Her Secret Daughter. Ruth Logan Herne

hotel would love a beach-themed restaurant on the ground level. Why not yours? Why go outside the area for a chain when we’ve got top quality right here? And before you ask how I know that, your reviews and numbers have been checked thoroughly. You’re not even a gamble for us, Josie. The Bayou Barbecue is the real deal, and we’d be stupid not to extend this offer.”

      “To put the restaurant in the hotel?” She made a face of consternation. “What about the locals? Could they access it? Where would they park? I don’t want them to feel like they have to get dressed up to come get food.”

      “Casual, beachwear, flip-flops, totally dive-friendly. We’ll even do the decor to reflect what you’ve got here, and if you’d throw your smokers into the deal, we’ll move everything under your supervision and design the kitchen to your specifications with a July 1 opening date. The take-out shack would make it easy for folks to do drive-through like they do here, and we could have that staffed twelve months of the year if it’s heated.”

      * * *

      She should say no.

      She should say no because to oversee the restaurant at the hotel, with Addie right there... How could she do this, then watch her leave in a few months? How could she put herself through that?

      But then she looked over at her daughter’s happy face, a face bearing her grandmother’s sea green eyes and pale, Celtic skin. The narrow dusting of powdered sugar around sweet pink lips cemented her answer, because looking at Addie, there really wasn’t a choice. “I’d like that, Jacob. I’d like it a lot. How soon can you have the paperwork ready for me to run by my lawyer?”

      He handed her the folder. “We were hoping you’d consider the idea.”

      Her heart went tight. Stark reality said she needed to hand back his folder and quietly walk away because of the deal she’d struck with the agency over six years before. But now—

      Things were different now, and not by her doing. Something had gone wrong shortly after the adoption papers were filed, and if Ginger and Adam O’Neill had done that intentionally, they’d accepted Addie under fraudulent terms.

      Josie wasn’t sure how to set things right. She needed more information, and taking this rental contract to Cruz would give her the excuse to put him on the trail. But one way or another, the thought of working in the same area with her beloved daughter was too good a chance to pass up. “I like a company that plans ahead. I’ll run these by my lawyer’s office this afternoon and get back to you.”

      “By five o’clock Thursday?”

      She nodded, stood and slipped the folder onto a stainless steel countertop. “Absolutely.”

      “Then we should go.” He stood, too, and when Addie sighed, he angled his head. “Really? I brought you over for the best breakfast we’ve had in a long time, kid. Don’t push it.”

      Addie didn’t whine. She didn’t pout. She slid down off the stool, then grabbed Josie in a hug—a hug she’d dreamed about for six long years. A hug that made her realize she would never want to let the girl go again...

      “Thank you, Miss Josie! It was great!”

      “You’re welcome, Addie.”

      “And I’ll look forward to hearing from you, Josie. If your lawyer offers approval before Thursday, just call me. I’ll get a crew right over to dismantle everything and bring it up the beach.”

      Two months with Addie.

      Two months watching the child she’d given away as she laughed, skipped and hopped her way through life.

      She didn’t need Cruz’s approval for that. No matter the terms, she’d grab this contract because it offered her something she never thought she’d have, time with her daughter. And that was a dream come true, no matter what the terms.