Page 22 of Every Beat of My Heart

“You didn’t hear this from me, but she’s looking for a place to stay. You have Daphne’s old cottage. If you need to save some money, you could make the house part of her compensation.”

“That’s an interesting idea,” Dad said.

Teddy scowled. “Absolutely not. I don’t want a Monroe living on the property.”

“I’m going to be a Monroe,” Daphne’s voice rose as she spoke.

“By marriage. There’s a difference.”

I couldn’t believe that Teddy was being such an ass. He was always close-minded, but this was ridiculous. “If we can get some advice in exchange for letting her live in the cottage, I don’t see why we shouldn’t just see what she has to say.”

Cole rested his arms on the table, and Daphne moved her hand to his thigh in silent support. “Charlotte’s not part of the original family. She didn’t spend much time on the farm until recently. She’s their cousin, and my sister, so show some respect.”

“Charlotte’s been managing the inn for us, and she’s proven to be amazing with people. The guests love her,” Fiona added.

“Will you at least agree to meet with her? You never know; she might not have the right credentials or any interest in working for us,” Wes appealed to Teddy.

Teddy shook his head. “I don’t like it.”

“And she’s not going to like you. Not when you’re such a grumpy ass,” Wes mumbled.

Teddy glared at Wes. “I can still kick your—”

Dad gave them both a look, the one that had us listening up when we were kids. “Boys, we have kids present. Try to behave.”

Conversation turned to potential ideas for the farm, and Cole leaned back in his chair.

“What do you think about Charlotte working here? You think she has some ideas for us?” I asked him.

Cole nodded. “Charlotte’s great with people. Just her presence is enough to help this place.”

Fiona leaned over Daphne to say, “You should see her at the inn. The guests love her, and she’s already incorporating amazing ideas for us. I think they’re going to love her once they talk to her.”

“Yeah, everyone loves Charlotte,” Cole said.

“You’re just saying that because you’re her brother,” Teddy said to Cole.

“In the reviews, guests have said she’s like sunshine every time they go through the lobby,” Fiona pointed out.

“We could sure use some sunshine around here,” I said, more to get to Teddy than anything else. Telling Teddy that we were hiring someone so upbeat would upset him more than anything.

Teddy grumbled something under his breath, and I grinned. I couldn’t wait to see how Charlotte shook up this place and especially Teddy. He could use something different in his life. When Mom died, he moved closer to help care for us, and he’d never really left.

He still felt responsible for us and Dad. Then there was his job. He took it seriously as he should. But he could use something more in his life. That made me think of Claire and Owen. Hanging out with them made me feel not so alone. Like there was more to life than work.

But there was no chance someone as put together as Claire would want to date me. My entire life I’d been told I was immature. She’d already pointed out that I was younger than her.

Teddy excused himself from the room to answer his phone, and Cole said, “This should be interesting.”

“Charlotte being here sounds like a lot of fun. I can’t wait.” For once, I wouldn’t be the center of attention. Maybe Teddy would focus on her and not his disappointment with my life choices.

“Are you really thinking of moving?” Daphne asked.

“It’s time. Don’t you think?”

“Well, yeah, but you were never interested before.”

“I was happy here, and the thought of moving seemed like a lot of work. I’ve never lived anywhere else.”

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