Page 6 of Unpacking Secrets

“Usually doesn’t matter when you’re picking fights with the boss, Henry. What did you say to her?”

Regret thrummed through me. I couldn’t tell Sally the things I’d said to Juliet—the chef already thought I was the asshole here, and I didn’t disagree. I stared back at her, wishing I could rewind the day and start again.

“You should be happy she’s here,” Sally said, still glaring. “This place could use some young blood, especially while you’re trying to bring us into the new millennium.”

“Yeah, as long as she doesn’t run it all into the ground.”

She gave me an exasperated look. “Give her a chance, Henry. She’s family. You need to fix this before anyone else finds out you picked a fight. If she decides to hightail it back to Minnesota, we could all be out of a job. She’s coming back for breakfast tomorrow. That’s your chance to make a better impression for a change.”

“When have I evernotmade a good impression?” I replied, lifting a brow.

“Every time you’ve ever opened your mouth?”

I rolled my eyes but kept my mouth shut, because she might have been right. Today had definitelynotbeen a good impression, not when I couldn’t contain myself in front of our new boss.

Sally studied me for a minute, then shook her head. “Get yourself under control, Walker. She’s here to stay and you’re going to make things difficult for everyone if you can’t accept that. You’re lucky I’m the only one who saw her storm out of here.”

“I know,” I repeated. “I’ll take care of it. I’ll apologize, smooth things over.”

“You better.” With that dire parting shot, she left me alone in the silent office.

Sally was right.

I should apologize. Juliet hadn’t even been in Spruce Hill for a full day, and I’d acted like a spoiled child. None of this was her fault, but knowing that didn’t make it any easier to deal with her arrival, with the constant reminder of Nan’s death. Even my own grandmother’s passing hadn’t hit me so hard, but I was only in elementary school at the time.

Though I knew Juliet was somewhere around thirty based on all the gossip in town regarding her mother’s abrupt departure, she looked like a college kid. Fresh-faced and pretty, but sharp.

Damn, was she sharp.

Nan’s temper had been legendary, but she’d rarely let it fly in front of the inn’s staff. I couldn’t remember ever bearing witness to it, but now that I'd met the granddaughter, I could certainly picture it.

Juliet.

I forced myself to think of her by name, though I wasn’t entirely sure it suited her. It sounded too dainty, too delicate for someone whose deep blue eyes could spit fire the way hers had, but at the same time, it evoked a certain essence of drama that suited her quite well.

Maybe it was a better fit than I'd first imagined.

Even as I resigned myself to having to apologize to her, I decided I would wait for the right opportunity rather than seeking her out. If she wasn’t willing to fight for her rightful place at the inn, then she damn well didn’t deserve it.

Nanette Montgomery had been as close to me as my own grandparents, and her legacy deserved someone who wasn’t scared off by a single encounter.

I was a patient man. I could wait.

When the time was right, I would apologize for being an asshole.

Hopefully, by then the woman—Juliet,I reminded myself firmly—would have decided exactly what she was looking for in Spruce Hill so that I didn’t have to waste my energy on someone who didn’t give a shit.

Three

Juliet

ThelakeIwasdying to explore came into full view as we circled around the inn, revealing an expanse of deep, breathtaking blue under a cloudless sky.

“Oh, it’s beautiful,” I whispered.

I was no stranger to smaller bodies of water, coming from Minnesota, but my hometown wasn’t very close to the Great Lakes. The water here stretched as far as the eye could see. Gentle waves rolled against the rocky shoreline, lapping at the far edge of the exquisite garden.

“Nan chose this property because of that view,” Gerard replied, smiling over at me. “The inn was her lifeblood, but these gardens were her pride and joy. She spent much of her free time out here.”

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