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

father were still alive…”
    â€œBut he isn’t.”
    â€œYou think I don’t know that? I’ve had to deal with this all by myself. You haven’t been any help. You’ve been running around having a good time while I suffered.”
    Carly stood and stepped back a couple of steps. “I’ve been raising my child.”
    â€œWith that no-good man you married. I don’t understand it. And now you come back here and want to order me around.”
    Carly knew that however this went, she was going to be the bad guy. “That’s not my intent. I saw us as partners. I’ve offered my vision for what we can do to make the B and B successful again. I’m willing to work sixteen-hour days and devote myself to the project. All I ask in return is for you to either agree or disagree. But I won’t wait forever. If you don’t like what I want to do, then you’ll need time to figure out what you want to do instead.”
    â€œOh, sure. Put it all on me. You’ve always been difficult, but I don’t remember you being so hard-hearted. When did that happen?”
    â€œI have no idea,” Carly told her, feeling both sad and resigned. Why couldn’t her mother simply make a decision? Obviously she’d known changes would have to happen to make the business a success.
    Of course Carly already knew the answer to that. If her mother decided anything, then she had to take responsibility—the one thing she hated to do. Life was better when whatever went wrong was someone else’s fault.
    â€œYou’re not giving me much choice,” Rhonda said. “Either I agree or you walk away from me forever.”
    â€œThat’s not what I said. If the B and B is going to be closed, then I have to make a life for myself and my daughter. That’s hardly abandoning you.”
    Rhonda didn’t look convinced. “Fine. Have it your way. You’d probably do it without me.”
    Carly sank back into the chair. “You’re saying yes? You’re agreeing with my plan?”
    â€œYes. It’s your idea and you’re in charge.”
    Carly understood the momspeak. That she wasn’t just in charge, she was responsible. If anything went wrong, she was to blame.
    She was okay with that—in this case it was true.
    â€œI suppose you’ll be taking over everything,” her mother said sadly. “I won’t matter at all.”
    â€œThat’s not true. I’ll need your help more than ever. With me getting all the advertising in place and coming up with different ideas, I’ll be swamped. You’re the heart and soul of this B and B, Mom. You always have been. Yes, I have a lot of things I want to get done, but none of it will happen without you.”
    She squeezed her mother’s hand. “I mean that.”
    At that moment Rhonda looked old and small. Carly opened her mouth, then closed it.
    Was that the real problem? That her mother didn’t feel needed by anyone?
    Rhonda sighed. “I just don’t have the energy I used to, but if you need me, of course I’ll be there.”
    â€œThanks. I want to take the load off you and I will. But at first I’ll need your help in the day-to-day running of things. At least until I’m up to speed and can do some rearranging of the staff.”
    â€œAll right,” Rhonda said. “We’ll be a team.”
    â€œGreat.” Carly smiled. “I’m going to do everything I can to make the B and B a success.”
    â€œI hope it works,” Rhonda said. “If it doesn’t, we’ll all know you tried your best and that’s what matters.”
    Carly accepted the words in the spirit they were given—or at least in the spirit she wanted them to be given. She leaned forward and hugged her mother. The soft scent of Chanel No. 5 surrounded her.
    â€œYou’ll see,” she said. “It’s going to be great.”
    And it