Except, even if she didn’t love him in the same way that he loved her, he still didn’t want to abandon her. Not when she was down like this. Evelina was taking advantage of the situation. Melody was probably tired of fighting. That meant, he needed to fight for her.
“I’ll handle this, Maddie. Would you see if any of the private meeting rooms are available?” At her nod, Jeremy headed out the door. Maddie followed on his heels. Evelina had her back to them as she was answering a call on her phone.
“Well?” Evelina asked in her snappy tone. “Did you get the contract?”
Jeremy paused a moment, not wanting to interrupt her call. He’d remain civil to her, even if she was causing him a world of trouble. All that bad she was dishing out would end up being served back to her as the main course someday. One thing his mother ground into him was that whatever a person sowed, they’d reap when the harvest came in.
Folding his arms over his chest, he waited.
“I don’t want excuses,” Evelina barked. “I want results. The Golden Seal Ski Tournament will be held at my largest resort…what do you mean they want something smaller? I have several resorts, find one that fits—”
Maddie gasped beside him, her green eyes rounding into perfect circles. “The Golden Seal Ski Tournament?” she whispered. Her hands moved to her mouth and a slow smile moved across her lips. “Huh, ironic.”
Jeremy was about to ask her what she was going on about when she patted his arm and said she’d take care of getting a room ready for them. “Don’t you let our girl do anything foolish, hear me? She just needs to hang on a bit longer. Between the two of us, we can find a way to help her, I just know it.”
“I don’t have Sky High yet, though I’m close. What does that have to do with anything?” Evelina stared up at the ceiling and started to turn in their direction.
Both Jeremy and Maddie ducked back into the shadows of the hall, not wanting to be spotted. Maddie grabbed one of those fake trees and set it in front of them. She winked up at him.
Jeremy bit at his upper lip to keep his laugh in check.
Evelina’s fist clenched at her side. “I told you that I plan to shut this place down. No, you find a way to convince them to sign with us, understand? Or your job will be on the line. I expect results.” She smashed her finger against the end call button.
Did she plan to close down the resort? And do what with it? Why? When he turned to ask Maddie, she was gone. He started to look for her, wondering if she’d heard the last part of the conversation, too.
The front doors opened with a loud commotion as Melody struggled with her crutches to get inside. Harriet ran over to help her. “What are you doing here, Melly? You’re supposed to be resting!”
Jeremy moved into action, intercepting Melody before Evelina could get to her. Pulling her aside, he warned, “I know what you’re doing. Don’t Mel. Don’t do this, you’ll regret it—”
“There’s so much I already regret, Jeremy. One more thing isn’t going to matter.”
“This will. Please listen to me, she’s—”
“This is the only way.” Melody jerked her good arm from his grip. “I’m not going to let anyone else get hurt because of my problems. This is the only solution that makes sense. I appreciate what your brothers are trying to do, but it’s not enough.”
She was right. Building a new hotel and maybe even the spa would help her down the line, but it wouldn’t fix her problem right now.
“Give me more time, Mel. I’ll figure something—” His words were stopped when she placed her finger over his mouth.
Melody told Evelina that she’d be with her in a second. “Meet me in the tavern, Auntie, I’ll be there soon.”
Evelina narrowed her cold gaze at Jeremy, then turned and headed for the empty restaurant that wouldn’t open for another couple of hours.
“Listen to me, Jeremy Grimwood.” She pulled him down to sit next to her on one of the leather sofas, then rested her crutches beside her. Since it was midweek, there were few patrons hanging out in the lodge this early. Most were either still in their cabins or out skiing already. “I’m not going to let you risk your future because of me.”
“I’m n—”
“Hush and let me talk. I’ve thought this through. Evelina has the means to make this resort into what it’s meant to be. If she buys me out, then I’ll have enough to get myself out of debt and the resort will be back in good standing. I know you love me.” She rested her hand over his.
Jeremy couldn’t breathe. She’d finally acknowledged his declaration. This was most likely where she’d tell him it was sweet but she didn’t feel the same. He’d prepared himself for that. “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same, Mel. I’m still going to help you through this. I’m not doing it to try to win you over, I swear. But because you need someone to stand and fight with you. That’s what friends are for, hon.”
She started to shake her head.
“Why are you so stubborn?” He gently grabbed her upper arms so they were eye-to-eye. One arm had a cast up to her elbow. “Why won’t you let people in? There’s no shame in needing help. Remember what the pastor said the last time we were in church together?”
Since her accident, she’d not been able to go, but he had.
“Even Moses needed Aaron’s help. And many others, too. He couldn’t lead all those people alone. Remember that battle where if Moses kept his arms up, their side was winning. And if he let them down when he grew tired, they started to lose? So two men stood beside him and held them up for him. Let us help, hon. Don’t give in now.”
She pressed her hand to his cheek. “I’m not giving up. I have a plan. She wants me to sign over the resort and if she’ll agree to my terms, then—”
“She plans to shut it down. I heard her speaking on the phone before you came in. She’s not going to agree to any deal.” Why couldn’t she see this was the worst thing she could do?
“Not when she hears my plans for the place. Listen, there is something I’ve been meaning to tell you. And I hate myself for taking so long to say it.”
“What, hon?” His own hand covered hers. He feared his heart would burst from his chest over the intensely tender gaze in her pretty green eyes.
“I love you, too. I have for some time, but I have too much baggage, Jere. It’s not right for you to carry my load. I’ve found a way out of it. And this is what I’m going to do.” She leaned in an pressed her lips to his.
Did he hear her right?
His mind went a little foggy as he kissed her back. She tasted of citrus and peppermint. Her hand slid up behind his neck and her finger twined into his hair.
When she started to pull away, he shook his head. “Mel, don’t—”
“It’ll be okay, Jere. Trust me. I think it’s time I break free of this place before it becomes my prison. I know that’s hard to understand, but—”
Actually, he did understand that. “Fine, but not to her. Mel—”
“Trust me. You are a true Prince Charming in wanting to save me, but some battles we princesses need to fight on our own.” She kissed him one more time, then grabbed her crutches and pulled herself up.
Before he could try stopping her, she was making her way toward the tavern. Stopping her wouldn’t make any difference, she’d made up her mind. Broken or not, Melody Carson marched into battle with her head held high and her back straight with determination.
Chapter Fifteen
Melody had said that she’d had a plan, but it was more of a hopeful idea. The folder clutched between her hand and the crutch had a list of her original conditions, and a willingness to let the resort go. So long as Evelina promised to not close it, or fire her current employees. Melody didn’t have a rock to stand on, except for that little promise she’d found in Mom’s Bible.
The Lord will not let us down. He won’t. So I’ll keep praising him, no matter how much life stinks at the moment.
That’s what Mom had written beside the scripture that s
aid even when everything fails, they would still praise the Lord. She’d tossed and turned last night going over and over how to appeal to the small bit of humanity that had to reside in her Aunt Evelina. She might be hard and calloused, but she wasn’t as cruel as everyone thought.
At least, Melody had hoped that was the case until she received an early morning call from the sheriff’s office. They’d located the man who had cut her off and he was an employee for Snow Inc. resorts, her aunt’s company. Did she want to press charges? The man was willing to testify that he’d been paid to put Melody out of commission. He’d admitted everything out of fear of being sent to prison himself. He said if he was going down, he wasn’t going down alone. Evelina had promised to send him on a long vacation in another country but had failed to fulfill her promise.
Melody sighed. If only Evelina realized how she was only hurting herself. “Good morning, Auntie, I’m glad you were able to come here to meet me. I’m still supposed to be in bed, but the cabin is getting mighty small.”
Evelina had a glass of soda in front of her. That meant Barty was somewhere in the back room.
“Hey Barty,” Melody called out.
He peeked around the door to the backroom, baseball cap pulled low over his guarded eyes.
Melody smiled at him, trying to keep her tone light. “There’s a list of things we need from the store. Why don’t you head into town now while it’s not busy?”
Barty wasn’t slow to catch on and would know she wanted to speak privately with Evelina. He gave a nod and said he’d get right on that.
She motioned for Evelina to follow her to a booth beside the window where a little bit of daylight filtered into the darkened room. Melody sat across from her and after propping her crutches against the back of the seat, she laid out her proposal, which she’d probably never get to.
Evelina smirked. “I see you’ve come with your demands. Let’s see them. I’ll make no promises, but perhaps we can work something out.”
Melody slammed her hand down on the folder before Evelina could snatch it from her. “Why did you send your man after me? Where you actually trying to kill me and hope that you’d swoop in and get the resort?”
Evelina’s face darkened. “Those are some serious accusations, girlie. Where do you come off—”
“Sheriff Gentry has your guy in custody. He’s on his way to the county jail as we speak. They caught him at the airport this morning. I suppose he flew in with you?” Melody shifted on the bench seat. “There were witnesses and not just Ol’ George who saw your guy come down the slope. The lady he was staying with the night before testified that he’d left before sunrise, saying he had a job to do. She has a picture of him, Evelina, that she’d taken of the two of them the night before.”
“Circumstantial mish-mash. Girls like that will say anything to get on the evening news,” Evelina rolled her steely colored eyes.
Melody went on, ignoring the interruption. “Sheriff has called in people to pick him out of a line-up, but there’s no need. He’s already confessed.”
Evelina gasped, then quickly recovered. “He’s a liar. I was about to fire him anyway. Caught him stealing—”
“Sheriff Gentry is waiting for me to let him know if I wish to press charges. Against the man, and you. Thing is, despite everything, you’re still my family. If you hadn’t come trying to take the resort away from me, I probably would have made some kind of partnership deal with you a long time ago. But you wanted everything.”
“You don’t know how to manage this place properly.” Evelina shot back, she had her phone out and was typing something. “I’m horrified over how you’ve treated me when I’ve only wished to help.”
“Help? Aunt Maddie is trying to help. She’s not trying to take anything away from me. This is where I grew up, Evelina. This has been my home and my parent’s home. You’ve never lived on this mountain. You were already grown when Grandpa married your mother. And you never cared to visit us, or spend any time with your half-brother.”
She only scowled in response. “You know nothing about what that time of my life was like. You were a mere child with your front teeth missing.”
“Perhaps you’re right. Thing is, sending you to prison isn’t going to help anyone. So, here’s your last chance to do what’s right, Aunt Evelina. Tell me what you really plan to do with Sky High. Why do you want it so badly? What’s in it for you?”
* * * *
Duncan sent a text saying that he was on his way. Having unlimited resources and private planes did have its perks. Jeremy smiled, but it faded as he feared they might be too late. He understood Melody wanting to handle this on her own. He even admired her for it. Which made him love her even more.
She’d finally responded in kind. Her kiss reaffirmed her words, but more than that, her determination to protect him spoke volumes. Despite what she said, he’d not let her face that dragon woman alone. They’d fight together.
Jeremy stood, tucking his phone in his back pocket before he headed toward the tavern. He was near the double doors when Aunt Mad jogged past, huffing and puffing, as she pushed past him. Her round cheeks were red from her excursion. Had she run all the way here? But from where?
“Outta the way, Grimwood. I have to stop this catastrophe from happening.” She burst through the double doors like the cavalry racing into battle. Jeremy followed right behind her.
In the dimly-lit interior, he found Melody and Evelina sitting at one of the back tables. Except Evelina wasn’t sitting anymore. She bolted from the booth, fury on her face as she yelled, “You’ll not send me to prison you little canker! Think you can threaten me? Why I’ll—”
“You’ll not get your grubby hands on my sister’s land, you leech!” Aunt Mad exclaimed, stopping between the two women. She turned to Melody with her fist perched on her ample hips. “I’ll not let you do this, pumpkin. I’ll not. All is not lost, I’ve found a way you can stay open, dear-heart.”
“What?” Evelina roared.
Maddie ignored her. “I’ve just got off the phone with a dear friend of mine. Tabatha McKinley.” She turned to her sister-in-law. “Name sound familiar?” The grin on her face was purely smug.
Evelina’s brows knit together before her eyes widened. “Why yes, she runs the Golden Seal Ski…wait…she’s a friend of yours?”
“Absolutely.” Maddie’s smile widened even more as she bounced on her sneakers. “We go back a few years. She invested in my bakery when I first opened and in turn, I make all the cakes and goodies for her parties and her children’s birthdays. She’s such a dear soul and was more than willing to accept a proposal from us to host next year’s ski competition.”
“Why you thieving little—” Evelina looked like her white hair was about to burst into flames from the deep red creeping up her neck and face.
Jeremy folded his arms, leaning against one of the posts and watched the spectacle with amusement. Maybe he’d not have to dirty his sword and shield after-all.
“Call me a thief,” Maddie scoffed. “You have a lot of nerve after all the underhanded tricks you’ve tried to pull. If Melody doesn’t press charges, you better watch your back because someday you’ll have your comeuppance. Trust me, it’ll happen.” Maddie jerked her head in a nod of affirmation.
Melody clamored from her seat and managed to get back up with her crutches. “Aunt Maddie, I don’t understand how hosting the competition here will help me. There so much work that will need to be done to prepare and no money to pay for it.”
Aunt Mad simply smiled. “Did I mention that Tabatha’s company will be willing to put half of the fees as a down-payment? You’ll not have to do much, my dear. But if you give it to Queen Evilina, she’d shut it down. I heard her.” Maddie narrowed her eyes on the woman, “Why do you want to destroy your brother’s resort? I can’t even begin to understand. It was his birthright, handed down through his family. What claim did you think you had on it?”
Evelina’s lips pursed as she started to
shake her head as if she refused to answer that question. Jeremy recalled her telling him that he’d find out what it felt like being left out of your family’s inheritance. Then he’d know what it was like.
“Did your step-father not leave you anything, Mrs. Ash? Is that what’s bothering you?” he asked.
Evelina blinked. “As if I needed his hand-outs. I’ve fared fine on my own. And that’s what I told my step-brother when he was acting like he was all sorry that his father left me out of the will.”
Aunt Maddie’s hands covered her mouth. “But I thought we were both given the same amount when Steven and Abigail passed away. It wasn’t much, but it was kind of them to consider us, at least I thought so.”
“Of course, you would. Like a dog gobbling up whatever scraps are dropped off the table. Well, I didn’t see it that way. Lawrence Carson adopted me, then abandoned me when I’d gotten into debt and needed his help. He told me that I dug my hole and needed to find a way to climb out of it. Then he passed away and left me with nothing.”
Melody frowned. Jeremy could see the sorrow building up behind her shining eyes. “I’m so sorry Aunt Evelina. That’s horrible. Even if you made some bad choices, you shouldn’t have been cut out of Grandpa’s will. But what does closing down my resort have to do with all of that?”
Evelina shrugged. “Vindication, I suppose. I don’t know. The idea formed and I went after it and couldn’t stop. I don’t give up easily, dear. Kind of like yourself.”
At that moment, Melody seemed to realize that Jeremy was standing there. The look she gave him made his heart swell. She wasn’t going to hit back at her aunt, despite the hurt she’d caused. He rolled his eyes and shook his head with an understanding smile, loving her all the more for her kind heart.
“I don’t want to press charges, Evelina, but I can’t possibly let you have Sky High. I’d hoped that we could let bygones be bygones, especially if you realized that I knew the truth about you.”
My Charming Billionaire (The Grimwood Legacy Series Book 2) Page 14