Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
ELOISE
Jasper stood on the deck, coffee cup in hand. He was in jeans and a T-shirt, his feet bare. He stared at the trees.
I stared at him.
In the past two days, I’d seen more of his back than I had in all of our time together.
Whenever I came into the room, he left. At night, he’d sleep facing one wall while I stared at the other.
My entire body felt heavy. My muscles were nearly as weary as my heart. Never in my life had I felt this tired. Two sleepless nights. Two days spent fighting tears, and the battle had drained me entirely.
Jasper lifted his mug, taking a sip of coffee. He didn’t so much as glance into the house.
Was this how it would end? In silence?
The lump in my throat was as hard as a rock, but I swallowed it down. It landed in my empty stomach like a sledgehammer. With my purse slung over a shoulder, I swiped my keys from the kitchen counter and walked out of the A-frame.
My fake marriage was falling apart.
But at least I had The Eloise. My marriage to that hotel was as real as the morning sun, and for yet another day, she’d be my salvation. So I climbed in my car and drove into town.
My mental to-do list had exploded the past two days with nothing but yuck.
Search for a new rental.
Call my lawyer.
And at the top of the list, Fire Blaze.
I hated my to-do list. Couldn’t I rewind time a couple days?
On Sunday, Jasper and I had been exploring Paris. It had been, without contest, the best day of my life. As we’d walked, hand in hand, I’d actually convinced myself he cared. That he might love me.
Maybe he did. At least, maybe he loved a part of me.
Except, for better or worse, my family was the other part. My parents, my brothers and sisters, were a piece of my heart. The Edens came as a packaged deal.
Jasper couldn’t care for me and despise them.
He’d made his point on the drive home. It wasn’t fair for me to voice my dislike for his parents and expect him to keep quiet. And he’d made another point about Mom and Dad supporting me.
Yes, I was scared to lose the hotel.
But at the end of the day, I trusted them.
I had faith that they loved me, that they wanted the best for my life.
If they decided that I didn’t have what it took to own The Eloise Inn, I knew that decision would be painful for them to make.
They’d only do it because it was the best decision.
Because they knew, if that hotel failed under my control, it would be devastating.
It wasn’t a black-and-white situation. But I didn’t know how to explain that to Jasper. Not when his parents had been so . . . cold.
The only way Jasper was going to see the beauty of my family was by living it. By putting up with my brothers. By getting to know my sisters. By seeing the love my parents gave us unconditionally.
How was I ever going to show him what a family should look like when he locked them out? When he walked away?
It was over, wasn’t it?
We’d end on this horrible, heart-wrenching fight. And I hadn’t even had the chance to show Jasper why he was so wonderful. Why he deserved love.
My eyes flooded. I brushed the skin beneath my lashes. It was practically raw from how many tears I’d swept away in the past two days. Then I pulled into the alley behind The Eloise, parking beside Knox’s truck, and headed inside.
The morning was a blur of activity. Not only was I playing catch-up from being gone, but we were prepping for one of the busiest holiday weekends of the year.
Independence Day weekend in Quincy was a roller coaster, a carnival of amusement and chaos. Tourists flocked to enjoy the local festivities—a parade along Main and the county rodeo. Fireworks at dark. Dancing and ruckuses at the local bars.
The hotel was booked solid.
It would be all hands on deck this weekend for every Eden business.
Talia would take the weekend off from the hospital to help Lyla at the coffee shop.
Griffin and Dad would be on call to run errands to the hardware store or the grocery store for whatever anyone needed.
Mom would likely bounce between Eden Coffee or Knuckles to help Knox.
And whoever wasn’t busy would be helping at the hotel.
But no matter how busy we were, we all made it a point to congregate at the fairgrounds to watch the rodeo. It was tradition.
Had Jasper ever been to a rodeo?
He’d shown me Paris, the city of my dreams. And all I wanted was to sit beside him, drink a beer and teach him the difference between saddle and bareback bronc riding.
Would he even stick around until then? Or was he packing up the A-frame? Had he accepted that job in Vegas?
The thought of Jasper leaving made my entire body ache, so I shoved it aside and focused on work, biding my time until an angry kid with black hair and thick glasses walked through the front doors.
Blaze crossed the lobby, his eyes on the floor and his shoulders curled in. He was in those awful jeans again. The Fuck You Moms had been touched up at the thighs and knees.
This kid. He needed more than a job.
“Hi, Blaze.”
He blinked.
“Thanks for coming in today,” I said. “Give me one minute.”
Mateo had come in earlier to help out. He’d been installing a shelf I’d bought for the break room, so I shot him a text, asking if he could watch the front desk for a few minutes.
He came striding down the hallway minutes later, giving Blaze a flat look.
“We’ll be in the office,” I told him.
“Take your time.” The look he sent Blaze was full of warning.
Jasper wasn’t the only man in my life not keen on this kid and me being alone.
But despite everyone else’s opinions, this was my mess. Not my mother’s, mine. I should have told her no. Since I hadn’t, then I’d fix this mistake.
So I escorted Blaze to my office, taking the chair behind the desk I rarely sat at while he sat on the opposite side.
My heart thumped as I faced him, my palms clammy.
God, I hated firing people, even strange kids who creeped out my desk clerks.
But I kept my shoulders straight, my chin held high.
And I crisply delivered the lines I’d practiced over and over last night when I hadn’t been able to sleep.
“Blaze, I’m going to have to let you go. I appreciate your time here. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been a fit for our housekeeping department.” I held my breath, waiting for his reaction.
There was no outburst or argument. Blaze simply shrugged. “Fine. This was my mom’s fucking idea anyway. When do I get my money?”
“Your final paycheck will be sent to your address on record when we process payroll on the first.”
He stood from the chair and let himself out of the office.
Huh. That’s it? Well, at least one thing had gone right today.
I stood from my own chair, then flipped off the light as I left the room, rejoining Mateo at the desk.
“How’d that go?” he asked.
I lifted a shoulder. “Could have been worse.”
Mateo glanced past me toward the fireplace.
Blaze stood staring up at the hearth’s column of stone that towered to the rafters.
I did a double take. Damn it. “He’s still here?”
Just when I’d thought this had been easy.
I sucked in a fortifying breath, then walked toward the couches. “Blaze, was there something else you needed?”
He kept his gaze fixed to the ceiling. “Taylor is working today, right?”
“Um . . .” How the hell did he know that? I’d just called her a couple hours ago to see if she wanted a few more hours. She’d agreed to sit at the desk while I finished the next schedule and documented Blaze’s termination. How did he know she was coming in? “Did she tell you that?”
Maybe they were friends?
“I saw her walking. She was in her work clothes.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
Taylor drove her Honda Civic to work because her family lived out of town a few miles.
Sure, she could have come downtown early.
Maybe she’d stopped by the coffee shop or another store on Main and that’s when he’d spotted her.
But regardless, when she walked through these doors, I didn’t want him here to greet her.
“Why do you need to see Taylor?”
He dropped his chin, and for the first time, he looked me in the eyes.
A chill raced down my spine.
Yeah, this kid had to go.
“I want to tell her I got fired,” he said.
Because he thought it was her fault? I couldn’t tell with that flat tone.
“I’ll be sure to let her know.” I held a hand out toward the door. “Thanks again for coming in today. I’m sure I’ll see you around town.”
He cocked his head to the side and a swoop of that black hair fell into his face. But otherwise, he didn’t move.
“Blaze, you need to leave. You can’t stay here.”
“Why not?”
“Because I said so.” And apparently, I’d just become my mother.
And it was the wrong thing to say. If Blaze’s gaze had been cold before, it was arctic now.
Goose bumps broke out on my forearms, and suddenly, I saw the kid who’d brought an injured bird inside this building and broken its neck.
“I want to talk to Taylor,” he said.
“Well, she won’t be here today after all.” I pulled my phone from my pocket and sent her a quick text.
Change of plan. Don’t come to the hotel. I’ll call you later.
If Blaze had an unhealthy obsession with Taylor, the last place I wanted her was in this lobby.
With my phone tucked away, I crossed my arms over my chest. “Time to go home, Blaze.”
He stared at me. Unmoving.
Ugh. I didn’t have time for teenagers today.
The lobby door opened.
Shit. Taylor. My heart climbed into my throat as we both looked toward the door.
But it was Jasper.
He strode into the lobby, dressed like he’d come from the gym. His black shorts accentuated the strength in his thighs and displayed the definition in his calves. That white T-shirt stretched across his broad chest and hugged his roped arms.
A body refined to perfection. A body honed from time spent throwing punches and kicks.