LITMIR.BIZ

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farmhouse and to save an old structure that had doubled as a school and church, but that’s where he’d drawn the line.

      He was still thinking of the lively shouting matches they’d had over all that when he rounded the final curve in the road and saw the inn for the first time since Jess had bought it. He was taken aback by how good it looked. She’d brought back its inviting facade, almost as if she remembered how welcoming it had originally looked when he and Jeff had first built it. But Jess had only been a baby back then. How had she remembered it so clearly? The Pattersons certainly hadn’t kept it looking like that in years. The yard was shaded by ancient oaks, and there were even a few weeping willows far enough from the house that they wouldn’t mess with the water pipes. The inn had gotten its name from a lone eagle that his brother had spotted during construction. Since then, there were more in the region, including a pair that took up residence in the highest branches overlooking the bay and the inn.

      “Dad!”

      He heard the surprise in Jess’s voice, then spotted her sitting on the porch with a glass of iced tea, her bare feet propped up on the railing. “Hey, Jess,” he greeted her, trying to keep his tone casual. “I was out for a walk after lunch and found myself heading in this direction.”

      “Why?” she asked, radiating suspicion.

      “I just wanted to see what you’ve done with the place,” he admitted, sitting down next to her. He glanced sideways, saw the tension in her shoulders and inquired, “Any more of that tea?”

      She hesitated, looking as if she weren’t all that happy about the prospect of spending time with him. Then she stood, ingrained hospitality winning out over her reservations. “Sure. I’ll be right back with some.”

      Mick sighed after she’d gone. She wasn’t going to make this easy for him, he concluded. Then, again, why should she? Ma was right about one thing. He’d always criticized her. Early on, he’d excused it, thinking he’d been as tough on all his kids. But then, when they’d found out that Jess had a relatively mild case of ADD, he hadn’t been able to stop himself from continuing with the same pattern, as if he’d thought she could change her behavior if she wanted to badly enough, even without the medication that doctors thought she probably didn’t need. Mick sighed, wondering if they shouldn’t have revisited that. Maybe she had needed it.

      Because he’d recognized that his attitude wasn’t helping, he’d always assumed she was probably happier when he was away, but maybe that hadn’t been true. Maybe she’d felt abandoned, just as his mother had suggested. He vowed to try a different approach.

      When Jess returned with his glass of tea, he lifted it in a toast. “Congratulations, Jess! You’ve done a fine job here. It hasn’t looked this good since the day Jeff and I sold it to the Pattersons.”

      “They really did let it fall apart,” she said. “But thanks to you, it had good bones. Most of what I’ve had to do is cosmetic.”

      “I’d like to see what you’ve done inside, if you have time to show me around.”

      She looked surprised by that. “Really?”

      “Why not? I’m here. Unless you don’t have time.”

      “No, come on,” she said, though she seemed to be struggling to balance her eagerness to show off what she’d accomplished with her fear of his reaction. “I can at least take time for the fifty-cent tour.”

      Mick followed her inside, reminding himself to keep all of his comments positive and superficial, no matter how badly he wanted to give advice. By the time they’d reached the third floor, though, he realized that his mental warning had been unnecessary. She was doing a great job without any input from him. She had her uncle Jeff’s intuitive sense of style. Mick could design a structure that would last, a development that could become a community, but it was Jeff who’d given each home its individual character.

      “I’m impressed,” he said when they’d toured all of the rooms, including the kitchen where every stainless-steel surface gleamed. The old appliances looked a little time-worn by contrast. “You really do have a knack for this, Jess.”

      To his surprise, she blinked back tears. “Thanks,” she murmured, then turned away, busying herself by pouring more tea.

      He rested a hand on her shoulder. “I’m really proud of you.”

      She turned slowly, her eyes welling up with tears. “You’ve never, ever said that to me before.”

      “Of course—”

      Her jaw set stubbornly. “No, Dad, you haven’t.”

      “Then I’m sorry. This is certainly not the first time it’s been true.”

      The smile that broke slowly across her face made his heart ache. How had he not seen how much she needed a simple thing like him voicing his approval? He vowed to be more generous with his praise. Right now, though, he had another issue that needed to be dealt with, and he was wise enough to know he had to tread cautiously, even if that wasn’t his usual blunt style. Still, he hesitated about bringing up the meeting at the bank and ruining this moment of hard-earned peace with his youngest child.

      In the end, because the outcome of that meeting still stuck in his craw, he couldn’t stop himself. “Jess, how do you feel about what happened at the bank?”

      She frowned and backed away, ending their rapport and literally putting distance back between them. “I’m not happy about it, but I guess I see Trace’s point. Abby’s better at finances than I am, and it’s not like she’s going to take the inn away from me. She’ll just stay involved until I’m on a solid financial footing.” She met his gaze, worry in her eyes. “Why? Did she say something? She’s not going to back out, is she?”

      “No, she’s determined to see this through. I just wanted to be sure it wasn’t going to cause problems between you, because I could call Lawrence Riley and put an end to Trace’s plan.”

      “How?”

      “I’ll cosign your notes.”

      “Absolutely not,” she said at once. “I don’t want you to bail me out.”

      “It wouldn’t be a bailout. It would just make me your backup, so your sister could get back to her life. It’s my signature on a few papers. That’s it.”

      She gave him a wry look. “That wouldn’t be it, Dad, and you know it. You’d think your signature entitled you to make a few suggestions and the next thing you know you’d be running things.”

      “I won’t even be around,” he protested. “I’ll be heading back to California in a few more days. Come on, Jess. Let me do this for you.”

      “Why are you pushing so hard for this?”

      “Because you’re my daughter. I want to help out with something that matters to you. You’ve finally found the one thing you really seem to care about. I don’t want that taken away from you.”

      “Abby will see to that, Dad. She’s always been there for me. And having her here again, that’ll be great for both of us. Maybe she’ll actually learn how to relax. And it’s going to be wonderful for Caitlyn and Carrie, too. This will be a win-win, Dad. I’m sure of it.”

      He sighed. “I hope so.”

      “Look, I appreciate the offer. I really do, but it’s better this way. Abby won’t boss me around.”

      Mick gave her a disbelieving look. “Have you met your sister? She grew up bossing people around.”

      Jess laughed. “True, but she doesn’t scare me.”

      “And I do?”

      “More than you know,” she admitted.

      That was another thing he’d have to live with and figure out how to change.

      “Okay, then, I’ll back off,” he said,

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