Page 13 of Dandelion Sighs

“My parents loved state history. They wanted everything about this place to pay homage to the land.” She chewed on the inside of her cheek. “I hate that money is my main worry.”

“Land and money are usually a complicated relationship. Add in a business and trying to support people with it, and it’s not easy. It’s why I didn’t throw a fit when Eliot told me that the Knights were selling everything along with Knight’s Cattle Company.”

Her eyes lit. “KCC. That’s what was on your shirt.”

“Yep.” How pleased was I that she’d noticed a detail like that? “The doors of the resort are still open. One day at a time, Sheridan.”

“And Paola said there’s a large group reservation tonight. Like fifteen people.” She stuffed her hands into her pockets. “I really hope they don’t cancel.”

“They won’t.” When she raised her brows at my confidence, I smirked. “It’s my family.”

Her eyes went wide. “All of them?”

“Most of them. Surprisingly, my parents didn’t come down. But my siblings are helplessly nosy, and as soon as they heard I was working out here, they assembled and planned a night.” I shrugged. “At least I get a free meal out of it. They’re covering it.”

Her eyes went liquid. “That’s so sweet. Nosy isn’t always bad. If it’s to be critical, then yes, but your family sounds sweet.”

“They’re something all right.” My phone buzzed. “In fact, this is probably them.”

I walked away to answer Violet’s call. “You here?”

“We’re seated too,” she said, “but don’t rush. We’re going to order apps.”

“Cheese sticks?” Willa’s voice came through the line.

“Yeah, sweetie,” Violet answered. “Lots of cheese sticks.”

“Tell her to save me some,” I said.

Violet snorted. “You take on that fight with her. But seriously, take your time.”

“Gotcha.” I disconnected. Sheridan was dusting another informative plaque. “If you don’t have anything else, I’ll take off. But not far.” I wiggled the phone. “They’re already here.”

Her expression brightened. A fifteen-count table would be a nice boost for the week, and my family didn’t eat like birds when they went out. “Anything else can wait. Have fun.”

“I gotta get a new toilet tomorrow. I’ll install that and then do some work on the back deck. I noticed one support doesn’t reach the ground anymore.” I started for the door, then stopped. Leaving her alone in here while I went to enjoy my sometimes suffocating family didn’t feel right. She was alone. “You wanna meet them?”

She sucked in a breath, and her gaze darted from wall to wall. “I’d love to.”

I barked out a laugh. “You don’t lie well, Sherry.”

Her gasp echoed through the room. She pressed her fingers to her lips, like she’d shocked herself.

I grinned. Getting a reaction like that from her could become addicting. “Don’t worry. I called her Connie when she did that.”

She snickered. “I owe you.”

“You don’t owe me a thing, and you don’t need to come with me. See you tomorrow.”

“I can go,” she blurted out. “And meet them. It’s the least I can do. Even with the twenty percent off employee discount, it’s going to help us out a lot.”

“Nah.” My family wasn’t going above and beyond. We loved a reason to gather and eat good food. “I’m not buying. So no discount.” I winked when she opened her mouth, likely to argue. “And since they’re buying, I’m going to order dessert.”

“Okay.” She nodded and squared her shoulders. No, this woman wasn’t a hot mess who got by only because others helped. She was determined and ambitious. She worked all damn day and probably long after I went home. “Let’s go.”

Sheridan

A knot formed right between my shoulder blades the closer I got to the restaurant. Before the door even opened, I could hear the laughter from inside. A pang of longing trailed through me. My family was never like this. My brothers argued with each other, with our parents, and when possible, with me. Each time one of them graduated, they left home and rarely came back. But Jasper’s siblings were all here, and all because they were curious about where he worked.