Page 59 of Rumor Has It

“I don’t want to interrupt, but it’s getting late.” Gracyn stops short when entering. She gets a perplexed expression on her face when she sees Rhiannon move on the mattress from a starfish position, pulling her limbs in like a frightened anemone. “Wait. Where’s Isaiah?”

“Nashville?” I wince when I shrug. My entire body aches.

“You didn’t blow off the country club party and celebrate here?”

I sigh with an imperceptible shake of my head. Moving is making me nauseous.

Gracyn notices my obvious green pallor. Her other half-sister passed out. The heaps of tissues everywhere and the empty champagne bottle. She even sees the scuff,umgouge, on the wall from my shoe heel.

Shit. I was going to fix that.

“Then why did Isaiah’s assistant send this contract?” she asks, holding up her iPad.

I blink.

“Cassidy, it’s almost two in the afternoon. Are you still drunk?”

“Possibly,” I answer.

Gracyn sits at the end of the bed. “I’ve been waiting hours to come over because I didn’t want to walk in on… anything. But you didn’t answer your phone and Vespa wants these returned ASAP.”

I stare at my sister. It takes a minute to register that I left my phone in the bathroom. “The ringer is off.”

“I came to that conclusion already. The rest I need some help with. Didj’all have a fight?”

“No,” I say sadly. “Vespa called when we were getting ready for the party. The next thing I know, Isaiah left.”

“Then why did she book every available room for the next eight weeks?”

“What!” My jaw drops and I grab my forehead.“Ow!”

My sister patiently waits while I rub the searing sensation away.

“What does Isaiah want the B&B for two months for? And you agreed to this?”

“Of course, I did. It’s the slow season and the extra amount of money Vespa enticed me with to cancel any standing reservations means I can reschedule those bookings at a later date and offer the guests a discount. Not to mention, she alluded that Isaiah can still sue us for the fall. Be wary of that woman, both of you. Do you hear me Rhi?” Gracyn shakes Rhiannon’s hip.

Rhiannon lets out a muffled agreement.

“My only real negotiating power was refusing a twelve-week offer and telling her I had no choice but to get the trust’s approval for anyone other than Isaiah to stay here before your vacation was over, which is one reason I needed to see you. But I figured you and Isaiah already came to an agreement and the preliminary NDAs—which she won’t release the payment for until they’re signed by you, me, and Rhi—were a formality.”

Rhiannon bats a hand in the air, requesting the stylus from Gracyn. Using her hip as a desk, she scribbles her signature on the screen without even looking to see if it’s in the box.

“No offense, Gracyn, but when you’re wired, you talk faster than Aunt Brier and as loud as Cassidy. Go away or go find something to help fix my hangover.” Rhiannon flops a pillow over her head.

My head is throbbing, so I can’t help but agree with Rhiannon’s assessment.

However, I see Gracyn’s point of view. Vespa hasn’t proven to be the nicest person in the world. Our sister has every right to be worried about the inn’s reputation.

“I know nothing about any of this.” I swallow. My clammy hand holds the iPad. The screen shows an identical agreement to Rhiannon’s with my name on it.

My pulse jackhammers my temple, and my heartbeat makes it hard to inhale. Righteous indignation at getting dumped wars with the itty-bitty piece of me that’s now wondering if Rhiannon was right. Maybe Isaiah went out on a limb asking me to accompany him and last night would have turned out differently if I said yes.

Except he’s gone from breaking our date to booking an entire hotel without consulting me. And if I’m reading the situation correctly, broken heart or not, I’m stuck going along with it. I open my mouth, feeling used by a man I trusted.

“I don’t even know where Isaiah is.” I look at the door as Gatlin slides into my room.

“He showed up at our place a few hours ago,” My cousin says. “Cassidy, I’d never want someone making rash decisions for me, but I’d sign that if I were you.”

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