Silas sat in the break room across from Raven. Mr. McGowan and his dirty glasses were at the head of the table, an assortment of papers in front of him. Silas wanted to hypothesize what the lawyer’s mistake could possibly be, but to preserve his nerves, he settled on mentally preparing himself for whatever may come.
He looked over at Raven, willing her to look back, but she was focused on the old man’s movements. She was worrying her bottom lip, clearly unsettled and nervous as well. Silas nearly reached over the table to grab her hand, but the lawyer spoke, bringing all attention to him.
“A few years ago, Charles made modifications to his will,” the man said. “Unfortunately, I forgot all about it and somehow misplaced the document. But it turned up yesterday.”
Silas scooted forward in his seat. “You mean there’s a more recent will than the one we’ve been following?”
“Yes,” the lawyer said before removing his glasses and steepling his fingers. It looked like a practiced move. Something he did to underscore his words. “Three years ago, Charles changed the beneficiary of Mountaintop Adventures from you, Ms. Coleman, to you, Mr. Reynolds.”
The air in the room went still for many seconds. And Silas couldn’t draw a breath as the lawyer distributed the accurate version of the will that echoed what he’d explained. Chuck’s flourished signature was at the bottom, sealing the document’s authenticity.
Mountaintop belonged to Silas.
His mind was moving too fast for him to land on a specific thought until he looked over at Raven.
She was still studying the new will, her expression unreadable. But she had to be disappointed. Maybe even angry. And a knot so tangled and complex formed in Silas’s stomach.
“Since no contracts or money has exchanged hands,” Mr. McGowan continued, “we have survived any complications.” The old lawyer was the only one who chuckled.
Once all was explained and questions were answered, Silas and Raven escorted the man to the door.
“Where can I find good breakfast in town?” he asked them.
“The Yodeling Loon is good for that,” Raven said. “It’s on Main Street. Hard to miss.”
And with a quick thank you, the lawyer left the cabin.
“Congratulations,” Raven said, turning to him with a soft smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Raven—”
He was interrupted by the staff as they popped up from behind the reception desk. They all still were in their outerwear and holding their bags.
“What’s going on?” Halo asked as the three quickly approached.
“We saw the car outside,” Doc said. “Then we found the break room door closed.”
“Silas owns Mountaintop,” Raven stated bluntly. “It turns out Chuck did leave him the business.”
Silas should’ve felt his spirit soar hearing those words again, but he did not. He was too concerned with Raven, who still had those damn sad eyes that made him want to draw her to him.
“Wait, does this mean we have two bosses now?” Bodie asked, scratching his chin.
Co-ownership.
He’d been so stuck in an all-or-nothing mentality that the idea of owning Mountaintop with Raven had never crossed Silas’s mind. And it wasn’t a horrible idea. He’d have to get used to it, though. Things would function sort of like they did now. He could share the burdens of operating a business with her. They could spearhead her hotel partnership plan together. It would—
“No, Silas is the sole owner,” Raven said.
“So you’re leaving?” Halo asked with a tinge of somberness.
The question incited a sinking feeling in Silas, and he quickly said, “Raven, can I speak to you for a second?”
“Sure,” she said, and he led her back into the break room.
The words he was about to say were barely formed, but he took a breath and asked, “What do you think about co-ownership?”
“W-what?” she said, blinking rapidly.
