Page 75 of Falling For You

I couldn’t argue with that. I stared down at the coffee before me, my mind racing. Abby was right—the money had complicated everything. It had twisted my priorities, turned something beautiful into something tainted. I didn’t know how to make it right. Violet probably hated me now. She had every right to.

Before I could respond, Abby’s husband emerged from the back. He wiped his hands on a rag.

He must have overheard our conversation because he walked over and gave me a knowing look.

“So,” he said, pulling up a chair next to Abby, “you’re the one buying up that land, huh? My name is Elijah, by the way.”

I nodded, guilt twisting inside me. “Yeah. That’s me.”

He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “I’ve been hearing about this deal for a while now. Didn’t know you were part of it, though. What’re your plans for that land?”

“Resort,” I said quietly. The word tasted bitter in my mouth. “A big one. It’s supposed to bring in more tourism.”

He let out a low whistle, shaking his head. “A resort, huh? Do you really think that’s what this town needs? Is that how you spun it to our village leaders?”

“Yeah. They seemed pretty happy about it.”

“Do you think the townspeople will be?”

“No,” I admitted. “I don’t think so at all. But I let it happen anyway.”

Abby and her husband exchanged a look, and I felt like I was being judged by the whole town in that one glance.

I also knew I deserved it.

“You know,” Abby said, leaning forward again, “this town doesn’t forget easily. Especially when someone goes against the grain like this. People around here don’t like big changes, especially ones that hurt those they care about.”

“I know,” I said, my chest tight. “But what can I do now? The deal’s closing tomorrow.”

Elijah rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment. “Well, you could start by telling the truth to everyone involved. You owe Violet’s family that much, at least.”

“And you need to be ready,” Abby added, her tone serious. “Once word gets out, this town will turn cold on you, Owen. You'd better be ready for something big. People here will rally around Violet and her family. They won’t let this go quietly.”

I knew they were right. I knew I had to face the consequences of what I’d done. But the thought of losing Violet—of losing the one person who had made me feel like there was more to life than money—was almost unbearable.

“I don’t know if I can fix it,” I said, my voice hollow.

“You can’t always fix everything. But you can try to make it right.” He looked at me.

I nodded, though I wasn’t sure how to begin doing that.

As I sat there, staring out the window of the coffee shop, I realized that for the first time in my life, I wished I hadn’t made the deal. I wished I had cared more about the people I was hurting than the money I was making.

And I wished, more than anything, that I hadn’t lost Violet.

But it was too late for wishes.

When I told my brother about this last year, he gave me all the warnings. He saw this trainwreck a mile away. He even asked me about the family business next door, and I laughed it off. Who was laughing now?

I took a sip of my latte and let out a deep sigh, knowing there was absolutely nothing I could do to right the wrongs I’d done, and it was the loneliest feeling in the world.

Chapter Twenty

Violet

I sat at the kitchen table in the lodge, staring at the shiny, wooden surface. Our family had spent so many meals together hammering out life’s problems here.

My heart continued to race from my conversation with Owen. The words he had said to me repeated in my head—how his partners were closing the deal on the land next door tomorrow, how they had offered Vern twenty percent more than anything my parents could afford, and how he knew it would ruin us.

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