And it wouldn’t be an easy discussion. They all owned the lodge together, so they’d all decide whether they were selling it or keeping it together. But the one thing they were all agreed on was the fact Josh had been left holding the bag and it was time he got to go have a life.
He wasn’t sure how everybody felt about it. Of course it wasn’t easy to let go of the home you grew up in, but they all had homes of their own now. Sean, though, would probably be the most okay with selling. Even as a kid, he’d hated having strangers in his house and he’d never learned to be comfortable living in a snowmobile lodge. That was one of the reasons Josh suspected, when Sean had gotten out of the army, he’d gone to New Hampshire to visit Aunt Mary and Uncle Leo instead of coming home—he was afraid he’d get sucked into helping out at the Northern Star. It had worked out well for Sean, since that’s where he’d met and fallen in love with Emma. But it didn’t work out as well for Josh, who’d hoped to hand the lodge over to him for a while.
The primary concern for all of them, of course, was Rosie. No matter what they did with the lodge, they’d make sure she was taken care of. But Josh knew if they sold it and the new owners chose not to keep her on, it might break her heart.
Their other option was to hire a manager to run the place once the income could justify the expense. Even though Rosie essentially ran the place, she couldn’t do it alone. And they certainly wouldn’t leave her alone at the lodge to deal with guests who were primarily male.
“My lumber delivery’s here,” Sean said, breaking into Josh’s thoughts. “Kiss Rosie for me and I’ll let you know about the Christmas Eve party.”
“Don’t wait too long. Katie and I need to plan the menu.”
Sean was still laughing when the call disconnected, and Josh flipped off his phone just on principle before sliding it back into his pocket.
He was going to enjoy rubbing everybody’s face in it when he and Katie threw a party even Martha Whatshername would envy.
*
Katie parked her Jeep beside Andy’s truck and took a deep breath. Cohabitation time.
It was no big deal, she told herself for the umpteenth time. The fact they’d be sleeping under the same roof for a while didn’t change anything. They’d been friends for decades, so it wasn’t as if things would be awkward or uncomfortable. They’d go on just as they always had.
She was still sitting there when Andy knocked on her window and made her jump.
“You okay?”
She opened her door, making him back up a bit. “I’m fine. Lost in thought, I guess.”
“You need some help carrying stuff?”
“No thanks.” She grabbed the duffel bag off the passenger seat and climbed out. “I travel light.”
“It’s good that you’re able to stay for a while. Your mom’s a stubborn woman, but having you here will help keep her in check.”
“I guess you’d know as well as anybody how stubborn she can be.” Damn, she hadn’t meant to say that.
“Guess so.”
Well, since she’d brought it up, she might as well ask the question. “Andy, was he really sorry? My dad, I mean?”
His expression sobered, and she was almost sorry she’d asked. He was a handsome man, an older version of his son, Drew, but he looked older when he wasn’t smiling. “Honey, I don’t have words to describe how sorry he was. I know it’s not easy finding out somebody you love made a mistake like that, especially after he’s gone and you can’t talk to him about it, but believe me, he loved your mother.”
She shifted the duffel to her other hand and they walked toward the house together. “For what it’s worth, I don’t blame you like Mom did. Dad was responsible for what he did, not you.”
“That’s worth a lot, but if I could go back and not say hello to that woman, I would. Just asking them back to the motel disrespected your mother—and you—and that I’m sorry for.”
“So you guys are really friendly now.”
“I enjoy Rose’s company. I think she feels the same.”
She suspected that was all she was going to get out of Andy on the situation. He wasn’t a man of many words. “Good. You can watch Criminal Minds with her while Josh and I try to figure out how to throw a party.”
That made him laugh. “Good luck with that. I’m gonna go finish snowblowing around the house.”
Katie went in the back door and kicked her boots off next to Josh’s. She was surprised to his coat thrown over a chair, because it was one of her mother’s pet peeves. But she wasn’t home, so Katie peeled off her sweatshirt and tossed it over another chair.
Duffel in hand, she went into the living room and found Josh sprawled on the couch, eyes closed. He was very sexy when he sprawled.