Her breath hitched. “Wait. Are you saying your mom is the one who bought the town and changed its name to Gi Gi’s Crossing?”
“Yes.”
“And you’ve never told the town that?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Her wish was that we get to know the residents first. Then we could tell them.”
“Why?”
“Knowing Gi Gi, she wanted us to earn their respect and friendship. Not inherit it just because we own a huge piece of the town.”
Frankie thought back to a book she’d read last year. One they’d featured in theFind Your Book Boyfriendcolumn inNaked Runway. “Sounds like she hoped you’d discover a found family in her absence.”
His expression shifted, subtle but sharp. “What makes you think I have family left to find?”
She laughed. “I meant the trope. Small-town romances where people create a chosen family when their real one doesn’t measure up or aren’t around.”
He considered that. “You might be right.”
She narrowed her gaze. “What exactly is it you do that allowed you to drop everything and take on a full-blown renovation?”
“I’m a venture capitalist.”
Whoa. That wasn’t a gig you fell into. And definitely not one you ditched for home improvement. “Who bankrolled your start?”
“My brothers and I created an app when we were young. The revenue gave us options.”
“So…you’re not poor?”
“No.”
“Not a blue-collar worker?”
“No.”
“Not planning to settle down in Gi Gi’s Crossing—”
He held up a hand. “That’s as much as you get. Now, it’s your turn.”
She twisted the corner of her napkin. She could lie. But that wasn’t her style. And frankly, it would be nice to have one person in town who saw the real her.
“There’s this guy,” she said. “I call him Mr. Uptight. He’s the reason I’m in Gi Gi’s Crossing.”
Marcus stilled. “I believe you mentioned him earlier today. How exactly did he upend your life?”
“I did one small thing to piss him off, and suddenly he’s threatening to ruin my life unless I play by his rules.”
His brow lifted. “What did you do?”
“I’d rather not say.” She kept her tone even, but her stomach clenched. To explain it would mean reliving the chaos…and it wasn’t just her story.
“Fair.” He paused. “What do you think Mr. Uptight would say happened?”
She gave a humorless laugh. “He probably thinks he’s some moral crusader, avenging the fall of high standards. Either that, or…” She hesitated. “According to my therapist, maybe he’s got some buried trauma and thinks micromanaging everyone else is how you win at healing.”
