Page 105 of Can't Fight the Moonlight

"She can't," his grandmother echoed. "She loves this place. Why would she sell it?"

He knew why. "Because she's struggling."

"This is my fault," Keira said. "I never should have introduced them."

"It's not your fault, it's mine," he said, remembering all the hard truths he'd shouted at Lizzie the night before. He'd taken his anger out on her, and she hadn't deserved that. "I made her doubt herself."

"Why would you do that?" Keira demanded.

"I'm going to stop this," he said, ignoring her question. "Lizzie is not going to lose her inn."

"Make sure she doesn't," his grandmother said, urging him on.

He rushed across the patio and jogged through the inn. He didn't even bother to knock on Lizzie's office door. He just threw it open and stormed in. "You can't sell," he said, as Lizzie jumped to her feet. "Not to her. Not to Falcon Properties. I won't let you."

"It's not your call," Lizzie said.

"I didn't mean what I said last night. You're not drowning; you're just treading water, but you're not going under. You're too strong for that. You're smarter than you think. And you're creative. You make everyone who stays here feel like they're part of your family, and that is an incredible gift."

"Justin—"

"No, don't argue. I was wrong when I said you couldn't do this. You can, and you have to. This is your dream, babe. Don't give up on it. Tell her no." He looked at Paula. "I'm sorry. It's a good offer, a fair one, but this inn is Lizzie's heart and her soul."

"I know," Paula said. "But—"

"There's no buts," he interrupted. "She's not selling. If she needs money, I'll give it to her. But I'm not letting her give up this inn. She has worked too hard."

"Justin," Lizzie said again. "Paula already knows that."

"What?"

"I just told her I couldn't sell the inn."

"You did?"

"She did," Paula confirmed. "But I told her if she ever changes her mind, or if she ever wants to work for Falcon, we'd be more than happy to have her. Now, I'm going to let you two finish whatever this is…" She looked at Lizzie. "Thanks for hearing me out."

"I'm sorry if I wasted your time," Lizzie said.

"It's never a waste of time, and I understand your passion for this lovely inn. I wish you nothing but success."

"Thank you."

Justin moved aside, so Paula could leave. When the door closed behind her, he was suddenly at a loss for words.

Lizzie walked around her desk to face him. "Well, look who got in the middle of my business."

"When Keira said you were talking to Paula, I knew I had to stop you from selling. But I guess you weren't going to do that."

"Actually, I was seriously considering it," she admitted. "The things you said to me last night hurt, but they were true."

"No, they weren't. I was angry."

"You were angry, but your words were also true. I have been burying my head in the sand, avoiding my problems, pretending everything is okay. It's what I've always done. But I couldn't keep doing it with the inn, not if I wanted to succeed. So I went over Paula's offer again, and I asked her to meet me to discuss it. But as we talked, I just got this feeling that I shouldn't sell, that I wasn't ready to give up yet. It might be a huge mistake. I could go under six months from now and have no offer to pay off my investors."

"You won't go under. I won't let you," he said.

"You won't let me," she echoed, doubt in her eyes. "Aren't you leaving tonight?"

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