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“You haven’t had breakfast?” I frown.
“It’s barely eight o’clock, and you called with anemergency. Of course, she hasn’t had breakfast yet.”
Cassie points at her dad. “He promised you’d make pancakes for us.”
“He did, huh?” I take her hand the same way I used to when she was a tumbling toddler. “You’re going to help me, though,” I say. “If we’re lucky, Gramps might share some of his liquid gold with us.”
Her light blue eyes widen, then crinkle with excitement. “Do you think we can make maple candy?”
“How about tomorrow?” I offer. “Today’s a pretty busy day.”
“How so?” Landon looks around the empty dining room.
“There’s a bride-to-be coming to check out the place with her parents and her in-laws.”
“Here? Not the lodge?”
“Ski resort,” I correct him.
Last year, Damian, my oldest brother, decided to rebrand our businesses, and he started with the lodge. We now call it the Ski Resort at the Harris Estate. He also changed the furniture and renovated the entire building.
Damian wishes he could renovate the Victorian home where we run the B&B, but I won’t let him. It’s a historical building that’s been in the Harris family for five generations. We own the land where the farm, the orchard, the gift shop, the house, and the lodge stand, and have since the late eighteen hundreds.
“This bride wants to find the perfect spot for the wedding. A guest referred the B&B and the farm. Not that Dad will let that happen.”
“The farm isn’t a wedding destination,” my father’s voice booms through the kitchen before he even steps foot inside it. “That’s what the lodge is for.”
“Ski resort,” I correct him, gritting my teeth.
“Mr. Harris.” Landon nods.
“Grampa Harry,” Cassie says as she runs to Dad.
“I didn’t know my little girl was here.” He hugs her and twirls her around the kitchen.
“Can we make maple candies?” she asks.
I glare at Landon for this one. She’s just as stubborn as her father. They take the word no as a challenge. Their motto isI’ll make it happen.
“Sorry, sweetheart, but we can’t today. We have a full house, and we have to be scarce from the premises.” Dad frowns, he’s pretty upset at the possibility of offering new venues.
Financially, it means that we can book two or three events at once. If Damian buys the vineyard next door, the possibilities just continue growing. Dad doesn’t see it that way.
“Can I come with you?” Cassie grins at him.
“I’ll be at theski resort,” Dad says, proud that he said the right name this time. “If your father lets you, we can ski all morning. Then, I’ll take you to the dining room for lunch and maybe some hot chocolate. We can spend the rest of the afternoon watching movies.”
“And eating popcorn?” she suggests, planning her entire schedule for the weekend. I’m almost sure that later she’s going to ask if she can stay at my house so tomorrow morning, she can go skiing again after brunch.
“If that’s okay with you, sir,” Landon agrees.
“She’s always welcome to hang around with us. You guys are like part of the family, Landon,” Dad mentions and looks at me. “What’s for breakfast?”
They’re not family,I want to clarify. Not because I don’t want them to be, but because, well, they’re just friends. This is the kind of situation that I hate, when I feel too comfortable with Cassie and Landon. I want them to be my family. My husband, my child, and my future. Sometimes it seems like I mean a lot more to Landon and other times he reminds me I’m just one of the guys.
Bishop has encouraged me to talk to Landon and find out where I stand. Damian insists that I should move on with my life. They’re Landon’s best friends and know him as well as I do. Maybe they’re right. Either way, I know that Landon and I will never be a couple. I have to grow out of my teenage crush and find a way to fall out of love. If only I knew how.
I gLandon at Landon who is looking at his phone. His deep dimple shows as he smiles at whatever he’s watching. Maybe he’s scoring a date for tonight. My heart shrinks with disappointment. Yet, my pulse races as his light blue eyes find me. I melt when he winks.
