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“Did you see Archer strip and add new varnish to all of our picnic tables?” Rhonda asked him with a sweep of her hand. “We didn’t even ask him to do that.”

“Or remove all of the clovers from the lawn so the kids don’t have to deal with bee stings,” Steph chimed in.

The group kept at it, listing off all the things Archer accomplished that summer. His chest swelled with pride. He may have felt way in over his head at the beginning of May, but as he listened to his community list off all of the little things they noticed he did to make their space the best it could be, it made him surprisingly emotional. It made him realize that maybe, after all of this time, he actually did like being the manager of the Wild Pines resort.

“If you are uncomfortable with the way things are changing around here, then you and Sandy are more than welcome to put your cabin up for sale,” his father said.

Gasps dotted around the crowd, which had grown bigger during the argument. Every owner was now present, as well as a few of the teenagers pausing from their game of volleyball.

Joel’s face was the color of a tomato. “How dare you. We were the first ones here.”

“That claim means nothing. In fact, I believe it is in our by-laws that the owners of other cabins can vote owners out if they are hostile and present a threat to the ecosystem of the resort.”

Silent nods followed. Archer felt Tea step close, and he brushed her fingers with his.

Dad unfurled his arms. “So what’s it going to be? Should we call a vote, or will you apologize and accept that change is, in fact, very good for our resort to thrive in Silver Falls for years to come?”

Joel kicked a rock with a force that surprised Archer. The man seemed fragile, but he certainly had spunk hidden in there somewhere. Especially if he gutted fish every week and made a point to leave the cabin in a state of disarray.

Joel stilled and looked at him, his expression poisonous rather than apologetic. At this point, Archer would take what he could get. This was already too much of a scene, and the last thing he wanted was to kick Sandy and Joel out of the cabin that they’ve happily owned for over fifty years.

“I apologize,” Joel spat. “I will not interfere again.”

Archer nodded. “Apology accepted.”

No one said a word as Joel continued to glare at Archer.

He shoved his hands in his pockets. “You are right, Joel. This is as much your home as it is ours. If you have any issues with how things are done, please come talk to me. I would be happy to work out a solution. I don’t want you to feel like you need to make a statement to get your point across. If you’re unhappy, then let’s do something about it. I want you to be happy here—for all of us to be happy here—for years to come.”

Astor smirked. “Does that mean what I think it means?”

Archer turned to look at Tea as he answered. “Yeah. I’m not going anywhere.”

Tea gave him a genuine smile. She was happy for him. And while he felt confident in his decision, the look on her face made him feel torn between two different worlds.

Whoops and hollers sounded off from their small crowd.

Joel nodded, then turned on his heel and left for his cabin. Sandy stood clutching the banister as he approached, then violently whispered at him as they entered Cabin C.

Steph patted Rhonda on the back. “Babe, you can’t call an old man a lunatic.”

People chuckled as they dispersed.

Rhonda held up her arms. “Am I wrong?”

Steph rolled her eyes. “Come on, let’s get you a drink.”

Jorge rubbed his eyes. “I think we could all use a drink.” He pointed at Archer. “Pisco sours?”

Archer grinned, then snaked an arm around Tea’s shoulders. “Pisco sours?”

“I have no idea what those are,” she admitted. “Cocktail lesson number two?”

“Oh he doesn’t know how to make a true one,” Jorge quipped.

Lily slapped his arm as they began to walk toward their cabin. “Jorge, be nice.”

“It’s not my fault his fancy cocktail school taught him all wrong!”