Page 81 of His North Star
Heat ran from my cheeks to my chest. Ty, if still single, would be good to me. Tonight, and almost every night since we’d met, he’d proven that.
Sure, we had our moments. Times when we’d been rude or hurt each other, but we always made it right. Not to mention his ability to make me laugh. Or the times, like tonight, when he was there for me. And if that wasn’t the best person to live out the rest of my life with, who was?
CHAPTER 21
After my night with Ty, I was doing better emotionally. Then a couple checked into the bed-and-breakfast, coming to Glacier for their honeymoon, and my feelings of never being good enough for someone to want to marry me came flying back. Even though Ty and I had made a pact, I wanted to find love, not just be a backup. The next few days I chanted, “Life without love is worth living.” My shriveled heart didn’t buy it.
At some point, I had to stop wallowing in self-pity. For now, with nothing besides work and Ty’s house project to occupy me, I didn’t see the point in trying.
I cursed when we received another résumé that sucked. Everyone who’d applied so far didn’t qualify. We needed someone who’d been a manager at a previous property. Here we were, seven weeks after Mom’s accident, stuck working our tail ends off. At this rate, Mom would fully recover before we even interviewed anyone.
I missed the stars too. They were my outlet. With crazy long hours at the lodge, I didn’t even have that to comfort me. Thankfully it was Saturday, and I at least had pretty toenails to look at thanks to my girls’ afternoon out with Mom yesterday.
Not that I’d get to admire them for long. After breakfast, I planned to change into my grubby clothes and old tennis shoes to help Ty paint his house. The palm tree on my big toe wouldn’t be cute splattered with greige.
“Good morning, pumpkin,” Dad greeted me in the kitchen. He was never down here this early.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Couldn’t sleep. Figured I’d help you instead.”
My shoulders sagged in relief. “Aw, thanks Dad. Want to get started on the waffles or bacon?”
He went to the fridge, getting out our large box of meat. “Bacon.”
“Did Mom say if she had fun last night? I’m worried we overdid it.”
He waved away my concern. “Nah. It lifted her spirits. She’s a tough one anyway. I’m surprised we’ve been able to keep her out of the way as long as we have.”
I smiled. “I think Dr. Rothenburg helped with that. Besides, she hasn’t had a break for years. It was time she just sat and did nothing.” I pulled out our giant mixing bowl from underneath the prep counter.
Dad chuckled, probably remembering the threat the good doc gave Mom when she was discharged.
He lit the stove and set bacon strips along the griddle. “She doesn’t like sitting still. But I agree. This has been a wake-up call. We’ve been talking about cutting our hours back and traveling. Are you and Landon up for that?”
So that was the real reason he was here.
I measured out flour, dumping the cupfuls into the bowl. “Of course! It’s great you two want to finally live a little.”
I guessed I’d better go back through the stack of applications we’d received and see if anyone could handle a part-time receptionist or cleaning position.
“That’s what I thought.” He used tongs to flip over the sizzling strips of meat. “Convincing your mom of that was difficult. But it’s time you and Landon step up and manage this place on your own. It’s good practice for when we retire.”
My brows rose. “You mean you actually plan to retire?”
The B&B was in our blood. Grandma worked until she got sick. Grandpa begged her for years to slow down, but she loved the people too much. She’d go off here and there, but never longer than a week. I wanted more for my parents and me when the time came.
“Yes, we do. In fact, I’ve already booked us a hotel in Savannah in November.”
“I’m happy for you, Dad. Have you told Landon?”
“Yes. He’s on board with the plan as well. Although, he said you were dragging your feet on hiring some help.”
“It’s not me,” I defended. “There haven’t been any decent applicants. I might reach out to a recruiting company.”
The wrinkles on his forehead were more pronounced. “Do you really think that’s necessary?”
“I do. But if Landon isn’t pleased with my results, he can take over.”
