“Imagine that,” he murmured, sitting opposite her.

“Yes, imagine that. So . . . what are you doing here, Mr. Tremaine? I hope you’ve not come to plead on my sister’s behalf.”

“No, I haven’t. But I am here to save her inn.”

She narrowed her eyes and sat forward, studying his face closely. “What is it about her? Why do you love her?”

Hearing the bitterness in her voice, seeing the jealousy buried deep in the depths of her gaze, Vaughn replied, “Why do you hate her?”

The question surprised her. Vanessa sat back against the couch. “I don’t hate my sister.”

“I find that surprising.”

“I said I don’t hate her. But I don’t like her.”

“Why?”

She made a face. “Do you know how many times I heard my father ask me, ‘Why, V? Why can’t you be more like Cherry?’ She got good grades, she was involved in school events, town events, and she was always working at the inn, learning the ropes. Because I had no interest in any of those things, my father thought I was a loser.”

“I’m sure he didn’t.”

“Well he made me feel less than her. It never bothered Charlie, but it bothered me. Daddy and his little girl.”

“You’re telling me this comes down to sibling rivalry?” Jesus Christ. This woman had never grown up.

“I couldn’t care less about that,” she snapped. “All I care about is making money. I tried to get involved in the inn, make it mine, and she wouldn’t let me. It was boring anyway. So selling my share makes more sense.”

“But you’re making money from the inn.”

“Yes, but I’ll make it all up front this way, and more besides. It seems Devlin is desperate to get his hands on boardwalk property.”

“You do realize that once he owns a share of the inn he will try to find a way to take the rest of it. I’ll try to make sure he won’t succeed but he’s going to make Bailey’s life a living hell.”

“My sister’s tough. And a little melodramatic. Devlin won’t be able to take the inn. Charlie has a thirty percent share and Bailey has forty percent. They’re the majority shareholders and Charlie won’t let anything happen to the inn for Bailey’s sake. My whole family adores my sister.”

Studying her, Vaughn realized that Vanessa really had no idea of the ramifications of what she was doing. She underestimated Devlin entirely. “Stu Devlin attacked your sister. It doesn’t concern you that you’re selling your share to the people who would do that to her?”

Vanessa shifted uncomfortably. “It was never proven. Stu has an alibi.”

“I was there, Vanessa. I walked into her office and found her struggling beneath him on the floor. I got to them just as he was about to put a fist through her face.”

She looked away and he saw how hard she swallowed, how her fingers curled into little fists before she shook them out and turned back to him, her eyes blazing. “Look, are you going to make a counteroffer, or what?”

Bailey

It was four o’clock and I had nothing.

We had nothing.

We’d tried calling my sister but she wasn’t answering her phone. We’d tried calling the Grand Hotel but she had a Do Not Disturb sign on her room.

I’d finally hung up on the conference call with my family after we realized we couldn’t stop my sister from doing this. My brother and father were threatening to disown her. My mother wouldn’t stop weeping.

As for me I was exhausted.

And scared.

I knew it was all too good to be true.

Having my beautiful inn and finding someone like Vaughn? Someone who got how much it meant to me, who didn’t mind me working hard because he worked hard, too. Finding someone who gave me butterflies and made my heart pound, who excited me and exasperated me . . .

Being this happy?

I knew it was too good to be true.

I’d just assumed that it was the Vaughn part I’d lose.

Not my inn.

You’ll be okay, I tried to tell myself.

“Bailey, can I get you anything?” Dahlia stood in the doorway to my office.

The worry in her eyes made the tears in mine spill over.

“Oh, sweetie.” She rushed over and bent down to hug me tight.

I held on and lost it completely.

Moments later Dahlia pulled away and I was hauled up out of my chair. Through confusion and blurry vision I barely recognized him. His familiar cologne and his strong embrace penetrated.

I sank into Vaughn, crying into his neck as he hushed me while gently rubbing my back.

“Princess, please,” he begged. “Stop. It’s going to be okay.”

“It’s not!” I sobbed, not caring what a mess I was. “This is my home and Ian Devlin is going to come in and make my life hell and then try to take it from me and I might let him if he starts trying to change things and drive me insane and I just don’t know if—”

“Stop, stop.” Vaughn pushed me from him, his grip on my upper arms almost bruising. “No one is taking anything from you.” He looked back at Dahlia, who stood with tears in her eyes. “Can you give us a minute?”

She nodded and left the room, closing the office door behind her.

I sensed a new tension in Vaughn. “What? What is it? What happened?”

He let go of me to pick up papers he’d settled on my desk. He handed them to me and I stared at them, still confused. The words on the paper started to make a little sense. “This is a contract. For Vanessa’s share?”