Page 64 of His North Star
“Your moves were pretty sweet up there,” I said.
“You can’t line dance almost every Friday night of your life and not pick up on a few.” He spun around, showing off. “If you’d ever come, you could dance as well as me.”
“I have to be up early to get breakfast ready for everyone. It’s hard staying up late and then getting up the next day too.You’dknow that if you ever woke up before ten.”
“Maybe it’s time to hire someone else to cook, then.”
I jerked back. Who else could make Grandma’s recipes as well as I did? “No. I’d rather hire someone to man these events.”
He went to the storage room across the hall and dragged a dining table back out for breakfast.
“You’re the marketing manager,” Landon said. “These functions are for our guests to see how we’re different. Seems to me like you’re hiding in the kitchen rather than doing your job.”
I rubbed the back of my ear. He knew me too well.
“You’re the one who volunteered to handle them instead of cooking. Why the animosity now?” I asked.
He blew out a breath while running a hand through his hair. “Do you know how hard it is to have a social life when you work most evenings?”
“Yes, I do.” Just because I didn’t work nights, didn’t mean I could stay up late.
His brows rose. “Okay, well, I’m to the point where I think we should hire more than just a replacement for Mom.”
I nodded. “I agree with you. I just want to make sure you realize, the more people we hire, the less we have to put back into the business and the less we get paid.”
He flung the table legs down. “I’ve seen the books. We’re doing fine. Great, actually. We can afford to hire a few full-time employees.”
True. “Have you asked Dad? Last year when we brought it up, it didn’t go well.” I already had the position posted to replace Mom. It would be nice to have more help and a little freedom for our family. If Mom’s accident proved anything, it was that we needed more time together as a family that didn’t revolve around the business.
“Not yet,” he admitted. “I wanted your take on it first. I can’t be the only other one pushing for this change.”
“I’ll support you. Talk to Dad.”
“I will.”
We made quick work of putting the dining room to rights. Landon flung the table legs in an unspoken challenge as to who could set up tables the quickest. My heartrate shot up as I raced to the closet and back.
Landon and I had a different relationship compared to childhood. As adults, we had little in common, yet we watched out for one another. With only a two-year age gap, we used to be as thick as thieves. And maybe it was because we worked together at the bed-and-breakfast our whole lives and the responsibilities took part of our childhood away, or because I had Ty, but we slowly drifted over the years.
I could count on him, and vice versa. On occasion, I longed for our old connection. The times we’d hole up in his bedroom building blanket forts and defeating scaly dragons when he was a knight protecting me from evil. Maybe I could ask him to go hiking with me once we hired help. I missed my brother, and I didn’t want to take him for granted, especially after what happened with Mom. We never knew when something would upend our lives. I wanted my family to know I loved and appreciated them.
“Good work,” Landon said, scanning the room.
“You too.” I held out a hand for a high-five.
He slapped it—hard.
Stinging needles reverberated in my palm. “Ow,” I complained, holding my hand to my chest.
“Be careful what you ask for.” He shrugged.
My eyes bulged. That was not a knightly move. “Ugh, what are you, five?”
He laughed. “‘Night.”
I stuck my tongue out at him in response. Now who was acting five? I trudged up the back staircase that led to my parents’ home. Unlocking the door, I tiptoed through the kitchen into the family room to see if Mom was awake.
The room sat empty.
