Page 7 of When You Were Mine

The smell of roses made her sick to her stomach, so she tossed the bouquet into the trash bin.

And still, she waited.

Because Trevor wouldn’t do this to her.

He just wouldn’t.

He’d come back.

He had to.

Chapter One

THIRTY YEARS LATER

If Jessica Elsworthdidn’t own this place, she’d be doing a happy dance right there in the middle of the dining room.

Look at this. The holiday tea was sold out, and everyone was having the best time. Cheerful red berries brightened the holly garlands draped along the dark wood-paneled walls, and the plate glass windows exposed a winter wonderland of snowy pine trees and a frozen lake.

She was just sorelievedat the turnout. The tables were filled with multi-generations of women, dads with little girls, whole families, and romantic couples. Everyone was dressed in their holiday finest and enjoying finger sandwiches, iced scones, and decadent treats from the Singing Baker Patisserie.

But then, she remembered, and fear reared up and locked her joints. Because while the tea was a hit, the New Year’s Eve gala still hadn’t sold out. And it was less than two weeks away.

The total spend for this month-long opening was two million dollars—and she didn’t get paid until guests checked out. At this point, she needed a full house to break even.

Okay, stop.

You’re not spiraling.

You knew when you chose this swanky town there’d be competition for luxury resorts.

She also knew it took time to get established. But she trusted herself. She’d never failed before. She wouldn’t this time.

Okay, back to work. She had a flight to catch and presents to wrap.

The moment she entered the kitchen, the sous chef spotted her and headed her way. The anxiety in his eyes had her bracing for bad news. “What’s wrong?”

“Freezer’s dead.” A vein throbbed at the young man’s temple. “I told Chef something was wrong. I kept telling him it’s not keeping things cold enough. And now, it’s dead.”

This was the first she’d heard of the problem. “All right. Let me text maintenance.”

Jessica: Freezer’s lost power. Can you send someone over to fix it?

Bill: On my way.

Chef joined them. “Just put everything outside.”

“No, don’t do that,” Jess said. “We can’t risk the animals getting into it.” She’d seen Big Joe, the moose who lurked in the woods, when she’d come in that morning. And he was hardly the only threat in the Tetons.

“Then, where do I put an entire freezer full of food?” the sous chef asked.

She considered the outbuildings. They had a garage for large equipment like snowplows and excavators, cabins, a dormitory for the staff, and—ah. “In the shed.”Yes,perfect.

Relief softened his features. “Okay.”

They’d built it to store extra linens and supplies, but at the moment, it was mercifully empty. She shot off a quick text to her sister, the property manager, to let her know the situation.

Once inside her office, she grabbed rolls of wrapping paper and pulled the gifts out of the closet.Ugh. She had no idea if these people would like what she got them. Unfortunately, she’d been so busy with the resort that she hadn’t met her fiancé’s family yet, so she didn’t know their taste.

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