THEY WERE SITTING ON A BENCH IN A PARK NOT FAR FROM THE HOTEL. The weather was perfect: the heat of the summer was already gone, but the trees still kept their leaves and the greenness of the holiday months. On that same bench, she had sat with Mrs. Sloan three weeks before. They'd met in a park similar to this one, and on subsequent encounters, given the proximity to Patty's B&B - where the lady was supposedly staying as a guest -, they'd chosen for their conversations this other park, where she was now discussing her future life with another virtual stranger.
"I'll stay," she said.
"Great," Jesse just whispered. "This is scary for me too, you know? After eight years, working for Mrs. Sloan had become pretty comfortable. She was quite a good boss too. This is all going to be so different for both of us… But I really want to do it! I don't feel that I have to do it anymore! Now it's my desire!" he saw Kathy's confused look. "Sorry, I got… carried away."
"You've put into words the evolution I've witnessed in you since we met. At first, you seemed forced to convince me and now it's like you're somehow… free."
"That's right. And it feels great."
"I don't understand."
"You're not supposed to."
"Mr. Tanner?" A man in his late forties, wearing a dark blue suit with a white shirt and no tie, came walking down the lane from the hotel. He was handsome, in a 1950s-movie-actor way. His impeccable hair and his serene small eyes radiated a kind of active but peaceful energy Kathy liked. "I'm so sorry to interrupt, but we would really appreciate your supervision of the winter budget. It was customary of Mrs. Sloan to do so."
"Of course. Steve, isn't it? Steve, this is Kathy Schneider. She is the co-owner of the hotel."
"Nice to meet you, Ms. Schneider. I am Steve Grant, assistant manager of the Pink Roses Hotel, at your service."
Kathy watched as the two men walked away. Jesse had insisted she went with them, but she preferred to go back to Patty's Bed & Breakfast. She recognized and appreciated Jesse's efforts to involve her in everything, but her mind wasn't clear enough and her spirit wasn't calm enough to go through the hotel's books just then. She had agreed to stay, to be his partner. Nevertheless, her whole body was feeling out of place. Again she felt like crying, which was a waste, she thought, amidst such beautiful scenery. She knew what was happening - she was afraid of not being able to assume the great responsibility of managing the two businesses, even if shared, and the fear was a trigger for a chain reaction of every upsetting feeling that was stored in her mind.