Page 38 of Loathe at First Sight

“Do you remember Esther who runs the inn?”

I nod because I’m pretty sure that woman has been around since the town was founded.

“She’s looking to ease into retirement. She wants to keep ownership of the inn, but she needs someone to run the day-to-day operations.”

“What does that entail?” I ask.

“You would handle the place during the day. You’ll help get people checked in and out, make sure the kitchen runs smoothly, and help clean up. Things like that. At night, they have a part-time person who comes in and runs the desk, so you’d be off the clock.”

“What does it pay?”

“Does it matter?” She smiles. “It’s more than the nothing you’re making right now. Plus, the cherry on top is that it comes with free room and board. There’s a suite upstairs that you could live in free of charge. That way, you can do your own thing without being stuck with your dad and I.”

“Sold,” I say before realizing that I was maybe a little too eager. “Sorry. I am super grateful to you guys for letting me move back in.”

“You’re always welcome, Eliza. No matter what. I think all of your siblings have moved back in at one point or another.”

“Really?”

She nods. “Like I said, everyone makes mistakes.”

After our food comes, we dig in, and I ask, “Why can’t you and I get along like this all the time? It seems like we are always at each other’s throats.”

“We’re too similar,” she replies.

My face contorts. “How do you figure? I don’t think you and I are much alike.”

“Hard-headed? Career-driven? Big brass balls? I think you and I are more alike than you think.”

“Never thought about it that way before.”

“I know you probably don’t want to admit that you are anything like me, but I think the similarities are greater than you think. You’re probably more like me than any of your siblings.”

“What about Michelle?”

She finishes the bite she just took before answering. “Michelle and I have our moments, but not like the two of us.” She points between us.

I know typically, I would take her words as an insult because the woman drives me up the fucking wall. But above all else, I admire my mom. She is the strongest woman I know, so I guess I should be honored that she thinks we are so similar.

She changes the subject. “So, have you talked to Mitch?”

Just the name sends a shiver down my spine. The name of the man who systematically worked to destroy the life I had built. I’m not sure if he actually meant to fuck me over or if he simply left me holding the bag for his crimes.

“No,” I tell her. “Last I heard, he moved to the Dominican Republic.”

He’s living it up, laying on a beach with a shit ton of my money.

“He hasn’t tried to contact you?”

“No. And I know he won’t. If I had any whereabouts on him, I’d turn him into the cops in a heartbeat. He knows that, so he will stay as far away from me as possible.”

“Good,” she says. “Heaven help that man if he tries to track you down here. I think that may be the thing that finally pushes your dad over the edge. He’d probably shoot the bastard.”

“Never going to happen,” I say the words, and I know they’re true. I don’t know that Mitch will ever stop leaving a bad taste in my mouth. We weren’t only business partners, but we were friends. And we even fell into bed together on more than one occasion. Although he’s a dick, losing him hurt too. For a long time, I hoped that he would come back to try to fix the situation that he put me in.

But he never did.

He never even tried to reach out.

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