It wasn’t the suave delivery I hoped for. I should have expected nothing less. Being a klutz extended from tripping over my feet to tripping over my words. At least it came off charming… I think.
With that out of the way, the questions came rushing in. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, that’d be my fault.” Evie. I don’t know if I wanted to strangle her or give her a kiss. “I needed to talk to a local, and I thought, who better than my brother’s boyfriend?”
My cheeks turned red, and Tyler smirked. We hadn’t discussed labels. I didn’t hate the idea, but more than that, Evie had called me her brother. She hadn’t called me that in… I couldn’t remember. To others, it wouldn’t perk up their ears, but for us… our bridge construction continued.
“Are you just being nosey?” I asked.
I slid past Tyler, my hand casually brushing his hand until he hooked his pinky with mine. She had taken up a seat in Mimi’s rocking chair. Boxes littered the floor, half filled with books. She had cleared off the shelves. For the first time, I felt odd about cleaning the house. It was one thing to declutter the attic or the million rooms, but this had been Mimi’s sanctuary. I shelved the discomfort for later.
“Sit.” We took a place on the sofa. “Where were we before Jon so rudely intruded?”
She hadn’t been kidding. This wasn’t an elaborate ruse to get us together. If it had been anybody else in Firefly, this meeting would have been a thinly veiled attempt to get us in the same room. I felt like a third wheel with my…boyfriend.
Yeah. I liked that.
“Your biggest seasons would be fall for the leafers and then hunters. But if you partnered with the local snowmobile club, that’d open up your options in the winter. We’re not near any ski resorts, but there’s the winter festival, and don’t forget, Merryville has the Christmas village.”
What the heck were they talking about?
“Uhm—”
Evie held up a finger, silencing me. “Do you think Simon would consider a partnership?”
“I don’t see why not? It’d bring him business. There are only a few places in town to stay. Rose and Edward have a room for rent. There are a few apartments, but not an actual bed-and-breakfast.”
I sat up. “Are you thinking about?—”
“Shush.” I had joked about Evie opening her own bed-and-breakfast, but I never thought she’d consider it. I had mixed feelings about strangers in Mimi’s house, but then again, it’d allow us to keep her home and her memory alive. Evie didn’t stop holding up her finger as she stood, pacing back and forth.
“There are four finished bedrooms and two suites with a third bathroom. That’d be difficult to sell for larger crowds. I’d need to crunch some numbers. One room could have two single beds at a discount. That’d work for the snowmobile club, but…”
“The attic,” I said.
Evie raised her eyebrow. “Elaborate.” Thanks for permission to speak, sis.
“Finish the attic, and that’d be two large rooms. It runs the length of the house. I’m not a plumber, but maybe they could be suites?”
Her expression shifted. I couldn’t fathom what went through her head. She had worked in hospitality for as long as I could remember. If she believed this could work, I’d default to her. We had equal ownership in Mimi’s house, and I’d gladly sign mine over if it allowed her to follow her dream.
“It sounds like a lot of?—”
“Bobby!” I almost forgot about the Wrights. “He works in construction. He could give you a number. I have some savings that I could?—”
“I couldn’t have you?—”
Seeing her face light up as she talked about thepossibility was all the convincing I needed. I hadn’t been there for Evie all those years ago, but now… I could be the brother she needed. She deserved a happily ever after.
“Don’t argue with me.” Evie’s jaw dropped. My words came out firmer than expected. “A chance to be your own boss? Why wouldn’t I support that?”
Evie lowered her finger. I expected her to argue. She’d put up some half-hearted reason why I shouldn’t. And then— Evie moved across the living room. Jumping on me with her arms around my neck. I froze while her hug turned into a choke-hold. “Thank you,” she whispered, with her face buried in my neck.
I returned the hug. The bridge had reached the other side.
Tyler got off the couch, taking a quick sniff of his flowers. I pulled Evie to the side so she sat with one arm still around my neck. Not even Tyler understood what this moment meant, but I was glad he was here to witness it. I added it to the list of things to talk about on our next date.
“As I’m sure you’ve both seen…” He pulled out his phone. “All I need to do is send a text that Mimi’s grandchildren are opening a bed-and-breakfast…”
