Jasper Vale (The Edens #4)(47)

“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.