Page 51 of Always Be an Us

And this lake was probably a huge part of selling it. It’s not hard to think of a longing lover standing by the shore, searching for something nice to give his sweetheart. Or even of Emma swimming up from the other side and standing naked with her decadent body looking like a siren.

And then when she steps up, she can come closer and run her hands over my shoulders, and I can kiss her lips as I draw her closer, inhaling her. Or maybe just stand and admire her. Just stare into her eyes and dream.

"Declan?"

I turn around and spot Emma coming from behind me. I frown even as my heart starts beating faster.

Is she real? Or did I just conjure her up too?

But then she reaches me, and I perceive her fresh lake scent. And I know she’s real.

Maybe the lake brought her to me. Maybe it's magical after all.

I chuckle internally at the ridiculous thought, as I brush a strand of her curly hair behind her ears.

"Hi," I say.

"Hi," she responds, blushing a little when my fingers make contact.

We stare at each other for a few seconds.

And then she shakes her head as though suddenly remembering why she came here. "I heard a rumor back in town. I just came over to make sure that it wasn’t true. You’re not demolishing the Pink Hotel are you?"

Wow, news travels fast. Instead of answering, I glance behind her to notice a small car parked in the driveway. "You drove up here in that?"

She glances behind her and then back to me. "I did. Why?"

Because the car looks like it's on its last leg, with a faded body and wires hanging out the bottom. It’s an old Jetta, probably made in the nineties.

"Why didn’t you use the truck?" I remember the last time I was at her grandpa's house seeing a truck parked in the back.

"Because it doesn’t work too well," she says. "And is it just me, and are you avoiding the question?"

"Is it that hard for people in this town to mind their business?"

"It’s a small town. Privacy is the trade-off." Her frown deepens. "So it’s true then? You're demolishing the hotel."

"It will take too much time and money to renovate the place," I say. "And even with that, I'm not sure that it won’t fall apart again, just seeing how weak the walls are. It’s better to raze it all and start again."

"No, Declan, you can’t do that." She reaches out to touch my wrist and her hold sparks electricity up my arm. "This hotel...it's been in our town for–"

"A century, yes I heard. Hal already gave me the sales spiel." I grin at her then turn to the hotel and point. She doesn’t laugh back. Instead, she points at the hotel.

"When you look at this place, you just see a building," she says. "But do you want to know what I see when I look at it? I see history. Every single haunted house I've ever been to since I was six. The fall fair brings in people from all over. The church bonanza. Yearly school trips and explorations. Where grandpa worked. My parents…" She trails off after that last part.

"Your parents?"

She shakes her head. "My parents used to bring me here all the time. They met here. It makes me think of them. A lot of history is in this building. You can't just take that away."

"Mm." It’s the first time Emma ever mentioned her parents and I want to ask, but there’s a tendril of pain in her voice that tells me it’s a heavy story. And I don’t want to pry.

At least, I tell myself I don't want to pry, even though a part of me is hungry for that information.

Nevertheless, despite everything she said, it didn't change my decision.

"You want to know what I see when I look at it?" I ask, and she blinks at me as I jab my chin at the same building. "I see a wall that could come down at any moment. Wooden floorboards that are a lawsuit waiting to happen. I see a chandelier that will take thousands of dollars to return to its former polish. I see the fact that this place isn’t condemned to be a travesty."

I almost regret my words when devastation sinks into her features.

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