“You have another busy day here,” I reminded him. “We’ll spend some time together tonight and then you can sleep in.”
And I could finally explain what I’d been so busy working on all week. Until today’s conversation with Jen, I hadn’t let myself believe I actually had anywhere close to enough capital to buy out my uncle’s stake in the inn. Her attorney friend was going to have to work some magic since probate hadn’t cleared and technically neither of us owned the inn on paper yet, but I was beginning to have faith this was all going to work out.
Another family pulled up in front of the doors, so I leaned in to quickly kiss Brook on the cheek before disappearing up the stairs.
It was nearly two hours later when Brook texted to let me know he was finishing up downstairs. That meant I had less than ten minutes to make sure everything was perfect for tonight. I wasn’t sure why I was making such a big deal out of dinner, but it felt like a pivotal moment for us.
The weathered table on the balcony was set, complete with a lantern in the middle. Not quite a candlelight dinner, but a strong breeze blowing off the water made that an impossibility so I’d improvised. I’d totally cheated by picking up a frozen lasagna because I wasn’t a gourmet, but I didn’t think Brook would mind. Tonight was about quality time with my man, who I didn’t need to impress with my culinary skills.
The moment Brook’s footsteps sounded on the stairs, I rushed to meet him at the door. He startled as I threw my arms around him, burying my face in his neck. He always smelled so damn good.
“Someone’s in a better mood tonight.”
“Yeah, now that you’re here,” I admitted. This was something I’d never had before. I’d never cared enough about someone to feel anxious when they weren’t around or anticipate that moment we’d be back together. If I was this much of a sap when it’d only been hours since I’d seen him, what was this trip going to do to me?
“It’s not just that,” he observed, leading me to the balcony. That had become our place whenever we were both up here and the weather cooperated. It allowed us privacy while still enjoying the beach life. “Have you heard from James?”
I didn’t want to talk about my uncle tonight. Obviously, we’d have to at some point, but not yet. Or maybe it was best to get this out of the way earlier so the fate of everything my grandfather had built wasn’t hanging over us like an anvil the entire night.
“Not yet, but I’m going to reach out to him in the morning. I have a solution, but only if he’s willing to accept my terms.”
I grabbed myself a beer and poured a glass of wine for Brook. His eyes rolled back in his head and he sighed dramatically when the first sip hit his tongue. “God, I love you. It was a long-ass day.”
“You have no clue how much I appreciate you busting your ass. Most employees would have told me to fuck off when James went into hiding, especially with everything that’s going on.”
“Yeah, well, I think it’s safe to say I’m not most employees. You’re going to have to work harder than that to scare me off.”
“Good thing I have no interest in working harder, then, huh?” I joked, reaching out for Brook’s hand. “At least, not when it comes to chasing you off. Right here is exactly where I want you to be.”
“So, are you going to tell me about all this plotting you’ve been doing all week?” he pressed after a few moments of silence staring out at the waves rolling onto the shore.
“I’m buying him out,” I blurted. “I have to know, moving forward, that nothing like this is going to happen again. I don’t want to constantly worry that he’ll make another bad decision that could put the people I love in jeopardy.”
The silence I got in response was deafening and settled inside of me like a black hole. I wasn’t sure how I’d expected Brook to react to the sudden knowledge that I could afford to lay out that type of money, but the pale face and blank expression wasn’t one I’d considered. Nor had I expected him to release my hand and walk to the railing. I sat a moment, trying to figure out why he seemed pissed off about my plan. When he spun around, bracing his hands behind him on the rail, there was no mistaking that he was upset with me.
“You can’t just buy the inn, Dane!” He started pacing across the balcony, stopping to look out over the railing. I paused, letting out a frustrated huff because this wasn’t how I expected the night to go.
“I can, and I will,” I responded defiantly.
“Less than a month ago, you couldn’t wait to get out of here. This isn’t your life. Buying a business is ahugecommitment.”
“You think I don’t know that? I know exactly what I’m getting into.”
“But why? What happened to the man who seemed pissed off that the grandfather who didn’t give a shit when he was alive willed him half of the inn?” Why was Brook fighting this so hard?
“You happened,” I admitted, stepping closer, flinching when Brook sidestepped me.
“You can’t uproot your entire life for us, Dane. What happens if you decide six months from now that you were happier being single? Then you’re stuck here with a hotel you hadn’t planned on owning and I’m out of the only job I’ve ever had.”
“Wow, it’s good to see you have so much faith in us,” I replied bitterly. Sure, I hadn’t planned on anything life had thrown my way recently, but for the first time in my life, I wasn’t constantly obsessing over every way it could all be ripped away from me. Here I’d thought that was a sign this was the right thing to do, but apparently Brook had already figured out exactly how we were going to fail, right down to a timeline. “This isn’t only about us; it’s about building a new life for my dad and knowing his brother can’t do something stupid again in the future that’ll land Dad back in prison.”
“It’s not that I think we’re doomed, but I’m trying to be realistic, Dane. This is a huge risk for you.” He inched closer, reaching out to brush his hand against the back of my fingers. “The past month has been a lot for you to take in. Pretty much everything you’ve known has been tipped on edge. What happens as life starts to settle down?”
Okay, so his point was valid. But what he didn’t realize, maybe he couldn’t understand because he’d had a good, stable life, was that everything that’d happened was for the better, even the bullshit with James in a roundabout way. It wasn’t until everything came to light with James and his mess that I realized how much the inn meant to me in such a short time. If I ever quit being pissed off at him for what he’d done, I might eventually thank him.
“When this is all over, I’ll tell you exactly what I will find.” I led Brook back to the loungers and pulled him onto my lap and kissed the spot behind his ear that I knew drove him crazy. “I’ll have a little apartment I hope to someday share with the man I love. My dad will be free and settling into his own version of a normal life for the first time in a decade. I’ll have a wildly successful inn, thanks in no small part to that crazy, sexy man who stole my heart. But above all else, I have the one thing I’d given up on ever having.”
“What’s that?” Brook asked, his voice strained so much that he sounded almost as emotional as I felt.
“Family and roots,” I told him.
He craned his neck around to look at me.
I reached up to busk my fingers across his defined cheekbones. “You’re a part of that, Brook. I love you. God knows, I never believed it could happen so quickly, but it did. You’ve made me want to lay down roots.
“When I’m with you, I forget about the past. I don’t think about all the things that go wrong, because you’ve taught me that sometimes life does you a solid when you’re not expecting it.” I quit talking, already embarrassed by how I’d laid myself bare to him. But dammit, I wasn’t going to be talked out of the first decision I’d made in my life that truly felt right. Wasn’t going to let him plant the seeds of doubt about our future right before I had to step away from him for a few days.
“Wow. Sounds like you have everything figured out.” Brook chuckled, flipping over so we faced one another. Dinner was quickly forgotten in favor of a languid make-out session. Luckily I’d already turned off the oven before Brook came upstairs, or we’d have burned the place down.
Daylight was beginning to fade, leaving the sky painted in shades of pink and purple, by the time we pulled ourselves together. Before Brook, I couldn’t remember ever taking the time to truly appreciate the sunset. Now it was becoming one of my favorite times of the day.
