Page 4 of The Inn Dilemma

“No, hear what?”

“Holt was medically retired just over a year ago.” She guides me into the den, and we sit down on the couch.

“What happened?” I ask.

Aunt Birdie’s eyes fill with tears. “He almost died.” Her voice cracks. “There was an explosion at an orphanage. He and his team were able to save everyone, but Holt lost his eye in the process.”

I gasp and cover my mouth with both hands. “I had no idea.”

“I guess your brother didn’t tell you.”

My throat grows thick. “I haven’t talked to Chris since before I left.”

Aunt Birdie gives me a sad smile. It’s not judgmental or demeaning, but it still slices me open and reveals my selfish parts.

My nose tingles. To distract myself from the threat of tears, I take the final sip of coffee and rest the mug on the table.

“I’m sorry.” I sit perfectly still, allowing my eyes to fall closed as I breathe out the same phrase over and over again: “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Aunt Birdie tsks me, then wraps me in her arms. “You’re forgiven, sweet girl. I’m just so happy you’re home.”

Home.It’s a feeling more than a place. But right here, in this moment, with a woman I don’t even share blood with, I feel at peace, I feel loved. I’m at home.

Chapter Two

Holt

The last thing I expected to find when popping into one of my aunt’s cabin rentals was my best friend’s prodigal sister sitting on the couch painting her toenails. But there Nova Price sits with a chocolate chip cookie hanging out of her mouth and her eyes narrowed in concentration. I can see a white earbud in her ear, which explains why she’s still so focused on her task and hasn’t seen her door is open. When Aunt Birdie sent me to the Dream Haven Cabin to do some minor repairs, she failed to mention the little squatter living here.

Chris hasn’t brought Nova up in a while. All I know is that they had a huge falling out and she took off to Paris with some guy named Beau.

A strong wind causes the door to slam behind me, and Nova looks up toward the source of the sound. Toward me.

“Holt?” Nova mumbles around her cookie. She slides the whole thing into her mouth with the back of her hand and chews slowly as if her brain needs to catch upwith what she’s looking at. Her eyes go comically wide as she puts the brush into the polish, pulls out both earbuds, swallows the cookie, and jumps up. Before I know what’s happening, she is barreling toward me and jumping into my arms.

“Nova.” My arms go around her automatically. I lift her feet off the floor and swing her around. She clings to me for several long seconds, and I can’t help but smile down at the girl—now woman—who forever holds a piece of my heart.

She slides down and takes a few steps back, assessing me from head to toe. I do the same to her. She’s wearing an oversized T-shirt that hangs off one of her shoulders and hits her mid-thigh, where a pair of tight shorts peeks out from below the hem.

“You. Got. Huge.” Nova pokes me in the chest, punctuating each word. Her gaze darts to my glass eye, and her smile falters before her sparkling eyes are back on the rest of my face. I don't see pity like I expect to—like I’ve found with pretty much anyone else. Instead, pride shines on her face.

I can’t figure out exactly why she’d feel that way, so I focus on the question I planned to ask. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s great seeing you, but what are you doing here?” Aunt Birdie made no mention of anyone staying in the Dream Haven Cabin, let alone Nova Price, when she asked me to check out the leaky faucet. Thinking back, she did wear a mischievous smile. I assumed that smile was directed at Maya and Des who had just dropped off an order of Granny’s Jams—a legacy Des continued after his grandma passed away.

Nova opens her arms wide. “Haven’t you heard? Theprodigal daughter has returned.” I want to ask why she’s specifically at one of my aunt’s cabins, but almost as if she can read my mind, she explains, “When I went home, my dad told me he has no daughter and made it clear I am no longer welcome there.” Her smile falters for a second before it's back in place, hiding the pain in her well-practiced way.

It takes me a few seconds to register her words. “Your dad kicked you out?”

She tilts her head to the side. “Technically? I mean, I was never in the house, so kicking me out doesn’t really fit. I’m guessing Mom is in the city. She didn’t answer her cell when I called and hasn’t returned my voicemail yet.”

I grit my jaw and grunt, forcing the brewing anger away. Mr. Price has always been a strict father, especially with Nova, but this is pushing things too far. Not that I should be surprised by the audacity of the man after what he recently put Christian through. And Mrs. Price…well, I’m not sure what to think about her.

“You’re his daughter.” My voice comes out harsher than I mean it to.

She scoffs. “Like that’s ever mattered.” She looks at the floor, tapping her toes against the hardwood. “Mom has always thrown herself into work and anything that kept her away from Dad. It was as if I never mattered to anyone.”

“You know you mattered to Christian.” She tries to hide her slight smile. Stepping forward, I tip her chin up with my finger. “And me. Always me.”

Sure, it hurt when Christian told me she ran off to Paris a few months after my dad’s funeral and didn’t give me or anyone else a heads-up. Immediately after Dad’sdeath, Nova was there for me in a way I didn’t expect. Showing sympathy without making me feel weak. Understanding me in a way no one else had. I would have done the same for her if she would have given me the chance. Instead, she allowed Paris guy to whisk her across the ocean abandoning everyone who cared. Including me.

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