Page 9 of Always Be Mine

William started to read the legalese, and Craig found his mind drifting to his to-do list, which he now added finding a new employee to. Then there was the matter of his short-term rental, and his first tenant, the very pretty brunette whose name he’d failed to ask for, even after she’d kissed him. The kiss. There was the kiss to think about. Oh yes, he could most definitely think about that kiss for a little bit. It had only lasted seconds, and maybe it was just the shock of it, but there’d been a spark that shot through him with the touch of her lips.

Of course, it could be that he was out of practice when it came to kissing in general. He literally couldn’t remember the last time he’d?—

Craig was so lost in thought, he jumped when Kat nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. He shot her a look and was about to protest when he saw the look on her face. “What?” He mouthed the word.

Kat shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Did you hear any of that?”

For a moment, he thought about lying, but there didn’t seem to be much point. He was only at the meeting because it was required. Ultimately, it didn’t matter what the latest stipulation of their father’s will was. It wasn’t as if any of them actually believed that Asher wouldn’t follow through with whatever it was. As the only Carlson child who was working for the family business—or, in Asher’s case, running the whole thing—he had the most to lose by not honoring their father’s wishes.

Michael Carlson had been a very successful businessman who’d come to town and basically saved Trickle Creek from financial ruin by seeing the potential in a new industry when the mining industry closed down. That new industry was tourism and with the opening of the ski resort and a world-class golf course, it didn’t take long for Trickle Creek to see a massive revitalization.

Charli and Asher had been the only siblings to work for Carlson Corp after graduation, but recently his sister had taken her passion for flowers and turned it into a very successful business of her own. After their father died, Asher had slipped into the role of CEO of Carlson Corp and as far as anyone was concerned, he was doing an excellent job with it. Which was why no one was overly concerned about whatever lesson it was that their father wanted him to teach him from beyond the grave.

“Sorry,” he admitted with a shrug. “I was thinking about everything I need to do.”

It was a white lie, but it didn’t seem like the right place to tell Kat that a strange but beautiful woman had just kissed him, unprompted.

“Well, you might want to put listening to the reading of the will on your to-do list,” Asher snapped. “Unless you plan on being the one to let us all down.”

Craig twisted in his seat to look at his brother, who had his arms crossed over his chest. Asher usually looked stressed out and way too serious for his age, but at the moment, he looked even more stern than usual.

“What are you talking about?”

When Asher only shook his head and looked away, Craig turned to Chase.

“This one’s for you, man,” his brother said simply.

“What?” Craig turned to face forward, a chill crawling down his spine. “It’s not my turn,” he said to William and Steven, who were waiting patiently to continue. “It’s Asher’s turn.”

“There are noturns,per se.” The lawyer used his fingers to make air quotes. “I’m only following the directions set out by your father. And it was made clear that this next condition be directed toward you, Craig.”

He shook his head. He hadn’t been listening when William laid out the terms that apparently affected him. But it didn’t even matter what lesson it was his father wanted him to learn or what exactly he was expected to do, because whatever it was, he didn’t have time. He literally didn’t have one more second in his day to do whatever it was he was meant to do. The timing couldn’t be worse. Whatever it was, there was no way he’d be able to do it. He could only stretch himself so far before he snapped. “No.”

The already quiet room became even quieter.

It was finally William who spoke up. “Are you officially declining the terms and conditions of your father’s latest stipulation?” He tapped his pen against the stack of papers in front of him. “Because if that is the case, I must remind you that the entirety of your father’s estate, including the house and property, as well as one hundred percent of the holdings in Carlson Corporation, will be donated to the charities he previously?—”

“No!” Kat jumped up off the couch next to him and protested. “He’s not saying that.” She turned to look at Craig. “You’re not really saying that. Are you, Craig?”

Was he?

Every set of eyes was focused on him, waiting for his answer. He swallowed hard. Maybe he should have asked William to read the will again and buy him some more time to make his decision, but ultimately it didn’t matter.

Craig knew that there was only one answer.

Determined not to stay cooped up inside feeling sorry for herself, Lucy left her phone in her apartment—lest she be tempted to do anymore doomscrolling—and headed outside into the plaza. She needed to explore her new surroundings. And a few groceries wouldn’t hurt.

Immediately, she was struck by the chill in the air. It was the end of April. She wasn’t ignorant to the fact that not all parts of the country were as temperate as Vancouver, but yet, somehow, she hadn’t expected Trickle Creek to be so cold. She was definitely going to need a warmer jacket.

Summit Style, the first shop she popped into, had exactly what she needed. In a clearance rack at the back of the store, Lucy found the last jacket in her size. A puffy, but warm coat in a bright purple that she would never have normally considered, but dressing like an eggplant seemed like a better option than freezing. She grabbed a knit cap and mitten set in cream wool with matching purple flecks and made her way to the front of the store. At least it was all on sale.

“I know it’s chilly today,” the young woman at the till said. “But there wasn’t any snow down in town at all yesterday.”

“Really? I find that hard to believe.”

The woman laughed. “That’s life in a ski town. It took me some getting used to, too. One day it’s spring and you’re thinking that summer is right around the corner, and the next…boom! Winter wonderland.”

Lucy shook her head in wonder. “We definitely don’t get this in Vancouver. All I know is, it’s cold.”

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