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“We’re dressed for it.” Holden turned to Faith. “This place isn’t fancy. It’s just…quieter.”
“Let’s go.” Faith gave him a smile that felt like he’d been wrapped in a big hug.
Yeah, he had it bad.
20
The Back Porch was a restaurant attached to a quaint bed and breakfast halfway up the mountain. That meant it was past the Misty Lakes subdivision, where Holden lived. It was surrounded by cabins that were popular with tourists, but if someone needed a place to stay that wasn’t a cabin, this inn had them covered.
“How did you know they wouldn’t be packed?” Faith asked as they settled into a table in the far corner.
They weren’t the only diners here tonight, but the place wasn’t as packed as the restaurants in Gatlinburg would be that week.
“Unfortunately, this isn’t somewhere people come in the wintertime,” he said. “Misty Mountain’s great, but we need more for tourists to do.”
“Something you can help with,” Nic said. He looked around. “Is it okay to discuss that here, or should we keep it quiet for now?”
Holden glanced over at the only other patrons in this part of the restaurant—an older couple Faith didn’t recognize. Apparently, Holden didn’t either because he said, “It’s perfectly fine to discuss it among family.”
“Family.” Charity smiled. “I love the idea of the two of you working together.”
Something about those words grabbed Faith’s attention. Family. Of course, her sister believed that. She thought Faith and Holden were engaged, and if that were the case, he’d be Charity’s brother-in-law, and once Charity and Nic got married, they’d be related, as well.
But none of that would happen. There was no engagement. There would be no wedding. And now, it appeared that Nic and Holden were making plans to work together. That could make things really awkward when it came out that the engagement had been fake all along. Even if they went with the idea of telling everyone they’d just called things off, Faith supposed an ex working for her sister’s husband would be weird.
What was that about weaving a tangled web by deceiving? That was exactly what they’d done. They’d created a mess she couldn’t see a way out of.
“It’s such a great idea,” Holden said. “A ski resort that will attract tourists all winter.”
“Is there enough snow here for that?” Faith asked. She was afraid to reveal just how little she knew about skiing.
“They’d use manufactured snow, right?” Charity asked. “I think that’s what they do in Gatlinburg.”
Faith held in a groan. She was hoping to help Holden take his mind off the “G” word tonight. And here it was, popping up in conversation.
“Exactly,” Holden said, seemingly not affected by the mention of the town where his daughter was spending the weekend. “It’s not cheap, but if you set it up right, there’s serious money in it. And that’s why we need the investment.”
“The guys in Knoxville,” Nic said.
Silence. Holden stared at Nic for what seemed like an hour but was probably just seconds. When he finally did open his mouth to respond, the server appeared. It was actually the woman who owned the place, Betty Preston.
“Oh my,” she said, looking around. “You’re the Ardmore sisters. I remember you when you were this big.” She held her hand up to hip level, shaking her head. “I can’t believe you’re all grown.”
“I can’t believe you recognized us,” Charity said.
“Of course,” Mrs. Preston said. “Your sister’s on that TV show. You three are the spitting image of your mother. I went to high school with her. Did you know that?”
Charity and Faith exchanged a look. No, their mom had never mentioned that. Not that Faith remembered. She’d seen Mrs. Preston around town all her life, and her mom had always stopped to talk to her when they crossed paths. But she’d never mentioned they’d gone to high school together.
“We were as close as two peas in a pod way back in middle school. We called it junior high in the Dark Ages.” She laughed. “Anyway, I don’t want to bore you with my life story. What can I get y’all to drink?”
Once Mrs. Preston scurried off with her drink order, Holden and Nic picked up where they left off.
“How did you know about that?” Holden asked.
“What?” Nic seemed to have lost the thread of the conversation during the brief interruption.
“The team I’ve been meeting with in Knoxville. Has that gotten out around town?”
