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“Come in,” I call weakly, cuddling deeper under my covers.
“Hard day,” she sighs, coming in and lying next to me. “How are you doing after all of that?”
Before I can even think of an answer, I realize I’m holding back tears and fighting to keep them from falling. Mia already has her arms wrapped around me, softly shushing into my ear. The tears fall, the sobs come out, and once again, my older sister is trying to mend my broken heart.
It wouldn’t be the first time she’s had to do this but this time is different. I’ve never felt so much for one man in my life. I guess the pain of losing him has to match.
“You were right,” I sniffle. “He was too good to be true.”
“Meg, it’s not your fault!”
“He lied,” I whisper, like it’s the worst thing I could ever admit. “Every day he chose to lie straight to my face and I believed him.”
“And that was an idiotic move on his part,” she agrees. “You had no reason not to give him the benefit of the doubt and he took advantage of that. That’s on him,” she insists.
“I can’t believe he’s a Bellamy,” I mumble, sitting up and leaning against the headboard.
“There’s no way he’s buying the inn,” Mia crosses her arms. “No freaking way.”
“You’re against it too?” I sniffle, looking up at her. There’s a fierceness in her eyes.
“Absolutely,” she says sternly. “The Bellamys are good at taking what they want, stripping the place of everything it was before, and making it fit their idea of what they think hotels and inns should be like. Seaside doesn’t fit their mold, and it’s never going to, because Grandpa will never sell to them.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because Grandpa asked me what I think he should do and I told him it’d be stupid to sell. Seaside is known for its personality and if he sells it, he sells the heart of the place too. He agreed with me,” she grins, and I can’t help but feel proud of her for speaking up.
“I didn’t think Drew knew our grandfather owns Seaside Inn before his big pitch today.” I chuckled at the memory of him trying to hide his flustered face.
“Well, he should have done his homework,” Mia smirked.
“Drew and his family are going to keep trying,” I warn. “They really want this place, and possibly the properties surrounding it.”
“Well, that’s too damn bad.” She shrugs. “Grandpa said the inn and this cottage is ours when he’s gone, and he wants to make sure we have a say in what happens to it now. As long as we say so, Seaside is ours.”
“And that New York player can go home where he belongs,” I add, wiping the last of my tears.
“Remember what I used to say about being sad?” Mia asks.
“Don’t be sad, get mad instead.”
“It’s far more productive.” She nods with approval. “Don’t waste any more of those tears on someone who’s going home with his tail tucked between his legs and his hands empty.”
The rest of the night, she stays with me in my room while we talk about Seaside and everything it can offer that bigger hotels can’t. Maybe it’s to prepare us for when Drew’s family tries to fight back, or maybe it’s to assure both of us that Seaside doesn’t need saving.
Or maybe it’s a bit of both.
Chapter twenty-two
Drew – A Tiny Opening
I’m annoyed by Meg’s total resistance to the buyout. But at least she’s talking with me. Every time I try to give a reason as to why it’s a good thing, she counters it with a reason why it isn’t. As irritating as it is, she’s harder to argue with than most seasoned executives. If she didn’t have a job here, I’d be inclined to offer her a job in contract negotiations.
Yes, there’s a lot of good that could come from the buyout but unfortunately, there’s more I can’t promise. It’s a risk of the job. She’s right when she says I can’t promise people won’t get laid off. It happens more often than not during the process.
I can’t promise the room rates won’t go up either. After a renovation, especially the size my family is considering, prices for rooms need to increase not just to pay the construction bill, but to match the price of the quality of a guest’s stay.
I thought she would be more on board with making Seaside more than what it is now, but she’s gone the opposite way, not that I can really blame her. I hate to say it, but she is a hindrance to our plans. I’m determined to get the deal done quickly. If she won’t work with me, fine. I’ll do what I have to do.
