Jasper Vale (The Edens)

Mateo leaned against the reception counter at the hotel, looking like he was about to broach the subject I’d managed to dodge for over a month.

My marriage.

“So . . .” he said.

“We still have three guests coming in tonight.” I clicked the mouse, waking up the computer. “Hopefully they’ll get here soon. I’d love to check them in before I go home tonight. There’s been a lot of changes to the reservation software since the last time you worked the desk.”

As promised, Mateo had spent the past month helping me at the hotel. He’d mostly been covering shifts in housekeeping. There’d been a few maintenance projects I’d asked him to tackle too, but this was the first time I’d needed him as a desk clerk.

My regular night desk clerk had called in sick this morning, and I’d planned to cover myself. But I’d been here since seven, and when Mateo had come in this afternoon, he’d volunteered to work tonight.

“I can figure out the software,” he said.

“Okay.” I looked to the doors, praying a guest would walk inside so the two of us weren’t alone. So we didn’t have to talk about Jasper.

“What’s Jasper going to do now that Foster is retiring?” Mateo asked.

I shrugged. “He’s not sure yet.” Or maybe he had a plan. Mateo’s guess was as good as mine.

It had been a week since Foster’s retirement had been announced, and if Jasper was sure of his next steps, he hadn’t shared them with me. Why would he? We only had a couple more weeks to go until the wedding, then I’d no longer be his fake wife.

I was trying my very best not to let that chafe.

Just like I was trying my very best to not think about what July would bring.

Divorce.

Dread had become a constant companion these past couple of weeks. It was as unwelcome as it was troubling. Wasn’t I supposed to be looking forward to this divorce? To having my normal life back? To righting the wrong I’d made in Las Vegas?

This marriage had to end. Jasper and I weren’t in love. This wasn’t some fairy tale. Yet the idea of watching him leave made my heart sink.

“How’s it going with Jasper?” Mateo asked. “Be honest.”

“Good.” Not great, but good.

Good enough.

When Jasper and I were at the A-frame, when the rest of the world was a blur beyond the bedroom, it was easy. But the other twenty hours of every day were a bit more difficult.

Prying anything but orgasms out of that man was impossible.

I still didn’t know anything about his family. He never asked about mine. I had no clue what had happened with his ex-wife and why this wedding was so important.

Was I just a tool to spite her? Or did he still love her? When the officiant asked if anyone objected to the marriage, would Jasper raise his hand?

Either way, I doubted I’d like any of the answers to those questions. My curiosity was crippling, but I refused to ask.

Mateo glanced around the lobby, making sure we were alone.

Unfortunately, we were. Why was it that whenever I wanted a quiet minute alone at the hotel, I’d be swamped, but when I needed someone, anyone, to provide a distraction, the lobby was as silent as a grave?

“You should know . . . Mom and Dad are worried.”

My stomach pitched. It shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did. “Why? I’m fine.”

“They don’t like Jasper.”

I winced. “Ouch. That’s pretty severe, don’t you think?”

“Is it? Come on, Eloise. Put yourself in their shoes. Their youngest daughter goes to Las Vegas for a weekend and comes home married, which she then hides for a month. The truth finally comes out, and when they attempt to get to know their new son-in-law, he blows them off.”

“Jasper came to dinner.”

Mateo arched an eyebrow. “And wanted to be anywhere else. That was the most awkward dinner that table has seen in years.”

“Give him a break, Mateo. We’re a lot as a group. Not everyone adjusts to the Eden chaos immediately.” It was a flimsy deflection. That dinner had been awful.

No surprise, Mom and Dad hadn’t bothered with another invitation this past month. We certainly hadn’t made any attempts to visit them either.

“I don’t want them to be worried.” I sighed. Soon, this would all go away.

“Well, they are. They’re worried Jasper is taking advantage of you.”

“He’s not.”

“Are you sure? Where’s he from? What’s his family like? How is he going to support you now that Foster is retiring?”

“I can support myself, thank you very much.”

I had no idea what Jasper’s monetary situation was but it wasn’t my business. But I doubted he was broke. He’d bought the A-frame. He’d bought the diamond ring on my finger. Nothing about him struck me as a man seeking his wife’s paycheck.

“So he’s counting on you to support you both?”

“What the hell is with this interrogation?” I snapped.

“You’re my sister, Eloise.” Mateo’s voice gentled. The concern in his face nearly broke me.

For a split second, I wanted to confess it all. To tell him the truth about Jasper. But I kept my mouth shut.

Admitting the lie felt impossible. This hole I’d dug for myself just kept getting deeper. If I told them the whole story, they’d resent me.

But if I stayed quiet, then I was letting them resent Jasper instead.

Ironic, that I’d told him I didn’t want my family to hate him when this was over. But I’d made that impossible, hadn’t I? By keeping this secret, it was never going to end peacefully.

Stupid Eloise.

Shame, disgust crept beneath my skin, making me shiver.

“He’s a good man.” I believed it to my very soul.

“Okay.” Mateo held up his hands, dropping this topic. “I’m going to run to Lyla’s for coffee. Want anything?”

I shook my head. “No, thanks.”

“See you in a minute.” As Mateo strode across the lobby, I sat frozen, my heart racing as I replayed that conversation.

Mom and Dad were worried. How worried?

Jasper and I had stayed together in an effort to prove I was responsible enough to take over this hotel. But if they didn’t like Jasper, if they thought he was taking advantage, or that maybe he wanted a slice of the Eden fortune, would that change everything?

What if I’d ruined this after all? What if they wouldn’t let me have the hotel because I was still married?

“What a mess.” A headache bloomed behind my temples. Why did we have to get married? If I had a time machine, I’d go back to that night and change everything. Wouldn’t I?

“Just a couple more weeks.” A couple more weeks until I could make this right. A couple more weeks with Jasper.

The countdown should have eased my headache.

It only seemed to make the pain worse.

The lobby doors opened but it wasn’t a guest who came inside. It was Mom.

I sat straighter, forcing a bright smile. “Hey, Mom.”

“Hi, sweetheart.” She rounded the counter, kissing my cheek. “How are you today?”

“Oh, fine. Busy. You know how it gets in the summer.” There wasn’t a single vacancy until September, and we’d been running at full capacity since Memorial Day.

I loved tourist season, when fresh faces flooded the sidewalks of my hometown, when people got to experience the enchantment of Quincy. Normally, I’d spend as much time as possible at The Eloise, not only to care for guests but to soak in their energy. But this year, more often than not, I found myself itching to leave each evening. To return to the cabin and get lost in Jasper for the night.

As soon as Mateo returned from Eden Coffee, I’d be out the door.

“I’m glad Mateo is here to help,” I told Mom.

“I’m glad he’s here too.” Her eyes softened. Mom was in heaven now that all six of her children were at home. Add to that her grandkids and it was rare I saw her without a smile these days.

“How’s, um . . . Jasper?” Her smile dimmed. I doubted she even knew it was happening, but it hurt.

Not that I blamed her. This was all my fault.

“He’s great,” I said, turning the rings on my left hand. “He promised me fish tacos for dinner tonight.”

“Yum.” Mom looked like she was going to say something else, maybe to ask for a recipe. But instead, she glanced around the lobby. “Everyone checked in for today?”

“Not quite.”

Mom might share a bond with Knox and Lyla in the kitchen, but she shared something important with me too.

This hotel.

The ranch had kept Dad busy for years, and Mom could have worked there too, like many couples did on Montana farms and ranches. But Mom had taken an interest in the hotel, and rather than hire a manager for the inn, she’d taken it on herself. Somehow, she’d balanced six children and a career.

I’d always admired just how capable she was.

As a little girl, I’d spent countless hours with her here, sitting on the floor at her feet behind this same mahogany counter while she’d chatted with guests. I’d reenacted her conversations with my dolls. I’d pretended they were my hotel guests, visiting Quincy from faraway places.

When I’d gotten to kindergarten, my teacher had been amazed at how well I knew geography for a five-year-old. It was because Mom would show me on a map where every guest was from.

Maybe other girls would have wanted to travel the world, to see those different places. But I was content to stay here.

My dreams weren’t beyond the walls of this hotel.

They were the walls.

Mom and Dad had made some renovations and updates, though I had some ideas of my own to play up the boutique feel for The Eloise. Except those ideas would need to wait until it was officially mine.

If it was ever going to be officially mine.

“I wanted to talk to you about something,” Mom said.

I tensed, not sure I had the energy for another discussion about Jasper. “Of course. What’s up?”

“Do you remember Lydia Mitchum?”

“Um, do I?” But maybe this wasn’t about Jasper. Thank God.

“She was my college roommate. You met but it’s been ages. You were probably only eight or nine.”

“Sorry, I don’t remember. Why?”

“Well, she moved to Quincy. I haven’t talked to her in probably ten years, but out of the blue, she called and told me she’d just bought a house on Evergreen Drive.”

“Oh, that’s nice.”

“We just met for coffee and to catch up. That’s why I’m in town.”

“Mateo was headed that way.”

Mom nodded. “I passed him on my way here. Anyway, Lydia has a son. Blaze.”

“Blaze. Interesting name.”

“He’s seventeen. She didn’t get into the whole story, but I got the impression Lydia’s had a rough decade. I met the man she married once and didn’t like him much. She divorced him this year. Good for her. But Blaze is struggling. They were living in Missoula, but I guess he had some major problems in his high school there. She thought maybe a move would be a good reset.”

“Ah. Well . . . this is a good place to reset.”

“She’s still not sure if she’s going to send him to high school or just home school him for his senior year. But if she does keep him home, she’s worried he won’t get enough social interaction. Apparently he’s very introverted and would be happy playing video games twelve hours a day.”

“Okay,” I drawled, feeling the real question coming.

“Lydia wants him to get a job.”

I swallowed a groan. “I’d be happy to interview him.”

“Or you could just hire him for that open part-time position.”

The position I still hadn’t been able to fill. Three people had applied. Two had come in to interview—the other had ghosted me—but the fit had been off. So I’d passed them up, not wanting to get into a situation where I had to fire someone.

“Mom, you know I’m trying to be regimented in hiring decisions.” It was an employee who’d gotten me into trouble in the first place. Mom, of all people, should want to make sure we avoided that situation again.

“I know you are,” she said, holding up her hands. “I respect that. But just . . . do me a favor? Give him a part-time job. If it doesn’t work out, let him go.”

She made it sound so easy. But I hated firing people. It was the worst of the worst part of my job. Hell, I’d happily scrub toilets and scour bathrooms for the rest of my life if it meant I didn’t have to fire anyone.

Hence the reason we’d gotten involved in that lawsuit. Hence why I’d been more careful about hiring.

“Mom, I don’t know.”

“Please?”

The lobby door opened, covering the sound of my groan.

Jasper strode inside, wearing a simple black T-shirt and his favorite pair of faded jeans. They had buttons on the fly instead of a zipper, which made them my favorite jeans too because they came off so easily.

“Hi,” I said.

“Hey.” He stopped beside Mom, giving her a nod. “Hi, Anne.”

“Hello, Jasper.” She smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. Instead, there was a wariness in her gaze. She watched his every breath like she was waiting for him to turn around and walk away.

“Am I interrupting?” he asked, hooking a thumb over his shoulder. “I can go.”

“No, you’re fine,” Mom said. “I actually need to get going. Think about Blaze?”

I nodded. “I will.”

She turned, casting Jasper one last suspicious glance before heading to the doors.

Was this really where we were? My own mother was avoiding the man in my life? It was wrong. Every cell in my being screamed fix it.

“Mom,” I called before she could leave.

“Yeah?” She stopped beside the door, looking back.

“I’ll hire him. Have Lydia send him in tomorrow.” It was a mistake to shortcut my process and skip the interview. But apparently mistakes were becoming my specialty.

“Thanks,” Mom said on a sigh, the relief on her face only making the knot in my stomach tighter. Had she already promised Blaze a job? She lifted a hand to wave, then pushed outside.

It would probably be fine. If it wasn’t, then I’d deal. If Blaze did a bad job or had a problem cleaning rooms, well . . . at least Mom could tell Lydia that we’d given him a chance.

“You okay?” Jasper asked.

“Long day.” I forced a smile. “What are you doing?”

“I need to go on a trip.”

I blinked. “A trip? When?”

“Tonight.”

“Tonight?” What about fish tacos? Or a little advance notice? Had something bad happened with his family? Did he need me to go with him? “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’ve got an interview in Vegas with an up-and-coming fighter. It’s last minute.”

“Oh.” Someone might as well have kicked the chair out from underneath my ass. “That’s . . . great.”

That was great, right? This could be a new challenge for Jasper. He’d need that now that Foster was retired.

“What time is your flight?” It was supposed to come across as supportive but it sounded like a whine.

“I’m driving. I don’t need to be there until Friday, but I don’t want to bother with the airport in Missoula.”

Driving? To Las Vegas? “I could take you to the airport tomorrow.” It was only two hours away. Not that I had two hours to spare, but I’d find the time.

“Nah. I’ll hit the road. Find a hotel along the way. Get there tomorrow before my interview Friday.”

“Oh. Um, all right. When are you coming back?”

If Jasper heard the desperation and disappointment in my voice, he didn’t let it show. “Next week sometime. I’m not sure. I might stick around Vegas for a while. Check in on my house. Hit the old gym.”

In my imagination, I heard a piece of paper tear in two. Rrrrrip. There went our marriage certificate.

This was Jasper stepping back, wasn’t it? Planning his life. Leaving Montana.

I was supposed to have a couple more weeks.

Guess not.

“Drive safe.” My voice wobbled.

Jasper rounded the corner, forcing me to turn and face him. Then he framed my face with his hands, dropping a chaste kiss to my mouth. “The fridge is full of food. I even made you cookies. Which means there’s no reason for you to turn on the oven.”

I gave him a small smile. “No oven. Got it.”

Jasper’s brown eyes searched mine. So I searched his right back, wishing I could hear whatever thoughts were in that gorgeous head. Would he miss me?

I’d miss him.

Now. Later.

I was afraid that I’d miss him for the rest of my life.

“Will you text me updates as you drive?” I asked. “So I won’t worry?”

He nodded, kissing my forehead. Then he was gone, walking out the door.

To start the next phase of his life.

It was time to plan mine.

The Eloise Inn. That was the goal. I couldn’t let a couple months of incredible sex with Jasper steer me off that path. So I waited until Mateo returned with his coffee, then spent an hour wandering the hallways, up and down each floor, smiling to guests passing by. Taking mental notes of what I’d change when—if—the hotel was mine.

By the time I made it home, I was starving. Jasper hadn’t lied about the food in the fridge. It was teeming with storage containers, each labeled. I snagged the one marked fish tacos. The tortillas were on the counter. So were the cookies.

Everything was set.

For me to eat alone.

For me to stay alone.

How long had he known about this interview? How long had he planned this trip?

“Last minute, my ass,” I muttered.

Instead of taking the food to the table and eating my dinner alone, I balanced it in one hand while I snagged my purse with the other and marched outside, climbing in my car and driving back to town.

Lyla was dressed in sweats when she answered the door to her house. Gray joggers and a matching hoodie. She was also wearing that freaking fake smile. “Hey. What are you doing here? Everything okay?”

“No, it’s not okay. Stop being so nice. And happy. It’s weird.”

“Me being happy is weird?”

“You know what I mean, Lyla. You’ve been acting strange since you found out about Jasper. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I had no idea that you liked him.”

The façade slipped as she crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not. You’re upset.”

“I’m embarrassed,” she corrected. “It was just . . . embarrassing.”

My heart pinched. “I’m sorry.”

Lyla straightened, waving it off. “You didn’t know.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” It wasn’t like Lyla to keep her crushes a secret, especially from Talia and me. Usually half of Quincy knew she liked a guy before they even had a date.

“I don’t know.” She lifted a shoulder. “But if you’re happy with Jasper, then I’m glad I didn’t.”

Because had I known she liked him, our night beside the fountain in Vegas would have been entirely different.

That made both of us glad. Otherwise I never would have known Jasper.

“What’s that?” Lyla pointed to the container and tortillas in my hand.

“Dinner. Jasper had to leave, and I don’t want to eat alone. How do you feel about fish tacos?”

“Um, well, that depends. Did you make them?”

I giggled, feeling some of the tension in my frame melt away. “No, Jasper did.”

“He made sure you had food while he was gone? Aww.” Lyla pressed a hand to her heart. “That’s sweet.”

It was sweet. And annoying. Because he hadn’t told me he was leaving.

“This dinner comes at a price,” I told her.

“Wine?”

“And your guest bedroom. Can I have a sleepover?”