Harper nodded, her eyes meeting Chase’s briefly. His reassuring manner helped ease some of the tension in the room.
“Chase is right,” Harper chimed in. “We’ve faced tough times before. Remember when that hurricane nearly took out half the resort?”
“Or when Dad thought it’d be a great idea to add a peacock exhibit?” Braden added with a wince.
Despite myself, I cracked a smile. “Yeah, that was a great idea until we realized how loud the damn things were.”
“The point is,” Chase interjected, “you have options. It won’t be easy, but Sunset Siesta has limitless potential. Thelocation alone is pure gold. There’s plenty of land and a rare, beautiful beach. An offshore reef, activities for guests already in place… I could go on and on. You just need to tap into it all.”
As the meeting wrapped up, a weird mix of hope and dread swirled in my gut. My siblings were chatting animatedly, tossing around ideas for fundraisers and marketing strategies. The weight of everything we’d just discussed pressed down on me like a physical force. But it wasn’t just the daunting renovations or the astronomical costs that had my stomach in knots. It was the glaring absence that no one had dared mention.
Mom.
I rubbed my temples, trying to ease the tension building there. We couldn’t move on without her input and guidance. This place was her legacy as much as it was anyone else’s. And what Jules and I had going on here? It was a ticking time bomb. The thought of ending things with her made my heart feel cold inside my chest. What we shared had to qualify as being a whirlwind romance, but that didn’t stop it from feeling any more intense.
Or real.
It was becoming very real.
I traced the worn grooves in the wooden top of the table, unseeing. My heart thumped like a hammer falling, each beat a reminder of the realization dawning on me like a storm rolling in from the sea.
I’m developing feelings here. Real, live feelings.
The thought sent a jolt of panic through me, my hand suddenly turning clammy against the smooth tabletop. Around me, I vaguely registered the ruffle of papers and murmur of voices as everyone shuffled out of the room, but it was all distant, muffled.
What if it all went wrong? What if I screwed this up like I always did? What if?—
“Eli?”
I jerked my head up, startled to find the room empty save for Jules. She still sat in her chair, brows drawn, eyes searching my face.
“You okay?”
I swallowed hard, forcing a weak smile. “Yeah, just… processing.” My eyes returned to the glossy proposal in front of me and I zoned out again.
“Uh, see you later?” she asked after a quick glance to make sure we were alone, her usual confidence wavering.
“Yeah, okay,” I mumbled, the words tasting hollow in my mouth.
I watched in a daze as she gathered her things then stepped out the door. As it clicked shut behind her, I slumped back in my chair and dropped my head into my hands.
