Page 28 of Secret Baby for Mr. Grump

Marcus’ truck was parked out front, so I could tell he was already inside. I repeated the same little pep talk I’d given myself at home, telling myself that all we needed to do was reestablish the friendship we lost, and everything would be fine.

But then I walked in on him and some men in overalls talking in the lobby.

“Hi there,” I said cheerily, and they barely spared me a glance and a nod before they continued talking.

Okay, that was rude,I thought, but I didn’t let it bother me. They seemed like they were discussing something very serious, and I was likely interrupting them.

I decided to leave them to it and make myself useful instead by going on to see which rooms would likely need the most work, making a note of all the things he likely needed to keep the same for the rustic decor.

I walked around, trying to record all the details, and by the time I came back, the men were gone, and Marcus was sitting on one of the worn couches at the entrance, typing something into his phone.

“Hey,” I said, walking up to him. “Who was that?”

He answered without even looking up. “Demolition crew.”

My heart went dead. “Wait, what?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he held the phone to his mouth to record a voice note.

“What I’m saying, you bastard, is that you need to make them pay for trying to run off with our money.” Once again, his tone sent fear and annoyance spiraling through me. Did he have to talk so harshly all the time?

“I don’t care who you have to squeeze to get them to admit guilt,” he continued. “Make them bleed. Got it?”

I winced as he ended the voice note, and finally, his eyes went up to me.

“Did you need something?” he asked in a tone that wasn’t exactly friendly.

I swallowed. This was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

“You said you were speaking to the demolition crew,” I said. “What’s that about?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” he said snarkily. “We’re tearing the place down.”

My heart sank.

No! No, no, no, no, no.“You said you wouldn’t do that.”

“Did I? I don’t remember ever promising such a thing.”

“Yeah, but…” I thought back and realized that while I did make the request, he’d never agreed to it or even agreed to give me time to convince him.

My heart sank at the cold expression on his face, an immovable statue that told me he wouldn’t listen to anything I said.

Why was he like this? Was it because of the kiss?

What happened between yesterday and today turned him from the man who kissed me yesterday into this cruel, heartless man.

But no. It wasn’t just that. I sensed the difference the minute he came back, sensed that he was now a much harder man than he’d been.

Still, could I appeal to the gentle giant I once knew?

“You can’t tear it down, Marcus,” I pleaded, figuring I was down to my last option. “This place…has been in my family for generations. It also makes this town a lot of money and attracts tourists.”

“Usedto attract tourists,” Marcus corrected. “It doesn’t anymore, and even if I gave a damn about that, it would mean that this place hasn’t been at its peak for many years now. It’s now basically costing the city money with nothing to show for it.”

“Yes, but that’s only because my dad fell behind on the necessary renovations needed to keep this place intact,” I explained. “We still have tons of clients, most of whom would be happy to come back, but it’s just that they need this place to be up to par.”

“Again, not my problem.” He got up and then stretched, and I was momentarily distracted by the sight of his shirt riding up, exposing a hint of his ridged abdomen. Instantly, lust went flushing through me, and I lost my train of thought.

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