Chapter 9

Morgan flung Easton Estate's back door open and dashed inside. "Hey, Mrs. Arnsby."

"Hello, Morgan. How are you, my dear?"

"Busy. I have half a dozen things on the front burner. Is Brett around?"

"No. He left first thing this morning to head back to Toronto, something about a meeting he couldn't miss."

"Crud."

"I'm sure he's in his office by now, if you want to call him."

"Which is what I should have done in the first place."

"Your grandmother is upstairs in her apartment," the cook said.

"Thanks for the heads up." Morgan passed through the kitchen and strolled down the hall. She climbed the stairs and made her way into her private office, a room she rarely used.

First things first. She flung the balcony's double doors open to let some fresh air into the musty room and settled behind the desk. She opened her laptop, pulled up her bank accounts and went over her available cash on hand.

Seven hundred and fifty-five thousand dollars and twenty-six cents was the amount not tied up and able to be tapped into. Morgan did a rough calculation in her head. She was basically debt-free, with only minor utility bills, property taxes, and insurance.

Her positive cash flow from the bed-and-breakfast, plus rental property in Locke Village, not to mention the generous monthly income she received from Easton Holdings, meant she wouldn't even miss the money.

However, she knew little about partnering, real estate investing, and what to expect.

Morgan remembered keeping a copy of the tentative agreement Brett had crafted for the initial partnership. If it turned out to be a "go," she could easily tweak portions and use the same one.

A tinge of guilt crept in. She would be taking advantage of Brett's hard work in putting the agreement together. Perhaps she could offer him a percentage, a consulting fee. Or maybe he would want to throw in some of his own money and partner with them.

There was only one way to find out.

She forwarded a copy of the agreement to her email and then dialed her brother's cell phone number. The call went right to voicemail. She left a message asking him to call her back.

While Morgan waited, she began researching Harlow Wynn again. Reading between the lines, Wynn's daughter was the primary reason her grandmother didn't want to proceed. She found a small blurb about an accident, but nothing else.

Digging deeper, she found another story that hinted at the famous actress returning to Mackinac Island. Morgan chalked it up to gossip and false information. Eryn, Harlow's best friend, had insisted the woman would never return.

Still, it was something to consider if Harlow was lurking in the background, potentially "in the picture."

Morgan slid out of the chair to stretch her legs. She wandered out onto the balcony overlooking the rear yard. A small army of gardeners and landscapers cared for Easton Estates' lush grounds.

In comparison, Morgan had only one person caring for Locke Pointe—Greg—who did a phenomenal job. Clearly, David Wynn had been impressed…impressed enough to travel all the way to Easton Island.

Caught up in her musings, she jumped when her cell phone rang. It was Brett. She promptly answered the call. "Hey, Brett."

"Hello, Morgan. How did Greg's move go?"

"Easy peasy, thanks to Ben and Jax coming by to help. He's already settling in."

"Awesome. I'm glad to hear it."

"The reason I'm calling is I had a visitor this morning. David Wynn showed up on my doorstep."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Morgan thought they'd been disconnected. "Hello? Brett?"

"I'm here. What did he want?"

"He was curious about Locke Pointe. I gave him a tour. After we finished, he asked me if I was interested in partnering with him now that Easton Holdings has decided not to pursue it."

"What did you tell him?"

"I wanted to run it by you first."

"He needs more cash than you have on hand."

"I told him what I had available. He seems to think it would get the ball rolling. It would allow us to open the main structure and start turning a profit again. He's going to scale it down. I think it will work."

"Are you going to do it?"

"I want to, but I also don't want to step on anyone's toes. This was your deal from the start. You put in the time and effort. I'm interested, but not at the risk of causing hard feelings."

"Then tell him no."

Morgan's heart plummeted. She couldn't blame her brother. Not a single iota. "I understand. I'll tell him I can't partner. Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"You want to join us?"

"You, me and Wynn?"

"Yeah. He might be open to it."

"Might be?"

"I already suggested it. He said he would consider it."

"But would rather it be him and one other partner. I can't say I blame him," Brett said. "When do you need to give him an answer?"

"Tomorrow," Morgan said.

"Let me think about it. I'm leaning toward no but will give it some thought."

"Fair enough," she said. "Let me know."

"I will. Thanks for the heads up."

"You're welcome. There's no way I would agree to this without your blessing. Family first."

"Family first," Brett echoed. "I'll get back to you."

"I'll be waiting."

Morgan tidied up her office and then headed downstairs. She tracked down Jax and Ben, thanking them again for helping Greg move.

It was after noon and Morgan could feel her stomach start to grumble. Thinking poor Chester would be wondering what had happened to her, she ran home to grab a bite to eat.

She had just finished her soup and sandwich when Brett called back. "I think you should go ahead and partner with Wynn."

"Really? Are you interested in signing on with us?"

"Two is company. Three is a crowd."

"Not necessarily," Morgan argued.

"It's a great opportunity. I would rather see you grab it than someone else."

"I'm going to hold off until tomorrow to give him an answer. I want to sleep on it. And I want to hold off in case you change your mind," Morgan said.

"I appreciate it. Either way, I think you should go for it."

After the call ended, she and Chester took a long walk. Despite her brother giving her his blessing, an uneasiness settled over her.

A small part of Morgan felt as if she had taken something, something that didn't belong to her. On the flip side, she had made the trip and met with Wynn. She was a part of the family. Easton Holdings would not be moving forward with the partnership.

Brett had a point. If she didn't do it, someone else would.

Still feeling uneasy, she texted her grandmother, asking if she had time for a chat, to which she promptly invited her to stop by.

Bringing Chester with her this time, she headed back to Easton Estate. Through the main entrance and up the stairs, she and Chester went. They reached the end of the hall and she knocked on her grandmother's apartment door.

The door slowly opened. Elizabeth stood on the other side. "That was fast."

"We drove straight over."

A ball of white fur trampled over Elizabeth's foot.

Chester glimpsed Daisy, her grandmother's cat, skitter out into the hallway.

He lunged forward, nearly knocking her over in his excitement.

Morgan swooped down and quickly intervened. "Be gentle, Chester. Daisy is a lot smaller than you."

Corralling her excitement, Daisy pranced toward him and batted at his face.

Chester plopped down on his front haunches and barked. His ears and tail shot straight up in the air. Back and forth they played until Elizabeth scooped her cat up and carried her back into the apartment.

Morgan and her pup trailed behind. "Something looks different."

"Cleaner."

"Airier," Morgan said. "You're still sorting through things."

"No need to worry. I'm not getting ready to kick the bucket." Elizabeth waved dismissively. "It will take me years, maybe even decades, to sort through all of this."

"I like decades."

"Can I get you a cup of coffee or tea?"

"Thanks, but I'll pass. Chester and I already ate lunch."

Elizabeth led her into the formal living room and waited for Morgan to have a seat across from her. "Your message sounded urgent."

"It is." Morgan filled her in on the surprise visitor, the offer, and ended it with what Brett had said. "He gave me his blessing. He told me to go ahead and partner with Wynn."

"How did he sound?"

Morgan thought about it. "Okay."

"You think he's sincere? I know how gung-ho he was to take on Wynn Harbor Inn."

"I believe so. I even told him to take some time to think about it. He called me back, and that's when he said to go ahead."

"You already know my feelings. I believe things could get messy," Elizabeth said.

"Life is messy," Morgan said. "Or at least it can be."

Elizabeth studied her granddaughter's face. "You really do want to give it a go?"

"I do."

"There is one more thing about the Wynn family, a certain situation which was never made public. I only know about it through a friend of a friend." Elizabeth folded her hands. "In order for you to make an informed decision, I think you should be aware of what this is."