Page 62 of One Wild Chance

“Good answer,” she says smugly. “Then why not Jaxon?”

“He doesn’t see me like that,” I say. “I worked alongside him in high school, and for most of that time, we couldn’t stop making everything between us a competition. That’s not exactly the foundation for romance.”

“Funny, because that’s not what he said in an interview right after he retired.”

I frown. “What are you talking about?”

“There’s a clip floating around the internet. Some reporter asked about his plans, and he said he was going to spend time with family, then mentioned something about a girl back home.”

“It’s not me,” I say, my stomach knotting. “We weren’t even together.”

“Did he date anyone else from Golden Springs?”

I think back to high school, but my mind’s blank. “Not to my knowledge.”

“Summer.” She levels her gaze. “It has to be you.”

“It can’t be. He never told me his feelings in high school.”

Larissa tilts her head. “You sure about that? Because the man who showed up at the Blue Moon and rescued you from Hank Branford didn’t look like someone who sees you as competition.”

I swirl the ice in my glass. “He wanted to make sure Hank wasn’t poaching me for his farm. And now that I’m his business partner, that’s complicated enough without adding anything else to it.”

Larissa sighs. “So that’s a no on Blaine, it’s too complicated with Jaxon, and you don’t have time to date anyway.” She sets her mug down and leans on the table. “I’m just trying to figure out who exactly you’re saving yourself for.”

“No one,” I insist. “I’m trying to build a business.”

She glances out the window to where Jaxon disappeared into the law office. “You know what I think? You’ve already decided he’s going to disappoint you, so you’re building your entire life around that.” She looks back at me. “You’re protecting yourself from the worst-case scenario.”

“I’m protecting my interests first,” I say. “If they sell the farm, Wildflower Farms is still mine, and I can at least keep my business.”

“What about the venue?”

“The barn belongs to the Chances. If Jaxon and his brothers agree to sell, the wedding business goes with it, unless the next owner wants to keep it running. I’m basically just the manager.”

Larissa sits back in her seat. “So you’re building your dream on someone else’s land.”

“Story of my life,” I mutter with a shrug. “That’s why I need it to work.”

I watched my mom build her life on a man who didn’t stay. Which meant when he walked out, everything fell apart. I can’t make the same mistake.

“Okay,” she says, like she finally sees my side. “So you’ve got a venue to launch. Let’s talk strategy.” She pulls out her phone. “Have you started a social media account yet for inquiries?”

I sit up straighter. “No.”

“That’s your first step. That, and a way to get information on bookings.”

Larissa’s naturally gifted at thinking through strategy and social media because she’s in the music business. If anyone can tell me how to make people fall in love with a barn they’ve never seen, it’s her.

She leans toward me, propping an elbow on the table. “You need a separate social media handle for the wedding venue. Something that brides will find, because brides are always the ones choosing the venue. Make it pretty and dreamy, like a venue they’ve been wanting their entire lives. Just like that dream you had.”

“Okay. I can do that.” I write down her suggestions on my phone.

“Second thing to do is get Jaxon in these posts.”

I shake my head. “I can’t ask him that.”

“Summer, you have to.”