Free There's Always Plan B by Susan Mallery Page A

for free.”
    â€œHow is that going to help anything?”
    â€œIf they like what they see then they’ll think about holding their daughter’s wedding here. Or a birthday party. Or putting up out-of-town guests. We need to remind the world we’re still here. I’ve spoken with a few groups and they’re very interested. They love the idea that we’re haunted.”
    â€œSeems like you’ve been talking to the world.”
    â€œJust trying to get a handle on things. Everyone who has been here loves the place and those who haven’t are really intrigued. Without the ghost angle, I couldn’t get anyone to return calls. But Mary is a fabulous selling point. Who wouldn’t want to stay at a haunted B and B? That’s going to be our main selling point with the management off-sites. That, and the quiet.”
    Rhonda flipped through the pages. “I just don’t know. It’s all so much. Do we have to do this?”
    Carly sat across from her. “No, we don’t. But if you don’t want to make changes then you need to sell right now. The B and B is losing between two and three thousand dollars a month just to stay running and that doesn’t count the repairs or any replacement costs. Or property taxes. They’re incredibly high. At the rate you’re burning through the equity in this place, you have about three years left.”
    â€œWhat happens in three years?”
    â€œYou won’t be able to get enough money out of the sale to live on the proceeds. You’ll have to get a job.”
    Rhonda leaned back in her chair. “I don’t want that. I’m ready to retire.”
    â€œI know, Mom. The thing is, I would really hate for you to sell this house after all this time. It’s a part of our heritage. But I also want you to be financially secure. What I propose is that you give me one year to get the B and B back on its feet financially. If I can’t do it, then you can still sell and have your nest egg. If I can, then we’ll go back to what we’d always talked about—that I would take over the business and slowly buy you out.”
    â€œYou want to make a lot of changes. I’m not comfortable with this. Why does it have to be different?”
    â€œBecause you’re losing a lot of money.”
    Her mother closed her eyes. “I hate this. I wish your father hadn’t died. He always took care of everything. This has been so hard for me.”
    Carly sat next to her and took her hand. “It has. It’s been a long seven years and you’ve done a great job. But I don’t want you to lose your retirement and I really don’t want to lose the house.”
    Rhonda nodded, then looked at her daughter. “I just don’t know if you can do it. What if you fail?”
    Carly tried not to take the lack of confidence personally. “I’m asking for a year. That’s all. If things aren’t going well at the end of that time, you can still sell and get out enough to live on for the rest of your life.”
    â€œAll right. I’ll think about it.”
    Carly held in a sigh. Her mother was notorious for thinking about things for weeks at a time and then still not deciding.
    â€œI need to know by tomorrow.”
    â€œWhat?” Her mother glared at her. “I can’t decide something this big that quickly. You’re pressuring me. What does it matter if I take a few weeks?”
    â€œIt matters to me. I need Tiffany settled. If you’re going to say no, I need to find a job somewhere else and get her into a new school. I don’t want to have her start to make friends here only to uproot her again. It’s not fair. I’m asking you to decide in a reasonable time frame. I have responsibilities to my daughter, and I take them as seriously as you took your responsibilities to me.”
    Her mother’s eyes filled with tears. “This isn’t fair. If your