Grandma ignored him. “Your father never told you because he thought it wasn’t fair they left it to you alone and not to all of you kids. The last renters just moved out, so it’s sitting there on the other side of the lake falling to pieces. Fix it up into a nice private getaway and show your father you’re better than he gives you credit for. Hurt him where it pains him most—in his damn wallet. Steal a few of those richer-than-sin clients away, then you’ll be able to keep Haley here where she belongs.
“And you!” Grandma stood and pointed her cane at Dad. “That’s your innocent-in-all-of-this granddaughter you just put on the line. I’m ashamed of you, son!” She opened the door, ignoring Mrs. Duncan, who had obviously had her ear plastered to the other side, and yelled, “Now this meeting is adjourned!”
By the stunned looks of confusion on her older siblings’ faces, no one else knew about the house either. Dad’s menacing stare silenced the questions they clearly wanted to ask.
She’d always presumed the house had been inherited by her mother, an only child. But because her mom had died when Megan was a baby, it had gone to her father. “I’d gladly share with you guys—”
“Nope.” Ryan finally spoke. “If those were their wishes, then we need to honor them. None of us are going to complain, are we?” He slid a stern look Casey’s way and then to Ben. When they both shook their heads, Ryan nodded sharply. “Then we’re all in agreement. Go for it, Meg.”
“Oh, that’s rich. How?” Her father leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his big barrel chest.
When no one spoke, Dad said, “Megan obviously doesn’t have the resources, and I expect you all to keep our bargain. Don’t let me catch you loaning her money. She’ll never learn if we keep bailing her out. We all agreed on that.”
Yeah, and at the end of the day, that’s what hurt the worst. None of them had any faith left in her. Well, dammit, she’d show all of them, and herself too, that she could run her new little lodge better than any of them, even if she didn’t have any money.
But how?
Meg fumed as she replayed the family meeting in her mind. She was used to her dad stomping on her heart, but hadn’t seen that one coming from her sister and brothers.
She dragged the compressor closer to Grandma’s fence, intending to finish the paint job while she decided what she was going to do with her life. It was tempting to just pack up and go, but if she left the fence half-painted, they’d all accuse her of reneging on top of being a screwup.
Too bad she had nowhere else to go. Given a choice it sure wouldn’t be Anderson freakin’ Butte.
As she leaned down to flip the switch, a familiar voice rang out in greeting.
Meg smiled as Pam, her hairstylist best friend who dressed like a hooker, made her way down the drive. Maybe Meg should point the nozzle at Pam and paint some clothes on her. But then, if Meg had a body like that, she’d probably want to show it off too. “Hey, Pam.”
Her friend sashayed closer. Pam put so much bump and grind into her walk she should’ve carried her own pole. And she looked the part for the job: bleached-blonde hair, curvy body, and a man-eating smile. “Hey, Megs, glad you’re back. Heard you were going to open a lodge on the other side of the lake.”
It hadn’t been five minutes since she’d left her father’s office. The Internet had nothing on the grapevine in Anderson Butte. “Well, uh, I haven’t really decided—”
“Because I have a business proposition for you.” Pam batted her eyes.
Someone should tell her that only works on men. Meg loved Pam like a sister but she had bigger problems at the moment. “I’m not really sure what I’ll do with the place yet. But I’ll keep that stellar idea of yours in mind. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to paint this fence.”
Pam blinked. “I haven’t even told you what it is. Come on, Meg. We’ve known each other since the first grade.”
True. She was mad at her family, not Pam. “Sorry. Bad day. What did you have in mind?”
A sly grin lit Pam’s face. “I offered this deal to your father, but we all know how shortsighted he is, right? This could be a way to stick it to him, you know? See, I’ve been taking an online massage class, and I—” Pam suddenly stopped and her eyes got all gooey. “Oh, hey, Ryan.”
As mad at her family as Meg was, she could have kissed Ryan for saving her from Pam’s off-kilter idea. Pam giving massages in hotel rooms would surely get someone arrested.
“Pam.” Ryan lifted his chin in greeting. “Need to talk to Meg. Excuse us?”