Chapter 48 UNINVITED
I waved Linda off before heading inside, only to find Arabella pacing outside with her phone clutched in her hands, looking like she was desperately waiting for a call.
It took her a while to notice I was there.
“Hi, Nancy,” she said, her pacing not slowing.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked, not understanding why she was walking back and forth so restlessly on a Sunday morning.
“I’m fine. I’m just… waiting for this call,” she said.
I shrugged and made my way inside. It was still very early, so I guessed Renna—and everyone else—was probably still asleep. I hadn’t even had a proper conversation with Mum since I got back.
I headed to Renna’s room to check on her, but the sight before me nearly brought tears to my eyes. Mum was with her, both of them fast asleep. The way Renna rested her head against Mum’s chest, with Mum’s arms wrapped protectively around her, didn’t just warm my heart—it told me Renna was already surrounded by love.
I quietly closed the door and headed to my room. I stepped straight into the shower, desperate for something to wake me up. The hot water helped, but it didn’t do much for my aching body. I could barely even wash my hair properly.
Dragging myself out of the bathroom to get dressed, Arabella startled me when she barged into my room, the same tension from earlier still etched across her face.
“Do you ever knock?” I asked.
“No. You should be used to it by now,” she replied, heading straight for my wardrobe and rummaging through my clothes.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for something to wear. A proper dress for my interview. I need to look perfect if I’m going to get this job,” she muttered, more to herself than to me.
“Then you’re in the wrong store,” I said flatly. “I don’t do dresses. I thought you knew that by now. Please leave my room so I can get dressed—and find your way to the mall.”
“Yeah, easy for you to say,” she snapped. “Do you know what it feels like to be under this kind of pressure? Imagine your first love asking you out on a date. Wouldn’t you want to look and smell nice?”
“No, Bella. I’d show up wearing pants, a tank top, and a jacket,” I replied, completely uninterested.
“Of course. Pants freak,” she scoffed, her face twisting in mock disgust. “I’ll just go turn my wardrobe upside down.”
She headed for the door, but I stopped her.
“Just remember—it’s an interview, not a ballroom dance.”
She turned to face me and rolled her eyes dramatically.
"I know,” she said, then turned and walked back toward me again, and frustration immediately flared in my chest. Why couldn’t she just leave?
“Meanwhile, have you been in touch with Mr. Lennox? Is he still in town? Renna said he stopped by yesterday and that you left with him. Is that true? What’s going on between you two?”
I waited for her to ask the questions that actually mattered, but instead she kept rambling—about how Kelvin told her I left in Mr. Lennox’s car, about everything except what was truly important.
“Are you even worried about us losing this ranch?” I asked sharply, watching the words die on her lips.
“Whatever I’m doing, I’m doing it to save this ranch, Bella,” I said, barely holding back my frustration. “So please try not to ask me annoying questions, or I might snap.”
“Yeah, right,” she muttered. “Mum wants to speak to you. Would you at least make time to see her?”
With that, she left.
I exhaled slowly, rubbing my temple. Why did she always have to be so irritating?
Troy’s POV
“So you’re trying to tell me that we have a new branch here in Hollowmere—and you hid it from me?”
I couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eye. It wasn’t my fault. His father had let me in on the secret and still insisted I keep it from him. What was I supposed to do?
“Well, I wanted to tell you, but he asked me not to,” I muttered, avoiding his piercing gaze. “And your health hasn’t been great since you passed out.”
“How long has this been going on?” he asked. This time, his attention shifted to his laptop as he scrolled through images of the new hotel site.
It was downtown Hollowmere, near the edge of town.
“I only found out after you passed out back in Brookleigh,” I said quietly.
“I can’t believe this,” he snapped. “How could he hide something like this from me? What is he trying to do—replace the main branch?”
Anger poured from him, sharp and unrestrained. I had known he wouldn’t take this well.
“I wanted to tell you,” I said again, my voice lower this time. “But your health was already fragile, so I kept it from you. I never expected him to announce the opening just a few days after we left.”
“He’s not only demanding that the hotel be opened tomorrow, he wants us to interview workers today—and he’s already sending them our way, Tenish,” Jaxon said, and my jaw nearly dropped to the floor.
“He what?” I asked, immediately grabbing Jaxon’s laptop and scrolling through the already scheduled interviews. This was insane.
“What are we going to do? Can’t you just cancel the interviews and reschedule them for next week? It’s barely an hour away,” I said, completely lost. Why was Mr. Lennox rushing everything? And why had he hidden the hotel’s existence from Jaxon all this time?
Jaxon went silent. For a moment, I couldn’t read him—until that familiar frown appeared, the one he always wore when he was being stubborn about something.
“Go get ready. We have interviews coming up,” he said flatly before turning and angrily marching toward the bathroom.
I let out a heavy sigh just as Alba appeared out of nowhere, his favorite bone toy hanging from his mouth. I sighed again, glaring down at him.
“Not now, Alba. I’m not in the mood to play with you,” I told him as he dropped the toy at my feet.
“Just feed him. He’s probably hungry,” Jaxon’s voice came from the bathroom.
I took Alba downstairs and straight into the kitchen, fixing his food while hurriedly clearing the already set dining table.
So much for making breakfast this morning.
I was almost done when the doorbell rang. I guessed our first interviewee had arrived.
I rushed to the door, ready to open it—then froze when I saw the face on the monitor.
It was Miss Carter.
What was she doing here?