Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 109368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
“And … uh, she told me that lying in that bed was the first time in her life when she truly knew who she was. That moments and people had carved away at her every second of every day, like she was a lump of clay turning into a sculpture. And it was only now that her time was ending that she was complete. She promised me that one day it would be the same for me and that thinking you knew yourself could be a prison. That I should treat every day as a day I get to know a little more about who I am. It was just a day where the world sculpted another little piece of me.”
I turned back to him and found Ramsay staring at me with a pained expression I didn’t quite understand.
“How can you know everything you are when life hasn’t finished sculpting you yet?”
Ramsay seemed to truly consider my words. Then he cleared his throat, that penetrating wolf gaze piercing me to the soul. “I think while your grandmother was wise … it’s also true that who we are at the core never changes.”
“I think that’s true too. My mom grew up with money, but she was bullied as a kid, and it made her empathetic and kind. She didn’t judge people for what they had or didn’t have. She raised me that way. And no matter what life threw at her, that part of her never changed.” I smiled sadly, thinking about my mom who was the kindest human I’d ever known. “She made my dad a better person. He was the first to admit it.”
I chuckled remembering my mom’s smug, happy laugh when my dad told me the story of how they met. “My dad was on a first date with this famous supermodel the night he met my mom. I’ve seen pictures, and this woman was like otherworldly gorgeous. It was this international business awards thing in London, and Mom was there as an assistant to the events organizer. My dad watched as this guest accidentally poured red wine all over the host’s white dress before the event started. He said that the host was practically hysterical and suddenly, this pretty blond appeared out of nowhere, efficiently whisked the host away, and the next time he saw them both, the host was in the blond’s dress and the blond was in the stained white dress.”
“Your mother.”
I grinned. “Yeah. She swapped dresses. Dad said he watched her for the rest of the night, just doing her job and laughing off any comments about her appearance. He watched her perform little acts of kindness all night—like helping an elderly guest to the restroom. Covering up mistakes waitstaff made. He didn’t speak one word to her, but he knew he needed to know her.
“At the end of the night, he put his date in a cab and returned to the event to find my mom. He asked her out. Mom said she thought he was joking at first. She knew Dad was the heir to the Silver Group empire, and she was a sweaty mess in a stained white dress.” Realizing I might be boring Ramsay with my musings, I clamped my mouth shut and shrugged, feeling weirdly vulnerable.
“Your father sounds like he was a man who recognized what was important.”
Relief cooled the heat in my cheeks. “Yeah. Yeah, he saw past all the bullshit. He thought my mom … he thought there was no one else in the world like her. He would have done anything for her.” Like uncover a dark secret, even if it meant ruining his family’s legacy. “Anyway. Sorry … I, uh, I’m feeling a little nostalgic today. We should get moving.” I marched toward the house.
This time Ramsay didn’t respond. He followed me into the B and B … and then went his own way.
10. Tierney
Afew days after Perri’s update, I was in the B and B and finally able to see my future business coming together. Before everyone arrived, I’d taken some progress videos for socials. Now Cammie stood at my side with Quinn and a representative from the independent kitchen designer we’d selected. Arthur worked for the small, family-run business based in Fort William and had come all the way from the mainland with samples.
This was the exciting part. Choosing all the design elements.
Arthur had his laptop open and was leaning on a makeshift table Quinn had put together. He had a design app open and was adjusting the layout as we all discussed what would work most practically for a B and B kitchen.
“The range looks great and would be perfect for this Victorian building,” Cammie mused as we looked at a brochure of range ovens.
“I think four fitted ovens on this wall”—I pointed to the back of the room—“would be more practical.”