At the moment, you. And your cameras and your bloodhound nose for drama.
But ultimately, what keeps me roaming the lodge while the world sleeps has a lot less to do with insomnia and more to do with hope.
Just the quiet hope Sierra will be there too.
The hope that I’ll get one more swing at the walls keeping us apart.
“Looking forward to it.”
I let out a breath I've been holding for approximately three minutes.
Roman pops his head around the corner just as she disappears. “Yo, you said 30 minutes. You ready to do this?”
My phone buzzes.
Mom.
Your father's on his way. I held him off as long as I could.
Fantastic.
“Yeah, let’s get this busted out.”
Beforehe gets here.
‘Mount Me Everett' was just the appetizer. Finding out I let the Barrett brothers invest in our legacy? That's the entrée he's really going to choke on.
Roman sprawls in the leather chair like he owns the place—which, technically, ten percent of him does.
Caleb perches on the edge of my desk, vibrating with the energy of someone who’s had zero consequences for his life choices.
Nolan stands by the window, quiet and watchful, which is somehow more unnerving than Caleb's chaos.
I close the door behind me. “We need to talk.”
“If this is about the plaques—” Caleb starts.
“It's about the plaques.”
“In our defense, they worked.” Caleb pulls up his phone, waving it like a trophy. “Bookings are up forty percent since yesterday. Forty. The restaurant is fully booked for dinner tonight. We've got people calling from Portland asking about room availability for nextweekend.”
“I know.”
“So what's the problem?”
I plant my hands on the desk and look him dead in the eyes. “The problem is that my great-great-grandfather did not conceive his seventh child on a boulder.”
“You don't actually know that.”
“Caleb.”
“Fine, fine.” He holds up his hands in surrender. “So we took some creative liberties. The point was engagement, and we got it.”
“The point,” I say, keeping my voice level, “was to save this lodge. Not turn my family into a punchline.”
Roman shifts in his chair, his expression thoughtful. “He's got a point, Caleb. The numbers are good, but we can't sustain this if it's all fake.”
“Thank you.”
