Page 24 of The Hot New Bachelor in Town

“Nothing.” She exhales hard, shedding a bit of the stiffness in her posture. “Forget I brought it up.”

“No, go ahead.”

“I don’t want to be a downer.”

“You’re not. I want to know.”

Mika presses her lips together for a moment, then nods. “It’s been kind of rough since then,” she says. “You know, Mama, she... always knew what to do. How to make things work. How to fix things. This place was her project, her life. Without her, it feels... empty. In a way.”

I nod, understanding.

“Things were fine the first year,” Mika continues. “Hard, but we got by. Then, Papa got sick. Just the flu, thankfully, but at his age, it did a real number on his lungs. A lot of what he did fell on me, and then things started breaking all at once and...” She sighs, her eyes on the fire. “Now, I work constantly trying to keep this place above water.”

“That’s a lot for just one person.”

“I can handle it,” she says, the words shaky and rehearsed. “I’m young and determined. Spunky, I believe is the word.”

I smile. “It’s... a word, sure.”

“Full of pep,” she says. “If I can just get us to summer wedding season...” She looks around the room. “Then I can turn this around. At least, I hope so.”

Mika looks down, her words failing. She takes a moment, closing her eyes. When she opens them again, they shimmer with tears.

“Mika,” I say.

“Sorry.” She wipes her eye, catching a tear as it falls. “I didn’t mean to...”

“It’s okay.” I shift closer to her as another tear runs down her cheek. I reach out as she looks up, and I gently wipe it away from my thumb.

“Thanks,” she whispers as I pull my hand back. “Papa… he wants to sell the inn.”

I blink. “Really?”

“He says it’s time.” She sniffs once. “He wants to move on and... say goodbye,” she adds, the words a struggle. “And I know that’s probably for the best. Especially for him. And I can only spread myself so far. I know that. But I’m... not ready. This inn is my home. I’ve never known anything else. I don’t want to say goodbye yet.”

I remember what her father said about her, his wish for her. “I’m just a stranger here, but maybe he’s right. Maybe it is time for you to branch off, make your own life.”

Mika chuckles. “You sound like Papa.”

“I talked to him today.”

Her eyes widen. “What’d he say?” she asks suspiciously.

“Just that he wants you to get out of your head sometimes. Follow your heart.”

“Easier said than done.”

“That’s what I said.” I admire her once more, the firelight reflecting in her eyes. “He loves you very much.”

Mika nods as her eyes shimmer once more. “Yeah. I love him, too.”

“Goodbye isn’t always forever,” I say. “Sometimes, we have to move forward to really appreciate where we’ve been.”

Her brow arches. “Such wise words for a mergers and acquisitions man.”

I grin. “I’ve met a lot of people. Many of them clung to places just like this.”

She nods. “But they said goodbye?”

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