Page 62 of Made for You

“Sure, son.” He claps me on the shoulder.

A little while later, my phone vibrates in my pocket, I pull it out to see who is texting.

Emma:Meet in the living room at the inn tonight at 7:00. We’re going to Facetime everyone on Cooper’s layover. Wyatt and Hunt are meeting us here too.

Me:Okay. Thanks Ems. I know I don’t say it a lot, but I really appreciate you and I’m glad you’re here with me.

Emma: > >

I check my watch and see that it’s noon. The ball of anxiety in my stomach is churning the pancakes I ate for breakfast. The thought that I might actually lose the inn is terrifying.

I guess it’s partially my fault that Pops didn’t see this was always my dream. I had been so intent on being mad at my brothers for being able to go off and do whatever they wanted while I was stuck with Pops, who was grumpy as hell and making everything hard.

Except it wasn’t my dream happening back then. It was his rule.

My alarm goes off at six-thirty so I can clean up the barn. I’ve been working hard on the table for Violet, and I love how it’s turning out. I’ve got the shelving units built, and all I have left is the table portion, then to add the front and do the carvings. I’m hoping to have it ready by the day of the Valentine’s Day dance.

Once I finish packing up my tools I place the sheet over my project, then a tarp over that, I don’t want to take any chances that someone will see what I’m making before I’m ready to reveal it. Especially, a someone who likes to visit kittens.

I lock up the barn and start my walk to the main inn. I stop dead in my tracks as I approach. Alexander is back, and he’s on the porch talking to someone. He has them on speakerphone so am I really eavesdropping if he’s blatantly sharing the conversation with the world?

“I get it, Larry. I know she needs to trust me for this plan to work.”

“You better get my daughter to fall in love with you quick and in a hurry. She’s due back this weekend for the re-election party. And I want that inn and my daughter back. Do you understand me?”

Larry is the name of Violet’s stepdad. Suddenly realization hits me like a ton of bricks. He’s here to scope out the inn because of the foreclosure. And what the hell is this about Violet? Make her fall in love with him? Fat chance.

I step up on the front porch to let him know I’m here, and I heard it all.

He locks eyes with me as he responds to Larry. I thought he was going to be embarrassed to be caught, but instead, he smirks.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get Violet to do whatever I say. She’s almost eating out of the palm of my hand after our nightlyrun-ins.”

I don’t wait to see what else they say and I practically run inside to see Violet.

But I can’t find her, I start toward the stairs and start taking them two at a time. I knock on her door with no answer. Damn it.

“Where is the fire?” Emma asks as she passes me on the way downstairs.

I fall in line behind her descending the stairs, “I just really need to talk to Violet.”

“Oh gross, booty calls are not emergencies, Lee.” I scowl at her behind her back.

“I think we should have the meeting in the office.” She turns to look at me, confused by my request.

“Why? What’s wrong with the living room?” I don’t want to tell her before I get the chance to tell Violet.

“I just don’t think it’s good business to say that the inn is in trouble when a guest could come down the stairs or even just open their door and hear everything we’re talking about.”

“That’s a good call. Go tell Wyatt. I just heard his truck pull up.” She walks into the kitchen probably to grab a snack before going into the office.

I grab Wyatt and Hunter, and we all go to meet her, she already has the laptop set up with Gunnar and Cooper on the screen.

“Well this is a clusterfuck.” Gunnar opens with the obvious.

“Yeah this is nuts. I can’t believe Pops would do something like this.” Cooper adds.

“He had his reasons, and we can’t undo it, so let’s just focus on a solution. Emma and I can get four thousand dollars from the funds we have here for renovation, it’s just the remaining two thousand dollars.” I get right down to business.

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