Page 30 of Dandelion Sighs

The man was talented with his hands, but the only skills he used on me were mowing, fixing faucets, and squeezing moisture out of shredded potatoes. I ate, and once my belly was full, the delicious food started to taste like cardboard. I set my fork down. I didn’t want to burden him, but I had no one else to talk to. “What do I do?”

Muscles in his jaw flexed as he chewed his last bite. He didn’t answer right away but wiped his hands off and pushed his plate away.

“I’ve been thinking about that.” He got up and gathered our dishes.

“Can I help?”

“Nope.” He retrieved a notebook and pen from a drawer and returned. “Let’s list the things Bishop’s Landing can give people that a bigger place can’t.”

“Not lakefront access,” I said bitterly. Would it even help if I was able to secure access? I didn’t have the means for competition.

He paused. “No. Not yet.”

Another thought occurred to me, and I nearly heaved all my food. “They’re going to buy the property. I’m never going to be able to offer more than them.” This faceless group of who knew how many people could be circling Linda like vultures, waiting for her to decide to sell. They’d swoop in and gobble the land up like carrion. Then my resort would be dead and rotting, and I’d have to find a new place for a fresh start with no parents as safety nets.

“You don’t know that.”

But I did. My laugh came out uneven. “Oh, trust me. The way it’s all been going, I do. Oh my gosh. Do I close down shop now? Do I⁠—”

“Sheridan.” He stopped me with a hand on my wrist. “What makes your place stand out? Other than you?”

He thought I was the standout of Bishop’s Landing? His words should’ve chased away my headache better than the food, but I couldn’t come up with anything. “We don’t do anything they can’t do. Nothing.” When he gave me a hard look, I sighed. What did people say about us in reviews and to my face?

The décor is worn, but it’s a clean place to stay. Nice location.

Quiet. Clean. Outdated.

If it wasn’t for the restaurant, I’d stay in town.

“It’s not me that makes the place. It’s Paola and her seafood.”

He wrote that down, his penmanship strong and neat. “What else?”

“We’re small but cozy. That can be a con too.”

He put small on the con side and cozy on the pro side. “You give love to the area.”

“It’s an ode to Bishop’s Bay.” Since the bay was named after my grandparents, our family was part of the land’s history, and my parents wanted to highlight the pride we had. “We aren’t a party spot, though.”

“That’s going to be a pro. It’s how you get regulars.”

“We have the fishing tournaments.” One later in the summer and one in the winter. “I’d like to say with those, we’d be fine. Most of the anglers have boats and don’t need direct access. The normal tourists and families who want a fun, lakeside vacation? The lack of water access makes a difference.”

He put the pen down, his features grim. “Linda’s my aunt.”

I gave my head a shake. The dull thud behind my eyes resumed. Was that a pro or a con? His words clarified. Linda was his aunt? He’d blurted it out, looking as guilty as my ex who’d slept with a college guy. Confusion and something too close to hurt swirled in my chest. “You never said a thing.”

“It wouldn’t have made a difference.”

It would’ve felt less like he’d been hiding something from me. Whatever. It wasn’t my business. Yet it wasn’t not my business, was it? “Okay.”

“I can talk to her about this and put in a good word for you.” He said this too hesitantly for me to launch any sort of optimism.

Why wouldn’t he have done that earlier? Maybe they didn’t get along. The woman seemed mercurial. Aloof at best. Easily irritated. Jasper was the opposite, and perhaps that created a rift between them. The thought made me feel better. “You think it’ll help?”

A few emotions I couldn’t identify played through his face, none of them boding well for me. “I don’t know. Linda has strong convictions, and she’ll stand by them no matter what. It’s too soon to say what she’ll do.”

Meaning he could talk until the world ran out of air, but if she wanted to sell to the new guys, she would. Another question popped into my mind. “Why isn’t she putting the property up for sale until the end of summer?”