Chapter 21
BOONE
I'd heard Kennedy talking with the girls about the online buzz surrounding the snow room and the emails that were pouring in with business owners wanting to work with her.
Our inn was just another notch on her belt, something to put in her portfolio. We weren't special. I should've admired her tenacity, but it hurt at the same time.
She was too big for us. I should let her go. That would be the right thing to do. It wasn't fair for me to hold her back, to beg her to stay because I was in love with her. She'd already made a mistake with one guy; she shouldn't make a second with me. Her business should come first.
What was it that Beck said? At some point, he reevaluated what he wanted, and his love for Clara outshone everything else. He used to travel all the time for work, but now he rarely did because he didn't want to be away from Clara.
But was it fair for me to ask Kennedy to stay in town when her star was just starting to shine brightly? I was fairly sure everyone would agree that I should let her go. She deserved so much more than this tiny slice of Colorado.
Clara was right when she said Kennedy was too big for this place. When the time came, I'd let her go.
Callum nudged me. "What's up with you? You seem quiet."
"It's been a busy few weeks, showing Kennedy around and making the furniture for the snow room and the brewery. I'm looking forward to sleeping." I didn't mention that there were a lot of late nights and early mornings with Kennedy in my bed.
I hadn't shared that little fact with anyone but Beck.
My brothers wouldn't understand. They'd think that I was crossing a line, and they wouldn't be wrong.
Unfortunately, I was too far gone to come back now.
I'd screwed things up royally, and I'd be the one to deal with the fallout when Kennedy left for better things.
"I'm looking forward to renovating the rooms at the inn. Ever since the restaurant opened, I've been hoping for a new challenge."
"You want to take the inn over from Mom and Dad." It wasn't a question. He'd been waiting in the wings for a long time to start making the decisions.
He sighed. "I'm not going to lie. It's more fun when you're in charge. I think that's why Malcolm volunteered to open the restaurant. Now he has autonomy and control over his business. I'm still second, or heck, maybe third in command. No one listens to me."
"I'm listening to you," I teased.
He rolled his shoulders back. "I'm bored. I want to test my business acumen. Mom said something about traveling during the renovation, and I can't help but think this is my chance to be in charge."
"I can help you with whatever you need."
"Everyone has their niche on the property, and the inn is mine. I've been waiting so long to get some ownership in the way it's run."
I nodded, understanding how he felt. "You're going to do a great job. I can't wait to see how you handle things."
He glanced over at Kennedy. "I know you were upset that Mom and Dad hired Kennedy, but I was relieved because it meant they were finally considering retirement."
"You're right about that." And I got over Kennedy being here a while ago. It had a lot to do with how I felt about her as a person. But I also respected what she did. If her presence helped my parents feel good about retiring, then it was worth the broken heart.
Clara leaned forward and said, "Mom said something about hiring someone to help with the renovation who could oversee the deliveries and the schedule."
Clara and Kennedy must have been listening to our conversation because they were both now watching us.
"Why can't I do that? I'm the manager, after all, or at least, I will be once they retire," Callum said, clearly more than a little offended by the suggestion.
He felt how I did when Mom and Dad said they'd hired Kennedy to consult.
Clara patted his hand. "It's not because she doesn't trust you. She just knows how big of a job it will be to renovate the inn while also entertaining guests."
Callum was stiff next to me.
He hated the idea, and I didn't blame him. He was so close to finally taking over the inn, and now Mom and Dad were going to hire someone to micromanage the renovation? "Is it really necessary though?"
Clara shrugged. "Running the inn is a full-time job, and they feel badly about traveling while it's going on."
"I can handle it. I don't need an outsider telling me how to do my job." Callum glanced over at Kennedy. "No offense."
She chuckled. "None taken."
"We're going to grab another drink. Anyone want anything?" Clara asked, and Kennedy joined her.
A few of my brothers called out the drinks they wanted, and the girls went to the bar to order.
"It's like Mom and Dad don't trust me to do my job," Callum said under his breath.
"I think we have to just go along with whatever they want until they officially retire. Then you'll be free to make your own decisions." I hated that it was the answer for his situation. I wished we had more autonomy, but what if they never retired?
"Their retirement can't come soon enough."
"I'm not part of the business like you are. But I've decided to do things on my own terms. I'm building my business separately from whatever choices Mom and Dad make."
"That's smart. But the inn has been their domain for so long." He sighed and then asked, "How did you come to terms with Kennedy being here? You were angry at first, and now you seem fine with it."
"I realized I couldn't fight it. She was just doing her job. I'd been waiting for Mom and Dad to make a decision. But I don't need to wait for their approval; I can build the business on my own terms."
"I need them to leave me in charge of the inn. You know, everyone has something. Malcolm runs the restaurant, Rowan has the brewery, and Hunter is in charge of the outdoor activities. I'm the only one still working directly under Mom and Dad."
"It won't be much longer now. They hired Kennedy so they could feel comfortable retiring. Now it sounds like they're ready to move forward with the renovation."
"I hope you're right, because I'm ready for the next step. I don't want to rush them into retirement, but it's not like they're giving us a lot of time and space to make decisions."
"It will happen eventually." And if not, maybe we needed to stage an intervention and find out what was holding them back. It was time for the next generation to take over.
"Now that work is done on my house, I'm thinking of renting out the apartment over the garage. What do you think?" Callum asked.
"Do you want a stranger living on the property?" We already had guests wandering the trails. Did we want someone living in one of the family's homes?
"We're spread apart from each other, so they'd only be a problem for me, and I'd like the extra money coming in."
"It's not a bad idea."
Callum needed something to focus on, and it was better that he be worried about a tenant than when my parents were going to officially retire.
He blew out a breath. "I can't wait until this renovation is over and done with."
"How are you feeling about the snow room?" I asked him, curious since it was in his domain.
He shifted in his chair. "I'm cautiously optimistic. I hope it's not one of those things that's constantly breaking down. You know what I mean? It might become a headache."
"Kennedy hired everyone who had experience in building snow rooms, so I would hope that wouldn't happen."
A crease appeared on his forehead. "I'm just thinking of the worst-case scenarios."
"I had my doubts about the room myself. But now that it's coming together, I'm excited to make my mark on it.
" I'd come around to the idea that the room would be photographed often, and if it made its way into a newspaper or a magazine, surely someone would mention that I'd made the log benches or the trees. "
Callum looked around the room filled with people and the story of our childhood on the walls. "We built something amazing here, didn't we?"
"I think so." But my gaze was on Kennedy who was walking toward the table, talking and laughing with Clara.
She fit in here. She was friends with my sister, and even my brothers respected her. I just wished that she could see that too. Unfortunately, she'd probably always think of herself as a city girl.
I wanted to get her home, to have her to myself. We didn't have much time left. As much as I enjoyed spending time with her and my family, I wanted alone time too.
I'd wait for her to finish her drink, and then we could get out of here.
A band started playing on the stage at the front of the room, and several people moved toward the dance floor, which was really just the empty floor space in front of the stage. A few couples ventured out and then a group of women.
"We should dance," Clara said to Kennedy.
The women headed toward the dance floor, shaking their hips as they went.
Callum leaned in. "You cross a line with Kennedy?"
I stretched the stiffness in my neck. "Why do you say that?"
He chuckled. "You've been staring at her all night. It was hard to miss."
I had to be more careful. " She's leaving soon. It's just temporary."
"Is it?" Callum asked, his brow raised.
"It's what it has to be. She's not from here, and she has a business to run. Part of that is traveling to different hotels across the country. Why would she give that up to stay here with me?"
"I bet she'd stay if you asked her."
I shook my head. "She hasn't said anything about anything serious. This was supposed to be temporary, a way to pass the time while she was here."
"But it's more, isn't it?"
I swallowed hard. "For me it is, but I don't know how she feels about it."
He raised a brow. "You won't know if you don't ask."
I groaned. "Now you sound like Beck."
He leaned his elbows on the table, giving me a look. "You confided in him?"
"Yeah, he's been in a similar situation." I drank my now-lukewarm brew, wishing I'd thought to ask for a new one when the girls went to the bar earlier.
"What did he say about it?"
"Same thing. Tell her how I feel. He reminded me that he changed his priorities when he realized he was in love with Clara. He stopped traveling. But in this situation, it's Kennedy that's traveling with her business. She's not going to give up her beach condo in Miami for this."
His brow furrowed. "Why not? A lot of people love Colorado."
"She's a city girl through and through. She worked hard to buy her beachfront condo, and I don't see her giving it up anytime soon." The condo was her definition of success.
His gaze drifted toward the dance floor where a faster song was playing and the crowd was growing. "Why would she need to? You could keep it and use it for vacations."
"You make it sound so easy. But it's not."
He raised a brow. "Why are you making it so complicated?"
"I don't know if she feels the same way. That's the main block. I know I need to talk to her, but at the same time, it feels like it's not fair to ask her to stay."
"Maybe you don't ask her to stay. You tell her how you feel and let her express her feelings. Then you go from there."
Why did it sound so easy when Callum was talking about it? But whenever I thought about broaching the subject with Kennedy, I was scared of her reaction. What if she called everything off? I couldn't handle that.
A slow song came on, and Clara looked over at Beck.
He stood and said to the table, "That's my cue."
Callum nudged me. "Go dance with Kennedy."
Mom and Dad weren't here, and even if they were, I'd just say that I was showing Kennedy a good time. No one would think anything of it. "Fine."
Kennedy was just walking away from the dance floor when I approached. "You want to dance?"
Her eyes widened. "Are you sure it's a good idea?"
I touched her elbow, turning her around. "I'm positive it's not."
Her lips twitched as we moved through the couples already dancing and found a space in the middle. She looped her arms around my neck. "This is nice. Live music. Good brews. New friends."
I dipped my head, rubbing her neck with my nose. "It is nice."
She trembled in my arms. "You want to go home early?"
"Mmm. As soon as this song is over." There was something about dancing with her—the way her body pressed against mine and her hips moved in time with the beat, how I wanted to touch her but couldn't—that was driving me crazy. "We can wait a few more minutes."
She chuckled huskily. "I'm not so sure about that."
I leaned in and lowered my voice. "Well, I'm not fucking you in my brother's brewery, so we'll have to wait until I can get you home and alone."
She moved closer, pressing her tits against my chest, and I almost groaned out loud.
"Careful. My family's going to think that something's going on," I said into her ear.
She pulled back to get a good look at my face. "I'll tell them you're just being a good tour guide."
I raised a brow. "By giving you a tour of my bed?"
She laughed. "Yeah, that."
I figured that anyone who was watching us would think that we were having a good time, but they wouldn't necessarily think we were sleeping together. Although Cal had guessed. Was I that obvious? Because I still couldn't read Kennedy.
The notes to the song faded away, and the singer announced that they'd take a short break.
Kennedy raised a brow. "Want to get out of here?"
"I thought you'd never ask." She moved away from me, not holding my hand, which bothered me for some reason. Suddenly, I wanted everyone to know we were together.
A sharp pain pierced my chest. This was confusing. There was no point in telling everyone when it couldn't go anywhere, right?
The only thing that made sense was our time alone together. Whether it was in bed, or doing something mundane like eating dinner. Everything else was complex.
I met Callum's knowing gaze as I followed Kennedy to the door.
He nodded, and I looked away. I wouldn't acknowledge that he was right, or even that he could be. Everything was so messed up in my head. The situation felt insurmountable.
When we were outside, she reached for my hand. I didn't know what tomorrow would bring. I might be heartbroken when she left, but I'd enjoy every minute we had together now.