POUNDING.
That was the only way I could describe my heart rate right now as I walked through the inn’s kitchen and out the back door. I’d been such an idiot coming in here this morning. First, running into Miss Porter had been unexpected. Then, there was the rush of emotions that coursed through my body as I stared at all the familiar parts of my grandmother’s kitchen that I’d forgotten.
Thankfully, Miles saved me from my frozen episode, but then I ended up in his room—which had been my grandmother’s back when I lived with her. Even though he’d changed everything—one would have never guessed that a ninety-plus-year-old woman had once lived there—it didn’t change the fact that it had been hers.
There were memories that I made there that I would never forget. No matter how much I might want to.
I didn’t stop walking until I got through the cottage’s door, and I collapsed on the couch in the small living room. After setting the water and banana onto the coffee table, I leaned forward until my chest was resting on my thighs and my chin was on my knees as my hands flopped to the floor.
I closed my eyes and took in a few deep breaths.
I was in shock, that was all. Eventually, it wouldn’t hurt me as much to see my grandmother’s house. It wouldn’t hurt this much to walk down memory lane.
Eventually, I would be fixed… I hoped.
A few minutes later, I straightened and made my way to my bedroom. What I needed in this moment was to take a hot shower and blast my favorites playlist while I half sang, half cried until I felt better.
Steam filled the bathroom as I belted out Mariah Carey’s “I will always love you.” I squeezed the bottle of bodywash until a large dollop appeared on my loofah. The smell of sweet pea and jasmine filled the air as I scrubbed my body.
Once I was clean and much more emotionally stable, I shut the water off and wrapped a towel around my body. I swiped at the cloudy mirror, streaking water across the glass. My cheeks were pink, so I looked a little more alive, which was nice.
After brushing my teeth, I opened the bathroom door and headed out to dress. I picked a soft yellow sundress with tan sandals. Then I headed back into the bathroom to put on some makeup. I was most likely going to run into people I knew at the will reading. There was no way I was going to look like the walking dead when that happened.
My life may be a mess, but they didn’t have to know. I ran a brush through my hair as I blow-dried it, and once I was done, I surveyed myself. I was definitely older, but I wasn’t too bad. Not when I made an effort.
I was going to rock any encounter coming my way. I was determined to.
I grabbed my purse from the dresser and opened the bedroom door. My entire body froze when I saw Miles standing in my kitchen with a tinfoil wrapped plate and a strange look on his face.
He was wearing a white button-down shirt with his sleeves rolled. It was tucked into a pair of dress pants. His hair was styled in a way that made one question if he’d done something or if it was naturally that tousled.
My heart picked up speed as I took him in, but I quickly pushed that reaction aside. I was just startled by his sudden appearance. That was all.
“Is this going to be a habit?” I asked as I pulled the strap of my purse up onto my shoulder and made my way into the kitchen like his presence had no effect on me.
“You still sing in the shower?” His voice was quiet and held a mocking tone.
I stopped, heat pricking my cheeks. “How long have you been here?” I asked as I made my way over to a kitchen cupboard and grabbed a glass.
“Since you were singing,” he said, his words steeped in the smile playing on his lips.
I filled the cup up with water and then took a sip, appraising him over the rim of the glass. “Is this going to be habit?” I asked again.
His smile remained. He was obviously amused with himself. “What?” “You breaking and entering.”
He stopped smiling and glanced around. “What?”
I set the glass down. “I get that you have a key and we were once related, but this is my place and you promised me that you weren’t going to bother me.” I quirked an eyebrow as realization passed over his face.
He set the plate down and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Sorry,” he murmured.
Guilt clung to my stomach, but I refused to give in. Whatever relationship he thought we had, he was reading the room wrong. I was here for the will reading—I was determined to keep Missy from ever owning this place. But reigniting a relationship with Miles wasn’t in the cards for me.
“What’s that?” I asked, nodding toward the plate.
He shrugged. “I thought you might want more than the banana and water from earlier.” His gaze drifted to the coffee table where the glass from the inn and the banana sat untouched. “Or instead of them.”
My stomach was in knots, and the last thing I wanted was to fill it with food. Especially when I wasn’t sure what the afternoon had in store for me. “I’m not hungry,” I said.
Miles glanced down at the plate and then back up to me. “Should I stick it in the fridge?” he asked.
“Sure.”
After he set it next to the yogurt, he turned. “I also wanted to ask if you want to ride to Tom’s office together. You know, save on gas.”
I studied him. He appeared nonchalant, but I wondered if he really didn’t care or if he was just trying to appear that way. I sighed as I leaned against the counter with my hip. “I guess,” I said.
Truth was, I was tired, and the last thing I wanted to do was try to navigate the streets of Harmony. I had no idea where Tom’s office was, and I wasn’t really in the mood to figure it out. If Miles wanted to take the lead on this, I was willing to let him.
“Really?” he asked, his voice surprised as he raised his gaze to meet mine. There was a spark there that made me feel bad.
Things changed between Miles and me when Clint walked out and I lost the baby. I knew Miles had something to do with it, but he never came clean. It was hard not to be frustrated with him.
It took a few years, but I finally came to the conclusion that Clint had left because he wanted to. Our relationship had turned rocky, and Clint had become distant. Miles just gave him the excuse to leave when he did.
They were both to blame, but Clint was responsible for a bigger piece of that pie, even if Miles was currently taking the brunt of my frustration.
“Sure,” I said with a nod.
His smile was back as he clapped his hands together. “All righty.”
An awkward silence fell between us as we both stood there, trying not to look at the other person. Not sure what to do, I moved over to the front door and pulled it open. “Let’s go then,” I said as I passed through the doorway to the small porch outside.
That seemed to snap Miles out of his stupor, and he crossed the living room to join me. He shut the door behind him, and I locked it with my key. Then we walked side by side along the driveway to the small garage behind the inn. The same one that Clint first kissed me behind when we were sixteen.
I swallowed, a lump forming in my throat as I pushed those thoughts from my mind. I kept my gaze focused on the ground in front of me. I could do this. I could get through this. I was going to be okay.
I was going to survive.
Suddenly, two hands wrapped around my upper arms, and when I looked up, Miles’s chest was inches from my face.
“Whoa,” he said softly as he pressed against my arms to keep me from slamming into him.
I swallowed as I glanced up at him. “Sorry,” I whispered.
His gaze was intense. “You okay?” he asked. It was so quiet, I almost wondered if it was just my imagination.
I pinched my lips together and nodded. “Yeah. Just lost in thought.”
He studied me for a moment and then let me go. “Just keep your gaze up, okay? I might not be there to stop you from running into something that could really cause some damage.”
Embarrassment coursed through me as I nodded and gave him a mini salute. “Yes, sir,” I said before I felt like a complete idiot.
He hesitated then turned to pull open the passenger door for me. I didn’t wait. I climbed into the car and slammed the door shut behind me. I used the time it took for Miles to round the hood to take a few deep breaths before he was behind the wheel and starting the engine.
We drove in silence to downtown Harmony. He parked, and I hopped out of his car before he could say anything. I was ready to get this over with and move on with my life.
I’d already put Harmony in the rearview mirror. Leave it to my grandmother to force me back down this road.
Thankfully, the wait to see Tom was short, and he invited us into his office just a few moments after we’d arrived. He was an older man. Probably in his fifties. He was wearing a dark-blue, faded suit and his smile reminded me of the man who always played Santa at the church’s Christmas festival.
He motioned toward the chairs in front of his desk as he shut the door behind him. I took a seat, and Miles followed a few feet behind me as if he were waiting to see which chair I would pick.
“Thanks for joining me,” Tom said as he held his tie to his chest and sat behind his desk.
I’d picked the farthest chair. I crossed my legs as I turned my attention to Tom. Miles nodded as he sat, resting his elbow on his knee. “No problem,” he said.
Tom’s gaze found its way to me. “And you are Shelby?”
“Yes,” I said, weaker than I liked. I cleared my throat and said, “Yes,” more forcefully this time.
He smiled as he stood slightly, so he could reach across his desk. “Tom Holland.”
I rose slightly to shake his hand.
“I moved to town after you left, but your grandmother talked about you so much that I feel like I know you.”
There was so much weight to that sentence that all I could do was nod. I didn’t have the strength to respond, so I remained silent.
Tom settled back in his seat, and his smile remained. He was in a good mood. It made me wonder how much my grandmother had really told him. What parts she shared and what parts she purposely left out.
“Thanks for joining me today. Having you both here will make this so much easier.”
“Of course,” Miles said as he straightened his back before slouching against his chair.
I’d known Miles long enough to know his physical signs. He was uncomfortable. I drew some comfort in that. He had always been so strong, so seeing him rattled made me feel calm and less alone.
Tom reached into a drawer and pulled out a stack of paper. “I’ve been going over your grandmother’s will, and she wanted to leave the inn to the two of you.”
I stopped. “Both of us?” I asked, wiggling my finger between Miles and
me.
Tom cleared his throat and nodded. “Yes.” “Oh.”
Miles glanced over at me before returning his attention to Tom. “But
more of it goes to Shelby, right?” He leaned forward as if all he needed to do was glance down at the paper to confirm his words.
“No. It’s fifty-fifty,” Tom said as his gaze scanned the paperwork.
“It’s fine,” I said quickly. Gran saw Miles as her grandson. I couldn’t be upset that she wanted to leave him half her belongings.
Tom glanced up at me from over his glasses. “I can read it again if you think I might have made a mistake.”
I swallowed. “No. It’s fine. We each get half the property. Perfect.” “Well, not quite.”
My mind was swimming. “What does that mean?” I asked, my voice taking a hoarse tone.
“She did have a stipulation.” “Of course,” I whispered.
Miles glanced over at me before returning his gaze to Tom. “Stipulation?”
Tom nodded. “In order for the inn to be sold, both parties need to be in agreement. And…” He hesitated as he flipped to a page with a sticky note. “…both parties have lived at the residence for six months.”
My heart completely stopped. I had an out-of-body moment as I stared at Tom. It was as if my body was held down by gravity, but my soul had risen up to stare down at me.
To pity me.
“Excuse me, what?” My voice was loud and squeaky, and it caused Miles to glance over at me once more.
“Yeah, what?” he asked.
Tom set the papers back down and shuffled them into place. “At the end of the six months, if you both don’t agree with what to do with the house, then the house will go up for auction.” He placed his hands on top of the papers and studied us, his gaze flicking from Miles to me.
Silence filled the air as we both tried to process what had been said. “So, we both need to live at the inn for six months, and we both have to
agree to selling the property?” Tom nodded.
“And what happens if one of us wants to sell after the six months but the other one doesn’t?”
My question must have startled Miles because he looked over at me as my words hung in the air.
Tom returned to the stack of paper to consult.
“You don’t have to do this,” Miles whispered, leaning across the divide between us.
I didn’t acknowledge his words. As much as I didn’t want to live at the inn for six months, I had nothing to go home to in New York except a strange sort of fake relationship. But I was pretty certain that Titan would understand my predicament. And if it meant that Missy wouldn’t get the inn, I was willing to do just about anything.
“There is an option of one buying the other one out,” Tom said, returning his gaze to the two of us.
“I’m never going to have that—” Miles started.
“We’ll figure something out,” I said as I pulled my purse up onto my lap and shot Tom a large and phony smile. I was ready to get this meeting over with. I now knew Gran’s stipulations, and it didn’t matter if I felt they were fair or not. They were what they were, and I was either going to go along with them or fight them.
Tom’s smile moved to match mine. “Wonderful. This was easy,” he said as he shuffled the papers once more until they lined up.
“Great.” I stood. “If that’s all, then I’ll go,” I said as I started toward the door.
“Wait. Don’t you want to hear what else she left you?”
My hand was on the door handle, and freedom was mere moments away. “Nope,” I said over my shoulder. “It can all go to Miles. As long as the inn is safe for now, that’s all I care about.”
I shut the door before either man could respond. I nodded toward Tom’s receptionist and hurried out of the building. It wasn’t until I was standing in the parking lot that I remembered I’d come with Miles.
I tipped my face toward the sky and closed my eyes, cursing my judgment. I didn’t want Miles to find me before I had a minute to gather my thoughts, so I hurried down the side of the building and rounded the corner, where I almost ran into a woman standing outside of a store.
Her eyes were wide as I stopped myself mere inches from her.
“Whoa,” she said as she held her hands up. Then she studied my face. “Are you okay?” she asked.
I peered behind her toward the small bookstore she was standing in front of. “Do you own this place?” I asked, my heart pounding in my ears.
She nodded. “I do.”
I swallowed and gave her the best not creepy smile I could manage. “Wonderful.” I glanced at the sign in the window that said Coffee and Food Available. “I am famished. Do you mind me coming in?”
She studied me and then nodded. “Sure. I just pulled some poppyseed muffins out of the oven.”
My stomach growled. “That sounds amazing.” “Great.”
She pulled open the door and a small bell chimed. “What’s your name?
I haven’t seen you around here.”
That was perfect. Someone who didn’t know me or my past. This was just what I needed. “Shelby,” I said with a smile.
She hesitated, her brow furrowing as if trying to recollect where she’d heard my name before. But then her expression softened as she extended her hand to guide me in. She gave me a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Shelby. This is The Shop Around the Corner, and I’m Abigail.”
