A couple came out of the jewelry shop next door, both of them laughing. I froze as they passed by.
Memphis was mine. Drake was mine.
A Christmas proposal was cliché as hell, and I didn’t give two fucks.
When I walked through the door, the man behind the counter did a double take. His bald head was shiny beneath the store’s florescent lights, every one designed to catch the jewels and make them sparkle. “Oh . . . hi, Knox.”
“Hi.” I lifted a hand and went straight for the center case.
“Can I help you find something?”
My heart thumped but my voice was steady. “An engagement ring. Please.”
He blinked, then flew into action, laying out a navy velvet cloth. Then he placed ring after ring on the counter for me to inspect, rambling on about cut and clarity, while I lifted each and tried to imagine them on Memphis’s finger.
It was the eleventh ring that was the winner. A square diamond surrounded by a halo of smaller stones.
“This one.” I set it aside and dug my wallet from a pocket. Ten minutes later, I walked out of the jewelry store with the ring in my pocket and went to Lyla’s for coffee.
I had two paper cups in hand when I pushed through the hotel’s lobby doors.
Memphis was standing close to the couch beside the fireplace, her arms wrapped around her waist. The way she was biting her bottom lip and the worry line between her eyebrows made me walk faster.
“What’s wrong?”
She nodded toward the office door just as it burst open and Eloise came storming out, attempting to shrug on her coat as she marched. The moment my sister spotted me, she snarled.
“Oh, fuck.”
“Eloise.” Mom rushed out of the office, followed by Dad. “Wait.”
“They told her,” I guessed. “About the hotel.”
“Yep.” Memphis nodded. “And she just quit.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
KNOX
“Eloise, wait.” I handed Memphis our coffee cups and jogged to stop my sister before she could sprint out the door.
“You knew.” Her nostrils flared. “How long have you guys been talking about this behind my back?”
“A little while.”
“Fine.” She tried to sidestep me, but I blocked her path. “If you want the hotel, it’s yours.”
“I don’t.” The reason I’d been avoiding this topic was because I’d always known what was in my heart. As my parents came rushing across the lobby, I looked over Eloise’s shoulder and told them the same. “I don’t want the hotel. It’s never been mine.”
“Because it’s mine.” Eloise gritted her teeth. “And none of you think I can handle it.”
“We never said that.” Mom came to her side, touching her elbow.
Eloise jerked her arm away. “You think I’m too soft.”
“You have a big heart.” Dad came to stand by my side. “That’s not a bad thing. But this is a huge responsibility. We thought Knox might be able to take our place. Be there to give you some guidance.”
Memphis inched closer, listening but staying back.
Eloise’s eyes flooded with angry tears. “You should have told me, Knox.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“This is because of the lawsuit, isn’t it? I was trying to be a nice boss!” Eloise’s voice carried through the room. “I had no idea he was going to sue us. And I never, ever harassed him. I’m sorry. I screwed up. How many times do I have to say sorry?”
I held up my hands, hoping to calm her down before a guest came wandering through. “How often does she need your input, Dad?”
“Lately, not much,” he said. “Earlier this year . . .”
“Earlier this year I didn’t have Memphis.” A tear dripped down my sister’s cheek.
Memphis’s eyes swung to mine and went wide. She didn’t understand how much she did here, did she? She had no clue how hard it was to find someone reliable and hardworking. She had no idea how much Eloise loved her.
There was no way Memphis would clean rooms for her entire life, but it had given Eloise a standard. A bar with which to measure everyone. I’d seen her hold the other housekeepers to a higher level. I’d seen her push them to do a better job.
And they were performing.
“I know I’m soft.” Eloise’s chin began to quiver. “I’m trying. So hard. But you’ve already made the decision. I’m not good enough.”
Dad’s face paled. Mom closed her eyes.
“That’s not it, Eloise.” I stepped close and put my hand on her shoulder.
“It is. Maybe I should go. Start again in another town.”
Mom’s eyes flew open. “No.”
“Just . . . hold up.” A pair of guests walked through the lobby. I nodded as they passed us by, and then when the place was clear, I jerked my chin for everyone to follow me to the fireplace.
“You too,” I told Memphis when she hung back.
“This is a family discussion,” she whispered.
“And you’re part of the family.” I had the ring in my pocket to prove it. So I took her elbow and steered her to a couch, putting her on one side with Eloise on my other, waiting as Mom and Dad took the love seat.
I leaned forward on my elbows. “I don’t want more than the restaurant.”
Maybe I had earlier this year. Before Memphis. Before Drake. But if I added anything to my plate, it wasn’t going to be here. It would be at home.
I wanted the flexibility to coach Drake’s sports teams if he was into sports. Or take him to piano lessons or to the pool. I wanted more kids. I wanted nights at home on Juniper Hill with my wife.
Not longer hours in town.
“I’ll take over the hotel,” I said, reaching over to put my hand on Eloise’s knee before she could bolt off the couch, “until you’re ready. If Mom and Dad want to settle their estate, pass it down, then I’ll take it until you’re ready.”
She scowled. “I’m—”
“Not ready.” I gave her a soft smile. “You know you’re not. Not yet. But you will be. There’s no rush.”
“No, there isn’t a rush.” Dad sighed. “If Knox doesn’t want it, we can keep on with things as they are. This whole mess with Briggs, his dementia getting worse, it has me spooked. We just didn’t want to leave anything unsettled in case something bad happens.”
“We know you love this hotel,” Mom told Eloise.
“Then don’t take it from me,” she pleaded and faced me. “Are you worried about me ruining it?”
“No,” I admitted. She’d work herself to the bone before that happened.
“We’ll leave it,” Mom declared. “We’ll give it time.”
Eloise’s shoulders fell. “Thank you.”
Memphis dropped her chin, but not before I caught the ghost of a smile on her lips.
She’d been right. This was Eloise’s hotel.
The bell at the front desk dinged and we all looked over to see a guest at the counter.