Page 54 of Meet Me at the Grand

Whew. Her cousin’s words landed right in her gut. Dani still wanted her family back. And the best chance of that happening was to play on their nostalgia. But what if theydidsay no to returning?

Worse, what if the project never got off the ground in the first place because Dani was too stubborn to risk it?

She swallowed hard, squeezed Mia’s hand. “I have to compromise, don’t I?”

“Yep.”

Her cousin’s voice was now infused with pep and some sort of glee—a welcome change from her demeanor for the better part of the last year. Of course, it was coming at Dani’s expense, but she almost didn’t care. “Don’t sound so happy about it,” she teased.

“Of course I’m happy about it.” Mia flashed her a quick smile. “You’ll have to keep working closely with the good Mr. Stone in order to hammer out the details.”

“It’s too late.” Dani shivered, and it wasn’t from the breeze floating off the lake. The idea of being alone with Liam again, working closely with him for potentially long hours at a time…well, it sparked more joy than it should. “He’s got to be long gone by now, if not on yesterday’s ferry, then today’s. There’s no point in entertaining the idea of more.”

“But you want to.” It was a statement, not a question.

No point in hiding her feelings from the friend who knew her best. Dani groaned. “Ugh, yes. I want to. But I can’t imagine things ever working out between us, even if by some miracle I convinced him to come back here. He’s planning to take over his dad’s job as CEO in Los Angeles. I belong here. And my heart is already so…Well, I just can’t afford to lose any more of it to someone else who is just going to leave me.”

She glanced up at the sky filled with hints of green and yellow. Some said the northern lights were always there but they weren’t always visible. On nights like tonight, it felt almost cruel of God to keep the full beauty of His creation from them. Like He was dangling a carrot she desperately wanted. The same was true of Liam. He was everything she’d want in a man, really. Loyal, kind, hard-working, considerate. And of course, he wasn’t terrible to look at either.

But he couldn’t ever be hers.

Without a word, Mia rested her head against Dani’s shoulder. Finally, she spoke, and her words were soft but fierce. “You’ve been trying to protect yourself from being hurt again, and I understand that. It’s why you haven’t sought out dates. The perfect guy for you literally landed on your doorstep, and you’re still not giving him a real chance. But maybe it’s time for you to take that leap of faith and see what happens.” She drew in a shuddering breath. “Troy wasn’t perfect. We had our problems. But if I could have Troy here with me for twenty-four hours,knowinghe would die again the very next day—that I would have to go through all this pain again—don’t you know what I would choose?”

A tear snuck past Dani’s defenses and fell hot down her cheek. “Love. You’d choose love.”

“I would. And so should you.”

The sky had darkened even more now, so much so that the adults were calling the kids in to eat. “I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

Mia gave her a hug, then pulled back with a grin. “How about you just turn around? That’s a good start.”

“What? Why?”

“Because.” Mia pointed over Dani’s shoulder. “It looks like Liam didn’t leave after all.”

Dani turned.

Liam stood ten feet away, impossibly handsome in a dark jacket, jeans, and a blue cap—the first time she’d ever seen him in anything but a suit. One hand was shoved into his pocket and the other held some sort of small bag. He was tall and broad, like a rescue ship coming into harbor.

“What’s he doing here?”

“Why don’t you go find out?” With a quick squeeze to her arm, Mia hustled off toward the house to join her kids.

Her whole body felt frozen, rooted to the ground, but Dani managed to lift her hand in a small wave.

Liam strode toward her.

And then, just behind him, overhead, the aurora borealis finally revealed itself in full. Streaks of color danced across the sky, a painting on a canvas so beautiful it hurt. But hurt in a good way, in a way that reminded her that a broken bone sometimes had to be reset in order to heal properly.

And she couldn’t deny the whisper in her soul from the Creator, nudging her forward a step. One, two. Toward Liam, until they stood toe-to-toe.

The look in his eyes matched the one she’d seen in the Minneapolis hotel earlier this week. Was that the same desire, or had she imagined it then too?

Dani swallowed. “I’m sorry for giving up yesterday.”

Liam drew back and then a smile inked across his face. “I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have been so stubborn.” He paused. “Does that mean I’m not fired?” The question was soft and teasing and filled with something else. Longing, maybe.

“I’m willing to bring you back on a probationary basis,” Dani teased back. “If you think we can work this out.”

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