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Helen was a saint and the only reason we didn’t go completely under after Levi’s mom died five years ago. Her self-appointed title of concierge was grossly inadequate for all the hard work she put in to help me ensure that our little inn ran like clockwork.
“Some days I’m ready for it all to be over,” Stan said, exhaling as he looked out over the fields. I blinked at the old man. Ready for it to be over?
I bit back a grimace. Stan had been hounding me for the last few years to join his widow/widower support group. BOLD: Brave, Optimistic, Living Dynamically.
Much to Mary’s dismay, despite her unexpected pregnancy at twenty-two, I had never planned to leave the Army. Sure, I had agreed to marry her, but I had been selfish. I’d joined the Delta Force operators as soon as I was eligible and had been gone more than I was home. Her brother, Wes, was one of my best friends and a fellow operator.
When her tragic car accident and unexpected death had forced my retirement from the Army, the inn had been yet another saving grace.
Learning how to cook was easy compared to worrying about how to raise a kid who barely knew me.
It wasn’t just any man, but my man. Brandt. My boyfriend. My everything-was-fine safety net—currently balls deep in my best friend.
“Ellie, there’s no need to quit. You’re being asked to step down,” Amy called to my back as I pushed through the office door. I spun on my heels, eyes slicing toward her. “What?” Amy lifted her chin. Her eyes took on an icy glare. “Look, I didn’t want to do this here—and certainly not in this way—but you’re leaving me no choice. You’re amazing, there’s no denying that, but sometimes . . .” Her eyes darted away. “No, go ahead.” My hands planted on my hips. “Say it.” Her eyes were sharp when they met mine. “You’re one hell of a closer, but you’re also kind of a flake. I need someone who can
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Our entire town revolved around the mysterious legend. A ghostly woman, dressed in a billowing white dress, who walked along the sandy dunes, carrying a bouquet of wildflowers. She was believed to be searching for her lost love who’d disappeared in a shipwreck in the early 1900s, but he’d been lost in the storm.
A dull ache for my oldest brother bloomed under my ribs. The entire town may think him cursed by the Lady, but really it was just shitty luck.
“I seriously love that kid.” “That’s because she’s you in a different font,” she said. I blinked innocently, pressing my hands to my chest. “Completely lovable in every single way?” She pinned me with a flat look. “Wildly optimistic and slightly unhinged.”
I shook my head. Poor Hayes. He literally had the worst luck of anyone I had ever met. We didn’t actually believe he’d been cursed by the Lady, but sometimes it was hard to ignore that his luck was absolute shit.
And now? Now I was back home, unemployed, drinking a juice box at a Vegas-themed birthday party for a kindergartner.
“My Karen would have loved this.” Mr. Stafford slapped the table. “You’ve got the vision, Miss Elodie, I’ll give you that! There was a time I had considered selling the place, but what you’re saying . . . well, that sounds like Karen’s dream come true. I think we should do it.”
The guys and I played every Wednesday night for the Remington County men’s twelve-inch, slow pitch softball league.
She smelled like exotic vanilla and pure trouble. And I did not need to be noticing that.
I need someone who can follow through, not just get excited about the next project. Being excited wasn’t a bad thing, and I could prove to everyone that I had the follow-through it took to make this project not only happen, but become a resounding success. Nothing and no one could stop me.
She may be my friend’s little sister, but it was official. Elodie Darling just became my fiercest rival.
“Wait—you thought he needed some pussy and brought him an actual cat instead of”—she gestured toward me—“dishing yourself up on a platter?”
I couldn’t do what I wanted to, so instead I let her have it. “I hate that there are workers stomping all over this place. I hate that my kid would rather spend time with you than me. I hate that I can’t get a second of peace and quiet anymore. I hate that if you somehow manage to pull this off, the place will be crawling with tourists. I hate that you think you’ve got what it takes to actually pull this off, and I really hate that I know you’re fucking right.”
My heart pounded in my ears as we stayed locked, staring at each other and grinning like fools. I pushed away the nagging reminder that he was my rival. My enemy. An enemy that might have just accidentally become a friend.
“We still hate each other, right?” “Yes,” I lied. I wanted to hate her. It would certainly be easier, but there was no way I could. Who could possibly hate a woman who walked around like a literal ray of sunshine? “Good.” She padded toward the bathroom before turning to look at me over her shoulder. “Now get out of my house.”
I felt my stomach drop. “Messing around?” Levi nodded quickly, words tumbling out, desperate now. “We were just hanging out in the barn. Me, Jamie, and a couple of the guys. They—they brought some beer, but I didn’t—” His voice cracked. “I wasn’t drinking. I swear. I was just there.”
“I thought we had an understanding, kid,” I said quietly, making sure my voice wasn’t too harsh. “I trusted you.” Levi’s shoulders curled inward. He kept his eyes down, focused on the burned wood at his feet. For a long second, he said nothing. Then, finally, he exhaled and forced himself to meet my gaze. His voice was barely above a whisper. “I know I messed up.” I nodded, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Yeah.” His throat bobbed. “I didn’t mean to—” I stepped forward, wrapping him in an awkward hug, his shovel pressed between us. “I know. We all mess up sometimes.” Silence stretched
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I hated to admit it, but there was no denying that Elodie Darling had grown far more attached to the idea of Star Harbor Farm than I ever had. She ached from the loss of the barn. A ripple of annoyance rolled through me. The problem was, I wasn’t sure whether I was annoyed at her—or at myself. For not keeping my distance. For letting her get under my skin. I needed to concentrate on the restaurant, on Stan, and Levi. But instead all I could think about was the way she had felt against me, warm and soft, like she belonged there.
“Good evening, Mr. Blackwood. This is JP King from Tower Business Ventures.”
Maybe the unease in my gut was a latent worry that Elodie Darling was the new face of Star Harbor Farm. Maybe she had plans I wasn’t aware of—plans that included her operating the farm herself. Or maybe my unease was because I could perfectly picture the hurt on her face when I purchased the farm and upended her plans entirely.
JP King,
“Heard the WarDogs didn’t go easy on you.” Beside me, Brody scoffed. “More like bent us over the table and made us call them Daddy.” Kit’s eyes flew to Brody, a hot flush staining her cheeks as Elodie, mid-sip, coughed and sputtered beside me.
“One is so fiercely independent, she’s raising her own little hellcat. Another is engaged to a douche canoe who thinks he’s better than everyone else. Kit’s never met a stranger in her damn life, and then there’s Elodie.”
“Around here, community is everything. Seven people passed us before you stopped to offer your aid. Returning the kindness would be the neighborly thing to do. You’re not one to give back a miracle, are you?”
“Good morning, Helen. Are you okay?” I asked, setting my mug down on the railing as I stood. She stopped in front of us, her eyes red-rimmed and wet. “We just got a call. Stan passed away last night. In his sleep.”
The man nodded. “It is. Stan’s final notation reads: ‘This land belongs to all of us, but someone’s got to carry the torch, might as well be the smartest bunch of women I know.’”
He nodded terse greetings to some but avoided my gaze entirely. “Mr. Stafford’s land borders the Drifted Spirit Inn. It’s my understanding that at one time, the property was one parcel of land. I would like to purchase the farm to reunite the properties.” I stiffened, my blood running hot as my cheeks flamed and my mind raced. “But Elodie is the one who’s been working the land with Mr. Stafford,” Selene said, voice sharp. “She’s the one who has put in the time. She had the vision—the vision Stan himself wanted to bring to life.”
I didn’t know what the future held for me, but I couldn’t give up. Not on Stan and not on myself. I wasn’t just going to build a barn. I was going to build something no one could take from me.
I was used to respect in this town, used to being someone people trusted with things that mattered. Now? Now I was the guy standing in the way of the beloved local hero and her dream.
“I mean, we can’t just—” I studied her, rubbing my thumb along her jaw, feeling the way her pulse jumped beneath my touch. “What? Have a full-blown health code violation in my kitchen?” She let out a breathless laugh, her fingers still fisted in my shirt. “I was going to say ‘defile this countertop,’ but yeah, that too.”
“I grew to love her,” I finally said. “But maybe not in the way I was supposed to. Certainly not in the way she deserved, but she was my family. And Levi . . . I have loved him from the second I knew he existed. That’s never changed.”
Cal grunted, wholly unimpressed with the idea. “You could stay.” The offer sent a ridiculous little thrill through me, but I shook my head. “It’s late, and if I don’t go now, I won’t go at all.” He made a deep, thoughtful sound, then smirked. “Is that a promise?”
Cal scooped up the cat, holding Scratch like a baby. His voice dipped even lower, smoothing into something that was almost . . . baby talk. “Who’s my little troublemaker, huh? Are you causing problems out here, sweetheart?” I sucked in a breath, my lips parting. Did he—did Callum Blackwood just coo at his cat?
She caught me looking and reached for the coffee mug I offered her. “Thank you.” When she saw the foam and caramel swirl on top, her eyes flew to mine. “You remembered?”
And I had no idea what the fuck to do with that. Any lingering thoughts of moving on, or dumping the inn to work in a restaurant, evaporated. Levi needed to be here, even if that meant me fully letting go of the last thread of my own dreams. For him, I would do anything.
It was within reach. I knew in my gut that the Keepers were going to sell—it would be foolish not to. All I had to do was sign the paperwork and I would have more than enough money to purchase the land, but it would completely fuck Elodie over in the process. It would mean I had to sacrifice her dream for my own.
had promised Stan that we could turn Star Harbor Farm into the best family destination in Western Michigan. But now, the rest of that dream wasn’t mine.
His eyes flicked up to the barn. “It sure is something.” I sighed. “I know. Isn’t it beautiful?” “Yeah. Sure is.” His gruff voice had me turning. He wasn’t even looking at the barn, but instead staring right at me. A smile bloomed on my face as I hugged my middle.
“I asked Helen to let me be the one to tell you.” A man who could communicate should have been a dream, but what no one tells you is that sometimes you don’t want to hear it.
“El, please don’t walk away,” he called after me. “The last thing I want to do is hurt you.” I turned to face him, not bothering to wipe away the fat tears that streaked down my face. “I know, Cal, and I don’t want to hurt you either . . . but no matter who wins here, someone is getting hurt. Neither of us can get what we want without hurting the other. How is that fair?”
“What?” I demanded, my voice rising into the evening air. “You sold them all the dream, El!” he shouted. “Everyone knows exactly how magical this place could be. You documented every step, shared every plan you had. Now all someone has to do is buy the land and profit off your ideas! You handed it to them on a silver fucking platter!” Realization was a sucker punch. Hurt laced with shame as I fired back. “Well excuse the fuck out of me! I was happy and having fun and, and—did you think I knew Stan was going to die?” My voice broke on the last word, and I swayed on my feet.
I let it wash over me in waves, pulled under by the tide of everything I couldn’t say—that I loved this place. That I missed Stan. That I was deeply in love with Cal. That I didn’t know who I was without this dream, and I wasn’t sure I’d survive watching it belong to someone else.
Despite the heaviness and uncertainty between us, I was still utterly, deeply in love with him. I only hoped it would be enough for him to forgive me for not admitting defeat already.
