around the lodge, already knowing what she could and could not promise. “You’ll always have me, as a friend and as family. You won’t be alone whatever Patrick says or does, but you have to tell him soon.”
“But—”
“It’s your choice about when to tell him but do it soon.”
“You’re right. I’m just afraid. What if he’s not happy?”
Lauren laughed. “He was probably happy during the process of making that little one. If he’s not excited at first, it’s okay. He’ll come around.”
Cindy seemed like she was trying to smile, but she didn’t succeed and let her lips go slack.
Lauren went on, “Whatever you choose and whatever happens, I’ll support you, but you have to give Patrick a chance to step up to the plate.”
Cindy seemed to think about it before nodding with a sigh.
“Congratulations.” Lauren wrapped her arms around her young friend. “Hope, faith, and love; that’s all anybody really needs, and it’s all anybody ever really has.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Max
Max hammered the boards together, trying to catch up, and was glad for Patrick’s help, but the young man was obviously nervous about something, more than just the bleak changes they were all facing.
“Are you okay?”
“I dunno,” Patrick said, “I have a bad feeling about things, that’s all.”
“Join the club, but really, that’s life. It’s not a fairy tale, it’s one challenge after the next. It’s the rising to the challenge that makes life worthwhile.”
“Is that the secret of your success?” After a moment to second-guess himself, Patrick added, “I could use all the advice I can get. Cindy is acting strange, I’m afraid she will leave me for someone better. I mean, I haven’t even gotten my electrician’s license, yet. Thank God we’ve had this place to keep us going. I don’t mean to be a downer about things, but it’s less and less every year, which means fewer hours. It’s hard to make a living much less a life.”
“Don’t underestimate her, Patrick. If she loves you, if she really loves you, she’ll stick by you. You’ve got a future if you believe in it and want it bad enough. Stick with your studies, the license will come soon enough.”
Max walked into the house to visit the bathroom and passed Ruthie on the way out. He gave her a nod and a smile as they met in the hall.
Ruthie fisted her hips and turned to him to say, “Mistah Max Hunter,” in that thick Jamaican accent.
He stood calmly, already knowing the robust woman’s disposition toward him. She deserved to speak her mind, and he was happy to let her express her distrust.
“Ruthie,” he said before waiting for her to go on.
“I owe you an apology. When you came around, I was afraid you’d be hurtin’ my child.”
“That was never my intention.”
“You are a fine man, I know dat now. I was wrong.”
Max cracked a smile. “That’s good of you to say, Ruthie.” He gave her a little kiss on the cheek and walked into the lobby.
He saw Lauren walking across the backyard of the lodge, a place she’d called home for most of her life, a place she wanted to call home for the rest of her life.
It scared her, but it was the fear that gave her courage. Looking at her, as she took the reins of the lodge’s future, he thought about her parents and how they must have been gazing down on her with pride and joy.
What they would have thought about him, he didn’t know. His arrival at the lodge had been unexpected. Sometimes, life was uncertain, but the one thing he was steadfast about was his love for Lauren and their future together.
Time had tried to keep them apart, but somehow, they’d found their way back to one another. If Lauren could sustain a smile in the face of her losses, he was determined he would stand beside her and build their future together.
Whether they would have it at the lodge was another issue but it didn’t matter where, as long as they were together.
Something grabbed Max’s attention, a sedan pulling up to the front of the property. He didn’t recognize the black-haired man pulling a briefcase from the car before slamming the door. The way he was approaching the lodge, Max knew it wasn’t a social call. He had news, bad news, and that caused a cold stone to turn in Max’s gut.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Lauren
Lauren opened the door for Sam, who stepped in with a solemn air. “Lauren,” he said. Max walked over and extended his