what are you doing?" Molly asked as she entered the dining room. She put her keys and purse down on the far end of the table, careful not to get too close to the project Grace was working on.

Without looking up from the sign she was painting, Grace replied. "We thought it was time to officially name the B&B, so Cole made this sign for me to put up in front of the house. The only problem is, I can't come up with a name."

"Why do you think you need a name?"

Surprised to hear the marketing queen pose such a question, Grace finally looked up and raised her brow. "I thought you, of all people, would be all over me giving this place a cute name. Don't you think it would help us stand out? Or, at the very least, be easier for our guests to find?"

Molly went silent momentarily, then sighed as she pulled out a chair and sat. "You're right; we should have done this a long time ago. I am really off my game these days." She shifted uncomfortably as she struggled to fit her pregnant belly between the chair and the table. "Between the pregnancy, the new business, and the hotel, I just can't keep up anymore."

Grace reached over and patted her hand. "You're doing great!" she replied enthusiastically. "Besides, this is a group effort. You don't have to be responsible for everything."

"I suppose," she looked doubtful.

"I mean it," Grace reassured her. "Now, why don't you help me pick a name?"

"We should probably pick one for the hotel as well," she said thoughtfully. "It will be much easier to get the hotel listed on search engines if it has a name."

This was news to Grace. "I thought we agreed we wouldn't run the hotel year-round?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean we should avoid listing it online. These days, no one's willing to trust a business that doesn't have an internet presence. It's not a big deal to blackout dates out of season and only allow people to make reservations for our open dates. In fact, it could even help us manage our bookings."

"Okay, fine. As long as this doesn't turn into another scenario like the one with Evie's wedding," Grace said, referring to last summer when Molly and Grant rented out the hotel to guests before it was ready.

Molly sighed again. "I know you're still upset about that, but think of it this way: we made enough money to replace the roof and remodel two of the three floors. Not bad for a couple of week's worth of work!"

Grace stared at Molly silently.

"Okay, I know you're still mad about the roof. Grant and I should have never agreed to buy the hotel without an inspection, but everything worked out in the end, right?" Molly asked hopefully.

The hotel and the two highly stressful weeks she spent remodeling it were still a sore subject for Grace. She had been against buying it in the first place but had gone along with it to keep the peace. Running a seasonal bed and breakfast and caring for her elderly granny already kept her busy enough; she didn't need to add a third thing to her full plate. But, and she might never admit this out loud, she was proud of her work at the hotel. Still, if they had listened to her in the first place, they could have avoided many of their problems. None of that mattered now. What's done is done, as Granny would say.

"Why don't we focus on coming up with a couple of names," Grace said, changing the subject. She loved Molly and didn't want to fight with her. Especially since she was due with her first baby any day now. The last thing Grace wanted to do was cause her friend unnecessary stress.

As if sensing the tension, or more likely, a new toy to play with, Piper jumped up on the table and began to swat at the paintbrush in Grace's hand. With a laugh, Molly grabbed the adorable black and white kitten, cuddling her to her chest as she cooed over her. "That sounds great," she smiled. "We might need some help, though; this is a big decision."

"Help with what?" Rebekah asked as she walked in the door and set her stuff down next to Molly's. "What big decision?" she looked pointedly at Grace as if expecting an announcement.

"Help with naming the B&B and hotel," Molly replied.

"Oh," Rebekah looked disappointed. "I guess I can help with that."

"Were you hoping for something else?" Grace asked innocently.

Rebekah rolled her eyes as she took a seat next to Grace. "Not that I'm not loving the change of pace from 'bustling New York' to 'so slow you could get passed by a snail Winterwood,' it's just we need some excitement around here."

"You mean a wedding," Grace deadpanned.

"I would settle for a big party if it would help pay the bills. Small towns are great, but it's hard to earn a living when you don't have paying customers."

"I thought you were advertising in the surrounding cities?" asked Molly.

"That's the plan, but I was holding off until the hotel was ready. Hard to entice people to come here when there's nowhere for them to stay," she blew out a breath. "Anyway, let's figure out those names. I'm assuming this is the last hurdle we need to jump before the hotel opens for business?" she asked hopefully.

Grace was about to respond when a popular country song began to play, startling them all. Rebekah quickly grabbed her phone and looked at the number on the screen. "It's an unknown number," she said out loud. "Probably spam."

"You better answer anyway. All of your potential customers will be unknown numbers," Molly explained.

"Good point," Rebekah swiped at the screen. "Hello, this is Rebekah Rutherford."

Molly and Grace sat silently as they eavesdropped on Rebekah's side of the conversation, not that they got much out of the "uh-huh and sounds goods."

As soon as Rebekah hung up, Molly's phone rang, and she repeated the process almost to the tee.

Grace and Rebekah were fidgeting in their seats by the time she hung up, though for different reasons. "One of you want to tell me what's going on!" Grace exclaimed.

Rebekah and Molly looked at each other with huge grins on their faces. "Go ahead," Molly nodded toward Rebekah.

"That was the radio station," Rebekah began, excitement dripping from her voice. "They're doing a huge promotion for Halloween, and they want me to run it!"

"That's great!" Grace said, a bit bewildered. "So, you're going to do some kind of party?" She looked at Molly. "What does this have to with you?"

"No, silly," Rebekah interrupted. "They're doing a Halloween-themed wedding! This is going to be the most fun I've ever had!"

Molly smiled gently at Grace's confusion. "They want the hotel to host the family members of the lucky bride and groom," Molly explained. "Same setup as Evie's wedding."

Another last-minute wedding? What happened to brides spending years planning their special days? Or giving guests more than a week's notice? But what did she know? She was just an innkeeper. "Guess this means we don't have to worry about booking guests for Halloween. How exactly does this help the radio station?"

"The promotion will garner a lot of attention, which will increase the amount of people tuning in, which, in turn, will increase the amount of money they can charge for advertising," Molly explained.

"Are we going to get paid for this? Or is it one of those 'donate for exposure' things?" asked Grace.

Molly made a face. "We were asked to give a discount, but it was only ten percent. Given the amount we'll save on advertising fees, it seemed a fair trade."

"What about you," Grace asked Rebekah.

"I don't know yet. I have a meeting with the producer tomorrow morning."

Things still weren't adding up for Grace. "How do they even know about us? I mean, we're an hour outside of the city. We're not exactly on their radar."

"Kenzie from the winery recommended us. The wedding is going to be held there," Rebekah replied.

That actually made sense. "Guess that means it's time to get to work," Grace sighed. "We only have twenty days until Halloween…" she trailed off as a thought popped into her head. "You know, we should bring back the fair. Those usually last around three days, and that would give the guests something to do while they're waiting around for the wedding."

"A fair sounds fun," Rebekah shrugged. "Not exactly a wedding or a party, but I would be willing to help."

"I was thinking we would do some kind of haunted hotel event at the hotel," Molly chimed in. "Maybe charge a small fee to bring in a little extra revenue?"

Undoubtedly, Grace would be in charge of bringing that little idea to life. For once, she had a project she could look forward to. She had always loved Halloween but had never had the money to celebrate it. This year was going to be different. This year, she had an excellent excuse for going all-out and putting together the best Halloween experience this town had ever seen. It might not make up for all the years she missed out on as a kid, but it would come close.

"Sounds good to me," Grace replied. "We still need those names, though. It would be nice to have them ready for the radio station when they start advertising."

"Why don't we all give it some thought, make a list of names, and then meet back here tomorrow to discuss them," said Molly. She struggled to get to her feet but ultimately managed, with a bit of help from Grace, to get out of her chair. "I need to return to the office and create a promotion package. I'll see you guys later."

Grace watched her go, then turned to Rebekah. "Does she seem okay to you?"

"Pregnancy stress," Rebekah replied as she dug through her purse. She pulled out a notebook and pen and saw Grace watching her. "It's almost time for the baby to come, right?"

Grace nodded. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"I'm not exactly an expert, but Molly's life will change dramatically once the baby's here. She'll have to make some changes career-wise, and I think that's getting to her."

"Seems kind of unfair," Grace mused.

Rebekah shrugged. "Life is unfair. She wanted the kid, so sacrifices must be made."

"You sound a little bitter," Grace observed.

She focused on her notebook, studiously avoiding Grace's gaze to hide her anger. "I spent the first part of my life as an accessory for my socialite mom and the last part as a bartering tool for my dad. At no point did either of them consider the fact they chose to bring an actual human into the world. A human with her own wants, needs, and dreams for the future. I believe Molly and Grant will be great parents, but at some point, they will have to learn to put their baby first and their careers second."

Rebekah's words sounded harsh, but Grace supposed she had a point. Molly and Grant almost divorced by allowing their careers to rule their lives. Moving to Winterwood was supposed to be their chance to slow down and start over, yet it took less than a month for them to start new businesses and fall back into their old habits of working seven days a week. This baby may be the thing that finally helps them change their priorities once and for all.

* * *