Juniper Hill (The Edens #2)(25)

“Where did you go to school?”

“I have a degree in sociology from Princeton. Not exactly useful, but it was interesting.”

Knox was silent for a long moment, then he laughed. “Princeton. Why did you choose to work at The Eloise? Why not find something that paid more?”

“Hotels are what I’ve always known.” And though I probably could have found a cushy resort and worked my way into a general manager position, Dad had required his executives, including his daughters, to sign a ten-year noncompete.

“It seemed like the easy choice,” I said. “Not that the work is easy. It’s the hardest job I’ve ever had. But with so many other changes, I wanted the familiarity of a hotel. Even if I’ve never cleaned a room in my life.”

He blinked. “Seriously? You’ve never cleaned before this?”

“I had a maid,” I admitted. “I watched a lot of videos on YouTube before I started.”

“Well . . . according to Eloise, you’re doing a hell of a job.”

“Thank you.” I was glad it was dark so he wouldn’t see me blush. “I won’t be a housekeeper forever, but I was never given the chance to choose my own path. When I’m ready, I’ll find something that pays more. That leans on my education. There aren’t a ton of opportunities in a small town, but I’ll keep my eye out. For now, I like where I’m at.”

“You could have picked any other town.”

I shook my head. “I chose Quincy.”

This town was mine.

It was hard to explain how I’d become so attached to this place in such a short time. But every time I drove down Main, it felt more and more like home. Every time I went to the grocery store and my favorite cashier—Maxine—complimented me on having such an adorable baby, I felt my heart settle. Every time I walked into The Eloise, I felt like I belonged.

“My parents would hate it here.” I smiled.

“Part of its appeal?”

“At first.” I dropped my gaze to my lap. “I know how all of this sounds. It’s part of the reason why I haven’t told anyone. Poor little rich girl gives up her fortune, moves to Montana, and lives paycheck to paycheck all because she was sick and tired of her father ordering her around.”

Saying it aloud made me cringe.

“I didn’t turn my life upside down to spite anyone. I did it for Drake. Because I believe in my heart of hearts, this is a better life. Even if it’s hard. Even if we’re alone.” We’d been alone since the beginning.

“Would they have made your life miserable in New York?” Knox asked.

“They would have controlled it. They would have ripped the decisions out of my hands, especially when it came to Drake.” He would have had a nanny and been shipped away to boarding school at age ten. “I don’t want to live by someone else’s rule simply because he pulls the strings with my money.”

“I can appreciate that. So what happens when you turn thirty? When he’s not in charge of your trust fund?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’m not going to hold out hope that the money will be there. I expect my father to find a way to take it himself. Probably buy another hotel in another city.”

“Can he do that? Is it legal?”

I lifted a shoulder. “I always have the option to fight. To hire an attorney and go after it. In a few years, maybe I’ll feel differently, but at the moment, I don’t want any part of it. I had enough money saved up to buy my car. Once I get ahead, I’ll see what my options are for buying a house. Right now, it’s more important for me to count on myself than anyone else. My family was supposed to be there for me, but on the first-worst day of my life, they let me down. So I’ve let them go.”

His forehead furrowed. “You keep track of your worst days?”

“It’s silly, but yes.”

“What was the first?”

I gave him a sad smile. “The day I had Drake. It was also the first-best day of my life.”

“I get why it was the best day.” He splayed his fingers across Drake’s back. For whatever reason, he didn’t seem ready to put the baby in his crib. Knox simply held him, ensuring that my son slept. “Why was it the first-worst day too?”

“Because I was alone. My brother and father are cut from the same cloth so I hadn’t expected much from them, but I thought my mom would at least show at the hospital for the birth of her first grandchild. Maybe my sister. But they all ignored my calls and didn’t respond to my texts. I was in labor for seventeen hours.”

The crying. The pain. The exhaustion.

That was the day Old Memphis had died. Because she’d realized that the life she’d lived was so shallow that not a single person had come to simply hold her hand. No family. No friends.

“The epidural didn’t work,” I said. “The doctors finally told me that I had to have an emergency C-section. I woke up a day later after almost dying from a postpartum hemorrhage.”

“Fuck,” Knox muttered.

“Drake was healthy. That was all that mattered. We camped in the hospital for a couple of weeks, and when they sent us home, I was already planning an exit from the city. When Dad called to tell me that I had to move out, I simply escalated my departure date.”