“One last thing. This lodge is not only important to the family but to this town.” His attention settles on me before he goes on. “You’ll need their approval as much as you’ll need mine.”
His comment basically seals my fate. If there is anyone who thinks I’m not worthy of this role more than the man scowling at me, it’s the people of Lovers.
“Thanks again, Dad,” Grace says and presses my back to push me out of the room.
Once the three of us have exited and the door is closed, Grace tosses her hands up.
“What is your problem, Dutton?”
“Henry, obviously,” I answer.
My sister crosses her arms as Gavin leans on the wall to watch the show with a smirk. He loves watching Grace and I battle.
“He knows how to get under your skin, and you let him.”
“I didn’t let him do shit. We all know he’s just doing this for fun. He already knows he wants you to take over.”
Which I need to stop from happening for the sole purpose of, once again, secrets.
“And what do you want?” Gavin asks.
“Don’t you want to run this place, too?” Grace asks.
I want to change so many things and make it better. And I sure as fuck don’t want my sister in charge of cleaning up Henry’s mess when the truth comes out, because it will. Grace is one of the best people I know, and she sure as hell doesn’t deserve what’s coming.
But the people in Lovers … convincing them is going to be tough.
“Yes, I do,” I tell them and wait for my sister's face to fall.
She nods. “Well, we knew it would come down to this. Me versus you. Whoever wins will make this place great, but the question is, do I want you to be my boss or do you want me to be yours?”
I shake my head and grin.
Of course, Grace would find a way to turn a shitty situation into some kind of fun.
“You want competition?” I ask her.
She nods. “I do, but most importantly, I want the right person for the job. That’s either one of us, Dutton, despite what this town thinks of you.”
Growing up, running this place was all I ever wanted, but then shit hit the fan and I started getting into trouble, and everyone lost their faith in me. It doesn’t matter that I still graduated on time or that I have multiple degrees to show my knowledge in running a resort like this—people stopped believing in me a long time ago.
And yet, with the way my brother and sister are looking at me now, it seems maybe I haven’t lost everyone.
“All right,” I groan. “Let’s do this.”
Grace squeals and then hugs me before she takes off down the hall for her office.
Gavin claps a hand on my shoulder.
All he says is “Good for you” before he heads for the front of the lobby.
I glance at my watch, noting that it’s just before noon.
I could pop into town, grab a burger from Hudson’s Bar, which is owned by one of my good friends, and then get back to work for the afternoon. No one wants to start a business plan on an empty stomach.
I make my way through the lobby, thoughts on how I can pull this off running through my mind, when I overhear a conversation mentioning Brooke.
“She's just the sweetest. Owning a bakery fits her so well.”
