Page 136 of The Love Penalty

“You guys wanna go see it?” Mikayla jumps up from her chair. “I'll give the real estate agent a call and ask her to meet us there.”

It takes all of two seconds for us to agree, and as soon as Mikayla's spoken to the agent, we're piling out the front door and jumping into vehicles. Even Baxter comes along for the ride. We have to leave Fezzik behind, much to his heartbreak, and he puts his little paws on the fence and whines as we pull away.

“Sorry, lil dude,” Casey murmurs.

“Back soon, baby!” Caroline calls out the window.

Following Ethan's truck, we head out of town to check out this villa.

As the laughter and enthusiasm bubbles around me, I can't help a grin. I'm kind of reeling over how fucking lucky I am.

CHAPTER 61

LEILANI

“Still feeling lucky?” I murmur, nudging Asher's arm with my shoulder as we stand in the old villa and gaze up at the water stains on the ceiling and the curling wallpaper.

He doesn't say anything at first and I wince, biting my lip. “You don't have to agree to this, you know. If it's not your thing, you can?—”

“I love it.” He turns to me with a grin.

“Really?” I laugh at his expression. “I thought you were having major doubts.”

“No, I was just picturing the potential. Look out that window.” He points west and I turn, drinking in the dark orange ball of sun that's sinking below the mountains in the distance. “And look at this floor.” He points down at the scratched wood beneath our feet. “With a good sanding and polish, it's going to be stunning.” He steps away from me, walking to the window seat and then doing a slow spin. “Can't you see new paper on the walls or a fresh coat of paint? Guests will come in here for drinks before dinner is served. We could turn this wall into a shelf stuffed with books. There could be a chess set here on a low coffee table with some plush chairs.” His voice grows with excitement as he grabs my hand and drags me through a doorway and straight into the kitchen.

It's a dump, the equipment so outdated, I'm surprised it even works.

“Imagine this all kitted out with shiny new surfaces and equipment. Ray could cook up a storm in this place.”

“I know!” She skips in from the other doorway with Liam in tow. Spreading her hands over the counter, she taps the wall. “I want to ask if this could be opened up so we could turn it into a serving station. Do you think we could knock a hole in this wall?”

Liam runs his hand over it like he knows shit about building, then shakes his head. “Not sure, but we could ask.”

“You definitely can.” Baxter appears behind Liam. “I was just looking at the other side. It’s not load-bearing. You could turn that room into a dining area for guests, make it like a café style, even.”

Rachel gasps. “You know, this doesn't just have to be a bed-and-breakfast. What if we made it a café as well?” She spins to look at Asher. “That could work, right? We could serve like a high tea kind of deal, and people could come out here for an afternoon, catching up with their friends over a cup of coffee.”

“Isn't it a little too far out of town to be convenient?” I wrinkle my nose.

“It's only ten minutes… and that's kind of the point,” Asher murmurs. “You’re not just grabbing a coffee to go, you're meeting up for the pleasure of delicious food and a stunning view. We could maybe build a little playground area out in the yard for kids.”

“Yes!” Rachel rises to her toes, then touches her cheeks, spinning to look up at Liam with a watery smile. “My bakery. I could make food so incredible that people will want to drive out of town just to experience it.”

Liam's smile is wide and encouraging as he pulls Rachel into his arms and kisses her.

Asher throws his arm around my shoulders and smiles down at me. “I want to be a part of this. I want to get this place off the ground and make it a must-see place to visit in Nolan.”

I rest my hand on his stomach. “If anyone can do it, you can.” My heart swells with affection. “I don't know if I've ever seen you so excited about something.”

“I am.” He stares around in wonder. “Seriously, I'm so pumped for this.”

Baxter catches his eye and nods. “It's gonna be awesome.”

“Really? You're in?” Asher asks. “But you graduate this year.”

Baxter shrugs. “I’ve got no place else to be for the summer. Might as well kick around here and help you guys out. I'm used to working construction jobs over the long breaks, so…”

“Oh yeah? That's handy.”

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