Five Days in Skye: A Novel by Carla Laureano Page A

cold.”
    James filled the electric teakettle that sat on the counter of the kitchenette and flicked the switch on the side.
    “Let me get the prints for you.” He moved to his desk, identical to the one in Andrea’s room but outfitted with a printer and a laptop computer, and retrieved several rolls of paper from the galvanized steel bucket beside it. He spread them across the kitchen table.
    “This is the exterior elevation, including the addition.” He pointed out the extension that jutted off the back and curved around the side. “The facade is going to have to be adjusted to match the original stone, but I’ve already found a stonemason who assures me it can be done.”
    “Good.” Andrea nodded her approval. She turned a page and braced her hands against the table as she bent over to survey the next sheet of blueprints. “You’re putting showers in the en suite baths?”
    “Small ones. I wanted to stick to the original footprint of the rooms, but Americans especially expect showers.”
    “True, but if you can only have one, you should choose the bath. An old-fashioned claw-foot tub goes a long way to establishing ambience.” She carefully folded back the page and moved on.
    In the back, past the floor plans and multi-view drawings, Andrea found the more detailed material takeoffs. She frowned as her eye landed on the dimensions for the beams in the main dining room. She tapped her finger against the drawing. “Double-check these dimensions. I don’t think this is going to be adequate for the span.”
    “You really are quite surprising.”
    Andrea glanced up at James, unsure from his tone whether he was teasing, but he regarded her with undisguised admiration.
    “I’ve been in this business for a while. You tend to pick things up.”
    “Tell me, then. What am I missing?”
    She glanced back at the blueprints and considered. “A bar.”
    “A bar?”
    Andrea pulled out a chair and sat, crossing her legs and tugging her skirt down automatically. “You yourself said there’s nothing within walking distance, and the roads on Skye aren’t great in winter. You could always serve cocktails in the reception room, but I really think you’d be better off with an attached bar.” She flipped back to the exterior elevation drawings. “You already have this extension here being framed out. It wouldn’t be much more trouble to extend it on the other side, maybe with a breezeway to the new kitchen so you could serve food at the bar as well. Do you have some paper?”
    James retrieved a pencil and pad of grid paper from the desk and set them down in front of her. She quickly sketched a small rendering of the hotel, adding on a matching extension in rough strokes.
    “It wouldn’t be better to have a freestanding building?”
    “This is more cost-effective, and it will take less to heat. Plus, it shouldn’t require separate permits. I think you’ll find the bar will help offset your lower winter occupancy rates. Sleat residents will be more likely to come here rather than Broadford or Armadale to socialize, especially if you have good, inexpensive food.”
    James nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll send the drawings over to Ian and see what he thinks.”
    “I can mention it today, if you like.”
    “Maybe I should come along and discuss it with him myself.”
    “I hardly think that’s a good idea after last night.” Andrea wondered if she was imagining the possessiveness in James’s tone. She wasn’t sure whether to be amused, pleased, or irritated. Maybe all three. “Don’t worry. I’ll let you know what we discuss. I’ll take this with me.” Andrea tore the drawing off the pad and set it aside, then began to roll up the stacks of drawings, group by group.
    The teakettle chose that moment to begin spewing steam. James flipped the switch to warm and pulled out two mugs. “One sugar or two?”
    “Two, please. Should I put these back?”
    “If you don’t mind. What do you think? Too early for