Page 51 of Meet Me at the Grand

Ugh. His friend had been calling him all day for an update. Liam was supposed to be working on the Bertram proposal, but he hadn’t had any spare time.

And now that he did, he hadn’t been able to get his mind back to L.A.—not when Jonathon Island had it so thoroughly captured.

He hit ignore and stuffed the phone back into his pocket.

Before he knew it, an hour had passed, and it was time to break down the pile of boxes littering the galley. He grabbed the box cutter and started hacking away at the tape, ripping the seams so he could fold the boxes flat on the counter.

One box gave him more trouble than the others, the tape thick, the cardboard unyielding. Why wouldn’t it just lie flat like the others? Why did it insist on being so difficult?

With a grunt, Liam leaned heavily on it in an attempt to put it in its place.

“What’s got you so riled up?”

Liam turned as Cody strode toward the galley sink. His hands were covered in dirt and grime, his face dripping with sweat. “Just a dumb box that won’t cooperate.”

With a lifted eyebrow, Cody washed off his hands and dried them on some paper towels he found nearby. “Uh huh. It’s a woman, isn’t it?”

“What? No, dude, it’s just a box.”

Cody tsked and moved toward a small cooler on the ground near the fridge. He popped the lid and pulled out a couple of water bottles. Tossed one to Liam. “You sure about that?”

“Thanks.” The dirt on his hands left behind streaks in the cold bottle’s condensation. “And yeah, maybe I’m frustrated, and maybe it has to do with a woman. But not likethat.”

“So what’s it like?” Twisting the cap on his own bottle, Cody settled back against the counter and waited. “Is this about you getting fired?”

Liam tore into his water and took a few long drinks before answering. “Partly.” Maybe it was unprofessional to talk with Cody about this, but maybe it would feel nice to unload on someone who wasn’t involved. He couldn’t very well tell Dad about his worries. That would only stress his father out and make him question his faith in Liam. He’d rather have that conversation face-to-face. “Guessing the whole island probably knows by now that things did not go well with the town council on Monday.”

“Heard something about that, yeah.” Cody took a sip of water.

“Despite my best efforts, I really messed up that meeting and came up with plans that more than half the council—plus Dani—hated. So I thought I could get her on my side by showing her a hotel my company’s renovating in Minneapolis.”

“And did you? Get her on your side?”

“No. In fact, when we returned, she went right back to trying to convince me to rebuild an exact replica of the hotel that she used to know and love. I just wish she would trust me, you know? Trust that I know this business, that I can get her the tourists she needs, that I could have them eating out of the palm of her hand, if only she would accept my vision of things. But she is so stuck in the past.” The plastic bottle crunched beneath his tightening fist. “Yesterday, she realized we’re at an impasse, and I guess she’d rather fire me than even consider compromising.”

“Does compromising mean doing everything your way?”

“What? No.”

“Does she think that’s what it means?”

Oh. “Well, I’m not sure.”

“Okay, then.” Cody finished off his water and crushed the plastic down flat with the palm of his hand. “Look, from what you’re telling me, and from what Mia’s told me?—”

“Dani’s cousin? Why would she tell you anything?” Liam set his own water down. “Wait, are you guys together?” Maybe Cody was an interested party after all.

Cody blanched. “No, it’s not like that with us. She and I…we’ve been friends since we were kids. She married my best friend.”

“Oh, wow.” Liam chuckled. “Didn’t mean to make that weird.” Except, wait. Hadn’t Dani told him…“I thought I remembered hearing her husband d—” He winced.

“Yeah, he did.” Cody turned a one-eighty and looked out the galley window. “He died.”

Shoot. He’d gone and made things awkward. But the thing about grief was, a person couldn’t ignore it. When Liam’s mom had passed, some people had tried to pretend like things were normal. They never even said they were sorry for his loss. Liam had asked Dad about that once, and his father had just said,Some people think that bringing up your mom will make our pain worse. What they don’t realize is that pretending she never existed is the worst pain there could ever be.

Liam stepped forward and clapped a hand on Cody’s shoulder. “Sorry for your loss, man.”

Cody’s frame shook with a few deep breaths. “Thanks.”

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