Page 47 of Taming the CEO

Maddox straightened up, looking at him. "Yes, she is." He looked at me intently as he took a step back, his nostrils flared. "Thank you. Have a great day, Samuel. And you, Cami.”

"You too," I whispered.

After Maddox left, I turned to Dad.

"Can I ride with you to the park? My car broke down this morning. I asked Mike to give me a lift here," he said.

"Sure. Come on, let's go."

I whistled as I got into the driver's seat. Hmm, I was usually in a good mood after buying pumpkins, but I had to admit, my current excitement also had something to do with Maddox.

He wants to kiss me again, huh? I sort of felt like the last one had been an impulsive moment, but what if it was more than that? I smiled to myself, delighted at the thought.

Dad yawned as I drove off.

"You're tired?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Yeah, I didn’t sleep too well last night."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Hey, want to stop and grab a hot chocolate? It is the season, after all."

He shook his head. "No, I'm good. It's just so cold."

"It is," I said wistfully, and a weight started pressing on my chest. Cold weather usually equaled fewer customers and more cancellations, but I was determined to stay positive.

"You know, I was chatting with Carmen last week," he said. Carmen had been Mom’s best friend. "And she had an interesting idea."

"I'm listening."

"She wants to spend December and January in Miami and has found some sort of AirBB."

"Airbnb," I corrected automatically.

"Yes, that. But it's a bit big for her, so she suggested I go, too, and we split the cost."

I smiled at him. "Dad, I think that's a fantastic idea. Honestly, December and January are slower months for us anyway. I can totally man the place without you."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

"I'll think about it. She was also talking about cruises a lot, but those happen during other times of the year."

"Dad, you can always take time off."

He sighed. "Cami, girl, I'll be honest with you, I don't really want to take time off. I want to retire. I know you think I’m only considering selling because the Whitleys are offering a very good price, but the truth is, I've been thinking about it for a long time. We just never had any offers for the place."

I felt like someone had thrown a bucket of ice at me. Oh my God, I'd been so selfish, going on and on about wanting to preserve the forest and so on.

"You've never told me that," I said quietly.

"I know how much the park means to you. And there was never an opportunity to sell—unless you count Bill’s atrocious offer.” He seemed to hesitate.

"What?" I asked.

"I've also been thinking about looking for someone to simply buy out my part."

I sucked in a breath. Oh my goodness, I'd been utterly and completely selfish. I genuinely hadn't believed that Dad wanted to retire.

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