He headed over to the lodge and stopped short at the sight of a ladder against the north wall. A very bad feeling came up from his gut and he strode inside. Gray, Penny, Kenna, Aidan, and Aidan’s fiancée Lily sat at a table having a late breakfast.
“Told you he’d come if there was food involved,” Gray said. “He thinks with his stomach. That’s because he’s single.”
“What part do you think with?” Penny asked him.
Gray waggled a brow suggestively.
Penny rolled her eyes. “And I put up with you why again?”
“I’ll remind you after breakfast,” he told her, voice husky.
“Eww,” Kenna said. “Old people shouldn’t talk about sex.”
“I’m thirty-two,” Gray said.
“Old,” the twenty-five-year-old said.
There was an empty seat waiting for Hud. A plate had been loaded with his favorites: bacon, eggs, hash browns, sourdough toast, and… a big, fat blueberry muffin, the top of it dusted with sugar.
His mouth watered. “Who died?”
Penny laughed. “No one, you big lug. Sit down and enjoy.”
It was hot as hell inside. Making a mental note to have someone check the thermostat and make sure they weren’t bleeding money with a heater cranked up too high, he dropped his jacket, hat, and gloves. He unzipped his sweatshirt and sat. Then he looked at Penny, aka the sweet tyrant.
“What?” she asked innocently.
Shit. He knew it. The plate had been a misdirect and he’d fallen for it. “Talk to me about the ladder against the wall.”
Penny looked at Gray.
“Told you he was smarter than he looked,” Gray said, stuffing his face.
“Your mom emailed us about the mural,” Penny said as Hud picked up the muffin. “All of us. She said she thought of it as a family endeavor, a family picture, and you know what? I realized we don’t have a single one of all of us. How sad is that? So she’s right. We’re taking a vote.”
Well, hell. Hud put the muffin down. “I’m sorry,” he said. “She shouldn’t have asked this of you. I know I should take away her phone but—”
“I like the idea of a mural,” Gray said.
Hud stared at him. “What?”
“Yeah,” Gray said. “Actually, we all like the idea.”
Of course, because they were insane, each more than the next. “No,” he said. “We don’t all like the idea.” He said this even though a small part of him was remembering his mom’s joy at the thought of the mural. And her claim that Bailey was special, that she’d been through a hard time.
For all Hud knew, his mom had recycled a story she’d heard or seen on TV. Or hell, maybe Bailey had actually given her a sob story. He didn’t know and didn’t care. She wasn’t his business.
The resort was his business. “We’re not doing a mural simply because you all feel sorry for my mom.”
“Well of course not,” Gray said, stuffing his face with thick French toast. “That would be stupid. Hey, are you going to eat that food or what?”
Hud shoved his brother’s hand away from his breakfast and pulled the plate in closer to protect it—necessary with this bunch. “A mural is impractical,” he went on. “If you want a damn pic, we’ll go to the mall and take one. But we’re all busting our asses, and spending money on a mural would be a frivolous, stupid thing to do.”
“Actually, no it wouldn’t,” Gray said. “You know the rumors going around town that the resort is in trouble. We put up a huge-ass mural like this and it shows folks we’re staying right here. No matter what.”
Aidan toasted Gray with his orange juice. Kenna, Penny, and Lily did the same.
Hud just stared at them. “No,” he said again. Why wasn’t anyone listening?
“And your exact objection is what again?” Aidan asked, snaking Lily’s muffin.
In response, Lily scooted into Aidan’s lap and nibbled on his ear.
Aidan’s eyes closed and…
Lily snagged her muffin back and reclaimed her seat with a smug smile.
Aidan’s look promised retribution. Lily just grinned at him.
“We’re not doing the mural,” Hud said out loud—again—to the crazy people. “For lots of reasons. One, our balloon payment on this place is barreling down on us, and last I checked, it was threatening to put us all out on our asses. Two, if we’re going to spend money stupidly, then let’s get Gray and Penny a damn room—”
Gray and Penny—who had been kissing—pulled apart, neither looking particularly sorry. “And three,” Hud said, “the artist my mom hired to do the mural is already gone.”
“No, she’s not,” Penny said, and waved at someone behind Hud.
Hud turned and… shit. There she was, along with her bright red ski cap. He stood up as she came to the table.
“Hey,” Bailey said brightly.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“Rude,” Kenna said, elbowing him in the gut. “Even for you, Hud.” And since Hud had stood up, Kenna was able to kick his chair out and give it to the woman. “Sit,” she said. “Hud was just holding the spot for you.”