Gentle.
Like leaving was the last thing he really wanted to do.
I shove the thought away quickly.
“It was one night,” I say firmly.
Charli throws her hands up. “Okay, if you say so.”
And for some reason …
I’m not nearly as confident about that as I want to be.
The restaurant hums with the quiet clink of glassware and low conversation.
It’s one of the nicer places in Moose—bright interior, a long wall of windows that looks out over Main Street.
I’m seated across from my parents, trying not to feel like I’m sixteen again.
My father, Barron Garrison, sits at the head of the table like he owns the place. And he probably does—maybe not him alone, but odds are good he’s somehow involved in the investment group behind it.
His charcoal suit jacket is folded neatly over the back of his chair. His white shirt sleeves are rolled up to his forearms,exposing a watch that probably costs more than most people’s cars.
My mother, Della, sits beside him.
She looks elegant, as always, her dark hair pinned up, a soft cream sweater draped over her shoulders. She smiles politely at the waiter as he fills her wineglass.
I swirl the bourbon in my glass.
I missed breakfast.
There was just no way to get back to my house and shower in time.
So, breakfast turned into lunch.
The waiter finishes pouring the wine and steps away.
My father immediately turns his attention to me.
“So,” he says, resting his elbows lightly on the table, “tell me about the hotel.”
There it is.
The business check-in.
I lean back slightly in my chair.
“Things are good,” I say. “Occupancy was steady all summer. We’ve had a lot of bookings through fall foliage season too.”
My father nods once. “That’s good.”
“We have a new events manager in the hospitality department, and she’s done an excellent job. She even updated the Cattlemen’s Association contract and extended it another five years.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
I nod. A strange pride fills my chest. “The third quarter reports should’ve been sent to your office already.”
“They probably were,” he says calmly. “I just haven’t had the time to look them over.”
