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Noelle beams. Sawyer pulls her tight against his side. I can tell her joy means more to him than any of the praise falling out of Sam’s mouth.
My own enthusiasm regarding Sawyer’s decision to stay turns sour as Miranda joins the group with a topped-up glass of wine. Louisa and Sam congratulate her and Richard on their marriage, then proceed to tell us it was Miranda who recommended Maple Ridge to them in the first place.
“We’re so glad we took her advice,” Louisa says. “We couldn’t have asked for better service.”
“It’s true.” Sam pats Noelle’s shoulder. “This young lady took very good care of us.”
“I bet she did,” Miranda says. I meet her glare with one of my own.
“Now, I know this is a long shot,” Sam says. “But every restaurant needs an all-star hostess. What do you say, Noelle? Feel like moving to the west coast?”
“My daughter’s still in school,” Richard says bluntly.
Noelle’s smile wavers. She stands up straighter, her arm tightening around Sawyer’s waist for support. “Actually, Dad, I’ve decided to work fulltime.”
Richard smirks. “Very funny.”
“It’s not a joke,” she says. “I’m not going back to school next semester.”
Richard appears to go through six of the seven stages of grief within the span of a few seconds. “You’re telling me you’re dropping out to waitress fulltime?”
“No,” Noelle says. “I’m going to stay on here and try to do something with marketing.”
“So, you’re going to be a glorified receptionist for the rest of your life? Answering phones, checking people in and out of cabins.” He aims and fires a glare at Sawyer. “Did you put her up to this?”
“Nope,” Sawyer says. “But I support her decision.”
“You’ll sure as hell be supporting her, if she makes this decision.”
“Dad, stop it.”
The crowd around us shifts uncomfortably. Someone mumbles something about cutting Richard off at the bar. I move to step between Noelle and her father, but Sawyer beats me to it.
“What Noelle does with her own life is her choice,” he says.
“Don’t tell me I don’t know what’s best for my own daughter,” Richard barks.
“Noelle has a talent for working with people,” I tell him. “You’d know that if you bothered to get to know your own daughter—”
“But you got to know her,” Miranda slurs. “Right, Colton? You know exactly what she’s good at.”
Noelle’s gaze jumps between us, her expression shadowed with fear. I fight to rein in my runaway pulse.
“Miranda,” I growl. “Not now.”
“What the hell are you saying, Miranda?” Richard asks.
“I’m saying your daughter’s been cheating on my son with his own father.”
“Mom,” Sawyer says through clenched teeth. “For once in your goddamn life, just let it go.”
Richard’s face twists with fury. He turns to Noelle. “Is it true?”
I start to deny it, but Noelle cuts me off.
“Yes,” she says. “But it’s not cheating. I’m dating both of them.”
There’s a chorus of gasps all around us, followed by an uncomfortable stretch of quiet. Miranda’s jaw falls.
