Nash shakes his head. “They’ll probably be there tonight, but if anyone says anything awkward or rude to you, please tell me. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, and I’m not gonna let them talk to you that way.”
“You’re so sweet.”
“I’m just grumpy when it comes to people.”
The elevator dings, and the doors slide open. From there, we head back to his car and then to his grandpa’s house.
CHAPTER 17
Nash
“Hey, you look great,”I say to Grandpa as we walk into his room, carrying his ginger ale in one hand and holding Magnolia’s hand in the other. Grandpa is sitting in an overstuffed chair, playing chess with Mary. It’s good to see him out of bed.
“Oh, thank goodness,” Mary exclaims. “Someone to relieve me.” She knocks over her king piece and stands up.
“Hey!” Alexander declares. “You can’t just quit! I was about to win!”
Mary shakes her head and says, “I just did quit. You’ve beaten me three times in a row. It’s not fun anymore.”
Alexander scowls. “It’s fun to me.”
I glance at Magnolia and see that she’s fighting a laugh. Her hand squeezes mine, and I smile down at her.
“Magnolia, are you a chess player?” Grandpa asks her.
“I’ve played a little bit, but I’m not very good. But Idoknow I’m a sore loser.”
“How interesting,” I say.
Mary grabs her bag and jacket. “I’m going to go grab dinner. Call me if you need me sooner.”
“Thanks, Mary. We’ll keep an eye on this guy,” I promise her. She smiles at Magnolia, then leaves the room.
“I’m glad you guys came tonight,” Grandpa says.
“You asked us to be here,” I remind him with a laugh.
“I talked with Max,” he tells me. “He called while you were gone.”
Max is my partner on the Pine Ridge Ranch. He’s been having to work double time while I’m here helping Grandpa. I’m going to owe him big time. I glance at Magnolia, ready to explain who Max is, but she’s busy reading the book titles on the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf. “Well, what did he say?” I ask.
“He’s getting ready to do roundup. He was hoping you would be there to help him. I’d also like you to check in on that property that I bought a couple years ago.”
“What property?”
“Oh, it’s something in Pine Ridge. I don’t quite know what to do with the space. I was thinking restaurant or bed-and-breakfast or—I don’t know—a bar and grill.”
“Or maybe a couple of different businesses: like a distillery or maybe a bakery,” Magnolia offers. I guess she is listening.
“Something like that could work,” Grandpa says. “It would be nice if someone actually wanted to live there and run it…”
“I know some people,” she says.
“You know something about distilleries?” Grandpa asks her.
“My roommate and I are planning on going into the business together.”
“Perfect. It’s all settled, then. You and Nash can go to Pine Ridge this week and take care of business for me.Then you can tell me if you think it would work to run a distillery there.”
