Page 88 of 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Forty-Seven

But his cousin had already marched away.

Jameson glanced around the place, his insides churning with a mass of rage, shock, and bitterness. How could Mac say that? All Jameson’s hard work and sweat and pulling in big contacts had been done to make things better, and this was his thank you? His cousin stalking off and blaming him?

The hell with this.

He left Vintage, frustration nipping at his heels with every step.

Screw it. He was going home where he belonged.

* * * *

Devon walked into Vintage and spotted Mac.

Bear got ready to leap in greeting but with a firm pull and command, he sat back on his haunches. He was so smart. A burst of pride filled her until she remembered the dog wasn’t theirs.

Hers and Jameson’s.

Devon smiled as Mac walked over. He looked a bit stressed, but that would be expected returning from a month away. “Welcome back,” she greeted. “Congrats on the new member of your family.”

“Thanks. Good to see you. Is this the famous Bear who’s been living in my house?”

“This is the one. There may be a few repairs needed,” she said with a wince.

He laughed and rubbed his head. “I’m not worried about it.” They chatted a bit about his sister and trip. “Are you here to see Jameson?”

“Yes, he texted me before and said we’d meet here. Is he around?”

“He left.”

The words were thrown out like stones and landed hard and swift. “Okay. Is he at your house?”

Mac let out a frustrated breath. His features tightened with emotion. “Don’t know. We had an issue.”

Devon paused, not knowing whether to pry in family business. Then again, she loved Mac’s cousin. “Can I assume you weren’t happy with the changes he made?” she asked gently.

“You assume right.” He muttered a curse. “What the hell was he thinking? Why would he believe changing my restaurant while I was away could possibly be a good idea? This place reeks of his style and vision, not mine. Not the town’s and my customers I’ve served for years. He had no right.”

She bit her lip, not surprised at Mac’s reaction. Jameson had stubbornly refused to see what she’d tried to tell him, but she also understood now he’d done it out of love. Yes, he’d screwed up. Yes, he’d given Mac the restaurant he dreamed of creating, and had gotten blurred by his ambition. But Devon knew he’d meant to help. “I agree. I tried to warn him. We all did. But I’ve learned your cousin is a bit muleheaded when he believes something is right.”

Mac gave a half laugh. “Runs in the family.”

“I bet.” She sighed, trying to find the right way to explain. “Mac, I don’t blame you for being pissed. He should have communicated with you and listened to what you wanted. But I think he saw a way he could help his family and his intentions were good. He just got lost along the way.”

“Yeah, I know. It was just a shock, I needed to process.” He groaned. “I’ve got a lot of work to put things back in order around here.”

“Don’t be too hard on him.”

He studied her, his expression registering surprise. “Holy crap. You love him.”

She jerked back and almost fell on her ass. “Huh?”

“It’s all over your face. I should’ve known this was bigger than a fling. Jameson is married to his work—he’s not the type to get sidetracked by a holiday romance unless it was special. What are you guys going to do?”

She didn’t even bother with denial. “He’ll go back to New York. We’ll try to do the long-distance thing and work it out. Just don’t tell him how I feel, okay?”

“I won’t. But you should. It changes things.”

A sad smile curved her lips. “Exactly. I don’t want him to feel pressure to say it back, or feel he’s leading me on.”

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