Chapter 30
“You just going to keep calling me out to this abandoned place, or actually do something about it?” I tease Warren as I get out of my car. That feeling of rightness supplants itself in my chest whenever I step foot on this property.
The old inn stands behind him, looking no less run down than the couple of other times I’ve been here but still so beautiful in its architecture. Something about this land calms me in a way I’ve never experienced, and I would have loved to walk through the building in its heyday.
“We’ll talk about that in a minute. First, how are you feeling?”
He hugs me hello, and we begin to walk slowly toward the porch. “I’m okay. Better than I thought I’d be, actually. It was a horrible night that night, but after that, when the police had him in custody, I felt much safer. The last four days of being at the house have definitely been good to decompress and heal.”
“Good, that’s what you should be doing. You’ve been hustling for years, and after the threats and everything that happened, you deserve a break. How is Evan?” he asks. “He’s been keeping us away from you.”
I had figured as much, but it’s still a surprise to hear him say it.
“He’s taking care of me, don’t worry. What happened at The Oleander … it scared him.”
“It should have, it was fucking scary. I wanted to hunt that guy down myself when you called me. I’m just glad he’s being charged, and that more and more damning evidence is pouring in. He won’t be getting out for a long time. But it’s no wonder Evan doesn’t want to let you out of his sight.”
I blush because it’s weird to talk about this with Warren. “He’s … the best.”
Warren studies the side of my face. “Yeah, he seems to be when it comes to you. That’s all I can ask for. Plus, I just want you to be happy.”
Searching in my heart, I find that I actually am. “For the first time in a while, I think I would actually describe myself as that. Which feels strange. Or unfair, maybe. Even though I know it’s not.”
“Not at all. You’ve been dealt shit hands, it’s about time you got paid back in spades.”
“Literally,” I joke, because the other day, when he came to the house, we had a long talk about money.
It’s taken me a long time to come to terms with the fact that there are people out there who want to help me out of the goodness of their hearts. While I’ve always trusted Warren, it’s not easy to just accept financial help from him. After hearing no from my mother about activities, vacations, parties, and everything else extracurricular, it feels strange that all of a sudden, I can just receive assistance with no struggle or fight. It feels tight or uncomfortable on my skin, like I can’t adjust to it fully.
But as Leona and Evan have pointed out, I need to try. Not only because it will help me grow, but from an internal point of view, I desperately need the help. My mother’s debt will set me back so far that I’ll never get ahead of it. Same with the tuition money I claimed I was going to pay back to Warren. With his help, I can start fresh. I can do anything I want, no strings attached.
That’s not a place I’ve ever been in before.
“Thank you for putting your trust in me. I know it’s not easy, but you do deserve this. And it’s not just about being deserving. I love you, Auggy, like you’re my own family. We take care of each other, and I don’t ever want to see you upset or down on your luck. If I have the ability, I want to make every wish of yours come true.”
“My very own fairy godfather,” I joke, trying not to get choked up at him saying he loves me.
Warren gives me a hard stare, and I lean into him for a side hug.
“I know you do, and … I love you, too. You’ve been there for me in moments I didn’t even know I needed a helping hand, and that’s what true family is. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Look at us, living functional, somewhat healthy adult lives. Who would have known?” He elbows me with a smirk as we continue to walk around the grounds.
“Hmm, don’t jinx me yet. I’m just getting on my feet, you’ve been there for a while.”
He ignores my point. “That pool would look incredible with some blue and white tiles, very old Hollywood or European vibes.”
I study the murky pit in the ground and watch it come to life with my imagination. “Yeah, it really would.”
Warren turns to me. “I’m buying it. And I want you to run it.”
We’re silent for a few minutes, both of us just surveying the decrepit grounds and inn, and I know I’m personally imagining everything it could be.
“So what, I’m your nepo baby now?” I half-joke.
He shrugs. “The difference between you and those kids is that you trudged through shit to get here. You never had it easy. Why not take the ‘easy’ way out for once and let your relative hand you something?”
God, I want this place so badly I can taste it. Adding it to the Ashton portfolio makes sense; a small-town family revitalizing an old gem with enough space to put in a sister restaurant to Hope Pizza. Plus, Warren has more than enough money to buy and gut the place, then build it from the ground up exactly how he wants.
This is the dream hospitality job. It’s a beautiful property in a desirable area, and he’s giving me free rein to mold it into my fantasy. But he’s right, this is too easy. It feels like there should be a catch.
“But what if I don’t want to stay? What if I should venture out into the world, cut my teeth a little? I have those other offers.” Because since when has it not been required of me to pay my dues and pay them handsomely.
His expression grows concerned.
“Don’t leave Hope Crest, Auggy. You were meant to be here, even if you hated it for so long. Believe me, I dealt with those same feelings. But there is something that keeps drawing you back, and there is a reason you haven’t left yet. There is a reason you haven’t taken those other job offers, even when you had the debts and could just work from a different city to pay them off. Think of all you have here; the people you love, a fresh start, this town that you’d cherish if could look past the bad that’s done and over with. Stay here.”
Between him and Evan, they’re making my heart equally break and heal. I’ve never felt so wanted, and obviously not in a lustful way. I’ve never felt like I truly belonged anywhere, and here are two people I genuinely care for making heartfelt pleas for me not to go.
“I’m also going to let you pay me for it, if you want. You want to financially contribute to your future? You want to pay me back? Designate a portion of your salary each month to owning a part of the inn. We can set up a payment plan and percentages for you to one day own this place outright. Not that I won’t give you full creative and managerial control from the start, but I know you. You want to have something all on your own, without help, if it’s possible. With this payment plan, you can earn it fair and square.”
Warren is trying to sweeten the pot while I remain silent, but I can tell he put thought into that plan. He wanted to pitch this to me in the best way possible, and damn him, it’s working so well.
“You’d give me full control over the construction and redesign?” I’d never done any of that, but hell, if it wasn’t exciting to think about.
He nods. “You call the shots.”
“You know you’re driving a very hard bargain, right?”
“I couldn’t let you leave without a fight. Manipulation seemed like the right way to go.” He shrugs. “Say yes, you know you want to.”
I really, really do. “What happens if you buy it and I don’t stay?”
“Someone else will come along to do the job, even though it’s yours for the taking. I’m buying it either way, but it’s you who I want at the helm.”
That makes me feel a bit better that he’s not just scooping this up to give me a pet project.
“I want to say yes, I do. But … I need some time. I haven’t gotten a minute to just sit with my thoughts and hash out some plans since I got home. I’ve been in attack mode until now. You understand, right?”
He loops an arm around my shoulder. “I get it. You take all the time you need. But know that we need you here. Not just Evan or me, but all of us.”
I need all of them. I need this place. Taking the time is the responsible thing to do, but I know that at the end of the process, I’ll choose to stay.