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“Well, he passed away and… well… his lawyers just called me. They said he left me…everything.”
Katrina gasped. “What?”
“I know. I don’t believe it either. Apparently, he didn’t have any children of his own. He’d been working that farm for ages and…” Simon shrugged. “I guess he wanted to give it to me.”
“Why?” she blurted. “I mean, did he ever talk to you about it? I’m sorry, this just feels like it’s coming clear out of left field.”
“I know,” he mumbled. “It is.”
“What are you going to do?”
His eyes locked with hers. “Would it sound crazy if I wanted to keep it?”
“What? Of course not.”
“But I don’t know anything about farming.”
Katrina squeezed his arm where she’d still been holding him. “That’s not true.”
He laughed. “Yes, it is. I haven’t helped out on a farm since I was a teenager. I don’t know the first thing about running one. I’m a waiter at a restaurant, for Pete’s sake.”
“But it’s in your blood. You could do it.”
“That’s just it. I’m not so sure I could.”
Katrina gave him a flat look. “Don’t sell yourself short. You know more about farming than…”
He pointed at her. “See? I don’t have the faintest clue. What if I take it and I run it into the ground? I’m not an idiot. I know there are fees and taxes associated with it. If I can’t afford to keep it running, then I’m going to have to sell anyway. Maybe it would be better if I just tell the lawyers that I can’t take it. They’d probably help me find a buyer, right?”
She pressed her lips together in a firm line and stared hard at him.
“What?”
“Do you remember when we were kids and your grandfather’s estate had to sell everything? There was barely enough left over to put into a trust for you. And the only thing you were worried about was that you wouldn’t be able to do what your grandfather did. You wanted that farm more than anything.”
“Yeah, well… I grew up. I know better now.”
She snorted, causing his head to rear back. She placed her hands on either side of his face and her eyes bored into his. “This is your path. You can do it. Where is that optimistic person who helped me through some of the hardest moments and decisions of my life?”
“I guess that guy’s just not sure if he can hack it. I’m not my most positive self right now.”
“Well, I’m telling you that you can. And if you don’t at least try, you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life.”
The corners of his lips quirked upward. “Okay, I think that’s about the most honest thing you could have said to me.”
She grinned, her smile widening. Then she slugged him in the shoulder before putting some distance between them. “Of course it is. And I can’t wait to see what you make of it.” Her eyes grew wide once more. “What does that mean for your job at the Lodge, I mean the Overlook Grand? You said you have to take a few extra shifts?”
He nodded. “I’m trying to save as much as I can so I have enough to get me by for the first little while. Then I’ll put my two weeks’ notice in as soon as the property is available.”
Katrina let out a squeal of excitement. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me sooner! This is amazing. It’s everything you’ve ever wanted.”
Well, not everything.
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as they continued down the path. He dredged up the courage to tell her the next step of his plan. “It’s not going to be easy.”
“No, I don’t suppose it is. But you can handle it,” she said confidently, tossing him her smile once more. It was the kind of smile that had his stomach in knots and his heart doing flips.
Simon took a deep breath and stopped walking again. “I’m going to need some help.”
