“I’ve been carrying it for the past eighteen years. Most of the time I’ve been able to shut it away. Now I can’t.”
“So your mother’s aware that you know?”
She nodded. “I found out by accident. Knowing what I do now, I wouldn’t have confronted her. She basically made my life hell from that day forward.” She smiled. “You look like you want to beat her up for me. I was just being dramatic, Nate. It wasn’t that bad. We didn’t have a typical mother-daughter relationship, that’s all.”
He’d met a few drama queens in his time, and Ellie wasn’t one of them. If anything, she had a tendency to underplay things. He had a feeling she was doing that now. “I don’t think so. Don’t forget, I met your mother. I also know she put Agnes through hell.”
“She did, and that’s something I can’t forgive her for. But I have to figure out what’s going on, and if that means putting up with my mother, I will. If nothing else, Bri will be out from under Richard’s thumb for a few days.”
“The one thing I don’t get is, if Richard’s using your sister’s paternity to blackmail your mother into going along with the sale, he’s getting something out of it. My guess would be a substantial sum of money for brokering the deal. So why would he risk your sister coming here to uncover the reason your mother is hot and heavy to sell the inn? If Bri found out the truth, Richard would lose his leverage.”
“He doesn’t know that’s why she’s coming. The only reason he wants her to come is to convince Grandpa to sell.”
“You better make sure she doesn’t tell him the truth, Ellie. It could put her in danger.”
She pressed a hand to her chest. “Don’t tell me that.”
“Look, maybe I’m overreacting.” He didn’t think he was, but he didn’t want to scare Ellie. Richard was a man who had no compunction about hurting his wife and a dog and blackmailing his mother-in-law. When you added a substantial financial windfall to the equation, it equaled a volatile situation in Nate’s book. “It’s a hazard of the job.”
“No, you’re right. I shouldn’t have said anything to Bri. If something happens to her—”
“Nothing’s going to happen to your sister.” It wasn’t a promise he could or should make. He knew that better than anyone. “But Ellie, this isn’t on you. It’s on Richard and your mother. If your mother wants to protect Bri, she should tell her the truth.”
“She won’t.”
“Will you?”
“I can’t. I can’t do that to Bri or to my Dad. They wouldn’t believe me anyway. My mother would make sure of that.”
He’d been in law enforcement long enough to know she was holding out on him. He decided to let it go. At least for now, because according to Abby, Ellie was stressed about the room redesign and Sunday’s tour. He’d actually been trying to alleviate her stress, not add to it, which he’d unwittingly done by agreeing to build an entertainment room for Joe. “If you want, I can look into Richard. I might find something that’ll give your mother leverage against him.”
“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d really appreciate it.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I’m sorry for dumping all this on you. And don’t say it isn’t a big deal, because it is.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Hey, wait a minute. Where’s Hunter?”
“Abby called just as we were about to leave. She said you were stressed about redesigning the guest rooms and suggested I should help you work on that instead of Joe’s reno. Actually, she demanded that’s what I do. Hunter’ll drive the load over first thing in the morning.”
“I wasn’t that stressed about it.”
“You ate an entire chocolate cake at nine in the morning.” And that was on him, him and his unwillingness to see where their obvious attraction took them.
“I did not. Sadie and Abby ate at least half the cake.” She wrinkled her nose. “Okay, more like a quarter of it. But it was closer to eleven by the time we finished the cake and our meeting. And if anyone is to blame for me being stressed, it’s Abby. Thanks to her, the rooms have to be ready for Sunday.” She sighed and got up from the chair. “Which, in the end, turned out to be a really good idea. Abby’s ideas always are, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. But you don’t have to help me, Nate. Go on your date with Tiff.”
“I have a date with Tiff?” he asked as he came to his feet.
“Right, you don’t date. Well, whatever you do with a woman. You can go do it with her. I’m good. Thanks for the offer though.” Her smile looked forced.
He put out his hand to stop her from walking away. “Wait a sec. I’m confused. Who said I was taking Tiff out?”
“I just assumed you would. She was upset that you’re on the Most Romantic Couple in Highland Falls list with me, and you don’t like to hurt women who are pining to be in a relationship with you. So I thought you’d want to explain that we’re not a couple, have never been a couple, and never will be a couple and that you didn’t break your no-relationship rule with me somewhere other than a parking lot on Main Street.”
“Tiff isn’t pining for me. She was just—”
Ellie rolled her eyes. “Of course she is. If she wasn’t, she wouldn’t have reacted the way that she did.”
“Her ego was hurt, not her heart, Ellie. She wanted to know why I was willing to break my no-relationship rule with you and not her.”
Ellie snorted. “I hope you cleared that up for her. And just so you know, I had nothing to do with us being on the list.”
“I have a feeling, after today, we won’t be on the list for much longer.”
“Wishful thinking. I already tried to get us taken off and was told that the only people who can remove their vote is the voter.”
“I know one voter who’s removing hers, and the way gossip spreads in Highland Falls, I wouldn’t be surprised if the rest remove theirs by the end of the day.”
“How did you manage that? Put a sign on the back of your motorcycle saying Ellie and Nate are friends, not lovers and drive around town?”
His laugh came out a little hoarse as the image of them as lovers flashed through his mind. He cleared his throat. “No. One of your grandmother’s customers saw me with Tiff and saw you drive off and assumed I was cheating on you. She hit me with her I Believe in Unicorns bag. Don’t laugh,” he said, rubbing his head. “She either had a ceramic unicorn in her bag or paperweights.”
“Hopefully not the ceramic unicorn. Granny won’t give her a refund if she broke it on your head.”
“Hey, my head’s not that hard.”
“Pretty hard,” she said, raising her hand to gently prod the back of his skull. “No bump or cut. You’ll live. But I think you’ve suffered enough on account of me today. You should go for dinner with Grandpa, Jonathan, and Ryder.”
At the feel of her fingers running through his hair, heat gathered low in his belly. He should definitely go out for dinner. Staying at the inn, alone with Ellie, was a bad idea. Except she was stressed, and he’d promised Abby he’d help her with the guest rooms.