Love Me

by Quinn Ward

  “Right now, the only thing I want to know is if I’ve fucked this all up or if there’s a way to fix how much I hurt you last night.” Rather than lying back in one of the chairs, Dane set his mug on the railing and peered out over the ocean. I stood next to him, mirroring his position. “I should have known better than to believe you were manipulating me, Brook. You’ve been nothing short of amazing since the day I got here. First as a friend and now, hopefully, as something more. But you need to realize I’m used to even those closest to me betraying me. It happened to my dad, which is why he’s been in prison for so long. And just like him, I’ve grown tired of fighting it.”

  The little I knew about Dane’s dad’s case was from what I’d seen in the papers or overheard in conversations, but that had been years ago. The few times I’d considered asking Dane about it, I’d refrained, not wanting to push him into an uncomfortable conversation he’d undoubtedly had more times than he could count. While it was possible his dad was guilty of everything he’d been charged with, it seemed unlikely. Dane was a good man, but not the type of man I could picture defending someone he knew was guilty of a crime, especially one that hurt others.

  “You were right last night when you said I needed to start believing there are people out there who are willing to help me,” he continued, still gazing into the distance. “It took putting some distance between myself and this place to understand how much the inn means to me. And maybe that’s nuts, because I’d never set foot in the place until a few weeks ago. But leaving here, feeling that ache in my chest when I walked away, proved that I don’t want to let James sell it. I don’t want to give up my rights to a place that my grandfather built so he’d have something to call his own.

  “Because that is something I understand. I hate knowing that he was so miserable for so long, but I’m proud of him for doing something that made him happy.” Dane stepped closer, sliding his hand into the back pocket of my shorts. “I wish I’d gotten to know him while he was still alive because I think my life would have been much different. I wouldn’t have been alone after Dad was arrested. I would have had someone helping me convince him to fight to prove he wasn’t capable of doing the shit he was convicted of. But most importantly, I think my grandfather would have taught me what it meant to go after the things that matter in life. Even though he couldn’t teach me that while he was alive, I’m going to do my best to live right by him from now on. I want to go after what makes my life good.”

  “And what’s that?” I asked, leaning my head on his shoulder. I held my breath as I waited for him to answer.

  “You, for one thing.” Dane turned to face me, holding on to my hip as he ran a hand through my frustration-mussed hair. “My life is so much richer for having you in it. And I want to see where this thing between us leads. I want to wake up next to you, knowing that we’re partners. And even though you say the inn is a job for you, I know it’s so much more than that. An employee wouldn’t put in the effort you do to make every guest feel as if they’re the most important person to walk through the doors. James might want to sell the inn, but I promise you, I’m not going to let that happen. I’m going to figure out a way to save it, because when I closed my eyes last night, I had the most amazing dreams of the two of us turning this into our legacy. Something we could be proud of.”

  “I want that too,” I whispered, fighting back tears. From everything Dane was saying, it certainly sounded like he had no plans to leave, but we needed to be clear. I wanted him more than I’d wanted anyone in the past, which was exactly why I couldn’t let myself fall any further without clarification. “Does that mean you’re staying in Sunset Beach?”

  “As long as I possibly can,” he promised. “While you’re working today, I need to talk to James and see if we come to some sort of agreement about the inn. He’s adamant about selling, but I’m going to show him that stubborn is a trait shared by all Montgomerys. It took me twenty-six years to have any sort of connection to my roots, and I’m not going to let him dig those up. Then I need to call work and put in my notice so they can pay out my accrued time off.”

  I tensed as it dawned on me that we were still living in our little fantasy world. Yes, I wanted Dane to move down here, but with the inn’s uncertain future thanks to James’s poor decisions, it wasn’t the soundest decision for him to walk away from a stable career and home. If he convinced James to keep the inn, there was no way of knowing if James would mismanage the place into the ground, which I feared he’d already begun by doing unnecessary renovations, thinking it’d draw in a higher offer from potential buyers. The man had the business sense of a teenager with their parents’ AmEx card without the risk of being grounded if he spent too much money. That was a huge gamble for Dane.

  “If you’d forfeit the paid time off, maybe you could work a few more assignments and burn it off in between,” I suggested, trying to prove I wasn’t being entirely selfish by wanting him to move into the inn permanently so I wouldn’t have to miss him. “During the off-season, I can come up and stay with you for a while.”

  This must be love, because there was no other logical explanation for me volunteering to spend time up north during the winter. Anything below forty degrees was enough to keep me bundled up in the house. But Dane would be there, and I was sure he’d have plenty of ways to warm up my frozen body.

  “That’s not going to happen,” he insisted. “I’ve done a good job living within my means, so I don’t have to bust my ass, especially since I won’t have to pay rent or a mortgage. Either way, I’m walking away. One thing you may not know about me yet, but you’ll learn, is that once I put my mind to something, I don’t turn back. And being here is what I want. Being with you. Running the inn. Of course, you’re going to have to do most of that because the only thing I know about hotels is staying in them, but we’ll get through it.”

  “And what if you and James don’t come to an agreement?”

  “Then I’ll figure something out,” he said as if there would be a simple solution. He obviously underestimated his uncle’s problems. Before I could burst his bubble, Dane pulled me tight against his body and combed his fingers through my hair. “Brook, I’m not sure how this is all going to play out, but I need you to believe that it will. I’m trying really fucking hard here to convince myself the universe wouldn’t be so cruel as to dump all of this in my lap just to yank it out from under me. But there will be times I feel like it’s a lost cause, and I’m going to need you in my corner when that happens.”

  “Always,” I promised him. Everyone who knew me teased me for being an eternal optimist, and now was the time to prove them all right.

  13

  Dane

  You will never know that you came into my life just as I was ready to give up. Watching someone you’ve been in love with for years move on without you is a pain I can’t even describe. I told myself falling in love wasn’t worth feeling that way again, but you broke down my walls… -N

  James glared at us as we descended the staircase into the lobby. There was a family in the library, parents slathering sunscreen on the kids before they headed down to the beach. I prayed they’d take their time so we could avoid an argument. Wanting to show James I wasn’t walking away from the inn, I leaned down to kiss Brook’s cheek. It wasn’t enough, but it was all I could do since he was already over an hour late for work. Well, James could kiss my ass if he wanted to get pissed at Brook, because this was my place too, and I was all for Brook being tardy one time since it’d been my fault.

  “Nice of you to show up, Brook,” James greeted him through gritted teeth. After our lunch yesterday and Brook’s revelations about James’s visitors, I was seeing my uncle in a new light. I didn’t much care for the unfiltered view of him. “Dane, do you have a moment?”

  I swallowed hard, feeling as if I was being called into the principal’s office. I’d promised Brook I’d find a way to keep the inn safe, to turn it into a place for us to call our own, but I couldn’t imagine Ja
mes backing down any easier than I would. If Brook was right, he needed a cash injection, quick. And fuck him very much, because I couldn’t help but think how much worse this would have been had Dad already been out of prison and down here. Would he have gotten Dad messed up in his shit, which would have led to him being locked up again? Well, again, fuck him very much, because I wasn’t going to let anyone steal any more time I had with my father.

  “Yeah, I’ll be right there. Going to grab some breakfast first,” I told him as I detoured to the breakfast room.

  “That food is for the guests,” he scolded me.

  “And until the paperwork is finalized, I’m here as a guest,” I countered, feeling mighty smug. Speaking of which, I needed to find an attorney of my own—like, yesterday—so James couldn’t fuck me any more than he already was. “Besides, Brook’s going to be throwing everything out in twenty minutes. Might as well throw some of it into my stomach.”

  “Just hurry,” James said in a huff before disappearing into his office.

  Brook followed me into the breakfast room. As soon as he confirmed the room was empty, he pulled me into a corner hidden from the view of anyone in the lobby.

  “Try to not piss him off today,” he warned me.

  I pressed Brook against the wall, loving the way his hips instinctively arched toward me. I widened my stance, bringing us closer in height before leaning in to kiss him. Brook whimpered against my lips, opening them with a sigh as my tongue traced the seam. We shouldn’t be doing this here. One kiss with him was never enough, but as I’d pointed out to James, breakfast was served for another twenty minutes, meaning anyone could walk in on us. I pulled away, smiling when Brook groaned. Unlike the casual fucks of my past, there was never any guessing what Brook was thinking.

  “If he didn’t want me to challenge him, maybe he shouldn’t have gotten himself into a position that could fuck all of us,” I pointed out. “But I promise, I’ll go in there and be a mature adult. Whether or not he can see my point of view is out of my control. But I made you a promise and I intend to keep it. Not right away, but soon, I’m looking forward to both of us calling the manager’s suite home.”

  It was yet another huge promise I couldn’t bring myself to regret making. When it came to Brook, I was coming to realize I would happily promise him the moon and stars if that’s what he wanted. He’d allowed me back in this morning, given me the opportunity to explain myself, and he’d forgiven me. That earned him whatever he wanted, and while I wouldn’t tell him, I already knew what I was going to do to prove to him that Bird Island Inn was as much his as it was mine, no matter whose name was on the deed. I mentally added another call to the to-do list for the day before turning my attention back to my boyfriend, who seemed on the verge of a breakdown.

  I smoothed my hand down his face and rubbed my thumb back and forth across his cheek. “Like I said, I don’t mean today, but I want you to know where I see us heading. You’re not a summer romance for me. You’re the real deal. And I fucked up last night because what I should have said was that I love you.”

  “You do?” His eyes widened as he stared at me.

  Was it really so hard to believe I was capable of falling in love with him? Okay, so maybe it was, given the fact I’d denied what I felt for him when I was on the phone with Jen, but that was different. Not wanting to admit it to her and not acknowledging between us what Brook meant to me were two very different things.

  “Yeah, I do. I wish it hadn’t taken insulting you and pushing you away to realize that, but I’ve warned you repeatedly I’m no good at relationships. Now, I’d better get in there and talk to James, see if we can’t figure out a way for both of us to be happy.”

  “Good luck with that.” Voices echoed outside the breakfast room, so I swiped a bagel and a few sausage links before stealing one last kiss and leaving Brook to greet the stragglers. In my experience, hotel staff were easily annoyed by those who came to breakfast in the final minutes, but not Brook. His voice was as light and cheery as it ever was when he dealt with guests. He had a knack for making everyone he encountered feel special; that was an asset you couldn’t put a price tag on.

  I didn’t bother knocking on the closed office door. Even though we barely knew one another, I could immediately tell James was a wreck. He was wearing the same shirt from yesterday, slightly rumpled from sleep. His hair looked like it’d been wrung through his fingers as he worried. I’d stormed in here, prepared to rant to him about how his personal problems shouldn’t have anything to do with the legacy his father tried to leave for him, but now that felt like kicking a man while he was down. Instead I slid into the chair across the desk from him and slid it closer.

  James glanced up, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Have you come to a decision?”

  “I have,” I confirmed, my tone measured and even. Fighting with him wouldn’t solve whatever problems he’d created for himself.

  “And?” he prodded when I didn’t immediately give him my answer.

  “I don’t think selling is the right move,” I informed him.

  His jaw twitched under the force of his clenched teeth. He swallowed hard, and I could imagine he was fighting to keep from blowing up at me. This was not the answer he’d been expecting.

  “From everything Brook has told me, my grandfather wanted this place to be something of his own, his mark on the world. I might not have known him, but I can understand wanting that. It doesn’t feel right to throw that all away. He left this place to us because it was something he could do for his family. He wouldn’t want us to sell it now that he’s gone.”

  “Don’t you sit there and tell me what my father would or wouldn’t have wanted,” he spat out. “He wanted a lot of things he never had. In an ideal world, this wouldn’t be an issue, but it is. Do you honestly think this is what I want? My parents were miserable together, and it was only because of the inn that I really got to know the man he could have been if he hadn’t been beaten down by my mother. No matter how much she berated him, he came to life when he walked through those doors. But life isn’t a Hallmark movie. I can’t keep the family business running all on my own. If he’d been smart, he’d have left the whole place to you.”

  “But he didn’t and he had to have a reason for making the decision he did.”

  “Because he was a foolish man who always wanted to believe the best in people, even when they were huge disappointments.” James’s cell phone rang, and he tensed as he checked the display before silencing the noise. “Believe me, Dane, this isn’t something I want to do, but I don’t see any other way to keep the inn safe.”

  Safe. That was an odd choice of words from a man who’d spent yesterday explaining why it made financial sense for me to agree to the sale. It seemed Brook was onto something with his concern regarding James and his problems. An icy chill washed over me when I considered what this could mean for Dad. I couldn’t bring him back here as long as James was involved in shit that could be less than legal. He’d spent years believing he’d die in prison, but he was getting a second chance. I wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of a fresh start for him.

  I leaned forward, keeping my back ramrod straight. “James, you have to be straight with me. What’s going on that has you so panicked? I know it’s not the economy or empty-room nights. I’ve looked at the reservations, and we’re booked solid through Labor Day. After that, we’re still running full enough to stay in the black. Why would you want to walk away from that?”

  “Because they’ll take it!” he yelled, staring blankly out the window. When he looked back at me, he refused to make eye contact and his face radiated with undisguised fear. “I kept telling myself I could take care of it, but I can’t. And now, they’re tired of waiting.”

  “Who are they, James?” I pressed. My stomach rolled, and I wished I’d skipped the sausage and bagel I’d scarfed after the quick make-out session with Brook. “I want to help you out here, but I can’t do that if you won’t tell me what�
�s going on.”

  I felt like a damn parrot, but I’d keep repeating myself as long as it took.

  “When my father was sick, there were so many bills. He was broke because of this place, because he kept dumping money into it.” James scrubbed at his forehead, and his shoulders slumped forward. “He scheduled all these renovations, signed contracts, and I was left with that hanging over my head too. It was like an avalanche, and pretty soon I was buried. Maybe it was the wrong thing to do, but I borrowed some money, figuring we’d do the remodel since no one would let me out of the contracts he’d signed, and then I’d sell it as soon as he was gone and pay them back.”

  And then the inn was left to both of us, throwing a wrench in his plans. A clearer picture was forming, one that made more sense than James being wrapped up in illegal gambling or drugs. But it still left us with a major problem.

  “How much, James?”

  “How much what?” His brow furrowed as he tried figuring out the answer to what should have been a simple question. “Oh, how much money. It’s a lot, Dane. That’s why there’s no way to get out from under it unless we sell the inn. You’ll still get your half of the proceeds, but mine’s gonna be eaten up with the interest.”

  “How. Much?” I repeated, more sternly this time.

  Rather than telling me, James wrote a figure on a scrap of paper and slid it across the desk. I swallowed hard when I looked at the number, trying to convince myself he’d added an extra zero.

  “Jesus, you’re into these fuckers for half a mil? How in the hell did you let this happen? There’s no way in hell we’re going to be able to fork over this type of money, James. None. And you used the fucking inn as collateral? Are you fucking kidding me?”