“Okay, so let’s say I decide I don’t want to sell it,” I continued, after running through both lists again. “That means I’m stuck with James as a business partner, and I don’t trust him. As far as I’m concerned, he’s just another piece of shit who’s trying to fuck with my life.”
“So buy him out,” Jen suggested bluntly. As if it was that simple. I didn’t know what the inn was worth, but it wasn’t like I could just run to the ATM and pull out the cash. Everything I owned was tied up in investments, thanks to the numbers geek I was speaking with. “And do what with it? I work with computers, not people.”
“You have Brook to deal with the day-to-day shit,” she pointed out.
“And when he leaves?” Brook’s grandpa would eventually pass away, leaving Brook to get on with his life. He’d shared some of his dreams with me: how he wanted to take a road trip through the entire country, hitting all forty-eight continental states, maybe even detouring up to Alaska. He wanted to go to college. He wanted to explore the world so he could figure out what life away from the beach looked like.
“What if he doesn’t leave?”
“He will.”
“You don’t know that.”
“He’s only still here because of his grandfather. Once the old man dies, he’ll leave.”
“What if he finds there’s a reason for him to stay?” Staying home with Pax had turned Jen into a total sap. She’d obviously been watching too many Lifetime movies.
“Dane, it’s time for a little tough love. You’ve lived your entire life waiting for people to let you down—”
I opened my mouth to dispute her, but she shut me down within the first syllable.
“No, this is time for you to listen. Don’t tell me you don’t do it, because you do. And I understand why. You’ve had a lot more shit thrown your way than most people. But you’re never going to be happy if you keep living that way. At some point you have to decide that you’re worth being loved. That loving someone else is worth the risk. If you’re always looking back at how many people have violated your trust in the past, you’re going to miss all the great things ahead in your life.”
“So, you’re saying forget all the other shit and profess my undying love to a man I just met?”
Jen growled into the phone. I heard Grady in the background, asking what was wrong. “Your best friend is a fucking idiot. That’s what’s wrong.”
The line went silent, and I knew damn well Jen was recapping our conversation for her husband. Sure enough, when a voice came through the line, it was Grady. “You really are an idiot, aren’t you?”
“I thought you were supposed to be on my side,” I whined. After all, he was the king of don’t-fall-in-love until Jen came along. And he’d never acted like one of those annoying assholes who thought that because he was living in domestic bliss, everyone else should be too.
“I’m Switzerland here. Plus if you get your head out of your ass, you’ll realize both of us are on your side. You need to talk to Brook, find out what’s going on instead of drawing conclusions based on what your uncle told you.”
“I do believe him,” I insisted.
“And that’s why you’re sitting in a hotel room after checking out of the place you’ve been staying? When Brook goes in today, what do you think the odds are he’s going to go to your room and find it empty?” It was too damn early for Grady to make sense.
I spied a small coffee maker in the alcove between the bedroom and bathroom. As I listened to Grady walk me through everything he thought I should do, I offered up a silent prayer as the room was filled with the aroma of heaven in a cup. When it finished brewing, I sipped as I started the shower. I felt better after talking to Grady, but that meant I had a long day ahead of me.
“Do you think I should tell Dad about this?” I asked as I adjusted the water temperature and unwrapped the little bar of soap. Unlike the generic toiletries at the inn, these were branded for the hotel and smelled like lime and something else. Not an overpowering scent, but something that carried a subtle air of luxury. Funny, until this moment, I’d never once considered all the amenities hotels provided to keep their guests happy. Shit like this would have been a better way to spend money than fancy furniture that was already getting dinged up every time a guest ran their suitcase into the wood.
“Dane, are you even listening to me?”
“Yeah,” I responded, repeating the highlights back to him. “Talk to Brook, don’t say anything to Dad until I know what’s going on, ask the asshole what it’ll take to buy him out, call you back so you can crunch numbers.”
“Good. Now, finish your coffee, shower, and work on putting your life back together.”
“Yes, sir.”
Grady chuckled at the exaggerated tone in my voice. “Oh, and stop by the store on your way back to the inn. If this Brook is half as good as you make him out to be, you’re gonna need kneepads for the groveling you need to do.”
