Page 66 of Dandelion Sighs

“Do you think that maybe your family got down on you just because you didn’t do it their way? That your way is perfectly fine and can also work?”

“My way is flat broke.”

“Well, there’s that too.”

I laughed against him, loving how the rumble of his chuckle passed through me. “It’s not time to give up yet, and that’s good enough.”

“If they buy your property⁠—”

“It’s not my property,” he said calmly. “And it’s not theirs either. So what are you going to do, boss?”

I tipped my head back and trailed my fingers down his hard jaw. The stubble tickled my skin. He always had my back. “I’m going to clean out the house and get it up for rental.”

His brows lifted. “Where are you going to stay? I can ask Alder about some rentals.”

“No renting. I need every advantage right now. I’ll stay in whatever room is empty in the resort.” I’d sleep in my office if I had to. “I need to talk to Maria.” A long list of tasks downloaded in my head regarding the physical work and logistics. Determination lined my bones. “Starting with cleaning all of Mom’s stuff out and finding storage for it.”

“There’s plenty of room in the shop.” His hold on me tightened. “Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“Yeah.” I didn’t have to think about it. It gave me something to do besides despair at my desk. “It’s not to make room for someone else but for the resort, and that feels right. It didn’t feel right for me to live there.”

Packing Mom’s things had been cathartic, but the only time I didn’t feel like a guest was when Jasper had been over. I tried stepping away, but his hold wouldn’t budge.

“I should get to work.” Even though I would be content to stay. Right here, in this circle, the outside world was muted.

“You sure you’re okay with the change?”

I nodded. “It’s either give up the house to rent or lose it altogether.”

“Let me finish up here.” Finally, his arms loosened, and I nearly cuddled against him harder.

I was giving up my home. Again. But it was for a reason. Again. To keep going. Again.

“I’ll grab something from the restaurant and be over to help.”

“You don’t have to⁠—”

“With both of us, it won’t take much to get it ready to rent.”

He was right. I could tackle the process alone, maybe cry a little when I got to Mom’s personal possessions, but with him there, it wouldn’t seem so bad. Nothing ever did when I was with him.

Chapter Twenty

Jasper

Boxes filled the bed of my pickup and the back seat. I closed the door after loading the last one. Along with our daily duties, Sheridan and I spent every other free moment cleaning out her mom’s place. Or as she called it now, Bishop’s Getaway. The house could use a coat of paint, and that would be my job for the next week. I would borrow a paint sprayer from Jensen, and the place would look twenty years younger by the time I was done.

The staff was excited about the change, nervous about the extra work of reservations and cleaning, but the listing was up on the website, and reservations had been made. Sheridan and I hadn’t been sneaking any moments together. We were exhausted from cleaning decades out of a house. Much of our time together had been about work, and I’d like to change that. I’d like to use the string of condoms I put back in my wallet.

Sheridan banged out of the front door with cleaning supplies. “These spiders are persistent.”

“You should leave them until I paint. They catch bugs.”

She lifted her gaze to the large webs stretching from the eaves to the railing. “I’d love to keep them, but I can see some guests running for their lives. These ladies are huge.”

“They are.” They had long legs and a large backside. The webs they wove were large and intricate. “Let them enjoy their last week before I paint. Then I’ll relocate them.”

She rolled her eyes at me. “You’re going to relocate spiders?”