Page 48 of Meet Me at the Grand

But he didn’t laugh at her teasing. “I only work hard because I want him to be able to retire. And he never will if he doesn’t think there’s someone capable enough to take over for him.”

Oh, wow. “You said something about wanting him to retire for his health?”

A quick nod. A sigh. “Two years ago, I was home from a business trip and came out of my room for a snack. Found Dad on the couch sleeping. His laptop had fallen off his lap onto the rug below, and I came over to right it. But something just seemed off, so I tried to wake him up and…” He shuddered. “Turns out he had extremely low blood sugar because he hadn’t eaten in hours. He’s diabetic and doesn’t take care of himself like he should. If I hadn’t been there…”

“Oh, Liam. How scary.” She turned, rested the reins in her lap, and set her free hand on his. “But you were. There, I mean.”

“Thank goodness. But I can’t always be there, which means the only real solution is to take things off his plate so he retires and lives his best life, away from the stress of work.” Liam glanced down at her hand, then back up, into her eyes.

He was such a good son. Still…“Don’t you think you’re taking too much on yourself? Your dad’s an adult, after all.”

“Of course, but with Mom gone…well, family takes care of each other, right? And that means it’s up to me to make sure my dad’s okay.” His gaze explored hers, as if searching for something there. “That’s why I couldn’t let someone else take this project. Why I’m pushing back on things. Because…”

“Because if it fails, then your company will be in the red. I know.”

“But it’s more than that. If the company is set back, my dad won’t hesitate to use his own retirement fund to make sure everyone is taken care of. To turn things back around. Which means he won’t be able to retire.”

Dani sat back against the bench and blew out a breath. She hadn’t realized just how much of a risk Mr. Stone was taking in agreeing to this deal. Still, didn’t Liam understand? “This deal means a lot to me too.”

“I know. You want your family to come back.”

She licked her lips, glanced away. A breeze off the water blew through, and the horse’s tail flicked at it as if it were a fly. “Like you, it’s more than it seems.”

Now Liam’s hand covered hers. Squeezed. “Tell me.” His voice, like honey, filled the empty spaces in her heart. Warm and soothing, and sticky in a good way. Like it wasn’t going anywhere.

Even though it was.

But for right now, Liam was here. And he wanted to know. She didn’t have the heart to get into all of it—Dad burning down the hotel, and the aftermath that ensued—but she could still share her heart without all of that. Tell him why this mattered so much.

She turned her palm up, and his fingers slid around hers, locking them together solidly. “My parents split up when I was fourteen because my mom had an affair.”

“Oh, wow. I’m sorry. Is that why you aren’t close with her?”

“That’s part of it.” She sighed. “When I was eighteen, the hotel burned. My dad left for Florida at that point. He started over with a new hotel there. Mom and my stepdad at the time moved to Port Joseph. Mom is still there, divorced again. And my older siblings—all six of them—left one by one. Now they’re scattered across the country, and I’m the only one left.”

“That must feel lonely.”

“I have Uncle Seb, Aunt Elise, my cousins. But it’s not the same.”

“I understand loneliness.”

She believed him. “I think the first time I was ever lonely was when I was eight, and my oldest brother, James, went away to college. Out of all my siblings, I was always closest with him, even though he’s ten years older. But he was never too cool for me, you know? He let me tag along everywhere, even when his friends were there. And then he left for Boston. I know that’s not that far, but for a girl with as small a world as mine, it might as well have been another country.”

Liam’s thumb moved along the curve of hers, drawing delicious shivers down her spine. “I always wanted a sibling. I’m glad you had that.”

Poor Liam. His mother had died in childbirth, which meant he must have lost the sibling he so desired.

She pressed her shoulder against his and nodded. Her gaze took in the rocky shore, the expansive lake, the trees that were dead but would one day soon be brought back to life. “I’m glad I had that too. But sometimes I wonder if my heart would be whole if I didn’t.” Dani bit the inside of her cheek. “That probably sounds so silly. But after James left, and I cried and cried buckets of tears, my mom took me aside, dried my eyes, and said, ‘When people leave us—whether temporarily or for good—they take a piece of our hearts with them every time.’ And I know she meant it to comfort me, but I have never been able to get that picture out of my head.”

“What picture is that?” Liam’s warm breath tickled her ear. He was solid, and here—so close.

“The image of my heart, breaking off little bit by little bit every time someone leaves. Scattering to the corners of the earth, following them wherever they go. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever be whole again. This project feels like my only chance to be. And that’s why I need the hotel to be rebuilt exactly the way it was. Don’t you see? If it’s anything but that…”

“Thank you for telling me all of that, Dani. I’m sure that wasn’t easy.” It took Liam several long moments before he spoke again. “I’m not trying to disrespect your memories or your dreams, but shouldn’t the hotel rebuild be about what’s best for the island?”

“Well, yes. But the two aren’t mutually exclusive. I really do believe that changing things won’t be good for the island.”

Liam sighed. “And I still believe you’re wrong.”

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