Free The Inn at Eagle Point by Sherryl Woods Page A

strategy."

"Strategy for what? Getting your name on the deed?"

"Jess!"

There was a flash of hurt in Abby's eyes, but Jess didn't feel like relenting.
She was spitting mad and she needed someone to take it out on. Her sister was
the most obvious choice, since Jess couldn't go back inside the bank and start
pummeling Trace. Even in her fury, she knew that would be counterproductive.

"I should have let Mick handle it," she said. "He'd have made a
couple of calls and the bank would have backed down. I might have had to listen
to his I-told-you-so's from here to eternity, but that would have been better
than being stabbed in the back by you."

Temper flared in Abby's eyes, and Jess knew at once she'd gone too far.

"That's it," Abby said, her tone icy. "I came down here because
you asked me to. I didn't create this mess, but I found a way out of it. I
convinced Trace to go along with it, so you could keep the inn." Her scowl
deepened. "And now you want to blame me because Trace put a condition on
his terms for not foreclosing? Did you hear me ask for this? Didn't you hear me
tell him no? Do you honestly think I want to be tied to Chesapeake Shores for
who knows how long, when my life is in New York?" She shook her head.
"It really is true—no good deed goes unpunished."

With that, she turned and walked away. Guilt flooded through Jess. Abby was
right. She hadn't asked for this outcome. And maybe, just maybe, if Jess hadn't
kept the fact that she was going to be dealing with Trace from her, Abby would
have expected something like this and could have come up with a different
strategy. As it was, she'd been blindsided, exactly as she'd warned Jess she
didn't want to be. And Trace had clearly gone back on his promise not to let
his personal feelings interfere with the bank's decision. No way had this been
about anything except getting even, forcing Abby to remain in contact with him,
just so he could…What? Humiliate her? Date her? She hadn't figured that part
out yet.

Jess drew in a deep breath, then ran after her sister. "Abby, wait!"

Abby didn't even slow down. In fact, she was in such a fit of temper that she'd
just stormed right past her rental car. Jess finally caught up with her in the
next block.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It wasn't your fault. I know that. He
just made me so furious."

"Join the club," Abby said dryly. "Why didn't you tell me Trace
was working at the bank and that he was involved in this? You knew, didn't
you?"

"Not when I called you," Jess swore to her. "He hasn't lived
here in years. Right before you got here, he came by the inn to look things
over. That's the first I knew about him being back in town, much less working
at the bank. I was afraid if you knew, you'd bail on me."

Abby lifted a brow. "Don't you know me better than that?"

"I had no idea how deep the bad blood ran between the two of you. You
never said why you broke up with him. Everyone in town knew you broke his
heart. What no one seemed to know was why, or if maybe he'd broken yours, too.
You never wanted to talk about it. Remember, I asked about a million times
until you told me if I mentioned him one more time you were going to stop
calling home?"

"You really were a pest," Abby said, but her lips quirked at the
reminder. "Okay, I suppose I understand why you didn't want to tell me I'd
be dealing with a man I'd dumped."

"Let's not forget that I did try to tell you," Jess reminded her.
"Dad arrived home, remember?"

Abby nodded. "I remember."

Jess extended an olive branch. "Want to go have that coffee, after all?
I'll treat."

"With what?" Abby retorted. "Every penny you possess has to go
into the inn. I'll treat."

Jess grinned. "Fine by me, but just so you know I'm ordering two eggs,
bacon and waffles, too. My stomach was too queasy for me to eat breakfast
before the meeting. Now the whole infuriating discussion has left me famished.
How about you?"

"If Sally served liquor, I'd have a double shot of something, but since
she