“Shut up,” I mumbled.
“Too fancy.”
“It’s a resort,” I defended.
Roan just shook his head and kept driving.
A couple of minutes later, he was pulling up to Caden’s house. He put his truck in park and then shocked me by pulling me into a hug. “Please, be careful.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat as I hugged Roan back. “I am. I promise.”
A second later, Roan released me. “Call me if you need me.”
“I will.” I grabbed my bag and slid out of the truck.
Making my way up the steps, I pulled out the key Caden had given me, then unlocked the door and stepped inside. “It’s me.”
The alarm beeped, and I hurried to punch in the code. I shut the door behind me, locking it and rearming the security system.
“Caden?”
There was no answer, but I’d seen his G-Wagon in the drive, so I knew he was home. Maybe he was getting a workout in downstairs.
I headed down the hall and into the living room, pulling up short.
Caden sat on the large sectional, staring out the back windows. His expression held nothing but defeat and maybe a healthy dose of grief.
Everything in me constricted. “Caden?”
He turned to face me, lines of strain around his eyes. “Hey, Gigi.”
I crossed the room, sinking onto the sofa and letting my bag fall to the floor. “What happened?”
Caden shook his head. “Nothing. Nothing new, anyway.”
Anger stoked deep in my belly. “Your dad or your brother?”
“Gabe. Started shit during a meeting with the event planner. Mom got so upset she ran off crying.”
God, I wanted to junk-punch that man. “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t think I can keep doing this. I think my being here is only making things worse.”
My breath caught in my throat. “You want to leave?”
Caden looked at me then. “It’s the last thing I want to do.”
I swallowed down my panic and took his hand. “Do you think it’s time to consider finding another job?”
It killed me to say it because I knew the chances of that job allowing him to stay in Cedar Ridge were slim to none. And what would that mean for us?
Caden’s hand tightened around mine. “I’ve fought for this for so long. To make my dad proud. To make Clara proud.”
My thumb traced an infinity symbol on the back of his hand. “You know Clara would be proud of you. But that’s not because of anything you’ve done with any hotel. It’s because of the man you are. Kind, loyal, caring.”
Caden’s fingers pulsed around mine.
I took a deep breath. “But I don’t think you’ll ever get that from your father. You could save the world from nuclear disaster, and he’d still find fault in you.”
