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“Where does this leave you and Oliver?” Skylar asked carefully.
A question she’d felt selfish asking herself, so she’d pushed the thought to the back of her mind. Things had already been somewhat complicated with the idea that the tourism board might vote to turn their home into a B and B—with everything going on, that conversation was yet to happen.
Now it felt as though any progress they’d made moving toward one another had been lost. Their connection had been put on ice, and once again, they were at this standstill of emotions that Carly had no idea how to break past. She knew Oliver and Tess were once again having to deal with the worst and she wanted to be there for them, in whatever form that took.
But sitting there with Oliver outside Tess’s bedroom the day before, the silence speaking volumes, it had been obvious that Oliver’s heart was once again locked away. She sighed as she shrugged. “I guess we are back in limbo.”
Skylar frowned and shook her head. “Look, I don’t mean to sound insensitive to their situation. Lord knows that family has been through so much pain and uncertainty—but so have you. And you’ve been Oliver’s rock through it all. More than that, you’ve loved him and Tess unconditionally, not expecting anything back.”
“Yes, but it’s just so complicated...”
“It’s also very simple. You love him. He loves you. You’re both hurting and you both have healing to do. But that’s something you can do together. Oliver pushing you away again in self-preservation is understandable...but unfair to you.” Skylar’s tone was gentle, but her words were full of truth.
Carly nodded slowly. She appreciated her cousin’s support, but she had no idea how to put her needs and what she wanted ahead of what Oliver and Tess needed. For so long, she’d always thought of herself and her needs last. It was hard to start putting what she wanted ahead of everything else now.
Skylar reached out and touched her hand. “Look, when Dex pushed me away because of his illness, I didn’t understand. I was angry. I thought he was rejecting me. He didn’t realize that he could depend on me and that, together, we could have gotten through anything. Just like Oliver doesn’t realize that what he and Tess need most right now is you and the hope of another chance at a future—together as a family.”
Skylar may be right, but how did she find the strength to continue putting herself out there for a man who continued to protect his own heart?
SEBASTIANGRANTHADthe worst timing.
Oliver didn’t expect the newcomer to know what was going on with his personal situation, but he couldn’t help but feel disrespected when the man arrived early the next morning with the proposal to turn him and his daughter out.
As he stared at the thick, typed proposal from the town’s tourism board, heat coursed through him. He knew this was Sebastian’s plan, but seeing it in action was tough. Especially given the other things that had happened that week.
“I wanted to give you time to review this before it goes out to the rest of the committee for their votes,” he said, as though he were doing Oliver a favor.
Oliver had no interest in reviewing the plans for his home. In light of recent events, he had no intention of letting the lighthouse be taken from him and Tess. His daughter had been through enough that summer. Losing the home she loved would be too much. If and when Oliver decided to move on, give up the family legacy, it would be on his terms. When he was ready. When Tess was ready. He wasn’t going to let Sebastian bully him into accepting some deal he wasn’t comfortable with. He took a step toward Sebastian and shoved the proposal back toward him. The other man looked startled as he said, “You can keep this.”
Sebastian shook his head as he let the proposal drop to his side. “You can refuse to review all of this but it doesn’t change things, Oliver. The town is looking for changes and this one makes sense. We both know the lighthouse operations no longer need you here and you really should think about what’s best for the community.”
Oliver folded his arms across his chest and glared at the man. “You’ve been here all of a month and you think you know what’s best for this town?” The man’s arrogance knew no bounds. He may be an educated charmer who thought he could trick other people into believing his intentions were genuine, but Oliver wasn’t fooled. Sebastian didn’t care about Port Serenity. He cared about his own career. Once he implemented the strategies he wanted here and padded his own résumé with his achievements, he’d move on. Oliver was sure of it.
“As we both know, this idea needs community support,” Sebastian said with a shrug. “It’s far from a done deal. Of course. But I feel confident that the residents here will see the value of what I’m proposing.” He flipped open the proposal and started to outline the details. “Cabins along the property will result in a much better use of the space for visitors and I think the rental for events will appeal to locals. Everyone wins,” he said.
Everyone except Oliver and Tess.
“And of course, you’d be compensated as well...”
He thought he could buy him? His anger simmered and he started to close the door. “Good luck with the proposal, Sebastian. As you said, you’ll need community support and, well, you’ll never get mine.”
“Has Carly spoken to you?” the other man asked, and Oliver’s stomach knotted.
“Carly supports this?” he asked, hating that this information was coming from Sebastian and not Carly. But in fairness, they hadn’t spoken much over the past few days, and when they had, their thoughts had been on the disappearance. They had so much to discuss, so much to clarify, so much to figure out—and it seemed like this was another one of those things.
Sebastian nodded, extending the proposal toward him again. “Just take a look at it, Oliver. That’s all I’m asking.”
Reluctantly, Oliver accepted the proposal and shut the door. He sighed, his own feelings on the subject more confused than ever. Carly already supported this idea? And she hadn’t said anything to him?
He sighed as he headed into the kitchen and tossed the proposal onto the table. He poured a cup of coffee and then sat down to read.
If he was going to have any shot at fighting this idea, he’d need to first be familiar with it.
CARLY’SFORCEDSMILEwas starting to fade with each customer; she was emotionally exhausted from the last few days. Between the store, the tension between her and Oliver and the impending book deadline, she was ready to collapse.
“Hey, why don’t you take the afternoon off?” Melissa said, coming up next to her behind the counter as she handed a bag to the last customer. “I can handle things,” she said.
Carly glanced at the clock and hesitated. This time of day got busy, but she really could use a few hours to herself. She wasn’t exactly the best face of tourism in the store right now anyway.
