“Eaton, Mabel, Valerie, you can’t go into the inner courtyard.”
A server spotted them and quickly moved to stop them. There were three of them in total—one guy and two girls. Both girls had really gone all out for their lunch at Hearth & Kettle, showing up in gorgeous traditional dresses with fluffy shawls over their shoulders. They looked incredible. The guy, on the other hand, was just wearing a plain puffer jacket. Nothing special about him. Of course, the staff knew all three of them since they were regulars.
“Why not? I just saw two people go in there,” Mabel protested. She was a big fan of anything old or historic, and she loved Hearth & Kettle’s classic vibe. She even thought the inner courtyard was being opened up today for everyone to check out, since it was the first day back after the holidays. So she’d dragged her friends over, feeling excited, only to get blocked at the door.
The server hesitated, looking just as confused. “I’m not really sure. The gate just opened suddenly today.”
Right then the manager hurried over, saving the day. “That’s the owner of Hearth & Kettle.”
Mabel blinked in surprise. “Wait, you mean Hearth & Kettle has an actual owner? Isn’t your boss the owner?”
She was lost for a second, trying to piece it together.
“Our boss owns the restaurant, but not the entire estate,” the manager explained.
“Oh, so you’re saying the restaurant is in the front part, and someone else owns the rest, like the courtyard?” Mabel asked, realization dawning on her.
“Yeah, the inner courtyard has always been locked because it belongs to the original owner. Our boss is just friends with her, so she rents out the front for the restaurant.”

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