“You want to buy a cabin?” Her chest felt tight because that had always been her dream. She liked his apartment and it was close to work, but she longed to live in the valley surrounded by happy families.
“Yeah.” A soft smile creased his lips. “I’ve always seen us there. We can still have a place here when we work longer hours, but I definitely want to spend summers down in Bliss. But, baby, I don’t have the cash. I was kind of counting on convincing Mike to make the down payment and we could handle the mortgage.”
“You do realize we’ve only been together for a few days,” she pointed out.
He shrugged. “When it’s right you know it’s right. And Mike doesn’t like the sarcastic Texans any more than I do.”
“Be patient with him,” Nate said. “And be a little patient with me. Even if I can’t solve this today, I’ll work with whoever the CBI sends and we’ll get this all settled. Thank you for bringing this to me. It would have been easy for you to flush it down the toilet and pretend it never existed, but it’s a good clue.”
She stood. It was time to get going. She had a meeting in an hour to conduct about this evening’s activities. After all, everyone was stuck in the lodge, so it was important to keep everyone entertained. “Let me know if you need anything else from me. Ty and I are going to grab some breakfast and then I’ll be in meetings most of the day, but I’ll have my cell on me.”
“Keep a low profile today,” Nate advised. “And I don’t want you to be alone.”
“I’m on call, but I should be able to stick close to her,” Ty promised.
They said their good-byes and walked to the private elevator. The Roberts’ suite was at the top of the employee wing but came with its own private elevator and private entryway. They would have to walk down the long corridor to get to the kitchens and the break room. She was feeling hungrier than she’d been before, a bit more hopeful. The fact that Michael had talked to Trina had to mean something. It had to mean that he was willing to give a little.
“Sorry I didn’t tell you about the cabin. I kind of wanted to talk to Mike before we had a discussion,” Ty said as the elevator descended.
“I would love to buy a cabin with you. But I think it’s pretty early to ask Michael to put a bunch of money down on a place. We should talk about taking out a loan.” She wasn’t going to let go of the best idea she’d heard since the whole let’s-stop-fighting-and-love-Lucy-together thing.
“I have to because I am not a man with a ton of disposable income,” Ty pointed out. “Though I’m hoping that can change with River back and Mountain Adventures up and running full time this spring. You have to face facts, baby. I’m never going to be white collar. I’m kind of happier with no collar at all.” His eyebrows waggled. “But I’m more than happy to serve management. You boss me around all you like, and I’ll take it out on your sweet ass at night.”
“Well, I think you’ll be doing that here for at least the winter.” She hoped Michael would stay in Bliss and give them a chance, but she got the feeling he would need some space. “Do you think he’ll go back to that cabin of his?”
Ty sobered. “I don’t know. I hope not, but I also hope he doesn’t leave Bliss. I hope we get a chance to talk to him before he makes a decision.”
The elevator doors opened and they stepped out.
“We have to be patient with him,” Lucy said and then realized they weren’t alone.
Chet Foster was standing in the hallway, waiting.
And he had a gun.
* * * *
Michael stood in front of the resort room door and wondered if he was going to have the courage to knock. If he knocked on that door, it meant he was moving forward. It meant he was ready to really love Lucy.
And Ty. It meant he was ready to be a partner to Ty.
It was funny to think that way because this morning he’d already made arrangements with a real estate agent to put his house on the market and to give Trina and her family half of the proceeds. He’d talked to Jessie’s mom and dad for the first time in years and found an odd comfort in hearing their voices, in knowing he could help ease the financial burden of what they were going through. He’d even promised to visit them when he came to sign the paperwork and close up his storage unit.
Because he was coming home. Coming back to Bliss. Coming back to them.