The Steak and Pub is one of those places people come and fall in love. Regulars are still coming and the county road getting paved helped a lot with tourist traffic. When her dad passed this was his legacy. A part of her died right there with him. Then Sarah Stonerook put her life into making the place survive. She had too, he left it for her. She needed to feed the kids. She needed to do something rather than wither away…
Being out in the mountains meant people needed a reason. When she hooked up with Bradley Paul out of west Texas the steaks had a name to go with them. Then the addition on the front and adding the porch just seemed to fit. Two pool tables, the internet jukebox and all new lighting set a mood that people liked. Even in the winter she could pay the bills and when the roads cleared there seemed to always be a crowd now. Dad had made it work for the family all those years and now she wanted so badly to have him see it. Bigger and Better, she thought as she wrote the check she would send Bradley tomorrow. Then on to Costco Business Online, she went through her order and then remembered she needed to order from the bakery also. Her head chef Jayden Marez would probably run down to Denver and hit both on Tuesday morning after they went over his order also. He liked the windshield time and then would stop off at Front Range Restaurant Supply in Boulder to grab odds and ends. Sarah thought he had a girlfriend there and he would blush and deny it every time she brought it up. The thought made her snort and then giggle.
Smiling she went and got another Malibu and Pineapple. This office was her safe place now. Steaks were one thing but living in your own B&B was a dream come true. The kids had their own rooms and would have jobs waiting as they grew up in their own business. Five years after dad the profits allowed her to buy and renovate. Slowly it came into being and still smiling she thought about that day. The day the East Ridge Motel became more than a dream. Hedy had introduced her to Berny, and the finance problems seemed to melt away. They set it up and she signed papers. Sure, the two of them get a cut for a while. The B&B business was even better than the steak house. Profits rolling in, soon they would both be all hers!
The books done she headed upstairs to the bathroom. On the way she peeked in on each of the kids, all sleeping soundly. Starting the bath, she went to the closet and got her silk robe. The red one and to go with it her favorite teddy. Steam beginning to form a mist on the mirror she undressed and started the jets. It had been a week. No major drama, just flat out busy. Home late on Saturday night, time to relax…
The hot water was a shock to her body. Easing in, the drink warming her inside she closed her eyes and drifted into well-deserved daydreams.