Page 35 of The Sugar Maple Inn

“Love you too, darling, and you know that’s where this all comes from: a place of love.”

“Yep, I know. Bye, Mom.”

She hung up and stared at her reflection in the antique mirror above the dresser. Her hair was coming loose from its bun. Her blazer was wrinkled. She looked tired.

She looked like someone who was in over her head.

Sixty percent occupancy in winter is optimistic.

What happens when you need a new roof?

You can’t run a place like this on hopes, dreams, and rainbows.

Why would you throw away something stable for something so uncertain?

The doubts circled like vultures, picking at every weak point in her plan.

Maybe her mom was right. Maybe this was too big. Maybe she should just stay at Blossoms & Brew, keep serving her mother’s vision, keep playing it safe—

Grace pulled out her phone, needing…something. Reassurance. A lifeline. Someone who believed in her. So she messaged WildTrailGuide.

AutumnDreams87: You there?

The reply came almost immediately.

WildTrailGuide: I’m here. Was hoping to hear from you. Last night was…kinda crazy.

Grace’s cheeks flushed.

AutumnDreams87: I know. Sorry, I was drunk.

WildTrailGuide: You don’t have to apologize. I…enjoyed it.

AutumnDreams87: I did too. But now I feel super awkward, especially as I have a business question to ask.

WildTrailGuide: Go for it.

AutumnDreams87: I did the pitch. For the garden center.

WildTrailGuide: And?

AutumnDreams87: I think it went well. I had sketches, plans, talked about honoring the history of the place. The owners seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say.

WildTrailGuide: That’s great. So why do I sense a “but” coming?

AutumnDreams87: The woman wanting the place too started asking questions. Financial projections, contingency plans, all this stuff that made my carefully prepared numbers look like wishful thinking. And she wasn’t even being mean about it—she was just being…right. And I’m starting to think maybe I don’t actually know what I’m doing at all.

WildTrailGuide: Stop.

AutumnDreams87: Stop what?

WildTrailGuide: Stop letting one person’s questions make you doubt months of work. She poked holes in your projections? Good. That means you know what to fix. She asked tough questions? That means you’re getting the hard part out of the way now instead of being blindsided later.

AutumnDreams87: Easy for you to say from wherever you are, not stuck in this situation.

WildTrailGuide: You’re right. It is easier for me to say. But that doesn’t make it less true.

AutumnDreams87: My own family thinks I’m reaching too high. That I should stick with what I know instead of taking this kind of risk. That luck isn’t enough.