I'm pleasantly surprised upon my return to see the turret rebuilt and attached where it used to be. That must've been a pain in the ass. The porch railings have all been removed, and the roof is about a quarter of the way done. I knew the guys would do good work, but I had no idea they'd do it this quickly.

When I decided to forge ahead with the restoration project, my mom suggested that I get in touch with her sosh friend, Blythe Baldwin, who is a retired realtor. She advised me to hire inspectors more frequently than at the end of a design phase, that way if anything is out of code, we can fix it fast then move to the next phase. So, I have a guy coming out next week to look at the turret and exterior structure before we go much further.

During the two weeks between my visit to Northampton and Piper's visit to Oyster Island, I head to the library to check out books about Victorian homes. I also make an appointment with our old friend, Eloise, at the Branford Historical Society to discuss what the island looked like a hundred years ago. My goal is to be as true to the home's history and character as I can while updating it with modern finishes.

I speak with Piper every night, and on the day before her arrival, she tells me she has a surprise for me.

"I don't like surprises as much as you," I admit, finally leaving the work site after a grueling 12-hour day. "Can you at least give me a hint?"

"Nope."

I chug the last of the water in my 32-ounce Nalgene bottle. "Will you show me the minute you get here tomorrow?"

"Maybe not the exact minute," she replies.

Now I'm wondering if it's something naughty. I can get behind that. Other than some pretty wild positions in bed, Piper and I haven't done anything totally outlandish. I've read a little about strap-ons, but I have no idea if that's something she'd be into. I've heard of a company called Amazon that delivers almost anything you want, so maybe they have a sex toy section. Amazon doesn't deliver to the island yet, but from what I gather, there are lockers some of the soshes rent in Branford where Amazon deliveries can be made. Wouldn't it be something if they could deliver groceries to the summer residents? I'll be busy running the inn, so I'll pass on the grocery delivery service to Rhett Thompson, but maybe he won't even be a cog in the wheel if Amazon can bring fresh food to us.

Instead of having Piper drive onto the ferry, I advise her to leave her car at the dock in Branford, and I'll pick her up in my boat that way we don't have to rely on the 6 a.m. or 6 p.m. sailings.

I twirl her around and kiss her. "I missed you."

"Me, too." She tilts her head, deepening the kiss. "And I can't wait to see the work you've done on the house."

"There's not much to see." I help her into the boat, then pull away from the dock. "It isn't a beautification project yet; it's in more of a structural integrity thing."

For the first half the boat ride, we talk about the work I've put into the inn, and then she fills me in on life at Smith. By the time we make it back to the marina, the guys are taking a lunch break.

"Well, well, well…look what the ocean dragged in," Boone comments around a potato chip.

"Hi." Piper waves. "Did you think you'd gotten rid of me on Labor Day?"

"I'm glad we didn't." Wyatt smiles. "Good to see you, Piper."

"Here it is," I sigh and gesture towards the house that looks in more disrepair than it did in September. "Like I said, the beautification stuff won't happen for a while."

"Take me on a tour?"

I climb up the temporary wooden ramp and point to the porch. "We had to replace all the floorboards out here, but the interior hardwoods are in decent shape. We'll refinish and polish them this spring."

"There's a nice breeze up here." She glances at the porch that doesn't have railings or steps yet. "An outdoor swing would be a nice touch on the far end."

"Good idea." I keep a notepad in my back pocket and write down ideas every time I hear a good one. "This used to be the living room. We just started tearing out the insulation and dry wall."

"I can see that." She steps around a pile of debris. "Nothing says you need a big lobby—you could make a small reception area and use the rest of the room as a restaurant or even a couple more hotel rooms." She walks into what was once the sunroom. "Imagine if the restaurant started over there, then came out to here."

"I've thought about that." I move two heavy buckets out of our way. "It would be pretty easy to build a deck out here for outdoor dining when the weather is nice."

"Maybe with a retractable awning or those glass garage doors you see at restaurants."

I don't really know what she's talking about, but it'll be easy enough to look up. "I never thought about putting hotel rooms on the first level, but you're right—if I make a small check-in area, I could probably get another room down here."

"Maybe even two smaller ones." She walks towards the back of the house. "Was this the kitchen?"

"And the laundry room is just beyond that," I say as I move into the space. "Do you think we'd have to bump out the restaurant so it's in line with the kitchen?"

"Not necessarily." She sweeps a hand back and forth. "This walkway is wide enough for servers to make their way to the dining area, but it's a small kitchen for a restaurant."

I pull out my tape measurer and jot down the width of the walkway. "Which is why I've settled on no more than ten tables and a long bar that could accommodate around eight adults."

Piper stares out a hole on the East facing wall where we tore out a window. "What would the seating capacity be?"

"Fifty people max," I respond. "Do you think the kitchen is big enough to handle that?"

"Don't the Mortimers own a restaurant chain?" she questions. "You should ask them."

"I never thought about that." Truth be told, I haven't thought about the restaurant much; rather, my focus has been on the hotel rooms and lobby. I walk back into the living room, and then up the stairs. "I have four schematics of what the layout might be up here. As it stands now, there are five bedrooms and three bathrooms. I know we're going to have to build a bathroom for each space, but I still think we can get four bedrooms in this area."

She turns to me. "If you put two downstairs and four up here, that's only six."

"There's another floor." I take her up the last flight of stairs. "I want to create a sort of presidential suite, which would be where the new turret is, and we could easily fit another smaller room on the South end of this level."

"I love the idea of a suite." She steps into the turret. "You could charge a lot of money for the view alone."

"This is a view I wouldn't mind paying for." I lift an eyebrow and walk towards her, wrapping my arms around her waist from behind and kissing her neck.

"You don't have to pay for this view. It's all yours." She chuckles as she turns in my arms and kisses me. "I think you've got something great here, Alex."

I kiss her. "You don't have to tell me."

She pulls back. "I meant the inn."

"So did I."

She slaps me as she steps out of my embrace. "No, you didn't."

I let out a light laugh. "No, I didn't."

We spend another 30 minutes on site, and then I take her to my place for a much more personal welcome.

"I miss this," she says through a nostalgic sigh, one leg peeking out from under the sheets. "I miss the coziness of your house, the smell of the ocean and of course the person who occupies this bed every night."

I snuggle against her. "I miss it, too." My head snaps up. I've been so hyper-focused on getting Piper in bed that I forgot something important. "Wait, you said you had a surprise for me."

"Oh, that's right!" She flings the covers aside and darts down the stairs where we left her bag before ravaging each other.

"Is it something sexual?" I call.

"What? No," she answers far too hastily and firmly for me to think she's pulling my leg.

Damn.

Piper returns upstairs with something behind her back. "Close your eyes."

I do as I'm told and feel the bed dip next to me.

"Ok, open them."

In front of me lies an 11x14 artist's rendering of an oyster. It's a simple, black drawing yet the blue and iridescent details around the edges and in the center are striking. "This is beautiful. Where'd you get it?"

"I painted it."

I blink up at her. "You painted it?"

She nods. "I was thinking it could be a model for what you might use as artwork in the hotel rooms. I mean, it's nothing great, but since this is Oyster Island, I—"

My lips crash against hers before she can finish her statement. "I love it."

"It's just a prototype."

"It's not." I hold her hand. "This is the artwork, Piper. Could you paint like eight of them?"

She blushes. "It really isn't that good."

"Look at me, babe." I lift her chin. "It's exactly what I want to anchor every room. Exactly."

That leads to another round of sex, and when I'm finally satiated (at least for the next couple of hours), we finally go downstairs and talk about the inn's décor.

"It's definitely going to have a nautical theme," I say, popping open two bottles of beer. "I have all these brochures I've sent away for from hotels on the water." I dump a basket of glossy paper on the bistro table. "I tossed out the gawdy ones, but there are some good ideas in here."

She rifles through them, singling out four or five that are particularly attractive. "I like the idea of using old, wooden lobster traps as tables and even chairs like in this one."

"Those would be easy to come by." I sip my beer. "Boone's backyard is filled with shit like that."

"There's a potential goldmine on this island," she comments as she points to another picture. "Old buoys as artwork or wind chimes, shells in decorative vases, old sails sewn together as quilts..."

"There's a ton of abandoned stuff like that all over the Sticks," I say. "Maybe we should go on a treasure hunt for these kinds of relics rather than a hunt for gold."

Piper giggles. "I think we'd be far more successful."

We chat about the décor for another hour before I ask if she wants to have dinner at my mom's house tonight. I didn't need to ask—I knew what the answer would be. Of course my mom is ecstatic to see Piper, and they converse for a solid 30 minutes while I get dinner ready. I'm glad they like each other so much—it would be awful if they didn't.

Over lobsters and boiled potatoes, I announce something I've been dying to tell both of them.

"I know it's not a ground-breaking name, but I know what I want to call the hotel." I dip my hands into the lemony water to erase the smell of boiled seafood.

"Well? Don't leave us hanging," my mom says.

I glance at both of them before announcing, "The Inn at Oyster Island."

Piper grabs my hand. "It's simple but perfect."

"I love it, hon," my mom beams.

My cheeks bunch up in a wide smile. "Yeah?"

They nod in tandem, and Piper raises her longneck. "To The Inn at Oyster Island and the woman who's making it happen!"

I cheers both of them, thrilled they approve of the name.

Piper and I get a solid night of sleep that night, knowing tomorrow will be a busy day.

I'm awake an hour before Piper stirs, so I make a pot of coffee and sit on the deck with my iPad and enjoy the cool Fall breeze with a blanket tossed over my shoulders. As I listen to the birds chirping and waves crashing, it dawns on me that I want guests at the inn to be able to enjoy the serenity of the island. Maybe I can buy Adirondack chairs for the porch and lawn and set thick blankets on them for guests to stay warm as they enjoy the cool breeze even at night. I jot that down in my notes on the iPad along with Piper's idea of a porch swing.

I discovered Pinterest during my hunt for nautical designs, and it has become somewhat of an obsession. I now have ten folders of decorative ideas. Eventually, I'll need to come up with a cohesive design scheme, but for now, I'm still in the brainstorming phase. One thing I know for certain is I'm hanging Piper's oyster prints in each room. I'll probably get them professionally framed with a thick, Navy blue matte and maybe even a frame that Boone can make from recycled wood.

"Morning." Piper steps outside blinking sleep out of her eyes and running a hand through her disheveled hair. I'll never get tired of seeing her like this—like she's not ready for the world, but she's perfectly content with me seeing her in her most natural state.

I smile. "Morning. How'd you sleep?"

"Good." She folds her arms and shivers. "It's cold out here."

"There's a fleece on the coat hook if you want to join me." I take a sip of coffee. "There's also a blanket on the back of the chair."

She reaches for my cup. "Need a refill?"

"Thanks."

Piper disappears, and not for the first time, I long to have her here every day. I hate that she lives two hours away, but I'd never suggest she drop out of college to satisfy my craving of having her with me all the time. For all I know, she could get her degree and then move to Manhattan or Boston or some other major city and visit me once a month. I guess I could live with that, but by no means is it my preference.

It's too soon for me to even think about forever with Piper, yet sometimes I have to shake myself from picturing what that might be like.

She hands me the coffee mug, then sits in the chair next to me. "What are you doing?"

"Playing around on Pinterest and adding notes to my file."

She takes a sip of coffee. "Decorating will be the fun part."

I hand her my iPad. "Check out what I've got so far."

We spend the next 30 minutes discussing more design ideas, and then head inside. I make a hearty breakfast of eggs, sausage and biscuits, and while Piper showers, I prepare two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and wrap them in foil.

We'd long ago discussed her desire to help as much as she can with the inn, and I take her at her word. However, the second she wants to take a break or stop altogether, we'll throw in the towel and enjoy some down time. I know the guys might give me shit for bowing to Piper's requests for a break, but their chiding would be a small price to pay for spending time with her.

"What can I help with today?" Piper asks as we drive to the Victorian home.

"We need to rip out the rest of the insulation and drywall on the main floor, then I want to tackle the kitchen," I reply.

"Is everything getting demolished?"

I park in front of the house. "Everything."

"There must be some old sentimental or cool stuff in the house before you take out the entire interior." She grabs the water bottles from the back seat.

"I saved a few things—there was an old clock above the mantle, a map of the Thimble Islands and some hurricane candle vases in relatively good shape."

"I'm glad. It'll be nice to have things from the past scattered around."

"Hey." Ben stops cutting boards with an electric saw. "Ready to work?"

"Yeah," Piper responds. "I think I'm on sheetrock duty."

I glance at him. "Are you guys patching up the hole this morning?"

He nods. "Should be done in the next hour, then we'll work on the roof."

Piper looks up. "Did you lay all the shingles yourself?"

"A team of us did."

"Impressive."

We spend the next six hours removing the drywall and insulation, taking only a 20-minute break to eat lunch. When we're done with that grueling task, Piper and I hop in the Jeep to go treasure hunting in the Sticks.

"That was more cathartic than painful," she says around a sip of water. "Turns out, I like ripping things."

I let out a light laugh. "It is pretty satisfying."

Boone's backyard is covered with old relics from the sea, and Piper has a field day imagining what each item could look like if it was repurposed or restored. I mention the recycled wood picture frame idea, and she gathers pieces of wood from decades-old lobster traps that could be suitable for such a project.

A storm rolls in that evening, bringing a cold front with it. We retreat to my cabin and I build a roaring fire to warm us. I haven't lived in my house through a winter yet, but I feel confident in the insulation and heating system I installed. If I built a fire like this on the colder days, I think it'll keep me warm without even needing to turn on the heat.

"I don't think the inn will be sustainable if it's just open in the summer months." I tug a blanket over her legs. "So I thought about putting a gas fireplace in every room for the off seasons."

"That's a lovely idea." Piper nuzzles against me. "I've been to a hotel on the coast of Maine in the winter. There's not a ton to do, but if you like a cozy atmosphere and a place to completely unwind, staying at a hotel in the colder months can be amazing."

I take a sip of hot chocolate. "I'd just have to advertise it to the right people."

"I'm guessing your primary audience will be couples and people who want to get away for a long weekend," she comments. "Maybe even bachelorette parties."

I chuckle. "Bachelorette parties?"

She nods. "Destination bachelor and bachelorette parties are all the rage. You could put together special packages that include things like wine tastings, guided tours of the island, rides in boats that have covered bows and heaters." She sits up. "There might even be a few crafty things they could do. If the picture frame idea is a success, maybe you can host a party where each guest makes one for herself."

"There's plenty enough wood on the island to do that," I respond, pulling her back in my arms.

"People will pay a lot of money for unique experiences." She rests her head on my shoulder, and we remain silent for a moment. I swear I can almost see her mind working. "Have you thought at all about staffing?"

"A little," I admit with a sigh. I know I'm going to need to hire people, but I haven't approached anyone other than my mom. "If one of the Thompson sisters wants to be the chef, I'd love it. Even if they wanted to split the role, that would work out well for all of us."

"They are good cooks," she notes. "But you'll need more than one person in the kitchen plus a server and a bartender."

"Trina wants to help in some way, so there's one person." I stoke the fire, then return to the sofa. "And there are like four or five teenagers on the island who would probably jump at the chance to wash dishes and bus tables to earn a paycheck."

"Just be mindful of child labor laws."

I hadn't thought about that. I pull out my little notebook and write it down. "My mom is intrigued by running the front desk for a few hours a day."

"That's a great idea." Piper gets to her feet. "She'd greet every guest with a warm smile."

That makes me smile. "She's always been good with the soshes."

"What about your grocery delivery service?" she asks.

"Rhett is old enough to take it over if I want to work full time at the inn," I say. "I'd just need to do the liquor runs once or twice a week."

"Is that what you want?" She rubs her hands together in front of the fire. "To run the inn full time?"

"At least for the first few months I'll need to be there to make sure everything is running smoothly." I drain my hot chocolate, then set the mug on the end table. "I won't miss working the Saturday night parties, that's for sure."

She smiles. "You can be my guest at any of them if you want."

"I'm not sure how well that would go over." I stand and stretch. "Are you as tired as I am?"

"Yes." She holds out a hand. "Manual labor takes a toll on me."

"Tell me about it." I pull her to her feet.

"Is the fire ok like that?" she asks as we head upstairs hand in hand.

I look back to ensure the grate is in front of it. "Yep."

Piper strips down to nothing, and I follow suit before crawling into bed. At first I think I'm too tired for sex, but the second her fingertips graze my inner thigh, I think otherwise.