Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Max, Now
I set a heavy box behind the check-in counter, hoping all this effort will be for nothing.
We didn’t take forces of nature into account for opening night.
Daisy slipped out this morning, waving around a news update on her phone that showed the bad weather was, indeed, likely to hit us, and about twelve hours earlier than expected—meaning tonight.
Maybe I’m overreacting, she had messaged, but better safe than sorry.
Every hour today will shed more light on what we’re up against. In the meantime, Stacey and I handle some of the preventative measures on site, like double-checking window closures and taking in decor like the wind chimes.
“Patio furniture’s next,” Stacey says as she crosses an item off her list.
“On it.”
“Oh, please. I can do that.”
“Daisy said to leave the heavy stuff to me. Show me where it should go.”
Stacey curses under her breath, but when we reach the first room, she respects Daisy’s wishes and directs me to a cleared spot in the lobby—right in front of an old painting of mine, actually. Despite the stress of the day, I smile. Daisy’s mom put that there, and Daisy didn’t replace it.
By the time we’re done, I have slick sweat trailing down my temple.
“Catch.” Stacey tosses me a small canteen of water from the fridge. As much as I want to down the cool liquid in one go, I first hold the bottle to my cheek. The chill is glorious.
“You’ve been quite a helper around here, Mr. Weber,” Stacey says, eyeing me. “Not just today, either.”
“My pleasure.”
“You enjoy workin’ here?”
“Sure, it’s great. I wouldn’t say that running a hotel is my calling, but I’m happy to help Daze.”
“Bet if you asked, she could set you up with something more long-term.”
I take a gulp, and the refreshment of the near-freezing water causes me to let out an ahhh like in a ’60s soda commercial.
“You’d get to see Daisy every day,” Stacey goes on. “Be here, support her. You like that.”
First, the stern warnings from my sister and Gwen, and now I have Stacey attempting to nail down my five-year plan. Everything about Harlow has surprised me, but staying? What would that look like?
“Family and friends get a pretty sweet discount.” Stacey continues, listing off her health benefits and paid time off.
“Why are you trying to sell me on this?”
“This place sells itself, don’t ya think?”
I frown at her.
“Fine.” She huffs. “Not a word of this to Daze, though, y’hear.
” She closes her eyes, and worry swirls in my stomach.
Is something going on financially that Daisy doesn’t know about?
Or maybe this is more personal, like something medical-related.
If that were to happen to Stacey, how would Daisy handle that loss?
“I wanna retire.”
“Well, that’s…” Relief rushes in, and I laugh. “Congratulations! That’s exciting.”
“More exciting if I could tell my boss.”
“Daisy doesn’t expect you to work here forever.”
Stacey’s brow quirks. “The girl is go, go, go and accepts help from no one. You know that. When I had my fall, she took on my hours instead of hiring a temp. When I asked her why she didn’t, she said the thought hadn’t crossed her mind.
She’s so consumed by The Mirage sometimes that she forgets to give herself a break.
” Stacey opens her tote bag for me to see a small collection of papers.
“I got some resumes here from folks looking for jobs. But I can’t very well have interviews for my replacement without telling Daisy first, can I?
I don’t want to stress her out, but I…it’s time for a new chapter in my life.
I’m just…” Her voice catches and her eyes glisten.
She reaches into her bag and pulls out a tissue to dab her tears. “Shoot, there I go.”
The sight of her face creasing as she cries makes my big-brother instincts kick in, so I open my arms to hug her.
“Hey, Daisy will understand. She’ll be sad to lose you, but only because she cares about you.”
“She’s the daughter I never had. The thought of how she’ll look when I tell her I’m moving on…oh, it breaks my heart. If you were here, I’d feel like at least…” Stacey sniffles, backing away from our embrace. “Sorry. That’s not fair of me to ask.”
“It’s okay. You care about her.”
She nods, her expression still watery. “I get why she likes you so much. You two’re good together. I like seeing her so happy.”
My mouth opens to object, because I’m not the only reason. It’s the pop-up and the success of The Mirage that have her in high spirits.
“I know her,” Stacey says, tucking her tissue away as she eyes me up and down. “She likes you.”
“If you’re about to give me one of those ‘break her heart, then I’ll break you’ speeches, then you’re too late.”
“Please. Daisy knows what she’s getting into.
She’ll do fine. She always does. Was doing just fine when you left before, and she’ll do just fine again.
But be careful for you.” Stacey rests a hand on my shoulder.
“I watched you grow up alongside her, and I might not know for sure what’s going on in that handsome little head of yours, but I have a hunch.
And whatever happens between you two, well…
I don’t want you to have a reason to stay away. ”
My entire childhood, I wanted to get out of Harlow.
I probably convinced the very girl I pined after since forever that I didn’t want to be here.
Then, for eight years, I avoided returning to my hometown.
The cost of flights, my disapproving parents—those were excuses.
I didn’t hate the thought of coming back to Harlow, but the reality of seeing Daisy petrified me.
I knew that once I saw her, I’d question why I really ever left.
“You wanna sit down?” Stacey examines me, flipping the back of her palm against my forehead. “You look…not well.”
“What if Daisy’s not the reason to stay away?”
“What d’you mean, hon?”
“What if…what if she’s the opposite?”
I have to see this through. Us. If the job at Tate comes up, I’ll handle that when it happens. But right now, everything except for Daisy fades to the background.
A slow smile creeps onto Stacey’s face, and she gives me a hearty slap on the back. “Well that’s pretty damn romantic, if I do say so myself. Don’t wait around on that.”
And I definitely don’t intend to.