Page 64 of Dandelion Sighs

What if she had broken mine?

According to my mom, Linda’s concern about the trust and signing off on our marriage came from her own broken heart. Before she met Darren, she had been married for monetary gains and it had devastated her. The whole restriction was Grandma Annie’s failsafe for us. Or some shit.

“She really cares.” My aunt valued honesty, so that was what I’d aim for. “She wants to do right too. By the property, by the guests, by her employees, and by the town. Bishop’s Landing is important to her. If you sell to RPG, she’ll have to sell.”

“REG,” Darren said.

I didn’t care.

“It’s definitely something we’ll consider,” Linda said softly. “But, Jasper, their offer was life-changing money.”

“Yeah. I know,” I countered, frustrated that money was Sheridan’s real rival. “Sheridan’s changed her life with no promise of income. She’s already done a one-eighty to save everything.”

“You care about her.” Linda wasn’t asking a question.

A whole lot. I couldn’t quit thinking about her either. I might want more, I might be a realist like Sheridan, but it didn’t mean I’d ignore how I really felt about her. “Yes.”

She let out a sigh and cast another glance at Darren. “Truth be told, Jasper, I’m tabling any decision until I’m released to sell. Who knows.” She tossed her hands up. “You might still get married.”

My stomach was lined with lead. “I asked her. She said no.”

Linda snapped her mouth shut. “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it had progressed that much between you two.” She brushed her hair behind her ear. “Seems to be how it is with the Dukes.”

“Right?” My laughter came out weak. So far, we’d all been lucky at keeping the more duplicitous details of all the relationships from our aunt and uncle. “I should let you two go. I know we’re both helpless here, but I thought I’d plead Sheridan’s case.”

Linda’s expression lightened. “Just keep doing right by her, and it’ll all work out.”

I doubted it. I’d already fucked up, and it’d cost me the job I kept telling myself would be temporary. It might cost me the woman that I was obsessing too much about.

Sheridan

After Jasper had returned from changing clothes, he had more condoms. We used sex as a reward for cleaning. Only two closets had gotten done yesterday, but I hadn’t been tied up in emotions and not one tear had been shed. The only crying I’d done was Jasper’s name.

Now I was in my office, catching up on orders from the weekend and cruising through books. I tapped a pen against my desk and studied the numbers. They were down. Summer was half over, and the number of reservations was also down five percent. The number shouldn’t be concerning, and each week could bring new reservations, but…shit.

I rubbed a painful thump at my temples. There was a knock at the door.

Hope rose when I lifted my head, but it was Paola hovering in the opening.

“Hey, Sheridan.” She pointed toward the restaurant. “There are some people here who would like to talk to you.”

“Oh.” I rose and smoothed out my jean shorts. Of course it was the day I decided to dress down after a weekend of packing. I’d had an exhausting, in a good way, but also emotional weekend. “Do you know who they are?”

“Two guys and a woman. Business casual. They didn’t give me any info.”

Dang. I followed Paola to the dining area and plastered on a big smile when I walked toward the group. They were dressed nicer than I was, yet they were sitting casually, waters in front of each of them. I wouldn’t get answers from staring at them. “Hello, I’m Sheridan Bishop.”

One of the men stood. He was about my age with thinning blond hair and a cleft chin. “Hi, Miss Bishop. We’re really sorry to bother you, but we wanted to stop in and give you our card. I’m Lawrence, and this is Leon and Melody. We’re with Recreational Expansion Group.”

He handed me a business card. I peered harder at the familiar background. A lake with a sharp cliff on the other side. Bishop’s Bay. It was like they’d claimed it as theirs already.

Suddenly territorial, I almost flung the card back. “You guys are trying to build out here.”

He ducked his head. “We’re trying to do exactly what our name suggests.”

“But Bishop’s Landing is doing it.”

Leon scooted to the edge of the booth, his dress shirt stretching over his chest. There was a fine crack in the leather behind his leg. I pulled my gaze away in case none of them had noticed the worn state of the property.