Chapter 10
Nora
I didn’t know what I expected after the kiss, but it sure as hell wasn’t Cole giving me the cold shoulder.
He barely spoke to me unless it was about the inn, and half the time he wouldn’t even look at me.
After that kiss, pretending nothing happened was somehow more annoying than when we were actually fighting.
I decided to head to the inn later that Friday. I was split between wanting to see him and not wanting to. So I stayed home that morning and decided I’d have to take a day to clean up and sort through some of Gran’s things.
You’d think that after being here for so long, I’d have done it already. I hadn’t. Every drawer I opened meant finding another thing Gran would never use again. Throwing any of it away felt like agreeing she was really gone. I wasn’t ready for that. I needed more time.
I sat in the living room, my bank account open on my laptop screen. I sipped my coffee, feeling tense as I read my available balance.
Once the estate reimbursed the structural work, I’d have enough to finish the inside and open the doors. There wouldn’t be much left after that. The inn would need guests fast. Doing this without Dad’s money was going to cost almost everything I had.
I wondered if it was too early to start advertising my interior design skills.
Or if I should wait until I was finished with the inn first. I didn’t know how much of a customer base I’d have in Misty Pines anyway.
People here seemed more likely to fix up a room themselves than hire someone from New York to tell them where the sofa should go.
That didn’t mean there wasn’t work. I just had no idea how much.
I closed out my account and plopped back on the sofa. My phone started vibrating beside me, and I groaned when I realized who it was.
Mom.
I had half a mind not to answer, but I knew that would only result in an endless cycle of phone calls.
“Mom… hi,” I said when I answered.
“Gosh, Nora, it’s like you’ve abandoned us. Do I always have to call you first? I shouldn’t have to chase my own daughter.”
I pulled in a calming breath. “I’m busy with the inn, Mom. And you don’t call to talk. You call to tell me to come home.”
“Because there’s nothing to discuss. You’re wasting your time, Nora. Please come home before this gets any more embarrassing.”
“I’m not coming home,” I said, my voice rising just a tad. “You can stop asking.”
“Your father is livid. His two-week deadline is almost up, and he wants you back in the city, Nora. He’s done being patient.”
I rolled my eyes. “Then he’s going to stay mad. I never agreed to his deadline.”
She gasped. “What has gotten into you? It’s like I don’t recognize my own daughter anymore! Nothing in Misty Pines will ever be as fulfilling as life in the city!”
“For you, Mom. You love the city. I don’t. I’m my own person, and I hate everything about it!” I exclaimed, getting frustrated and annoyed that she still refused to see my point. “Maybe you don’t recognize me because I’m not doing what you want for once.”
“The city will take you places. In Misty Pines, you’re nobody. Here, being an Adams means something.”
I rolled my eyes, annoyed with myself for even shedding a tear. “I’ve gotta go, Mom,” I said, brushing the tears from my face.
“Wait,” she said, and I paused. “Listen to me. Your father is planning to leave you with nothing if you keep this up. You’ll lose what’s rightfully yours.”
I scoffed. “I don’t care about Dad’s money. I never have. If Dad’s money means he gets to tell me what to do, he can keep it.”
“Nora, don’t be foolish—please! This is your legacy. You’re throwing everything away for a life most people run away from.”
“Well, that’s my choice, isn’t it? Goodbye, Mom,” I said before ending the call.
My throat tightened, but I sucked it up and stood, deciding it was time to head to the inn. I hated that every conversation with my parents lately was just them trying to force me to live a life I didn’t want. Why couldn’t they just be happy for me? Was it that hard to do?
They could be happy for me as long as I picked the life they wanted. That wasn’t the same thing.
I grabbed my keys from the coffee table and headed out.
* * *
The inn was noisy today, tools echoing from inside. I glanced over at Harper’s place and didn’t see her car parked out front. She didn’t seem to be home.
I walked toward the inn, my heart skipping a beat when Cole stepped out.
I stopped in my tracks as he approached me. “Good day, Nora.”
“Hey,” I said, avoiding his gaze since that seemed to be the order of the day lately. “Good day? Really?”
“The boys and I are about to head out for lunch. Want anything? We’re grabbing sandwiches.”
I shook my head. “No, thanks. We’re keeping it professional now, remember?”
“You sure? I can bring something back.”
“Positive.” I smiled.
He waved over the two younger men coming out of the house.
“Okay, we’ll be back in a bit. Watch your step when you enter. There’s stuff all over the place. I’m not arguing with you about safety again.”
I nodded, watching as he left with the others. I still couldn’t understand why he was acting as if the kiss had happened to two other people. Sure, it was only a kiss, but didn’t those matter anymore?
I rubbed my forehead before entering the inn. I frowned when I saw the wall they’d taken out. Debris lined the floors along with Cole’s tools.
Every pile looked like another invoice waiting for me. I knew the work was necessary, but there was still so much of it left.
“Please be worth it,” I whispered.
I walked through the building, thinking about every plan I had for the design and how the inn would run. I was excited about it all because I knew it had to pay off somehow. It was just a matter of time.
I stopped in one of the upstairs rooms and looked past the dust. Gran had kept the bed under the window, but that ate up too much of the floor.
I’d move the headboard to the inside wall, use two narrow nightstands, and leave the window clear so the room didn’t feel cramped.
The old dresser could stay if it cleaned up well. The chair absolutely could not.
Downstairs, the dining room needed smaller tables instead of the heavy six-seaters Gran had used. Couples could have their own space, and the tables could be pushed together when families came in. More importantly, nobody would have to squeeze sideways just to reach a chair.
I pulled out my phone and started a list. Save the solid furniture. Refinish what I could. Spend money on mattresses, lighting, and the things guests would actually notice.
The numbers still scared me, but this part didn’t. I knew how to make a room work. I just had to do it without emptying my bank account.
I walked outside and sat on one of the garden benches on the far side of the house, right beneath a tree.
The sun was warm, the air was fresh, and all I could do was think.
Think about every single thing. I’d done it an unhealthy number of times, but it was the only thing I could do.
For once, the decision was entirely mine.
That was the point. It also meant that if I’d made the wrong one, I couldn’t blame anybody else.
Just then Cole’s truck pulled into the driveway, and I sat up straighter as I watched him park. The two other guys got out first and went inside. Then Cole got out with two takeout cups in hand.
He walked over and handed me one of the cups. “The best non-alcoholic drink you’ll ever have in town. It’s Jen’s special fruit smoothie. Thought you might change your mind.”
I smiled. “Cole, you didn’t have to… I said I didn’t want anything.”
“I know.” He shrugged before taking a seat beside me. “Take it.”
He’d spent days barely looking at me, yet he’d still brought me something after I’d told him not to. I didn’t know what to do with that.
I smiled. “Thanks. And ‘Good day, Nora’ was ridiculous.”
“I’m being professional.”
“Professional doesn’t mean acting like we barely know each other.”
He looked at me then, but only for a second. “Try the smoothie.”
I did, and my brows shot up when the taste hit my tongue.
“You’re right. This tastes amazing.”
He nodded, a look of pride in his eyes. “Told you.”
Cole looked toward the inn. “What do you see when you look at that place?”
“Warm lighting. Comfortable furniture. Nothing so fancy that people are scared to touch it. I want people to feel like they can stay awhile.”
I nodded toward the inn. “The desk should move closer to the entrance, but not straight across from the door. Angle it. Guests know where to go as soon as they walk in, and it keeps the path to the stairs clear.”
Cole looked toward the building for a few seconds, then back at me.
“I’d keep the seating by the windows,” I continued. “Fewer pieces, but better ones. People dragging luggage through here shouldn’t have to weave around furniture. And one ceiling light won’t be enough. I want sconces along the darker wall and something lower over reception.”
He rubbed his jaw.
“That’ll mean moving some wiring.”
“I know.”
His gaze came back to me.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Cole.”
He gave a small nod. “It makes sense.”
I smiled before I could help it. I’d spent days listening to him tell me what the building needed. Hearing him agree with one of my calls without arguing felt ridiculously good.
“She would’ve liked that.”
“You think so?”
“She hated places that looked too expensive to sit down in. She’d tell you if she hated it.”
I smiled. “I want to keep as much of the original wood as possible.”
“Some of the dining room floorboards are still good. I could use them for the front desk. Better than throwing good wood out.”
My smile widened. “You’d do that? I thought you only liked telling me no.”
“If you draw what you want, I’ll see what I can save.”
“Deal. And I’m holding you to that.”
“And Harper used to plan events. I might ask her to help with the opening. She might finally stop complaining that she’s bored.”
“Sounds like you’re already putting a team together.”
Hearing him talk about reclaimed wood, Harper, and an opening made the whole thing shift from plans in my head to something people besides me could actually see.
Silence fell between us. Cole looked toward the road while I watched him.
I cleared my throat. “What happened with my dad?”
His fingers tightened around his cup.
“I’ve heard his version,” I continued. “I want yours. What actually happened?”
Cole stared ahead for a few seconds.
“Your father hired me to renovate a building. I found a damaged roof beam and told him work in that section had to stop. He ignored me. When the beam collapsed and injured one of my men, Gregory told everyone I’d cut corners. I’d shut that section down. It didn’t matter.”
I stared at him. “That’s not what my father said. He said it happened because of you.”
“I know. He made sure everybody heard his version first.”
“Why didn’t you defend yourself? You just let him say that?”
“I tried. By the time I figured out what he’d done, his story was everywhere. Gregory’s lawyers threatened to bury me, and the one man who could back me up wouldn’t return my calls. I was already broke, and I couldn’t keep fighting Adams forever.”
“Do you have proof? Something in writing?”
“Yes.”
“Can I see it?”
His gaze finally met mine. “Those records are mine, Nora. I’m not ready to hand them over to another Adams.”
Another Adams. Two words, and I was my father’s last name again instead of myself. It stung. I also knew Cole had reasons for keeping those records close, whether I liked being lumped in with Dad or not.
“Okay. I won’t push you.”
Cole watched me as if he hadn’t expected that response.
That pissed me off more than it should’ve. Apparently being reasonable was surprising when you were an Adams.
“Thanks,” he said. “I need to get back to work.”
He walked toward the inn. Before I could think of what to say, a car pulled into the driveway.
When Don stuck his head out the car window and waved, my body stiffened.
“Shit,” I muttered.
He stepped out of the car and walked toward me, a huge smile on his face. I looked toward the inn to see if Cole was watching, but he didn’t seem to bat an eye—he just kept walking toward the inn.
“You didn’t give me your number at the bar, so I had no way to set up our date,” he said.
“I asked around, and they said you were staying at Ellen’s place.
Went there, you weren’t home, and then I heard you were around here a lot.
” He raked his fingers through his hair.
“Okay. That sounded worse out loud. I just asked around.”
“Yeah…” I said awkwardly. “This town really does know everything.”
His gaze roamed my face. “So… about that date. Are we still on?”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed, his gaze full of anticipation as he waited for my answer. I could tell how nervous he was, which should’ve been flattering. Instead, I found myself wondering if I’d ever looked that obvious to Cole.
I rubbed my forehead, thinking about Cole.
Cole had spent days proving he could kiss me and then behave like it meant nothing. Don, meanwhile, had driven around town just to find me. Maybe I needed to stop inventing reasons to want the man who kept backing away.
“Yeah. We’re still on.”
Don’s face lit up with a huge smile. He clapped once and nodded. “You won’t regret it. How about tomorrow night?”
“Um… sounds good.”
He grinned as he dug into his pocket. “Mind giving me your number? Might save me some driving next time.”
“Of course not,” I said, taking his phone and handing him mine.
“Should I pick you up at your place, or… do you want to meet there?”
“Er—you could just text me the address of where you want me to meet you.”
“Works for me.”
I smiled.
He cleared his throat. “Great, so I have to get back to work, but I’ll call you. Or text you. I’ll probably text.”
“Okay.”
He smiled awkwardly as a silence stretched between us. Then he waved and headed back to his car. He honked twice before he sped away.
I smiled despite myself. He was sweet.
I looked toward the inn, and my smile fell when I saw Cole watching me from beside the building, carrying a ladder.
He was too far away for me to see the expression on his face, but I wondered if he’d heard the conversation between me and Don.
The stupid part was that I wanted him to have heard it. I just wasn’t sure what I wanted that to mean.