Page 32 of Secret Baby for Mr. Grump

But I would rather burn the whole thing to the ground.

“That’s it?” Sean said after a few minutes of silence. “That’s all you’re going to say?”

“What else am I supposed to say?”

“I don’t know. I expected a whole dictionary of new swear words right about now.”

“I don’t have the energy,” I said, nor the inclination. It was strange. Even with everything that had happened, I wasn’t half as constantly annoyed here as I was back in New York. Maybe this town had a way of mellowing one out versus New York, where everything was designed to piss you off.

“You need to come home so we can fix this,” Sean said.

Home? I nearly laughed.I may have lived there for the past eight years, but New York would never be my home.

Then again, neither was Summit.

“What do you know about holiday resorts?” I asked Sean after a brief thought.

“Next to nothing. Why?”

“It’s nothing. Never mind.”

THIRTEEN

ALLIE

I was fucking mad.

At him and myself.

Also, mad at the confusion that still plagued me because, for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out who Marcus was now. Was he the man who gently caressed my cheek, who looked at me with such heated desire in his eyes, who couldn’t hide the tenderness in his touch?

Or was he the one who ignored me, who talked with an accusing tone and seemed like he deliberately wanted to hurt me? The one who didn’t want to listen to me despite my pleas and seemed determined to tear down one of the best places in my life?

I stopped walking and took a deep breath, releasing it and letting go of most of my anger.

It wouldn’t do me any good to storm off in a huff. Marcus didn’t see the potential of the resort because he simply didn’t like this town. I didn’t blame him. Everyone here had been absolutely awful to him. I wouldn’t blame him if he wanted to tear down every single building here or if he convinced his boss that there was nothing worth saving.

But maybe I could show him that it wasn’t all bad.

That sometimes there was beauty even in the ugliest of places.

And maybe he could find peace despite everything that had happened to him.

Or maybe I was just being a selfish cow.

I sighed, guilt rattling through me. It was selfish of me to ask him to save the resort, knowing how he felt about it.

But I would do it anyway. Because holding on to the hatred and bitterness couldn’t be good for him either.

He didn’t need to forgive them for what they had done, but perhaps he would allow me to show him a different side. Not everyone here hated him, and a lot of people would suffer if the resort fell, including our employees, who would be out of income. Tourism would crash, and it would have a ripple effect on every other business, especially those that predominantly made profits during Christmas time.

It was Christmas, after all, and this was a town that really came alive during the season.

Maybe I could show Marcus what Summit meant for the people of this town, what we offered during this time, and what it meant for my son. I would give him a taste of how good we could be, and maybe he would finally understand and convince his boss that this place was worth saving.

The alternative would be to go to his boss directly and try to reason with the man, but that idea held little appeal and even less chance of success. I would have to find out who this man was in the first place since I doubted Marcus would be forthcoming with the details. And then try to figure out exactly what he wanted since those New York types could be very utilitarian.

No, it was better to go through Marcus.

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