Her brow lifted. “Excuse me?”
“You should tell Ian or let me tell him,” I said. “He hears things. With the number of people around the Lodge right now—crews, vendors, drivers—conversations float. If Lola’s name has come up anywhere, he’ll catch it.”
Amy considered that.
“And you need to talk to Beau,” I added.
Her expression shifted.
“Pep—”
“No. Listen to me.” I leaned forward. “Beau’s a financial wizard. You know he is. Half the reason the Lodge runs as smoothly as it does is because of him. He sees patterns in numbers most people miss.”
She didn’t argue that.
“And he’s scared to death he’s losing you to Thomas,” I went on gently. “Which means he’s not thinking clearly right now. He’s too afraid to ask what’s really going on.”
Amy looked away at that.
“Bringing him in doesn’t just help Thomas,” I said. “It gives Beau the truth. And it gives you backup. Unless of course you’re over him and the relationship is done.”
“I love Beau.”
The words came easily, without hesitation. It was a big relief to me since I was rooting for Beau.
“I’ve brushed him aside these past couple of weeks,” she admitted. “Every time Thomas called, every time something came up with the loan, I shifted gears. I kept telling myself it was temporary. That I’d explain it all once I figured it out.” She gave a small, frustrated shake of her head. “And now I don’t even know what to say to him.”
I studied her for a moment. “You start with the truth.”
She frowned slightly.
“You tell him you love him,” I said. “And you don’t want to lose him. That’s for starters.”
A faint smile tugged at her mouth. “You make it sound simple.”
“It is simple,” I said gently. “It’s just not always easy.”
“I hate that he’s been sitting there thinking I’m drifting toward Thomas,” she said, looking guilty. “And I can’t say the thought didn’t drift in my head, but it didn’t stay there. It made me realize that my heart belongs to Beau and no one else. I’ve been far too focused on keeping Thomas from making a mistake.”
“Then stop trying to do it alone,” I replied. “Beau’s not your competition. He’s your partner and he’s hurting.”
“I’ll talk to him. Today.”
I nodded once. “Good.”
I watched her for a moment, making sure the resolve held.
“It’s not like the four of us haven’t worked together before to solve a mystery,” I said.
Amy’s brow lifted. “Four?”
“You, me, Ian… and Beau,” I said. “You don’t want Sherman Howard stepping into your shoes as organizer and researcher of our little group.”
She blinked. “Oh, so Sherman Howard is working out as your new assistant.”
I laughed softly. “He certainly is. He’s a spreadsheet enthusiast and thinks color-coding is a personality trait.”
Amy shook her head in disbelief. “A couple of weeks and I feel like I’m completely out of the loop.”
