Chapter 6
Cooper
Aspen had lashed out in text messages last night, and I wondered if it was just familiar for her to do that with me or if she was upset about something that happened with her family.
I didn't need to be involved in family events outside of Sunday dinners. Especially if it upset Aspen. We needed to get along in order to keep our jobs.
It was probably better for me to handle the inspection of the dance hall's bathroom on my own, but Aspen sent a professional sounding email this morning, requesting a meeting, and I couldn't put her off. I'd promised everyone we could work together.
I grabbed coffee from Coffee Dreams and pastries from Sweet Dreams Bakery, hoping the caffeine and sugar would soften Aspen's mood this morning.
Natasha was at the front counter of the inn when I walked in, frowning at something on her screen. When she glanced up, she said, "Aspen's in the ballroom already."
I lifted the tray. "I grabbed an extra coffee."
She smiled. "You're a lifesaver."
My heart did a weird flutter motion when she smiled. "I try."
"I hope you can handle the renovations to the bathrooms and leave Eve out of the process this time. She's stressed out. I don't know if it's the pregnancy hormones or what."
I frowned. "Is it affecting her pregnancy?"
"Her blood pressure is a little high. The doctor wants her to take a step back at work."
"I'll handle everything here so she doesn't have to worry."
Natasha leaned in to whisper. "She's really worried about you and Aspen working together. Please tell me that you can do it."
I smiled reassuringly despite my reservations. "She doesn't have to worry about us."
Natasha sighed. "I don't want to know how you won Aspen over, but thank you. I want Eve to have a healthy and relaxed pregnancy. She's been through a lot the last few years. She deserves this."
The sisters had returned home and bought the town only after their parents died, leaving them a sizable inheritance. "She does so much for this town. She should relax and let us handle the hard stuff."
Natasha grinned. "I told Eve we could count on you to smooth things over with Aspen."
I chuckled without any humor. "I think Aspen realized that I'm not one of her brothers, so she doesn't have to give me a hard time anymore."
Natasha laughed. "That's good to hear. I can't wait to see your plans for the restrooms. They're embarrassingly out of date."
"I'm on it."
She waved me away. "Don't let me keep you."
Natasha was the best thing that ever happened to my oldest brother, Ford. They'd recently reconnected when they had both moved back to town.
The double doors to the grand ballroom were propped open, but the lights were off. Aspen stood in the middle of the room, doing a slow spin.
"Are you imagining a ball? One where you're the princess?" I asked, not quite sure where that came from. I'd always been the rough-around-the-edges kind of guy. Not one to wax poetic about fairy tales.
She laughed. "Definitely not. Those stories are laughable."
I carried the tray toward where she stood. "Why's that?"
She lifted the coffee with her name on it and drank.
Then she licked the foam off her upper lip with her tongue, and my heart skipped a beat.
"Everyone knows fairy tales aren't real.
They're a fantasy that books and movies sell to women.
What if movies encouraged girls to have wanderlust, to explore the world, and go on grand adventures, instead of find a man and get married? "
I set the tray on the ground and pulled out a chocolate croissant, still warm from the oven, from the bakery bag. "I'm fairly sure there are a couple of those as well."
She shook her head. "In my opinion, there're not nearly enough."
"You'd make the perfect heroine for that movie," I said before I could think better of it.
Her startled gaze met mine. "You say it like it's a good thing."
"Isn't it?" I asked, drawing out the two words. It was clear that I'd never really known Aspen. I'd learned that she was hardworking and determined, seemingly the opposite of her family's opinion. It was an interesting dichotomy, one I wanted to figure out.
She chewed her bottom lip, ignoring the bag of pastries at our feet. "My parents seem to think so." Before I could ask a follow-up question, she moved away from me. "What are your thoughts on the restrooms? Is anything salvageable?"
I grabbed my black coffee, following her to the back of the room where the restrooms were located.
"I met with Hudson the other day to discuss plumbing.
The pipes were never replaced. The idea was that they didn't use this space as often as the rooms in the inn or the shops.
But now that the plumbing is complete everywhere else, it's time to fix the pipes here too. "
She raised a brow. "What did you think of the bathroom itself?"
"I'm sure you agree that the bathrooms are horribly out of date and don't match the grandness of the space. The guests are dressed in their best, and when they go to the bathroom, they probably cringe at the outdated tile and squeaky hinges."
She cradled her to-go cup of coffee in her hands. "What did you have in mind?"
"A complete overhaul. The bathrooms should feel grand and luxurious." I headed in the direction of the women's bathroom, which was by far the most important when it came to design. I opened the door, and she preceded me inside.
She stepped into the first room, which was devoid of any furnishings. Then we walked through to the second door. "What's the point of this vestibule?"
"Maybe it was an attempt at grandness at one time, but now it's a waste of space.
We could make it into a sitting room, comfy chairs where women can set their champagne glasses on end tables and chat about the dance.
It shouldn't feel like a bathroom. We could place a few mirrors along the wall for women to check their makeup and fix their hair. "
She let out a breath. "I love that idea."
I pushed open the door to the restroom. "In this space, you'd have the sinks and toilets, all new and modern of course. There should be more counter space. You could place baskets of hand towels on them to give the space a more luxurious feel."
"I love the idea of more counter space. It's so much better than these individual porcelain sinks."
"If you're here for a dance, the bathroom should be a respite from the noise and people. You come in here to escape," I continued.
She turned to face me. "You don't like large events?"
I shrugged my shoulders, feeling self-conscious under her scrutiny. "I'm not one for suits and ties."
She arched a brow. "I bet you'd be devastating in a tux."
That caused me to pause. Had she just admitted that she thought I was attractive?
Then she waved her hand. "Most men are."
Had she meant it as a compliment and only retreated when she realized how it sounded, like she was attracted to me specifically?
She moved around the room. "We'll update the plumbing, renovate the entire space so that it's a bathroom you'd actually want to spend time in. Is that about right?"
"Morgan still has to inspect the electrical. I'm sure he'll need to bring everything up to code."
Her nose wrinkled. "The question is, will Natasha and Eve want to spend that much money right now? They've already done a lot of repairs."
"I'm assuming the ballroom demands a high rental fee, and any updates will pay for themselves. But that's their decision to make." So far, they'd been on board with most of our recommendations, but this was a financial decision. They might decide to be more conservative for now.
"I love your ideas. I think it could be amazing."
"I hope Eve agrees with you." It was a good job for us to take on, an opportunity to showcase our abilities. I was always thinking about word-of-mouth referrals, which were the best for bringing in new customers.
She led the way back to the ballroom. "What's the next step?"
I forgot that Aspen hadn't worked on anything like this before. "I'll prepare an estimate and create a few renderings of possible design options. Then Eve and Natasha will ask any questions they have and make a decision."
Aspen frowned. "Is there anything we missed?"
"There's a bathroom in the lobby that needs to be checked too."
She sighed. "The one in the lobby is tiny and cramped. The ones in the restaurant are slightly bigger but still outdated."
We walked through both spaces, discussing the possibilities. Thankfully, it was quiet this time of day between the breakfast and lunch services.
The memory of the fire in Reina's bakery was fresh in everyone's mind. She could have died while she was asleep if not for Morgan rescuing her. I didn't want there to be a similar situation in this kitchen. "I'd recommend doing the electrical updates in the kitchen."
"I'm sure Natasha and Eve will agree."
A fire in the restaurant would have devastating consequences for the inn. We walked toward the lobby.
Finally, Aspen said, "I think I know why I never wanted a full-time job before. There's a lot of responsibility."
"There's pressure for sure. You're running a business now."
She nodded. "I'm getting that."
"Are you having second thoughts about your new job?"
She let out a slow breath. "I have moments when I'm questioning what am I doing, and I want to go back to how things were before. But at other times, I feel excited as if this is what I'm supposed to be doing. It's a weird combination."
"I can understand that." I had to take some risks to get where I was today. If I wanted a change, I needed to be the one who made it. But Aspen was different. She'd had a good childhood growing up, stability, and love. Everything that I didn't have.
She turned to face me. "This is crazy, right? I should stick to my front counter job at the inn."
I raised a brow. "Is that what you really want?"
"It's familiar and safe. I don't have to take any risks or worry about whether I'm going to lose my job."
"I think you can handle whatever you set out to do. The only thing that's standing in your way is that brain of yours."
She tipped her head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"Your brain wants to keep you safe. It will keep you doing what you've always done before because that's predictable."
"I never thought about it like that." She sighed heavily. "We can't screw this up."
Now that she viewed me as a business associate and not another brother, we were getting along. But did she view me as a brother in other ways? We’d opened the door to seeing each other in a different way, and there was no going back. I certainly couldn't see her as a little sister anymore.
That made everything more complicated. The more I got to know her, the more I respected and admired her.
She seemed comfortable confiding in me. Morgan had come to me for advice when he was dealing with Reina living with him, and he needed to get out of the friend zone.
But that hadn't required me to share much besides the fact that Tess thought I was closed off. "I'll get the estimate to you."
"Eve wants the renovation done before the winter ball." She pulled out her phone to give me the date, which was in a few weeks.
"We'd need to start right away."
She glanced up at me. "But it's possible?"
I always tried to meet Natasha and Eve's expectations, and this was no different. "I'll see what I can do."
"I'll get started on plans for the winter ball. I'm in charge of everything, and it's a little scary."
"I'm sure you'll get it done." I was solely focused on my job.
I didn't have a significant other to distract me, and I had no plans to get involved with anyone anytime soon.
I'd learned my lesson. Most women didn't want to date a man who was closed off.
And I had no intention of sharing my past with anyone, even Aspen.
This attraction to her was more than inconvenient. I was friends and business partners with her brothers. There was no way they'd be okay with me making a move on her. A relationship was out of the question.
It should be easy to put up boundaries and walls.
I just had to remember why she annoyed me in the first place.
The fact was, she had been antagonistic toward me the moment I had appeared in her family's home.
That had set the tone for our interactions.
Now that she was being nice, things were different.
I just hoped I could ignore the attraction and focus on the job.