Chapter 16 - Mara
I can’t keep the smile off my face today. I get up and hum to myself as I get ready. I sing in the shower and I smile as I get dressed. When I'm ready, I grab my drawings and make my way out to the dining room where I know I’ll find my parents. Sure enough, they’re sitting at their usual table having their morning coffee.
“Good morning!” I call out.
My mother looks up from the newspaper and furrows her brows.
“What’s gotten into you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re in a good mood,” she says, leaning back in her chair and raising an eyebrow.
I laugh. “Is that not allowed?”
My father scoffs and motions to the chair beside him. “Have a seat, Mara. Coffee?” He motions to the pot of coffee in the middle of the table. I nod in thanks and pour myself a mug. He lets me sit down before speaking again. “We were just talking about the renovations. We’d like to see some drawings soon. Will you be applying to the Parks this week?”
I slide into the chair and put the folder of sketches on the table. “That’s what I’ve come up with so far. The concept is to maintain the hotel’s natural heritage while highlighting some of the mountains around. The color scheme is based on the landscape,” I explain as my father thumbs through the drawings.
He passes some papers over to my mother who inspects them with a critical eye. She makes a noise and purses her lips.
“Are you sure about this, Tim? So much construction – and right before our busiest time of the year!”
My father looks through the drawings one more time and glances at me. “You think you can get us recognized by the Parks?”
I gulp. Not only would this be the biggest job I’ve ever designed, but it’s for my parents. There won’t be the regular client-designer relationship. My heart thumps when I think of last night and all the trouble I could get myself into.
I nod my head. “We can. With these updates, we’ll be in the boutique hotel category, and we’ll have enough heritage elements to get certified. There’s no reason not to go for it.”
My father nods and shifts his eyes back to the papers.
“All this furniture – is this custom made?”
The question seems innocent, but I’ve been preparing for it for the last two days. I swallow and nod, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Custom made and designed. We have to have a certain percentage of work done by local people.” I pause. “What about Dominic Clarke? He’s talented –”
“Absolutely not,” my mother says, dropping the papers and leaning back. She shakes her head from left to right and lifts her hands up. “No. You want to hire that brute to work on our hotel? The one who ruined our chances of expanding the business? No.”
My father looks at my mother over his glasses and then glances back at the drawings. When he says nothing, I take a deep breath.
“Having the furniture maker in town would be –”
“No.”
The finality in my mother’s voice makes me stop. I nod once and take a sip of coffee. My heart is hammering in my chest and I try to keep my cheeks from burning. I knew it would be a battle to get them to hire Dominic, but it sounds like it’s not even an option. I take another sip of coffee and watch the dark liquid swirl in the cup.
I can feel my parent’s eyes on me, and I try to keep my face steady. Dominic was right. This whole thing is a bad idea. I should have listened to him – he lives here! I’ve been away from Lang Creek for ages. I’ve forgotten how things work around here. I should have listened when he told me it would never work.
Now I have to either hide it from my parents or convince them to hire their sworn enemy. I glance up at the two of them to see them staring at me. I force a casual smile and nod my head.
“I’ll do some research and find another local furniture maker,” I say.
My mother nods and purses her lips as she picks up her coffee mug. “We won’t have that savage anywhere near our business.” She pauses, glancing at my father with a raised eyebrow. “Will we, Tim?”
My father makes a noise in agreement, but keeps his eyes trained on me. He frowns slightly and stares at me for a few moments before turning back to the newspaper in front of him.
My heart is hammering in my chest. He knows something’s up. He can tell something is going on, but he just won’t say it. I throw back my coffee and get up, nodding to my parents and grabbing the papers before shuffling out of the dining room.
By the time I’m in the office, my head is spinning. I want to hire Dominic. Not only is he in town, he’s the most talented woodworker I’ve ever seen. And last night…
I need to see him again. I need to spend time with him. I’ve never felt as good as I did waking up next to him this morning.
My parents will come around. They’ll understand eventually. They’ll see that this feud between our two families is ridiculous, and it’s all our fault. If I hadn’t fallen in the river and if they hadn’t bought out the Clarke Transportation business, then none of this would have happened.
Dominic, Aiden, Ethan – they’ve done nothing wrong. They reacted exactly how a normal person would react if their father died and they were betrayed by the only other adults in their life. I can’t fault them for that. They were used exactly how I was used with Vincent.
I don’t know why I’m working for my parents now, or why I still want their approval. I don’t know why I’m here, or what I’ll do once these renovations are over.
I’m lost. The only thing that feels right is being with Dominic. The only thing that feels like it makes sense is spending time with him.
What if we could fix this? What if we could end this feud, and bring our two families back together? What if I could make a better name for my family, and show that I have integrity and that I have a heart?
I make it to my room and flop back down on the bed. I can still smell Dominic in my sheets, and I take a deep breath. I exhale as I close my eyes, imagining his hands all over my body.
I’m not ready to let that go. I’m not ready to give up yet another part of my life just because my parents said so. It’s time for me to live life for myself.