Page 50 of Against All Odds

Mackenna sneered. “Oh, he didn’t say it outright, but you know how he is. He didn’t need to. A lot of the business owners look up to him, and they’re loyal to the Vikars. He’s such a dickhead.”

Regardless of how his head looked, Daniel Vikar’s condemnation of the Wildflower, combined with Alexa’s reputation for being able to charm or intimidate anyone into her corner, was very bad news for me and my business.

“Thanks for letting me know, Mac.”

Mackenna pursed her lips. “I’m sorry, Sable. I really am. And this makes me so angry. You’re doing an awesome thing here.”

But for how long?

“You should talk to Heath. He needs to handle this.”

I just smiled in response and gave a noncommittal nod. I doubted he’d handle this. He’d been very clear about not wanting to flauntusin front of Alexa and Juno. I didn’t think Juno gave a hoot because she’d come by and seen me at the Wildflower, asking me if the tavern would sponsor her lacrosse team. I’d told her I had to think about it because the business was still not stable. She was fine with that and asked if she could come for trivia night with friends, even though they were only sixteen. I told her the tavern was a family place, and sheabsolutely could. She didn’t seem flustered at all that her daddy was dating former trailer trash.

So, this was all about Alexa.

By the time Ben showed up that evening, I was holding on by a thread. It was trivia night, which was usually a big draw, but tonight, it felt like I’d planned a party no one wanted to attend.

The Wildflower was half-empty, the energy subdued. The few locals who had come sat in a cluster by the bar—Marla, Dale, and a couple of others I recognized as loyal faces. They were loud in their laughter, ordering drinks and food with a kind of defiance as if their very presence was a middle finger to the Vikars.

But there weren’t enough of them.

Ben took a seat on the barstool across from me, looking at me like he was Yoda and I was young Luke Skywalker. I poured him a glass of water without asking.

“You look like hell,” he clipped.

“Thanks, Ben,” I retorted flatly. “That’s what I’m going for these days. It’s all the rage in the fashion magazines.”

He leaned an elbow on the bar, studying me as I wiped down a glass. “How bad is it?”

I let out a heavy breath, setting the glass down with more force than needed.

“Bad. Really bad.” I lowered my voice, not wanting my staff to overhear. “If this keeps up, I won’t be able to make payroll in a couple of months. I sunk everything I had into this place. I don’t have enough in savings to keep us afloatfor long.”

Ben’s expression said that he already suspected as much. “Ski season is over, that’s when it gets slow. Every place has its lulls and ebbs.

“You don’t believe that’s what’s happening here,” I replied, frustrated. “The Wildflower has always been a local place. Tourists come and go, but the locals? They’re our bread and butter. And now...they’re gone.”

His gaze was steady. “I can talk to Daniel.”

I shook my head. “No point.”

“Heath?”

I gave him a look. “He’s trying to balance his ex and kid.”

“His ex is fucking with you, and he should know that.”

Ihadtried to talk to Heath about it, but he wasn’t listening. He just threw platitudes about the summer being tough for everyone. I’d noticed how he shut down whenever I brought Alexa up, so I’d stopped entirely.

“It’s complicated.”

“No shit.” He took a sip of water, his gaze steady. “I won’t lie to you, Sable. This isn’t a normal lull. It’s a storm. And I know you feel like you’re drowning.”

“Because Iam, in fact, drowning.” I slumped forward, bracing my forearms on the bar. “This town always had it out for me. I was barely scraping by on goodwill as it was. Alexa’s just...pushed me off the cliff.”

Why did I think I could make this work? How stupid was I to believe that this town would want me to succeed? I should’ve left Aspen. Taken the money from the house, went somewhere else, and started fromscratch. I was so foolish, so vain—and so desperately wanting to fit into a place where I should’ve known I couldn’t.

Ben’s expression darkened, the lines of his face etched deeper. “Alexa’s been making her rounds—stopping into shops, talking to people, even putting pressure on suppliers. You know what her family means to this town. She’s using that to twist the knife.”

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