“That guy’s name was Joe Middleton? And he’s the mayor?”
“Yes, he’s also chief of the volunteer fire department. He owns this restaurant with J.J.’s brother.”
In my notebook I write:Mayor Joe Middleton—fire chief, owns Taphouse.After I put my notebook away, I load up another chip with meat and cheese.
“Brandon was right about the nachos,” I say before taking my next bite.
“What did he tell you?” she asks, sounding a little suspicious.
“He told me to be sure and start with them.”
“Did he?” Elinor lowers the loaded chip she was about to eat. “Oh... she is good.”
“What do you mean?”
“This has Annie written all over it. She knows these nachos are my favorite thing on the menu. She’s playing matchmaker.”
“With us?” I ask, surprised.
“Yes,” she says, eyes fixed on her cheese-covered chip, “and I’m not sure if it’s because she’s a hopeless romantic... or if she thinks that if you fall for me, you won’t kick us out of the cottage.”
“I’m not kicking you out,” I say with certainty.
She looks up quickly. “But youshould. You don’t owe me a thing. You can sell the property—we’ll be okay,” She sighs as she sets the chip back down and wipes her hands on a napkin. “All I ask is that you keep me in the loop. I don’t want to be blindsided by bulldozers outside my front door.”
I appreciate Elinor being so understanding. What she is saying has some merit—I don’t owe her. Both my mom and Lucinda have been hammering the same point with me. There’s no reason to overturn all our plans just because I have a crush on the resort manager—It’s utter lunacy.
But at the same time, her expectation that I will let her down irritates me.
“Well, I disagree. And I owe you an apology. I should have told you from the beginning that I own your home... And Idon’t even know what to say about Lucinda’s accusations. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine.” A warm smile lights her face, and I relax.
“No, it’s not. You are too forgiving.”
“I am when I’m bribed with nachos,” she laughs. “Oh! And I really love that portrait of Grandma Nora.
“You do?”
“Very much.”
“I’m glad. It took some convincing to get my mom to sell it.”
“How did you convince her?
“Pretty much the only way to convince her of anything. I gave her a good price for it.”
Elinor laughs a little uncomfortably, and I suddenly wonder if that sounded awful—like I’m casually throwing money around while accusing my mom of being mercenary. “To be clear, I would say that in front of my mom, and she’d consider it a compliment.”
“She sounds like a character.”
“She is. And then some. Both my grandpa and my mom exude so much main character energy. My only choice was to stay on the sidelines.”
“We have that in common.”
“You! No, I couldn’t disagree more. You totally have main character energy. You’re freaking Cinderella! You work night and day to support your family.”
“You’re exaggerating the situation. My mom’s definitely not an evil stepmother,” she smiles. “She works hard too—and so does Annie, in her way...”
