Page 63 of His North Star
“I’m keeping it as a rental.”
I choked on my bite of eggs. “Let me get this straight. Not only did you buy an incredibly expensive house that you have to dump tons of money into redoing, but you have enough money to keep your condo as well?”
His cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink. Ty didn’t often get embarrassed, but when he did, I cherished every second of it.
“Yes.” He cleared his throat.
“Wow,” I breathed out. How did I not realize Ty had so much money?
“Don’t,” he cautioned while pointing his fork at me.
“What?”
“You’re looking at me differently. Stop it.”
I slowly shook my head. “I’m not. I’m impressed. A little stunned, but mostly justincrediblyproud of all your hard work paying off.”
“Still. I don’t like when people look at me or treat me differently once they know.”
I dropped my fork, meeting his eyes. “Ty, I’ve known you for twenty years. My opinion of you is pretty well cemented.” Nothing he did would change how much I loved him.
CHAPTER 17
“Are you comfortable, Mom?” I plumped the pillows on the couch behind her back. “Yes,” she moaned. “Stop babying me.”
She’d been home for two miserably long weeks. I’d done whatever was necessary to help her, but at some point, I had to get some sleep. The constant tension squeezing my skull no longer responded to caffeine.
The scan showed no internal bleeding, which was fantastic news. Her arm and leg would take about six weeks to heal. The concussion she incurred when she’d hit the stair was our biggest worry. Her symptoms could linger for a few months up to a year. Which meant, for the first time since childbirth, Mom was stuck inside, away from guests.
Sheer torture for her.
Sheer torture for me.
Every game night, s’mores and more, and line dancing event was up to Landon and me. Pure exhaustion settled into my bones. We had to hire help. I made sure Mom was nice and cozy before the rest of us handled our usual Friday night line-dance-a-thon.
I’d invited James since I hadn’t seen him for two weeks, but he went home to Missoula for the weekend. We’d texted and talked a ton, but with my new work schedule and his, finding time together proved disappointingly impossible.
In the lodge’s dining room, we’d removed all the tables to make a dance floor. About twenty people milled around. Dad dimmed the overhead lights, turning on the white globe lights strung in rows across the wooden beams.
Landon asked if I was ready. Sure? I knew what to do from helping out, but I’d never been in charge of a B&B event before. Mom loved them more than I did. Swallowing, I nodded. “Yeah.”
I stepped to the front of the room, addressing the crowd. “Good evening, folks.” The microphone let out a high-pitched shriek. Everyone slapped their hands over their ears.
Oops!
“Hold it away from your mouth,” Landon whispered.
I glanced at his tall, lean body. His dirty blond hair was just long enough to cover the tops of his ears.
“Sorry.” I held the microphone lower. “Thanks for coming out tonight. We hope you have fun. We’re going to start with ‘The Electric Slide,’ followed by ‘Boot Scootin’ Boogie.’ Landon and I will demonstrate the moves. If you already know them, join in.”
I turned the microphone over to Landon, who went through the basic steps, then Landon, being the showoff he was, added flourishes.
I pointed to Dad and nodded once.
As the beginning notes played, Landon and I took our places at the front of the room to lead the group. Landon got lost in the dance, smiling and laughing. It was fun to see this side of my brother. I guess I missed out on more than I thought by avoiding our guest events.
After the extravaganza ended, Landon threw me a bottled water. Sweeping my hand across my forehead, I wiped away sweat and strands of hair stuck to my face. I had held my own, but I had nothing on Landon.
