“It’s fine,” Grace assured him. “The walking boot makes it relatively easy to get around, and I’m slow on steps, but I can manage.”
“Of course you can,” Kane agreed with a chuckle. “These past few weeks have proven that you can manage just about anything.”
Except holding on to Wiley, she thought to herself. “Thanks,” she answered Kane. “What can I do for all of you today?”
Nicole offered a kind smile and gestured to the seat across from them. “Let’s talk for a few minutes.”
Grace’s heart sank, and she wanted to run in the other direction. That’s exactly how the conversation with her bosses at the amusement park had begun, during which it had become painfully obvious that the best course of action for everyone would be her resignation.
She did not want to give up her future at the hotel. An image of Wiley flashed in her mind. Would she walk away from the Fortunes if it meant another chance with him? Probably, although that might make her a fool. She’d never felt anything like she did when she was with Wiley. Regret made her chest pinch, and she wondered for the millionth time if she’d given up on him too easily.
Slipping into the chair, she kept her hands clasped tightly in front of her. “Is there a problem with last-minute details for the opening?”
Nicole shook her head. “Everything is right on schedule. You, Jillian and Jay have done an incredible job.”
“Far surpassed our expectations,” Callum added.
“I’m glad.” Grace forced a smile. “So what I am doing here?”
“The plan had been to choose the employee who would be promoted to the general manager position after the grand opening,” Nicole explained. “It made sense to get through this last push and then focus on the future.”
Grace nodded.
“But recent events have made us rethink the timing of our announcement.” Callum inclined his head. “We want to show stability, to make sure that people understand we have things well under control at the Hotel Fortune.”
“We’re moving forward and expecting nothing but good things.” Kane glanced behind him at the doors that led to the balcony.
The balcony that had collapsed with Grace on it.
“Okay.” Grace’s cheeks started to throb as she tried to keep her smile in place. Recent events? They had to be talking about her accident, and it felt as though her fall from the second floor was a metaphor for her life. Just when she thought she had time to pause and enjoy the view, she went tumbling off the edge. She should have known this would happen. Of course they wouldn’t choose her for the general manager position. She was the physical representation of a public relations nightmare. The Fortunes would be smart to promote someone who was untarnished by any scandal. Jillian fit that bill without—
“What do you think, Grace?”
She blinked as Callum leaned forward, giving her an odd look, and she tried to catch up with the thread of the conversation.
“I think it’s a wise decision.”
His mouth twitched. “Then you’re accepting the position?”
She blinked. “I think I missed something.”
Nicole laughed. “He just offered you the general manager job.”
“Oh.” Grace sucked in a shallow breath. “I thought you were telling me I wasn’t a fit because of the accident. I’m bad PR.”
“On the contrary,” Callum told her. “You’ve done more to bolster the hotel’s image in town than we could have imagined. The partnership with the local businesses is going to be integral to our reputation as we open.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I’d be honored to accept the promotion. But...” She bit down on the inside of her cheek as she tried to determine the best way to share this next bit.
Kane sighed. “I hate a ‘but.’”
“What is it?” Nicole asked gently, placing her hand on her cousin’s beefy arm.
“I’m in love with your brother,” she said, and Kane choked on the sip of water he’d just taken.
“Which one?”
“She’s talking about our brother,” Nicole clarified. “Wiley. You love Wiley.”
“Yes.” Grace nodded. “But we broke up.”
Callum’s mouth dropped open. “You were dating Wiley?”
“Get with the program,” Nicole said, swatting his arm.
“What did he do?” Kane demanded. “Do I need to kill him?”
Grace almost laughed at the absurdity of that statement. “No, of course not. He didn’t do anything. I just chose... My priority is the hotel. I want you to know that. I don’t want there to be any doubts.”
“You can have both,” Callum said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
Grace squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, then opened them again. She could be the biggest idiot in the world for revealing all of this in a meeting where she was being offered her dream job. “That hasn’t worked so well for me in the past.”
“Wiley isn’t him,” Nicole told her with so much understanding that it felt like Grace’s heart might break all over again.
“Who?” Kane and Callum asked in unison.
“I know.” Grace kept her gaze focused on Wiley’s sister. “I just wanted you to know where things stood. It’s meant a lot to Wiley to reconnect with all of you. As much as I’m looking forward to a long career at the hotel, it won’t be at the expense of his relationship with his family.”
Nicole leaned forward. “Are you saying you’d give up the promotion if he wasn’t comfortable with you working here?”
Was that what Grace was telling them? How was that possible? The general manager job was everything she’d wanted for her life and a vindication of what she’d been through in Horseback Hollow. Wiley hadn’t given her the impression that he wanted her to forgo her dream for him. Not once. He’d only been supportive and proud as she dedicated herself to her job.
But she knew how important his family was and understood the toll that feeling distanced from them had taken on him. She wouldn’t be a part of that.
“Yes.” The pain she expected at saying the word didn’t materialize. Instead, she felt as if her world had stopped spinning and righted itself in a way that put her exactly where she wanted to be.
“That’s ridiculous.” Callum shook his head. “Wiley is a grown damn man. You’re important to the hotel. To our family. He’ll deal.”
“But if not—”
“Thank you, Grace,” Nicole said. “You’ve proven even more why you’re the right person for this job. We appreciate your loyalty and look forward to many years of you being part of Team Fortune.”
“Really?” Grace swallowed. “I mean, that’s what I want, as well.” She pushed back from the table. “Just know that I have the best interests of the hotel at the forefront of my mind. Always.”
“We know.” Nicole stood and then came around the table to hug her. “And we appreciate it. We’ll talk to Jillian and Jay as well and then plan to make the big announcement to the staff. Congratulations.”
Chapter Seventeen
“Oh, hell, no.”
“Hi, Jake.” Wiley stepped out onto the path in front of Grace’s brother, ignoring his less-than-cordial greeting. “Mind if I join you?”
Jake didn’t break stride as he ran past Wiley on the dirt trail that wound through one of the local parks. “If you can keep up, Wyatt.”
Wiley also didn’t correct the mistake of his name. He simply ran alongside the other man, grateful for his almost-daily runs along Lake Michigan when he’d lived in Chicago. Jake set one hell of a pace.
They did a fast loop around the park’s perimeter, passing a few families and slower joggers. The exercise actually helped to clear Wiley’s jumbled thoughts. He was clear about what he wanted, but how to convince Grace’s recalcitrant brother that his intentions were honorable was another
story.
“We need to talk about your sister,” Wiley said, huffing for breath, as they approached the parking lot where the trail ended.
“You hurt her,” Jake said, and then bent at the waist. At least Wiley wasn’t the only one sucking wind, a small consolation when it felt as though his lungs were on fire.
“I want to make it right. I love her.”
Jake glanced up at him, a sneer curling one side of his mouth. “You don’t have to say that. She’s not going to come after your precious family and the hotel. Even if they wouldn’t have handed her the promotion she—”
“Grace earning the general manager position had nothing to do with her injury.” Wiley placed his hands on his hips and drew in big gulps of air, struggling to keep the temper out of his voice. He was here to win Jake over to his side, not to antagonize him further. But Wiley couldn’t tolerate the suggestion that Grace had been offered the manager role at the hotel for any other reason than she deserved it.
“I know she’s qualified,” her brother conceded. “But even you have to admit—”
“I don’t have to admit anything. Grace worked her butt off, both before and after the accident. She’s a huge asset to the hotel, and everyone in my family sees that. We’re not the ones selling her short.”
Jake straightened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Why are you so hell-bent on convincing her that she can’t make it on her own?”
“I’m not—”
“How do you think it makes her feel when her family is constantly telling her that the reason she’s being recognized has more to do with her injury than her talent and skills?” For the moment, Wiley put aside trying to smooth the waters with Grace’s brother. He couldn’t stand to listen to one more suggestion that she was anything less than fully capable on her own.
“We don’t do that.”
“Are you sure? Because that’s how it sounds to me. I fell in love with your sister and not because I was trying to protect my family or any other sort of cheap attorney tricks you might want to accuse me of. The fact is she’s the most amazing woman I know. She’s smart, strong and creative. She doesn’t give up or give in, and we both know how big her heart is. She’d do anything for the people she loves.”
Jake stared at him for several long moments, then looked away. “Did your brother or sister mention that Grace told them she wouldn’t take the promotion if it upset you to have her at the hotel?”
“Yeah.” Wiley kicked a small rock with the toe of one sneaker, sending it skittering across the grass. “I would never let that happen, and neither would they. I want another chance with Grace, but it’s her choice. If she’s truly moved on from me, I’ll respect the decision. Her place at the hotel is secure, and my brothers and sisters would never treat her unfairly.”
“I know.”
“In fact—” Wiley broke off as he tried to digest those two words coming from Jake. He was ready to argue as long as he needed to in order to convince her brother that his family had Grace’s interests at heart. “You know what?”
“I’m not fully sold on the Fortunes,” Jake said, wiping a sleeve across his forehead. “Trusting people outside my close circle of friends and family...well, it’s been a struggle since the accident. Grace gave up a lot to come home and help during my recovery.”
“She told me about that time,” Wiley said. “I know she was happy to have the chance to pitch in and remains grateful that everything turned out okay for you.”
“She’s the best.” Jake flashed a rueful smile. “We can agree on that.”
“Yeah.”
“And even though you aren’t the man I’d choose for her, you’re the one she’s chosen.”
Wiley mulled that over for a few seconds, then chuckled. “I can’t decide if that’s a compliment or an insult.”
Jake’s grin widened. “We’ll call it a compliment. My sister deserves to be happy more than any person I know. If you make her happy, that’s good enough for me.”
“I appreciate that, Jake.” Wiley held out a hand, and the other man shook it. “Family is important to Grace and to me. I want us to get along. You can believe me when I tell you I’ll do my best to make her happy every day if she gives me another chance.”
“I believe you, Fortune.” Jake nodded. “You should know that if you ever hurt her, I’ll be there.”
Wiley shook his head. “Don’t worry about that. You’ll have to get in line behind most of my siblings. But all of this is moot if I can’t convince her to try again. To be honest, I’ve never had to work very hard with women. That’s another thing I love about your sister. She makes me want to try.”
“What you need is a plan,” Jake said, clapping Wiley on the shoulder as they headed toward their cars. “Grace is used to being the one to put in the effort. I think your willingness to try will go a long way.”
“I hope it goes far enough,” Wiley murmured, then stopped walking as an idea popped into his head. He turned to face Grace’s brother, an unexpected ally but the perfect one for what Wiley wanted to accomplish. “And I hope that you’ll help me make sure it does.”
* * *
“Jake, are you sure we can’t just get him something from the hardware store in town?” Grace drummed her fingers against her jeans and tried not to sound as impatient as she felt. Her brother had asked her to drive with him to pick up a gift for their dad’s upcoming birthday.
Even though Grace had what felt like a never-ending to-do list with the opening in a few days, she’d agreed to accompany Jake on his errand. She and her brother hadn’t been on the best terms lately, and she didn’t want any more animosity between them.
Unfortunately, Jake hadn’t mentioned that the place he was picking up some vintage baseball glove for Dad was a good half hour out of town. He’d been in a strange mood since picking her up at her apartment, uncharacteristically peppy one minute and then anxious the next.
“It’s important, Gracie,” he said, and gave her a bright smile. Way too bright for her to believe it was sincere. “This is going to be the best surprise ever.”
“You’re acting weird,” she said as she looked out the window of his truck. The last time she’d driven this stretch of highway had been with Wiley on their first date.
A dull ache filled her chest at the thought of Wiley Fortune. The past few days without him had been awful. Grace missed him like crazy, even though she saw him around the hotel almost every day. But it wasn’t the same.
Jillian and Jay had taken her out for a drink to celebrate her promotion. It astounded Grace that Jillian seemed to accept the decision the Fortunes had made without complaint. Grace realized that she had Jillian to thank, in part, for the opportunity. Their rivalry had pushed Grace outside her comfort zone and motivated her to go the extra mile with every task she was assigned.
Obviously, it had paid off, but the price for her success was steep. Grace wondered if she should have given Wiley more of a chance after he returned from Chicago. She’d been hurt and felt rejected because he hadn’t called while away, but part of her knew she was transferring her emotions about her last relationship onto this one. Her ex’s betrayal made her so sensitive to any slight. She’d built giant walls around her heart because that had seemed like the best way to protect it.
She was coming to understand that keeping potential hurt out almost meant that the love she had to give someone was trapped inside her. Yet as much as she wanted to risk her heart for Wiley, it was difficult to imagine how much it might shatter if he didn’t want to try again.
She’d told herself she would wait until after the grand opening celebration and then reach out to him. That way she’d have the time to fall apart in a way she didn’t at the moment.
“You’re so quiet,” Jake said as he pulled into the right-hand lane of the highway and turned on his signal to exit. “Are you tired?
”
“I’m fine.” She leaned forward in her seat. “Where are you going? Why are you getting off here?”
“It’s our exit.” He gave her a sidelong glance. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she lied. It was the exit for the Oak Tree Inn. As Jake turned at the end of the ramp, she realized they were going to drive right past the converted farmhouse on the way to wherever this special baseball glove was located. It shouldn’t bother her to see the place that she and Wiley had shared their first kiss. She’d handled much more challenging situations than a simple driveway. So why was her heart practically beating out of her chest?
“I want you to be happy, Grace.” Jake’s voice held a note of tenderness she wasn’t used to hearing from her tough brother. “You deserve that.”
“We both do,” she answered.
“Wiley made you happy.”
Her mouth dropped open at those words. “I don’t want another lecture about the Fortunes, especially Wiley.”
“It was an observation,” he countered. “Not a lecture.”
She smiled despite the sadness coursing through her. “I figured the lecture was coming next.”
“You have no idea what’s coming next,” Jake said softly, and then shocked Grace by pulling into the parking lot of the Oak Tree Inn.
“Jake...”
“Happiness,” he repeated. “You’re a big girl, Gracie, and it’s about time we all start treating you like one. I have a feeling I could learn something from Wiley Fortune in that regard. It’s not up to me to determine what makes you happy. That’s your decision. Now you just have to be brave enough to make it.”
Her breath was coming out in shallow puffs. “What are you doing, Jake?”
After pulling to a stop in front of the inn, he reached over and opened the passenger-side door. “Hopefully giving you a little nudge in the right direction.”
Too shocked to argue, Grace stepped out of the car. She’d barely closed the door when Jake took off, leaving her standing in the middle of nowhere in a cloud of dust.
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