Every Little Thing (Hart's Boardwalk 2)

“Hey, boss, I’ve worked in some lousy places over the years, and this is not one of them. This is the best job I’ve ever had, and I’m not going to let some skinny wannabe socialite scare me off. No offense.”

“Oh, none taken. I would have called h

er worse.”

We laughed and I leaned into Aydan. “Thank God you’re here.”

“We’ll get through this together.”

Reassured that Vanessa wouldn’t send Aydan running for the hills, I strolled back into the inn. Aydan went to check with Mona about the dinner menu that night, and I hurried into the haven of my office. I closed the door behind me and closed my eyes.

I was way less composed than I’d let on to Aydan.

Vanessa Hartwell was the last problem I needed. Knowing only one person who’d understand, I called him.

My brother picked up on the fourth ring. “Hey, Bails. What’s going on?”

“Vanessa is here. At the inn. She just turned up. Says she wants to help run the place.”

“What?” He sounded as shell-shocked as I felt.

“She says she’s bored of the wanderlust and wants to take her responsibilities more seriously.”

Charlie swore. “Get her out of there. Now.”

“And how do you propose I do that?”

“Find a rich man, dangle him on a fishing pole, and wave him under her nose.”

I snorted and then felt guilty. “Maybe I should give her a chance. She is our sister.”

“And she’s a spoiled, selfish, lazy little brat.”

“Maybe she’s changed.”

“Did she seem like she’s changed? Because last Thanksgiving she didn’t seem like she’d changed.”

“You saw her last Thanksgiving?”

“Yeah, she was in the States so she came to see me.”

An old hurt flared. “She never came to see me, Mom, and Dad.” Little brat. “I knew it. She has never liked me.”

“Don’t take it personally. I think she was avoiding Hartwell more than she was avoiding you guys.”

“Well now she’s not avoiding either of us.” I groaned. “Charlie, what will I do?”

“I think I gave you a solution to that problem.”

“Mom and Dad would tell me to give her a chance.”

“Because Mom and Dad love unconditionally and cannot see her for the conniving little brat she is.”

“Maybe we should stop letting her be a brat. Maybe if I let her work at the inn I could teach her to work hard, to see the value of hard work.”

Charlie laughed.

“Everyone deserves a chance.” I found myself arguing my way into a decision and situation that could end horribly for me.