which it is.”
“Does it matter?”
“Your mother is an intelligent woman—she could easily learn all the skills and customs she needs to be successful as Wesley’s wife. Which fork goes where isn’t the problem. It’s something deeper. A belief system. I’m starting to think she acts out because she doesn’t know what else to do in the moment. But knowing that is only half the battle. If I don’t know why, then it’s harder to overcome.”
“I understand your point, but I’m afraid I have no insight.”
“That’s okay. Are you still willing to have the dinner here?”
“Of course, but I might need to be schooled in the correct fork to use.”
She smiled. “We’ll have a refresher course before we head into the meal. I texted my sister last night and she spoke with her boss. They are happy to come. They’re bringing Connor, who’s eight. So the seven of us. I’ll speak to Edna today about a menu.” She smiled. “Sunshine said Connor told her icky grown-up food was okay as long as there was a good dessert.”
“I’m with Connor. Any dress code? Shall we go black tie?”
As much as she would love to see him in a tux... “I think we can wear regular clothes for the dinner. To be honest, I’m not sure I’m up for another round of what’s appropriate to wear with your mother. I’ve reached the place where I need to pick my battles and right now, that’s not one of them.”
“Knowing your limitations is the sign of a sound mind.”
“I shall embroider that on a pillow.”
* * *
James and Jessica Neal were earnest, stubborn and unbelievably rich—traits Declan had never had a problem with separately or together. Until today. As the thirtysomething couple changed their minds, yet again, he gazed longingly at the large windows in the conference room at his offices and wondered if the three-story fall would maim him enough to get him off the project.
Heath Harter, his business partner, caught his gaze and nodded toward the windows, as if he, too, were suggesting they risk the consequences.
“It’s just we want to use as much acreage as we can,” Jessica said, her soft tone insistent. “We’re totally invested in making this property the best it can be—for our guests and everyone in the community. We want to be a good business neighbor.”
An admirable trait that had absolutely nothing to do with the conversation at hand.
“I’m sure the local residents appreciate that,” Declan said, hoping his impatience didn’t show in his voice. “It speaks well of you two and the project. However, what we’re discussing is whether or not you want us to design a walking trail up into the mountains.”
James, a bland-looking man with a receding hairline, smiled at his wife. “He’s right, Jess. Let’s stay on the walking trails. We like them, right?”
She nodded. “We do. But do we want walking or hiking and if we’re talking hiking, aren’t there different levels of hikes? Plus, we don’t want to scare any wild animals or hurt indigenous plants.”
Of course not, Declan thought. God forbid you disturbed a leaf with a walking trail when you’ve just ripped out three acres to put up a damned hotel.
Heath quickly put several large sheets of paper on the conference table, because James and Jessica weren’t into PowerPoint presentations. It wasn’t organic when it was on a screen.
“Here’s what we were thinking,” he said, as he pointed to the first sheet. “We start with an easy walking trail from the rear gardens. It will be well marked, lit with solar lights and have benches along the way. Once we reach the end of the manicured gardens, there will be three hiking trails all heading into the mountain. One easy, one moderate and one challenging. We’ll have signage explaining how long each trail takes and how difficult it is, along with a map showing the route.”
Jessica and James exchanged a look of delight.
“We love it,” James said. “It’s perfect.”
Having been burned by the shifting winds of opinion before, Heath passed them a pen. “Great. If you’d both initial the map please.”
As they scrawled their initials, Declan braced himself for his part of the presentation. He, too, had giant sheets of paper, which made no sense. A PowerPoint presentation was clean, easy to change and didn’t use resources like paper. Clients—they would be the death of him.
“We’ve brainstormed options for the rear gardens,” he told them. “We’re looking at just over an acre of relatively flat land. We can increase that